To put a sign on the front door saying I won't take parcels

[Thedriftofstars]

Just answered the door for the fourth time today. I haven't ordered anything, I seem to be taking parcels in for the rest of the street. I said no to the last two, but I'm not going to answer for the rest of the day now!
I'm unwell and trying to sleep it off, except the door keeps going every 10 mins! I live in an old house with a big iron knocker on the front door so the noise goes straight through the house. I'm half tempted to take it off and put a doorbell on that I can turn off!
AIBU to put a sign on the door saying 'no parcels'?!

If you do start to refuse parcels, I just hope that you need something from one of your neighbours soon and they say no.

My pregnant neighbour ordered a whole suite of baby bedroom furniture and when they tried to deliver it, she wasn't there.

It filled up my narrow hallway, but no dramas, you just suck it up.

She didn't return home for three days because she had gone into labour early.

A couple of days later her husband and my son moved the furniture into their house.

I couldn't imagine turning away a little parcel after this.

curry trust me some did. My immediate neighbour ‘joked’ how handy it was knowing I was in so she didn’t have to worry about paying for a designated day

The OP is ill and want a little peace to sleep.

'It filled up my narrow hallway, but no dramas, you just suck it up.'

A lot of people would not have the room, at all, to store that, so they can't just suck it up.

I wish my neighbours would refuse my parcels, given that they are rarely in and seem to hate being disturbed - if the parcel just went to the sorting office I could collect it when it suited me (instead of having to try to monitor and then ambush my neighbours when they are in without disturbing when they might be having dinner etc) and I wouldn't be forced to keep imposing on the people who live close to me! I really hate that a contract between me, the seller and the post office or courier company sometimes gets routed through some unpaid and unreliable randoms.

YANBU. I do a lot of online shopping but I get it delivered to the local post office so my neighbours aren't disturbed.

You can do, but when I last worked for a company that did a lot of deliveries with numerous companies, it was standard policy that the drivers were to ignore any signs up. It was just incase someone else had put a sign on someones door saying 'deliver to next door neighbour' when the resident hadnt put the sign up.

I dont think many of the delivery drivers do follow the policy, but you may be unlucky and get the few that do.

Persian - what about night shifts? I had to resort to putting a sign up because nobody else would answer the door and I was working nights. So Hermes would wake me at 10am, Yodel at 1pm, Royal Mail at 2pm... I wasn't safe to drive, let alone work!

I've had people knocking on my door saying that they have had parcels delivered here when they haven't.
There's usually someone in during the day next door, so maybe the parcel van driver is getting house numbers mixed up. I have a very visible house number but still get people knocking thinking it is a different number.

Taking the odd parcel in, not an issue and it happens. I ordered a parcel for when I was in and despite it being next day prime it was two days late. My neighbour took it in. I've taken a couple of theirs in if I've been around as it's the neighbourly thing to do.

Continually taking in loads of parcels for people or people knowing I'm in so getting them delivered to me. They can piss off and I wouldn't accept parcels if they were continually doing it.

However delivery drivers are cheeky sods and just want the parcel delivered as they get paid per delivery (yodel and Hermes etc) so will gladly give it to anyone.

Do it

We've been the neighbour from hell once, when we ordered a new mattress for DS for delivery on Maundy Thursday, I waited in for it all day and it never arrived. Turned out it didn't arrive at the warehouse until after the delivery van had already left "but it's ok because we'll deliver it tomorrow". Good Friday, when we were away on holiday.

We hoped they'd turn up, knock and just go away with it as I explained we wouldn't be in. We arrived at our hotel, DH looked at our email via wifi and asked if I wanted the good or bad news. Both were "the mattress seems to have been delivered". We had visions of it propped up against the front windows in the rain for 3 days but bless them, the family across the way had taken it in and stepped round it in the hall for the Easter weekend. Chocolates were sent as thanks for that one, I was stunned they were so chipper about it and brought it across for us.

I work from home and find it really distracting. Unfortunately my house is overlooked from the street, so I get delivery people banging on my window scaring the shit out of me. None of them can just knock normally either. It always sounds like an emergency.

Wouldn’t mind if it was just for immediate neighbours but it seems to be for the whole bloody street. I also had drama because one of the items was broken, and a neighbour basically accused me of causing the damage ‘hmm are you sure you didn’t just drop it’ etc. So now I only take them for people I know.

I'm the house all the drivers try first, as I'm here most of the time. I really don't mind, it's an opportunity for a chat with my neighbours to be honest. I admit it annoys me a little bit if I'm waiting for something and someone else's parcel is delivered first but that's only because it gets my hopes up.

I was upset a few weeks ago. DS is a very poorly boy in general and was having a dip, I was at the GP with him, out for no more than an hour, and I missed my own parcel and it was sent back to the depot. I know several of my neighbours were home that day and I confess I had a little cry when I realised I take parcels in almost daily for them, yet no one was available to take mine during that small window I was out. It was a tough day, on the back of no sleep for several nights and very worried about DS, and I know it was a crap thing to cry about, I just felt "why me" when I was trying to work out how on Earth I would get chance to pick it up.

I live on a cul de sac and we all take in each others parcels so it kind of evens out. Don't let others take the mickey though!

The banging on the windows really pisses me off. It's usually not something I've ordered. The last time it happened this chap was claiming I'd ordered a takeaway - it was 5.30 pm on a Sunday and I hate Chinese food. He had trampled a flowerbed to get to the window to tap it loudly. Aaaaargh!

I also hate paying for next day delivery and having the delivery company claiming I wasn't in, when I was.

I don't order much online.

Mostly I get parcels delivered to work but if home I get deliveries to my designated safe place. Unfortunately I dont actually have one so its always fun and games for me and dd playing hunt the parcel. Is is behind the plant pot, in the bin. Iv had a card left that is ticked delivered to to your neighbor but not actually saying which one. Feel like a cf waiting for the neighbour to bring parcel and explain company didnt say where they left it.

Persian - what about night shifts? I had to resort to putting a sign up because nobody else would answer the door and I was working nights. So Hermes would wake me at 10am, Yodel at 1pm, Royal Mail at 2pm... I wasn't safe to drive, let alone work!
That is slightly different, you have a reason for not wanting to answer the door.

I get the impression that the Op just doesn't want to.

I'm unwell and trying to sleep it off, except the door keeps going every 10 mins!

@PersianCatLady OP has every reason to not want to take in parcels!

People are so cheeky! If I think I'm going to miss a delivery I put a note on my door telling delivery drivers NOT to leave stuff with neighbours then I just pick it up from the depot or they redeliver. Plus I rarely answer my door because it's usually people trying to sell me something or generally annoy me.

Hmm I’ve just realised I could plant something spiky in my flowerbeds to stop delivery drivers getting close to the window. Would giant cacti survive the British weather?

YANBU.
I don't expect neighbours to accept my parcels. If I know I'm not going to be in I use the Collect Plus service and collect it from the local Co-Op at my convenience.

People are proably at home because they're either asleep after a night shift, looking after someone or working. And I only know my immediate neighbours, and don't want to knock at a strangers' house for a parcel.

Yanbu, you're ill, you need to sleep.

A giant cactus wouldn't but berberis, cotoneaster, roses or gooseberry would be quite effective.

@PersianCatLady OP has every reason to not want to take in parcels!
Sorry, OP has every right to put a sign on her door.

I feel like a right twat now.

Generally though, if you are well, I think it is mean to not take in other people's parcels.

I hate when my neighbours take my parcels!

When I order online I always specify my safe place for parcels to be left if I'm not in but so many delivery people ignore the instruction and then deliver to a neighbour. It's bad enough at other times of the year but I work in retail so my schedule this last month has been all over the place and I don't want to be disturbing the neighbours at 7am or 10pm but they are often the only times I have to collect them as I'm leaving/arriving home from work (and the neighbour is having work done on the roof so I can't distinguish the difference between the knock of my door and the hammering through the walls and so have missed a few parcels recently)

If they had been left in my safe place I could have picked them up at my convenience, if they had been kept for delivery I could have called the courier to arrange delivery either when I was home or to my work or if it's royal mail then the sorting office is literally round the corner and I could pick it up on my day off, but because my neighbour has taken it I have to suit their schedule and appear grateful when I'd actually prefer they not do me a "favour" that causes me more work and effort