Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2 3 4 5 6

Original poster

To think that if a neighbour takes a parcel in for you...

149 replies

Pinkbonbon · 14/12/2019 06:57

You go round and get it from them as soon as you are home? Or at least within a day?

Background:
I took in a parcel for my neighbours (flats) about a year back and a few days later I took another one in for them and over a week went by and they didn't come round for them. I went round with them a couple of times over the course of this time and they would come to the door, but not answer it. So I ended up leaving them a note (the person delivering had already done so) and it was another couple of days still till they came round for the parcels.

Anyway, 3 days ago I get a buzz at the door again - 'Very' delivery. I would have said no but I assumed it was for one of the closer neighbours and also the poor delivery women looked a bit frazzled. It's for them again. She put a note through their door to say where their parcel was. I knocked at their door last night (8ish) and again I think I heard someone but they never answered.

It's weird right? I mean I know it isn't a big deal but I often sleep days atm so if they come round during the day, they may be waking me up. Feel like just leaving the damn bag on their door handle haha. I wouldn't though obviously. Will stick a note through their door if they don't come/answer tomorrow.

But am I right in thinking that if a neighbour takes in a parcel for you, the norm is that you collect it asap?

OP posts:

CheungS255 · 15/12/2019 20:03

I used to live in a so called effluent area. The courier left a parcel with me as the french couple are not in. They didnt come round to collect it although the courier told me they will leave a note as I specifically said I dont want to have to bring it to them. They left it for over 2 weeks. I am a SAHM, I am always in unless on school run. The man came over with a haughty attitude saying how long have i had it. His wife often come out when I parked on the road next to her garage but not blocking it. She just dont like it and tell me off although i got young kids with me. Since then, i refused telling the courier they are nasty and no way I am doing them a favour. Did the same with the nasty australian woman but her husband was nicer after i did accept a parcel for them not knowing who it was for. So i guess it could go both ways

tierdytierd · 15/12/2019 21:08

Just refuse them from now on and explain to the delivery person why, I too have done this. I’ve also called the company and told them to arrange collection as they clearly don’t want their orders. It’ll soon stop.
Don’t leave it anywhere as you’ll be liable. It’s nice you’re trying to help delivery folk/neighbours but not your problem! I had a baby who was difficult to settle and frankly I couldn’t be arsed with other people knocking my door or parcels cluttering up my home

Original poster

Pinkbonbon · 15/12/2019 21:15

See previous page: they have the parcel now guys. Thanks for all replies. I'm away though.

OP posts:

Nsky · 15/12/2019 21:18

Write a note to neighbours explaining it to them clearly

Fowles94 · 15/12/2019 21:40

YABU to take them in and moan. Just refuse or stick it outside their door if not collected within 24hours.

MintyMabel · 15/12/2019 21:47

This is what made me stop taking in parcels for my neighbour. One sat with us for a month as I refused to take yet another one round for them. Postie doesn’t even ask any more.

Mumtotwo82 · 15/12/2019 22:59

I have no clue why a neighbour would not want to collect their parcel after days. I had a neighbour like this would always wait for us to take it to them and they were perfectly able bodied. I just say no now to taking it.

nymum · 15/12/2019 23:25

It is a pain to have a neighbour’s parcel left at yours uncollected. BUT, I’ve been on both sides. Delivery person may say they’ll leave a note, but then not bother. Or leave one with illegible handwriting. I’ve had notes fall between other bits of post and go unnoticed. Just today I was on the phone with Amazon about a parcel that never came. No note. In my account info it said it was handed to resident at my address. Clearly not. The customer service worker suggested I ask my neighbours 😣. I live on a long road quite densely populated and at least ten other houses have taken parcels in the past. Was I meant to knock on everyone’s door on my road looking for it? There are cheeky neighbours, but it might be worth remembering there are also cheeky couriers!

MistyCloud · 16/12/2019 00:31

@CheungS255

I used to live in a so called effluent area.

Well no wonder people don't want their packages leaving outside, if it's a grotty area that's like a sewer.

Woolyheads · 16/12/2019 05:24

I felt awful today because the courier left a card - but it was completely blank so I had no idea what had been delivered - or where! My poor neighbour had it for hours. She will have thought I was being rude not collecting it. Because yes, it is normal to go straight round and relieve them of it.

janj2301 · 16/12/2019 06:45

we're retired and the drivers all know we take things in EXCEPT for a house across the road. We took one of theirs, they sent their kid over to ask us to deliver it to their house, cheek. Husband's disabled, I'm mid 60s it was heavy and they are young and fit. They eventually did come for it two days later.

FizzyIce · 16/12/2019 07:22

My neighbour took in a parcel for us on Saturday and as soon as I got back I went round but no answer , we kept trying but in the end he brought it round as we just kept missing each other .
My old neighbour would take ages and out of spite if just wait it out until she bumped into me outside and did how much she needed it .. well why didn’t you knock then?!

FizzyIce · 16/12/2019 07:22

Wow .. so many mistakes.
Sorry!

Skyejuly · 16/12/2019 07:23

I am guilty of this but I often get home at 8 then I think is it too late!

Horsepants · 16/12/2019 07:59

I recently found out that once you agree for a parcel to be delivered to a neighbour or a safe place the responsibility is yours. I'm guessing if the courier decides to knock and leave with a neighbour it's either the couriers responsibility or the the person who agreed to take it in? I totally agree that the neighbour should've collected it if a note had been through the door by the courier (they don't always do they?) I never put to be left in safe place or neighbour now. If the courier does this obviously I don't have a choice. One courier left an expensive item outside my front door. I phoned the company I bought it from to let them know (small business). They rang the courier who had it as 'signed' in my husbands first name only. Which was amazing as no one was in and the parcel was outside! It had arrived a day earlier than expected.

DarlingNikita · 16/12/2019 09:41

I don't know why this winds people on MN up so much. IME if any of my neighbours don't come round immediately it's because they're away or, as happened recently, are getting home late at night and don't want to disturb me. They're always much more apologetic about it than they need to be. It really isn't that big a deal.

Nearly47 · 16/12/2019 10:30

Do they have children? If I leave mine alone I instruct them not to answer the door for anyone but they would still check trough the peep hole to see if it was me returning....

Kazzyhoward · 16/12/2019 10:36

Just say no to the delivery person. They're used to it. We take in parcels for all our neighbours except one. All the others will come round straight away. The woman opposite is an arse in so many ways and never called - I used to send OH across with it and never a "thank you" from her, so we decided to sod it and now just say no. Never any problem with the delivery drivers - they just try another neighbour. Though we now noticed that her immediate next door neighbour (diagonally opposite to us) has stopped taking her parcels too.

Can't understand the mentality. If they can't be arsed to collect it from a neighbour, either stop ordering online or get it delivered to one of the ever increasing alternatives such as local post office, Amazon drop box, Halfords, Matalan, etc - so many alternative options these days. But they're probably too stupid/idle to do that either.

Kazzyhoward · 16/12/2019 10:37

They're always much more apologetic about it than they need to be.

That's the difference - our neighbour never bothers coming round and never says thanks when we took it to her - that's what this thread is about, NOT the normal people!

Motherofatruck · 16/12/2019 17:15

My old neighbours had form for this. The last straw was when we took in a large parcel, which I can only imagine was some sort of flat pack furniture, and had it clogging up the hallway for over a week. After that I just refused any parcels for their address. YANBU.

MiniEggAddiction · 16/12/2019 17:18

I sometimes don't come round immediately because I'm worried that it's dinner time and I'm disturbing them. I do apologise when I get it back though (especially the time it was a king size bloody duvet I'd waited in for all day and was delivered the second I went on the school run). It's very odd not to answer the door if you're in and know it might be the neighbour with your parcel.

MiniEggAddiction · 16/12/2019 17:22

The worst actually was a bloody enormous carpet I was having delivered to a new house. I ordered a one hour delivery slot (because I wasn't living there yet and didn't want to sit all day in an empty house) but they came early and tried to deliver it to my disabled neighbour who I'd never even met before. It was ridiculously long and would stretch from her front door through her living room into the kitchen. It was also very heavy (I couldn't even lift the thing alone so god knows how we would have got it back to mine) and the delivery driver was very aggressively insisting she should take it. Fortunately I came home in time to stop that happening.

Countryescape · 16/12/2019 18:27

Stuff that! Must be a UK thing as couriers would never deliver to another address unless asked here. Maybe put a sign on your door saying we do not accept anyone’s packages except our own?!

Silvafox · 18/12/2019 09:43

CheungS255 - dear, dear; I'm very sorry to hear you used to live in an effluent area!

Flip

1 2 3 4 5 6