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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Aibu to think this is not really my problem?

83 replies

Thetartofasgard · 01/06/2018 12:17

Parcel delivered last Friday, no name on it but with my address. I opened it and it was obviously supplies for a shop.

I telephoned the company on the invoice (they’d put the wrong postcode on it) and they said they would send a courier to collect it (company is in Scotland, I’m in England.

Courier has been twice this week, while I’m at work.

Company is getting annoyed with me as saying it costs them money every time the courier attempts to collect. Said they would report it as stolen.

The courier won’t come at a specific time and just gives a timescale of ‘between 7am - 7pm’

Any ideas on what I can do? Other than taking time off work so that I can be home when courier turns up. The only day I don’t work is Sunday and the courier won’t collect it then.

Although I’m tempted to, I can’t leave it outside (we live in a terrace on a busy main road with no porch/front garden) and my neighbours all work too.

I don’t want to get in any trouble but it’s starting to get on my nerves now. I’m getting daily phone calls from the company. The goods are worth nearly £1000 So I understand them needing it back ASAP but they were the ones to make the mistake, yet I’m the one who is expected to put myself out to rectify it.

Thanks

OP posts:
grumpy4squash · 23/06/2018 00:41

This might be a stupid question, but if it's a 40kg parcel and your house is right on the street, how was it delivered in the first place? Presumably it wasn't left outside?

AjasLipstick · 23/06/2018 00:48

I'd drop it off at a police station and tell them the company is harassing you.

GameofPhones · 23/06/2018 01:00

From en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unsolicited_goods

"The 2008 regulations prohibit as a criminal offence various unfair advertising and marketing practices and in paragraph 29 of Schedule 1 make it a criminal offence to engage in "Demanding immediate or deferred payment for or the return or safekeeping of products supplied by the trader, but not solicited by the consumer, except where the product is a substitute supplied in accordance with regulation 19(7) of the Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations 2000 (inertia selling)".

notangelinajolie · 23/06/2018 01:01

40kg parcel that you weren't expecting and you accepted it and opened it? Why? Something that heavy would have been delivered on a van with 2 men carrying it to your property or at the very least one man and a pallet truck. Could you not have refused delivery at the time? Struggling to understand why you accepted the parcel in the first place. And why open it if it wasn't yours?

BoomBoomsCousin · 23/06/2018 01:11

Do you know the rough value of the goods? I would think you would need to take more care if it were a greater value than a lesser one. But you are not required to look after their good forever. Saga recommends giving mistaken delivery goods 14 days for collection (which you have). So I would think, unless it's 40Kg of gold bullion, you can probably dispose of it on Wednesday if they haven't collected by then.

An alternative is to send them an invoice for storage, and not to say the fee will increase to 50/week or part thereof if goods are not collected or released for destruction before June 27th, pick up on a day designated by them will be a further [whatever amount you'd loose if you took a day off work] payable in advance.

Then, if they haven't picked it up, put it in the shed/loft and in 20 weeks time open a small claims case against them for the 500.

BoomBoomsCousin · 23/06/2018 01:12

*and not to say

DiegoMadonna · 23/06/2018 01:12

Thanks for the update OP! You've got more patience than I have, I think I'd have told them I'd chucked it by now. At the very least just leave it outside your door for the courier to get. If someone else nabs it, so be it.

lhastingsmua · 23/06/2018 01:21

At this point I would dump it outside for the courier to collect. Ridiculous

Who are they using, Hermes? I think most delivery companies have the ability to collect items at a specific time, it just costs more as it’s a more premium option. I have certainly been able to request times slots at least. If it’s 40kg, it probably needs an advanced service anyway, like you’d expect with furniture. The retailer should have hired another courier by now.

MontyPants · 23/06/2018 01:31

I believe it will still be classed as unsolicited goods as it was addressed to your house, so you should be able to keep or dispose of it as you wish, but check the legalities on this as my brain is a little rusty because I’m on mat leave. But don’t dump it outside on the street as you’ll leave yourself open to a fine for fly tipping. I think you are probably getting to the point where you can start ignoring them, as you have made reasonable attempts to return the item. They know your address, they can come and collect it when you’re at home, they need to stop being arseholes.

BlankTimes · 23/06/2018 01:36

I too was wondering this like @grumpy4squash
"This might be a stupid question, but if it's a 40kg parcel and your house is right on the street, how was it delivered in the first place? Presumably it wasn't left outside?"

I can't lift a 20kg bag of coal, your parcel weighs twice that, how was it delivered? Were you in to accept and sign for it? Did the delivery guy or 2 guys carry it inside for you? If not, how did you get it into your house?

TheMaddHugger · 23/06/2018 02:10

Did they leave it outside your house ? How did you get it inside your place ? 40 kgs is heavy.

Ellie73 · 23/06/2018 02:45

I am calling the absolute BS flag on the company. If they need the goods then they can arrange a different courier company to pick it up between a 3 hr time slot that you can give them.
Kind of like this:
Look I can tell from your tone you are getting frustrated, but let's get this straight.
You made the error and sent the parcel to my home by mistake. I being an honest person found your paperwork and had the decency to call you so as you could get your 'valuable' goods back.

They say the road to hell is paved with good intentions, well this is my stop to get off the ride.
I will not be taking a valuable day off work as I have responsibilities. I can and will be here Tuesday between 3-6pm for any courier service to want to come and pick it up. I absolutely refuse to give or accept and timeslot above 3 hrs. So now it's your responsibility to find a reliable courier service.

I have been kind and courteous up to now so don't make me regret trying to be helpful otherwise the only help you will get is my Turing your parcel in to the local police station lost and found.

End of phone conversation/rant.
Cheeky F💕💕💕kers

2blueshoes · 23/06/2018 05:33

I'd say that you need to talk to them exclusively via email, so you have a paper trail, if reporting you to the police is on their agenda. CF's!!!

BarbaraofSevillle · 23/06/2018 06:08

If the parcel really is 40 kg, the OP can't safely move it anywhere on her own.

If the goods are fairly valuable and couriers aren't working, I'm surprised the company in question hasn't sent one of their staff to collect it themselves by now.

I suppose it depends where in Scotland/England we are talking about. Obviously Aberdeen to Plymouth isn't feasible, but if the distance is more like Glasgow to Newcastle, then I'm sure the company could find a spare member of staff to send out and collect the parcel at a time convenient to the OP?

Ylvamoon · 23/06/2018 06:42

Personally, I d take pictures of the parcel, contents and address label. Keep all the correspondence you have had with the company .... AND CHUCK IT OUT at given date.
they had 4 weeks to collect it, it's obviously not important enough.

StealthPolarBear · 23/06/2018 06:51

I'm also wondering how it got in!

StealthPolarBear · 23/06/2018 06:52

Maybe op was expecting something heavy herself and assumed this was it

rwalker · 23/06/2018 07:09

like anything else in life you can do it if you want the fact is the company is not prepared to send a courier on saturday or sunday so that is there fault . Block there number email them giving a couple of time slots like saturday 8 to 10 and tell them to confirm . This is not your problem tell them to report it stolen police will laugh you have proof you have offered it back to them. Offer to take the day off for collection but you ant your loss of earnings .

daisychain01 · 23/06/2018 07:10

I wonder what the goods are...

🐦 🐦 🐦 🐦

CoughLaughFart · 23/06/2018 07:24

And why open it if it wasn't yours?

There was no name on the package. How else was she supposed to find out who it belonged to?

cloudchaos · 23/06/2018 07:27

I would probably see if I could get a cheap deal on parcel2go where they would collect according to my schedule. Email the company with the quote to get them to confirm they will cover the costs and organise it myself.

I had to do with before with a child's play kitchen which needed returning and was faulty and I was given no options for returning it unless it was back in its box and I couldn't take it apart after it had been assembled.

GlitteryFluff · 23/06/2018 08:27

Yes was it left outside?
If so I'd be tempted to put it back outside Tuesday when you go to work.

wowfudge · 23/06/2018 08:45

Yes - I'm wondering how the OP took delivery. What about the intended recipient? Are they nearby? Couldn't the supplier just contact them and ask them to collect it and refund the delivery charges/give them some account credit? Obviously at minimal disruption to the OP.

TheMaddHugger · 23/06/2018 10:31

@StealthPolarBear Sat 23-Jun-18 06:52:02
Maybe op was expecting something heavy herself and assumed this was it.

Yes. and Heck, If it wasn't so heavy I'd say put it outside.
Explains why OP says she needs to be home. She can't move it to get it outside Oi

ThistleAmore · 23/06/2018 10:48

If they're going to report it as stolen, could you take it to your local police station and get them to pick it up from there?