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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

DPD driver stole money from my porch - AIBU?

174 replies

Snorkers · 14/12/2018 17:06

I left £190 in cash under a plant pot in my porch for a delivery of logs today while i took the dogs for a quick toilet trip (15 mins). I live out in the sticks and no one has any reason to be on my property unless they are delivering something.
My neighbour saw the delivery driver behaving suspiciously, spending far longer than needed at my door and lifting up the pot in question.
My parcel was then put in a weird place next to a drain.
When I got back 5 mins later the money was gone.
OK I know it is not a secure place and I certainly won't be doing it again, but I live in a tiny little village with no through traffic.
I am trying to report to the police, but DPD are not interested.
AIBU to expect them to question the driver?

OP posts:
SheCameFromGreeceSheHadaThirst · 14/12/2018 21:11

Were you taking the dogs out when the theft occurred? Or going to town because you wanted to? Or did you take the dogs to town?

Maybe the dogs are fancy and will only wee in town?

Ariela · 14/12/2018 21:15

Could it have been someone else who nicked the DPD parcel and whilst there thought hmmnn that plant pot looks a bit wobbly on top of something (£190 even as 3 x£50 and 2 x £40 would raise it slightly off the ground) checked under and found an envelope, walked briskly off opening the envelope and ditching the parcel by the drains they found the cash (easier to dispose of)

Bobbybear10 · 14/12/2018 21:21

Oh dear, do you not have any heating now in this cold snap? It’s supposed to be the first snow for some counties.

I hate to think of anyone going without heating.

millymae · 14/12/2018 21:28

I don’t think you are being unreasonable at all in expecting DPD to question the driver. In the circumstances you’ve described it seems more likely that he will be the culprit than your neighbour or some random person who just happened to be passing by.
It’s never nice to be accused of something you didn’t do, but any reasonable person should understand why they need to be questioned.
Your story reminded me of what happened to my grandad who sadly collapsed and died when out with friends. He was a man who always had money in his wallet, yet when my grandmother went to collect his possessions from the hospital there was no money in it all - not even small change.
It certainly wasn’t his friends who took his cash whilst they were trying to revive him in the street so you can draw your own conclusions as to where it might have been ‘lost’.
My grandmother was too upset to take the matter further at the time but later regretted not asking for the lack of any money to be investigated, if for no other reason than it might serve as a warning to the dishonest that they could end up being caught should someone else report a similar loss.

Valasca · 14/12/2018 21:37

No, it’s not ok for an employer to accuse an employee of theft with fuck all evidence!!!

Can you imagine coming into your work and being hauled in for a possible disciplinary because someone says they saw you look 120 seconds to perform a task that they decided should have taken 30 seconds, therefore you are a thief?

Madness. The delivery person may have been knocking, checking instructions on what to do when you’re not home, etc.

If all the delivery drivers leave parcels by moving some stupid plant pot, then those are instructions you left. The guy could have been looking around your front area trying to figure out your stupid instructions.

ExcitedForChristmas18 · 14/12/2018 21:47

I just can't believe how many people are pointing the finger at the delivery driver!!!!! It's shocking!!!!!

Prometheus · 14/12/2018 22:06

I’d leave a laminated note under the pot for the next few months with a bitchy message. Unfortunately if you order something online you can’t stipulate which company delivers so it is likely the DPD man will be back and IF it was him, he’d be taking another look to see if there’s any more cash there.

Ariela · 14/12/2018 22:10

I do have to question why you left the cash there. Even our farrier has gone to online payment when we're not there - texts the amount to us and we pay by internet banking. Could you not do this for your log man?

PowerPantsRule · 14/12/2018 22:20

That's rubbish - I am really sorry. I live rurally and have done exactly the same thing - people who live in a town don't understand which is why you are getting people questioning you....

skybluee · 14/12/2018 22:24

I get an hour's window from DPD too. It's done as standard. They do it early on the day of delivery. They text it. E.g. we will deliver today between 11:11 and 12:11. So I don't understand why you'd go out rather than miss an hour delivery period, but apart from that, I do understand how this situation could occur. I also understand that if you have known your neighbour for years, and know them well, how you'd think it was less likely it was them. However, the fact is there is zero proof it was the DPD delivery driver. Maybe he was faffing around in there for some other reason. Maybe someone else took it. There is no proof. Maybe the log person was talking about it and someone overheard. Who knows.

SheCameFromGreeceSheHadaThirst · 14/12/2018 22:25

.people who live in a town don't understand which is why you are getting people questioning you....

Nah, that's not the reason why.

diddl · 14/12/2018 22:26

" people who live in a town don't understand "

What-that it's daft & unnecessary to leave nearly £200 where it can be found?

OrgyofSausages · 14/12/2018 22:30

I thought DPD could only deliver with a signature. How did it end up being left on your porch?

KonaMum · 14/12/2018 22:33

We live in the kind of village where you can happily pop out for 15 minutes and leave the back door open, or leave the keys in the ignition and run into the house if you’ve forgotten something, and the postman always leaves parcels in the unlocked porch (and signs for them on your behalf if needed)... but I still wouldn’t leave cash out. No more than the milkman needed anyway.

It’s terrible but I don’t know if the police would do anything.

Shockers · 14/12/2018 22:35

I live rurally and I completely understand that comment.

C8H10N4O2 · 14/12/2018 22:45

people who live in a town don't understand which is why you are getting people questioning you....

Nope. That really isn't the reason.

speakout · 14/12/2018 22:51

I live rurally and I get it too.

My neighbours are currently away for 4 days. They have left the door to t the porch open-front door locked behind.

Quite a number of parcels and packages have been left by the postman and delivery companies, there is now a pile.
The postman opens the door, throws in the stuff and closes the door.

It is highly unlikely anything would be stolen

I rarely lock my car and many people don't lock their doors if popping out for a few hours.

concernedforthefuture · 14/12/2018 23:03

When DPD leave a parcel 'safe' they have to take a photo of it on their scanner and it uploads to their website. Can you ask DH if he has the tracking info for the parcel and then check to see where it was originally left? May show if it was left by the pot before being moved.

Sforsh49 · 14/12/2018 23:06

There are a couple of problems the police will have, which is likely why they're not taking it further. Unless the pot is clean, smooth and shiney (such as glass, upvc, ceramic, plastic smooth surfaces) then they won't get a clear print for comparison from it. Not many pots are smooth though I'm not saying yours isn't.

Then say they did get a print and it was the DPD drivers, he will simply say yes I moved the pot to look for a suitable place to leave the item but decided elsewhere was better on that occasion so left it there. I didn't see any money and I certainly didn't take any why would I risk my job for £190?? And there was a neighbour across the way he could have taken it!

He therefore gives a reasonable explanation and accounts for his print on the pot and no charges would be brought as this would place reasonable doubt to a jury.

He may have taken it and got away with it, but proving it beyond reasonable doubt is extremely unlikely, and he's not going to admit it as it gives him a criminal record and he looses his job. Chalk it up to experience- not everyone is as honest as you and I'm sure you won't do it again!

neverundersold · 14/12/2018 23:10

I have had multiple problems with DPD deliveries. The drivers seem very partial to iPhones ! Ours delivered it to persons unknown , in a street he couldn't remember and couldn't understand the name of the person he gave it to so signed for it himself (signed my name). He miraculously recovered it when I contacted Customer services. Customer Services then sent me an iced rich tea biscuit with sorry on it ! I no longer buy anything that will be delivered by DPD. Sorry you've had this problem OP it sucks.

diddl · 14/12/2018 23:12

"It is highly unlikely anything would be stolen"

Which is what Op thought & why she left £190 in her porch!

SparkleBanana · 15/12/2018 00:16

postman always leaves parcels in the unlocked porch (and signs for them on your behalf if needed)

Signing for a parcel on behalf of the recipient when they are not in is fraud, and defeats the whole purpose of signed for parcels.

To the OP, YANBU to expect them to question the driver but I wouldn’t expect anything to come of it with so little actual evidence. It would just be did you go to this house (yes they weren’t in I left in a safe place) did you see any money (no) did you move the plant pot (no) and that would be it. Everyone in parcel delivery is just so busy at this time of year I’d be surprised if they had any one to investigate further. You could ask if he has a camera on his van if he likely drove up to your property rather than reversed, you’ve nothing to lose.

ExcitedForChristmas18 · 15/12/2018 00:59

I live in the middle of nowhere..and I don't understand?!

bumblenbean · 15/12/2018 01:30

I’m confused: did the neighbour just see the driver ‘acting suspiciously’ or did he see him ‘swipe it’? If the latter, why didn’t he confront him?

AmyDowdensLeftLeftShoe · 15/12/2018 05:55

@OrgyofSausages agree.

Once neighbours were out and DPD driver managed to get into the building but as the no-one other than those neighbours were authorised to sign for the parcel I had to rearrange delivery. However apart from DPD and Parcelforce all the other courier companies will either leave it with any neighbour, even though I only authorise those particular neighbours to sign for parcels, or dump on the door step stating it's secure because it's behind one locked door.

@KonaMum - I've been involved in a court case where who signed for letters and when was important. I suggest you stop your postman from signing for letters and parcels as you never know when something will go wrong and you need to prove no-one in your household signed for something.

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