Should I still take parcels for neighbors ?

[BlueSiamese]

Well I am fine helping neighbors out and we live on a street where most of them are friendly . I am having issues with occasionally collecting parcels for some of them though.

1. I had a delivery guy request me to take a parcel for someone on the street I said okay but have you left a note and the guys says yes .

At 8pm I had a loud knock on my door and I opened it to an angry lady who said do you have my parcel, I explained her yes and the guy requested me to take it and mentioned he is leaving a note . To which she said well he didn't. I gave her her parcel and she stormed off. (I thought may be it's best not to collect parcels for this lady)

1. I was leaving for work when I was asked by a different guy to collect another parcel. I did and the neighbors didn't bother coming over to collect it for days so finally before going away dh decided to give it to them as it was heavy.

1. Last week I had another parcel for a different neighbor but for three days no one came to collect. The postman showed me that they are leaving a note and wrote it in front of me. Finally yesterday when I was parking I saw the neighbors and said I got your parcel and gave it to her.

So my Aibu is should I simply start refusing parcels for neighbors as no one seem to be coming to collect them? Or be there local delivery person and make sure that I deliver them😏

It depends on which neighbour for me.

If the neighbour is rude, like your angry lady, then no, I won’t take in a parcel for them.
Or if the neighbour doesn’t collect their parcel for days, even when we know they’re in - I might give them a few chances in case the problem is a note not being posted through their door, but if it becomes a habit then, again, no, I won’t take their parcels.

And the note thing does happen occasionally. Once we left a parcel with our next door neighbours for a fortnight. The note through our door gave the address of our other next door neighbours, who’d just left for a 2 week holiday. We didn’t know the delivery man had written the note wrongly until these neighbours returned from their holiday and we went round to ask for the parcel.

A neighbour who’s polite and collects their parcels promptly, yes, I’ll take parcels for them.

Nice neighbours, yes I take their parcels. Rude neighbours or ones that I need to chase more than once: no (within reason, if they don't collect because of a covid infection or new baby or something unexpected then understandable. I do give them a fair chance).

Don't take them if you don't want to but please don't say it is a lot of work!

I wfh so occasionally take things in for my neighbours. And they do the same for me if I am off. I don't get all the angst

I would only take for immediate next door neighbours, or people I know well. If you always take them, you’ll become the delivery guy’s default for everyone.

I’ve had repeated issues with Evri taking my parcels to a neighbour, even when I’m in. And saying they have been delivered to my house.

I then have to go round and disturb her to get them back. They don’t even tell me where they’ve gone, I just have to guess which house from the photo they take.

My fuckwit next door but one neighbour has a serious pret a porter habit, two / three packages a day and I used to take htem in. Until they had a package for us and complained when I went to get it that they weren't a delivery service. I dont take hers anymore but do for my immediate neighbours.

Net a porter!

Don't take them in. I prefer it if my neighbours don't take my parcels in because they're never in when I try to collect them and it's easier for me to collect from a depot. Another neighbor took a parcel in and then went on holiday for two weeks! It's extremely annoying

I’ve often wondered this myself as my neighbours take days to come and collect. A few times I’ve just gone round with it because it’s been a long time. I have no idea why they don’t collect as soon as they’re home, as I would always make this my priority if they take in one for me.

I wfh so get constantly asked to have parcels...and no one ever comes to collect them.

There's a woman who actively runs out to have other peoples' parcels, then snarls and shouts at you when you go to collect your item, and she either throws it at you or points at it on the floor so you have to reach in and grovel at her feet for it.

@Volhhg I honestly prefer the same.

@Aphidsandhoneybees phidsandhoneybees me too

@daffodilandtulip oh my god that's awful. The previous place were we stayed a lot of parcels would go missing by people nicking them so I always collected for people I knew and they did the same for me.

I guess I will steer clear as I have to go with their heavy parcels around multiple times a month.

I am usually happy to take in things for our neighbours as we know them and they would come round promptly, although with WFH it's rarely needed!
I have today however for the first time refused one! It was for next door but the house is empty and I didn't want a box sitting in my hall for weeks!

If OP finds it too much work then she is allowed to say that. Telling her not to say that is so controlling.

And it does sound like too much work. OP's neighbours are rude and / or lazy,

@phishy ❤️

Look if you don't want to take them in don't. Nothing bad will happen

One of my neighbours has a serious online shopping addition. It's ridiculous. I refuse to take their parcels in now after I had 10 build up over a week.

Just don't do it. Say NO I do not talk to any of the neighbours

We had a neighbour who had multiple deliveries each day. As the pile in my hall got bigger and bigger, and he didn't come, I decided then not to take his things in ever again. Like most of us, I don't mind taking parcels in but I do expect them to be collected quickly.

I'd definitely not take any more for the rude woman and it might be best to say no to taking any parcels. We take parcels for the next door neighbours who sometimes don't collect, but we take round there if they don't come within a couple of days (sometimes sooner). So, to maintain neighbourly relations, I'd take your immediate neighbours parcels if you're on fairly good terms with them, but otherwise not bother.

We take in parcels for your neighbours and even deliver them if they aren’t far. I’m talking literally next door or two-houses down. Not the other end of the street.

Takes me two minutes

I used to wfh.. delivery drivers started knocking on my door for everyone so refused except immediate neighbours

They tend to know who is regulary.. its part laziness/ part time consraints

We got a parcel once and realised it wasn't for us. There was no return address.
We googled the name with no joy.
We then opened the parcel and found items to celebrate 'George and Mildred's 50th wedding anniversary'

We spent ages trying to find the company who'd made them, then spent ages trying to find the actual recipients address (neighbours from down the road)

The company must have got in touch with the people after we'd called them, who then came and banged on our door. they were so rude to us and acted like we'd tried to steal their stuff!
If that kind of things happens again, I'll just bin the parcel.

I never had a problem taking in a parcel for another neighbour, but my next door neighbour was the opposite. They would complain and say it’s really annoying to be given my parcel. I just said you don’t have to accept it you know, you can tell the postman no. Once I accepted a parcel for them because I was asked to take if for them she rang my bell none stop until i answered the door which was rude. We don’t take each other’s parcels at all now and if I’m expecting a delivery and I’m not home I just ask that my parcel is left by the bins or something

Ooooh tricky one. A certain courier company never leaves cards here. I've had birthday and Christmas presents delivered to far and wide neighbours I don't know and which I wasn't expecting to check up on. The senders then ask if I've received it as its marked as delivered and I have to play 'hunt the parcel', knocking on doors until I track it down, usually to complaints that they've had it a week or more.

I take parcels in for neighbours too. I'll tap their door in the evening to see if they're in, no problem. If not, I'll hang on to it until I see them/see their lights on/car parked and tap again. Or they'll knock my door. Not an issue.

Just wondering if the same courier is dropping off to you?! BTW, Royal Mail won't deliver to any of my neighbours unless I've designated them via the sorting office. You might want to check that - you can refuse, they'll always leave a card and then the recipient can pick it up or get a redelivery.

@APlanetFarFarAway oh how horrible of them. I know how it feels when you try to do a nice thing and help out someone and then people choose to shoot the messenger.

Funnily i just had a parcel with my address but someone else's name on it . I feel the need to add that I don't know the name of this person the parcel was addressed to. The dpd guy clicked the photo and I read it ... I ran back barefoot to return it to the dpd delivery guy as he was reversing.

We've lived here for a long time and out street is only 6 houses so we know everyone very well. Most neighbours will take each others parcels in and everybody just comes to collect pretty much as soon as they'reo home.
In your case just stop collecting for the rude lady and anyone who doesn't collect within a day.