To expect neighbours to come and collect their missed parcels?

[DiamondMine]

One of our neighbours orders a lot of stuff online (fair enough, so do we) however, they are out all day at work (again, fair enough) DP works shifts so is often around in the mornings when post/ parcels are being delivered. They always ask us to sign for them and then they pop a note through their door.

However, every bloody time they never come over to collect, we always have to bring their parcels round to them. Ive just arrived home from work, DP is at work and obviously signed for some parcels for said neighbours as there are 4 (quite big) boxes here and an ASOS bag.

WIBU to not go back out again tonight in the pissing rain and cold and just wait to see if they bother to come and collect?

AIBU? Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind popping people's missed post round on the odd occasion but I’m not bloody Royal Mail and I’m inclined to think if it’s your parcel, it’s your responsibility to collect?

It’s taking up a lot of space in the hallway too

I was going to say why not just phone them to say they need to collect asap? But saw that you said they are unfriendly ... well, you should put an end to this. Refuse deliveries, and IF they say anything - sounds like they won't - just say it it no longer convenient.

How annoying. I think the solution is just not to accept more parcels.

I hate it when delivery drivers leave my parcels with certain neighbours.

A very unfriendly woman lives across the road from me and I was mortified when she marched round to my house to tell me a parcel had been delivered. I had intended to collect it but thought she was out because her gates were shut. When she marched round, she didn't bring the parcel but demanded that I come to her house and collect it - right then! I asked whether I could come and get it a bit later (my baby was asleep at the time) and she told me she would be washing her hair later on! Thankfully my baby was sleeping in the buggy, so I wheeled the baby over and had my toddler in tow, just to collect a little parcel from this awful woman.

I wish the delivery companies would let you specify which neighbours they can and can't deposit parcels with, so that these encounters can be avoided!

Just refuse deliveries in future.
It's their issue to sort and I'm sure they will find a solution once you / your husband are no longer providing the service.

Tell them as from now it’s 5.00 per parcel, otherwise refuse them.

Our neighbours do this. I took in a parcel for them last week and it actually had written on it, "If not in, leave at number 325".

I don't mind except they don't come round for days so our hall can get quite full of their stuff. I think that sometimes the courier doesn't leave a card to say where they've left it.

Anyway, I've come to the conclusion that I'll take their things in for them but I'm not going to task myself with delivering it to their house, they've got to come to mine to get it. Our doorbell hasn't worked for weeks so we don't always hear when they come round. It must be getting quite irritating for them!

This is super rude, you should always go and collect your parcels, not expect the neighbour to bring them around!!

Don't take them round - if they're not collected within a few days, contact the company and say they've been mis-delivered/you can't get them to the neighbour, and get them to arrange to have them collected/returned.

Don't take anymore in.

This is a very common situation that the unstoppable rise of online shopping has created.

I live on a small cul-de-sac, so we do tend to take each others parcels in. Normally this is next door neighbours, next door but one. At Christmas last year, we did seem to be taking them in for the whole street though, and it got to be a bit of a pain for my partner working at home having to answer the door and take stuff in. As it isn't one particular CF, we will probably continue to do it unless it gets completely out of control.

I think the main problem is , is that when ordering online, people don't even consider whether they will be in or not to receive the delivery. They assume that it will be put in the recycling bin ( burglars and sneak thieves love that) , or that a neighbour will take them in.

I can see how easily this would create bad feeling..what if someone is working nights and is constantly woken up by delivery men during the day?

Parents with new babies trying to get them to sleep?

Ill or infirm elderly neighbours?

As online shoppers we should be a bit more considerate, but quite frankly consideration has gone way out of fashion these days.

Just find a stone in the garden and put the parcel under it. x

So you have four large, (heavy?) boxes and a bag belonging to a set of rude arses cluttering up your hall and you're considering whether or not you should venture out in the pissing rain to do them the courtesy of completing their delivery?

You're grappling with the wrong problem here.

No more deliveries. No need to discuss it with them either. They'll soon get the picture.

Stick them somewhere they won't annoy you and wait for them to pick them up... I'm also pretty rubbish at being at home for parcels but will always go to pick them up and I also return the favour when they have their parcels delivered... although I always end up dropping them off, one was a huge box and it was literally driving me mad being inside my house

I'm another one who has had parcels delivered to neighbours without getting a note through my door. I only knew that the last one had been delivered at all because it had a tracking number, so I had to knock on various neighbour's doors until I found the right one. I was in all day but the delivery driver didn't even try my door.

I regularly take in neighbour parcels, but I’m on friendly terms with them. Sometimes if I happen to see them parking up outside, I take the parcel out to them, sometimes they collect. Sometimes it’s here for days and when I take it round, they say they never received a note from the courier, and had no idea we had it but are very apologetic.

I only accept parcels for immediate neighbours and do say to couriers “sorry but I don’t know that neighbour” if it’s more than 1 or 2 doors away and they’re fine with that.

Absolutely tell DP not to accept anymore, especially as you’re the one who ends up dealing with it. If they’re taking up too much space, it’s annoying, so take it round but ask “did you get the note to say we had it?” and see what they say. Then tell them you won’t be taking in any more for them as you don’t have the space for days on end.

@DiamondMine

You need to stop taking them in. At all. Don't answer the door. Or if you do answer accidentally because you don't realise it's for your neighbour, then just say 'sorry I am going away for a few days in half an hour, and won't be able to give the stuff to them.'

I stopped taking in packages for neighbours maybe 5 or 6 years ago. Because of a few different reasons (including the ones you have highlighted,) but one main reason made me determined to never take anything else in for anyone else.

I signed for something once, (for a neighbour I didn't know who lived 4 doors away, and had moved in a couple of months earlier...) and they came to collect the item the following day.

Long story short, several weeks later, the company who had sent the item (which was valued in the mid 3 figures,) wrote to me claiming that this neighbour had said they never received their item, and that they had it on record that I had signed for it. I said 'yeah I did, but they came and got it the next day.'

The upshot is, it caused me a LOT of bother, that took several months to recover from, (people from the company who sent the item calling at my house, this neighbour and their extended family getting arsey with me, and denying they had had the item, being questioned by the police etc..., because I couldn't prove I had given this neighbour the item!)

It couldn't be proved that I HADN'T given it to them either, and there was a kind of stalemate situation.

I moved house several months after this incident (some 40 miles away,) and never heard about it again... But I will never ever take in parcels for people again. I also don't expect - or want - anyone to take mine in either.

I usually just don't answer the door if a delivery driver (for someone else) knocks, but if they do catch me (like I the garden for example,) I refuse, and/or make an excuse.

I’d say to them. Happy to recheck your parcels but please could you pick up on the day.

Give them another chance and then start refusing deliveries of but

I was in all day but the delivery driver didn't even try my door.

It really infuriates me when this happens.
I always say to leave in garage when ordering. If signature needed I make sure I'm in to sign.
Last week I was waiting for a parcel and delivery driver pulled up outside, I watched him deliver to neighbour was expecting him to come to me but he got back in van and drove off. So I carried on waiting expecting mine would come later.
When I looked on line it said parcel had been left with a neighbour
It must've just been more convenient for the driver.
I wish there was an option to say "DO NOT DELIVER TO NEIGHBOUR" when ordering.

I've stopped taking parcels as it got beyond a joke, the sheer volume.
people shouldn't have home deliveries if they aren't going to be in.

Humm ..

"Sorry neighbour, Must have been Hermes or somesuch, they keep chuking stuff over the hedge, sorry can't help;(

Whilst selling the bloody stuff on fleabay on the quiet;)

I will always go straight to the neighbours to pick up any parcels or send DS as soon as I've opened the door and seen the "We missed you" note.
Same with neighbours if I've taken if their parcels, they are round as soon as they get home.
Works well for us! If it wasn't then I would refuse to take in any parcels, you don't need the stress, wait for them to come to you.

Step 1 - put a note on your door for all delivery personnel saying "Deliveries for the occupants at this address only will be signed for. No other deliveries will be accepted".
Step 2 - put a note through the letter box of your neighbours house saying "Hi neighbour, we live in Number X house and have 10 parcels waiting for you to collect them. If you could, I'll be in tomorrow between 10 - 12 otherwise I'll have to bring them back to the sorting office and you can collect them from there. We wont be able to accept any more packets/parcels going forward so please make sure that the company you're ordering from has your address on the parcel so you can get it straightaway. Cheers!"

Issue sorted.

While you might not agree with it OP, the post made by Alfie is pretty much saying what a lot of us are saying. If you (and that includes your DH who has gone away for work now) don't want to take in parcels for someone else, don't. You have the parcels now and you've come on to MN asking whether or not you would expect your neighbours to collect their own parcels? They may not know that they are in your hallway.
Definitely go with popping a note into their letterbox saying that X number of parcels are in the hallway of House XX and they're to come and collect them by Y date/time.
Then stop accepting packages/parcels that are not for you.

Why is your DP still taking them in?

With the ones you've got currently, go over to the neighbours WITHOUT the parcels and say 'There's loads of your parcels at my house; can you come and get them please?' They can come back home with you and pick them up.

I had neighbours like this! I once had a huge box for nearly 2 weeks, they never answered the door when I knocked on, in the end I started saying No I wasn't taking them and told Royal Mail/ delivery person why, I wasn't the only one who refused parcels for them a few of our other neighbors did to they were that bad.
They've moved now thankgod and we now all take parcels for each other knowing they will be collected

I agree that you should just stop taking them. But if you must be soft about it, insist that they give you a number so you can text them next time to arrange a mutually convenient time for them to pick up. I only take parcels now for the two neighbours whose numbers I have, saves a lot of faffing when they miss me when trying to collect (I only deliver if I literally run into them in the street. With my closest neighbour in the terrace if small enough I stick parcels in a waterproof container, put it over fence and text to say i did that.

Neighbours using you as a free drop-off point because you are at home is not fair enough. It is very fucking annoying indeed and I've stopped doing it.

You can go to the shops or use Click and Collect and pick it up yourself.

I very rarely order things to be delivered when I am out and when I do I make sure they go to an address where I know the person is happy to receive them - it's a shop and he's open from 10am until 8pm and takes lots of his own deliveries.

Plus he's my husband and I am sleeping with him which I think gives me various privileges.

I once had some mad cow arguing with me about a delivery of socks that I had no knowledge of that she thought I'd stolen.

Someone else once left a parcel round my house for six weeks and failed to respond to various messages to pick it up.

In the end I opened it. Imagine my delight and my cat's when it turned out to be this.

I would put a not on the door saying ' we don't take in parcels for any other address'