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AIBU?

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Original poster

New tenants are refusing to hand over my daughter’s parcels

334 replies

PerseverancePays · 27/07/2021 21:42

My daughter ordered £200 worth of clothes for herself and her baby from Next and forgot to put her new address on the order form. The courier has sent a photo of the door opened to her old flat with a man’s leg showing accepting the parcels. She asked her upstairs neighbour to pop down and get the parcels and hang on to them until I can get round there, but the new tenants have point blank said they’ve not had any parcels delivered !
I’m going round there tomorrow morning to show them the picture of them receiving them and seeing what they have to say about that.
If they still refuse, which is daylight robbery, would the police take any notice at all?
I’m also a bit nervous as I’m a short and small woman and easily intimidated. WWYD?

OP posts:
HarebrightCedarmoon · 27/07/2021 23:10

@FinallyHere

Isn't it illegal to open and keep a parcel not directed to you,

This is not Royal Mail, it's a courier service

And why the hell would that matter? Oh it's only Hermes, I can steal this! Hmm
SarahAndQuack · 27/07/2021 23:11

How much else have they been patiently fielding for your daughter?

I've lived in several houses where the previous tenants 'forgot' (didn't bother) to change their address, and after a week or two of being their unpaid PA service, I got fed up.

It's perfectly possible the new tenants are just returning everything to sender, and don't want to get involved in your DD expecting them to hold onto parcels for them.

Eviethyme · 27/07/2021 23:13

It is illegal to open someone's mail it's also illegal to throw someone's mail out although the rules only matter if someone takes you to court for it/ reports it.

I would go round with the evidence and say that unfortunately the police will have to be called and given the evidence as its illegal to open or take peoples mail regardless of wrong addresses

bp300 · 27/07/2021 23:13

@Creamcrackersandricecakes

'The OP probably won't get any rent paid either if she uses that approach.'

Eh? She's not their landlord...?

In other threads the OP claims to own property outright and talks about flipping properties.
SycamoreGap · 27/07/2021 23:14

@PerciphonePuma - it’s not a word I’d use, but it is a word.

www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/irregardless

Eviethyme · 27/07/2021 23:14

Also it doesn't matter who the mail is delivered by or if its letters or parcels. Anything addressed to someone else is illegal to open

meido · 27/07/2021 23:17

@DoubleTweenQueen

Isn't it illegal to open and keep a parcel not directed to you, which you didn't order? Isn't it still theft?
No, it isn’t illegal.
meido · 27/07/2021 23:17

@Eviethyme

Also it doesn't matter who the mail is delivered by or if its letters or parcels. Anything addressed to someone else is illegal to open
Nope. It isn’t illegal.
meido · 27/07/2021 23:18

@Eviethyme

It is illegal to open someone's mail it's also illegal to throw someone's mail out although the rules only matter if someone takes you to court for it/ reports it.

I would go round with the evidence and say that unfortunately the police will have to be called and given the evidence as its illegal to open or take peoples mail regardless of wrong addresses

It’s not illegal to open it.
meido · 27/07/2021 23:18

It’s only illegal to open someone else’s mail which has been delivered to your house if you intend to commit fraud (such as identify theft).

Otherwise, it isn’t illegal.

Antwerpen · 27/07/2021 23:19

@Formaldeheidi

The police aren’t going to be interested as it’s your daughters responsibility to change her address. The best she can do is report to Next that the parcel hasn’t been delivered and get a refund/exchange.
But they have been delivered Hmm
Livelovebehappy · 27/07/2021 23:22

@LawnFever

I’d just go round really friendly and say the parcels have been delivered by mistake, show them the pictures and see what they say.

Don’t accuse them of anything, they haven’t really done anything wrong, it was your DDs mistake.

Any reason you’re planning on going round and not her?

Seriously?? Of course they’ve done something wrong. Unless you consider that accepting something that clearly doesn’t belong to them, with someone’ else’s name on, is all fine and dandy! How can that be ‘not wrong’? Some very skewed moral compasses on this thread.
DdraigGoch · 27/07/2021 23:22

And why the hell would that matter? Oh it's only Hermes, I can steal this! Hmm

If it's Hermes then you can just say that they put it in the bin on collection day. They probably did, after all.

EastWestWhosBest · 27/07/2021 23:23

But they have been delivered

They have been delivered to the address they were given. As far as Next are concerned it’s not their problem.

DdraigGoch · 27/07/2021 23:25

@meido

It’s only illegal to open someone else’s mail which has been delivered to your house if you intend to commit fraud (such as identify theft).

Otherwise, it isn’t illegal.

It's illegal to refuse to hand it over though. That's theft.

The police like having an easy crime to solve. It balances out all of those unsolved burglaries and improves the figures so that the Superintendent can get his promotion.

DoTheNextRightThing · 27/07/2021 23:26

This is what Confused.com has to say. I think the tricky part is that it was delivered to the correct address but with a name of someone who doesn't live there. A bit of a grey area. But they've still taken something which doesn't belong to them.

New tenants are refusing to hand over my daughter’s parcels
BluebellsareBlue · 27/07/2021 23:30

Retired cop here... can't believe posters saying police wouldn't be interested, this is a simple theft. If you don't get it OP call the police they will deal with it as the theft it is

NekoShiro · 27/07/2021 23:31

Was it supposed to be signed for? Email the courier because they should of done some kind of check if they were bothering with photographing it

OneEpisode · 27/07/2021 23:32

Could you print out all formal-like the name and address the parcel was sent to, description of the delivery, date and photo of the open door, and ask the new tenants to sign a statement that they didn’t receive the delivery? With names, addresses etc? For the police to take action against the courier. Make it look as official as you can. If they aren’t there leave it with an envelope for them to post back to you.
I think they will find the flatmate took in the parcels.

memberofthewedding · 27/07/2021 23:38

This happened to me with my NDN some years ago. Parcel was mis-deliverd by the courier which I found out in a conversation with him. It had been with NDN for two weeks with no attempt to bring it around or tell me it was there.

I took my nephew with me for backup. When NDN answered the door I told her I had come for my parcel, adding that I knew she had it as I had just spoken to the courier. At first NDN denied all knowledge of it. Nephew took out his phone and suggested that she check with other family members that one of them had not taken it in and put it away by mistake. As otherwise he was going to get the police out. NDN goes inside the house and after a few minutes comes out with parcel, which had been opened. At that point we both started in on her as to why she had opened a parcel not addressed to her. It was addressed to my company name. She said "Well I didnt know it was for you." Nephew snaps "Well you bloody well knew it wasn't for you. I think I had better call the police anyway."

NDN busts into tears and insists its a misunderstanding. I told her I would take no further action on this occasion. However I was going to warn all the delivery people that she was dishonest and never to leave my packages there. Nowadays whenever Im expecting a package I watch out for it on the tracking and CCTV. I also attach a not to me door saying "DO NOT LEAVE AT NO XX - NOT HONEST". I have also warned all the local couriers.

I have also point blank refused to take in parcels for her and I tell the couriers why.

Themeparklover · 27/07/2021 23:38

Even if there is a photo it doesn't mean they have the parcels, I know quite a few people who have had photos of stuff being delivered, that wasn't the drivers often submit the photo before the tenants state its not there, if anything I would be querying the delivery guy or next, we've had it a few times where I've accidentally ordered to my parents instead of mine who have refused the parcel but I'm still shown a photo of it at their front door with one of my parents opening the door in the background

Cherrysoup · 27/07/2021 23:44

If it's Hermes then you can just say that they put it in the bin on collection day. They probably did, after all.

Given the OP says she has a photo of the door being opened as the parcel was handed over, that’s a moot point.

beigebrownblue · 27/07/2021 23:44

The photograph is significant.

I have orderded many things in pandemic over two years or so.
Most arrived successfully.

However one or two sent by hermes
included a photograph of a premises which was clearly not mine,
i.e. we live in a flat and the photo was of a house and parcel left on top of a shed which we do not have.

I was able to query this with sender, make a complaint and get refund or replacement parcel.

I feel you should be able to do the same.

The man;s leg was clearly a man (not your daughter)

And therefore parcel not delivered to person who ordered it.

Would complain on those grounds.

Good luck

beigebrownblue · 27/07/2021 23:48

I've had a 'neighbour' take in a parcel and then lie
about it.

They said the babysitter 'opened it'

I never saw it again and let it drop but now wish i hadn't.

MinkeDinkie · 27/07/2021 23:50

Well until your daughter speaks to them I'd not be getting het up. They might not have wanted to hand over to a random neighbour incase they weren't genuine and just gave an excuse. Or one tenant might have put it to one side for you and the other was unaware.

Until they tell you to your face (at which point you can show them the delivery photo) it's a bit unfair calling them thieves.