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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

AIBU? Neighbour parcel delivery...

51 replies

Loveandstuff · 15/05/2019 15:19

We had a new neighbour opposite to us move in recently. One day, Royal Mail knocked on our door asking us to take in a parcel for them as they were out. That was fine. But, 3 weeks went by and their parcel was still by our front door. I mean, WTH? I was being stubborn as I believe it’s their responsibility to pick their parcel up. She came to the front door and said (in a rather snotty way), ‘You have our parcel, I think it’s been here for awhile’.
How is it my responsibility to deliver it to them? AIBU? What do other people do?

OP posts:

Sirzy · 15/05/2019 15:20

Did the postman leave a card? If so I wouldn’t be rushing to take it over but at the same time at some point in three weeks I would have taken a couple of seconds to knock and leave it

Haworthia · 15/05/2019 15:20

If it’s your parcel, it’s your responsibility to collect it and thank the neighbour for taking it in.

Having said that, I got so sick of having a new neighbour’s parcel in my house I ended up dropping it round to them.

Original poster

Loveandstuff · 15/05/2019 15:21

The postie did leave a card with them, yes.

OP posts:

gamerchick · 15/05/2019 15:23

Well I hope you told her that yes it's been there a while and can she collect it promptly next time?

JacquesHammer · 15/05/2019 15:24

Honestly what a palava.

Yes it would have been great if they'd come to collect it, but with them just moving in I would have cut them some slack first time and gone around and given them it rather than stewing over nothing for 3 weeks!

Just a point re: the card though - we had a parcel delivered next door, postie swore blind to them he had put a card through our door. He hadn't.

Mitzimaybe · 15/05/2019 15:24

Unless you are hardly ever at home and tend to ignore the doorbell, YANBU.

TeaStory · 15/05/2019 15:27

I tend to drop it round if I know they’re in, especially as the last time I took (HUGE) parcels for a neighbour across and down the courier said “I’ll leave them a card saying it’s with a neighbour”. Which is exactly what he did - left a card saying “your delivery is with a neighbour”! The poor woman was walking up and down the road trying to find who had it!

You admit you were ‘being stubborn’, with the result that both you and your neighbour were pissed off.

Original poster

Loveandstuff · 15/05/2019 15:32

Well yeah I was being stubborn, however, they were in and out a lot and anytime I did consider taking it; their car wasn’t at home

OP posts:

FixTheBone · 15/05/2019 15:44

I think you're being fairly reasonable, although I think I would have dropped it over if I saw they were at home and I was on my way out.

You seem much better than our ex neighbours who feel once it's in their house, it's their property. This has applied equally to clothes for my wife, an Amazon fire tablet and a box of Christmas presents for the kids, I though taking in our Morrison's Groceries was a but much though...

Dieu · 15/05/2019 15:48

I quite often deliver parcels to my neighbours, if left with me. I really don't consider it a big deal.
It wouldn't occur to me to hang on to it for weeks, much less start a MN thread about it

Wigglesnuff · 15/05/2019 15:49

If it’s your parcel, it’s your responsibility to collect it and thank the neighbour for taking it in.

^This

SnowyAlpsandPeaks · 15/05/2019 15:55

If my parcels go to a neighbour I either collect it, or if I haven’t seen the card because it is stuck in the letter box and not dropped to the floor, they’ll pop it around that evening. Likewise I do the same for my neighbours. Postie knows any of us will take each other’s in no problem. Isn’t that what being neighbours is all about?

specterlitt · 15/05/2019 16:05

I take neighbour's packages and vice versa, and we have found that although we're told a card will be dropped - it's not. Therefore we can be unaware. I have good relationships with my neighbours and if they don't come knocking for a package the same evening, the following day I will take it to them. It's not that big of a deal and I prefer not to have someone else's property in my corridor for long. They are the same with us, it doesn't take long to do and it is always very much appreciated. Simple steps help build better relationships with neighbours.

cstaff · 15/05/2019 16:12

TBH if I took in something for my neighbour I would drop it in as soon as I saw his car was there and he would do the same for me. It is just a nice thing to do and why we are friendly with each other. I don't know why you would deliberately hold onto something for 3 weeks. All you are doing is winding yourself up and getting on bad terms with your neighbour. I hope you are not expecting any favours back anytime soon.

AnnieMay100 · 15/05/2019 16:13

Not your job to take it round, you already done a good thing by taking it in and saving them a job going to the sorting office. Don’t take their parcels in next time, some people are just rude and entitled.

FoxtrotOscarCharlie · 15/05/2019 16:17

I think I'd cut them a little slack and assume that as they've just moved in the card could have accidentally been thrown out or even not left.

I've had posties leave a parcel with me for a neighbour saying they're gonna go leave a card and then contour in the opposite direction.

Neighbours have taken my parcel in for me and there's been no card left so sometimes it's been a case of me thinking "x should have been here by now" checking amazon to see it says it's with no 33.

I'd never be snotty when picking it up though, I'd be very thankful and appreciative.

GreenFingersWouldBeHandy · 15/05/2019 16:18

I hope you replied, "Yes, it has, hasn't it? We wondered when you would come to collect it." And door closed.

SoupDragon · 15/05/2019 16:19

Why are people so stubborn about this? If I take a parcel in I take it round when I notice they're in. If I have a You Were Out card, I try to go round when I see they're in. The neighbours all seem to do the same - it's just a matter of who gets there first. I can't be arsed with all the angst and bitterness surrounding parcels.

SoupDragon · 15/05/2019 16:19

(That said, this neighbour was rude)

IHateUncleJamie · 15/05/2019 16:20

She was a bit stroppy. If postie delivers while we’re out, we always go and collect from next door as soon as we’re home - and we always thank the NDN. Neighbours do the same with us, although one of our NDNs is in her 80s so when we hear that she’s home, DH always pops it in for her.

Tbh I would have said to your neighbour “Yes, I was waiting for you to collect it!” and if she got arsey, added “Not being a postman myself...”.

Mummyoflittledragon · 15/05/2019 16:21

If you didn’t see the postie leave the card I wouldn’t assume it was there. And frankly I’d cut someone, who’d just moved some slack.

Trebla · 15/05/2019 16:21

Perhaps the card got mislaid, they forgot or the card got lost they called RM and it took a while to track it back down?

Hereward1332 · 15/05/2019 16:23

We once had 8 parcels for our neighbour for 2 weeks, before Christmas. They wouldn't answer the door. Eventually picked them up saying 'they didn't have room to keep them without the kids finding them'.

DarlingNikita · 15/05/2019 16:25

I generally leave it to the neighbour to come and collect. On a few occasions when a parcel's been at mine for a suspiciously long time, I have dropped it round, or if they're not in, put a card through their door saying I have their parcel. It's a neighbourly thing to do, it might mean that they'll do you a small favour in the future, and it really isn't a big deal.

LittlePaintBox · 15/05/2019 16:27

We often get parcels for next door. If they don't pick it up within about 24 hours, I pop round with it if it's not too big. I certainly wouldn't leave it for 3 weeks if it was big enough to annoy me by being in my house.

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