Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Royal Mail sent item to wrong address: I have been told to deliver it 5 miles away myself

35 replies

chimamandafan · 14/08/2023 12:44

Last week I ordered several items for delivery. This morning I checked the secure bin by the garage, and three had arrived. I took a very quick look at the names/ addresses but as I was expecting all three I didn't check thoroughly. The first two items were as ordered. The third box contained an unidentifiable electrical component, not something I'd ordered. I checked the label on the box and saw that although it's addressed to someone with the same first name as me, and a surname that starts with the same two letters, the surname is different. (Think Donald and Dodson) The first line of the address is very similar (think The Croft and Croft House). The road has been typed in incorrectly on the label: it should be something like Riverside Road but they've typed in Croft again — and I live at Croft House, Croft Lane. Worst of all the postcode is exactly the same as mine except for one letter.

Fine I thought, that can't be far away, so I looked it up. We live in a semi-rural area and although as the crow flies it's only three or four miles to where it should have been delivered, by road it's about 9 miles around lanes, so a round trip of 18 miles and probably at least 40 minutes of my time if I'm lucky. Unfortunately I've got the kitchen fitters here today and tomorrow and they need me to make decisions every few minutes.

I tried to phone Royal Mail and but was stuck in a queue for ages. So I phoned the supplier of the package to ask them what to do. The woman I spoke to assumed I'd deliver it, as it was my error. I said that actually it was the Royal Mail's error initially and suggested I take it to the local Post Office (only 2 miles away) and they could redeliver but she said no, that wouldn't work. She said she couldn't contact the RM direct and ask them to collect and redeliver. She then said she'd phone the woman who'd ordered it and she could come and collect it from me, which I agreed to. She's now just called back to tell me that the woman who ordered the item is on holiday but I could deliver it at a certain date when she's be back. I've said I want to think about the situation.

I don't really see why it's down to me to deliver it or to repackage it and pay the postage to get it delivered to her. AIBU? What would you do?

OP posts:
heldinadream · 14/08/2023 12:46

Talk to your postperson. Chances are (especially rurally) they'll be really helpful and take it off your hands.

Saucery · 14/08/2023 12:47

I’d seal it back up and take to the RM sorting office next time it’s convenient. Not known at this address.

annonymousse · 14/08/2023 12:48

Of course it's not down to you to deliver. That's ridiculous. I would either phone them back and tell them to sort it out or just take it to the post office.

Baldieheid · 14/08/2023 12:48

Of course it's not your problem!

You're not a postie. It's up to Royal Mail to collect it from you and redeliver it to the correct address. Or up to the sender to arrange that, rather. They're the one that put the wrong address on the package (assuming I've understood your explanation correctly).
I'd just send an email to the sender saying they can make arrangements for it to be collected from you. It's not your problem and no way should you be inconvenienced in any way.

Rivermedway · 14/08/2023 12:48

I would take it back to post office and hand it back with a ‘return to sender’ notice on it (but not pay any extra postage etc - it’s not your responsibility).

If you are feeling generous, you could hold on to it until person is able to pick it up from you, but you shouldn’t have to do any legwork.

inloveandmarried · 14/08/2023 12:50

Post man should take it as it's his error. Probably won't officially take it but ours would redeliver or advise what to do.

Put a note on the door to them explaining and ask them to knock.

TropicalTrama · 14/08/2023 12:51

Absolutely not! What CFers expecting you to deliver it when they couldn’t even get the address right. If you’re feeling generous I’d stick a return to sender on it and drop it off at the post office. If you’re not then tell them they have a week to get it collected from you or its going in the bin.

CatsOnTheChair · 14/08/2023 12:58

My only slight hesitation is are you a parcel short that has ended up at the other address? Guess it depends on if the RM has a system that says deliver to Riverside address later in the day, and so drop your parcel off as it's got a similar (but correct for you) address?
If you are a parcel short, I'd try and arrange a switch with the other person.
If you've got all your parcels, drop into the postoffice at your convenience, and return to sender.

LardoBurrows · 14/08/2023 12:58

Not your parcel, not your address, not your error. The supplier is a cheeky fucker asking you to deliver the parcel to the correct address. I'd repackage the goods and either try and catch your postie or take it to the local sorting office so they can deliver to the correct address.

Original poster
chimamandafan · 14/08/2023 13:18

Saucery · 14/08/2023 12:47

I’d seal it back up and take to the RM sorting office next time it’s convenient. Not known at this address.

The nearest RM sorting office is about as far away as the purchaser's house and I'd have to pay £2.50 to park. (I know this makes me sound petty but this is really beginning to bug me).

I'll try and grab the post person when they deliver. We had the same one for years and he was great, but since the RM was reorganised there's no pattern to delivery and always someone new on the round.

OP posts:
Octosaurus · 14/08/2023 13:19

Just nick it it's RM fault they will have to compensate

Poppins2016 · 14/08/2023 13:22

If the postman doesn't help, I'd say that you're happy to hold onto the parcel for the owner to pick up in a couple of weeks time or for the supplier to arrange a courier pick up (in order to return to them) at a convenient time for you.

Saucery · 14/08/2023 13:23

You don’t sound petty at all! I’ve used sorting office as interchangeable with post office (my local ones are really close together ). If your post office 2 miles away is convenient then drop it there. If not, inform them they need to arrange collection from you. I wouldn’t be putting myself out, either,

EweGotToGrooveIt · 14/08/2023 13:24

Sometimes I read threads on here and am - genuinely - amazed at how polite other people are. Grin

I'd have told her I'm not doing the RM job's for them and they can collect it or I can bin it. Her choice.

BreehyHinnyBrinnyHoohyHah · 14/08/2023 13:24

It's definitely not your responsibility to sort this out. You're not allowed to keep the item, but the sender should be arranging a courier to collect it at your convenience.

DelilahBucket · 14/08/2023 13:24

As a business sender with royal mail, when I contact the business team they send someone to locate and redeliver the parcel.
It sounds like the company aren't going to act and the poor person due to receive it will probably not get a refund either. I would try and email royal mail or if you're home, catch your postie.

primoseyellow · 14/08/2023 13:27

I would seal it up and next time I was passing a post office drop it off, even if that wasn't for a month. There is nothing to think about, you have already tried to rectify it. I wouldn't agree to someone collecting it as in the future if there item goes missing they may turn up thinking it is at yours as addresses are similar.

maddening · 14/08/2023 13:29

Pop it back in a postbox or hand in at your local post office imo

Original poster
chimamandafan · 14/08/2023 13:30

LardoBurrows · 14/08/2023 12:58

Not your parcel, not your address, not your error. The supplier is a cheeky fucker asking you to deliver the parcel to the correct address. I'd repackage the goods and either try and catch your postie or take it to the local sorting office so they can deliver to the correct address.

Whew — so I'm not being unreasonable to refuse to get in the car and drive 18 miles to deliver a badly-addressed package to someone at a time of their convenience? If it had been a couple of miles away, or somewhere I'd be passing in the normal course of events I would happily have dropped it off. But this place is down a maze of lanes that go nowhere I would normally go.

The item is in a plastic wrapped box that was delivered inside a larger box filled with Styrofoam chips. I've googled the component number and details and it's apparently £500+ worth of circuit board for an air source heat pump. Is everyone this casual about something so expensive? I wasn't even expected to sign on delivery. Though I may not even have noticed the discrepancy then. When they thrust the parcel at you and then take a quick photo or make you sign the little screen there's never time to carefully read the address, is there?

OP posts:
Slothmomma · 14/08/2023 13:33

No, just tell them not happening but you will store until woman off holiday and collects or you'll just return to Royal mail

Deathbyfluffy · 14/08/2023 13:37

Cheeky gits. It'd be going in the garage for a year until it's clearly not needed then sold on eBay if it was me!

hallana · 14/08/2023 13:38

I would do... nothing? I wouldn't have phoned royal mail. (But I wouldn't phone anyone)

I would have written NOT KNOWN AT THIS ADDRESS and either have given it back to my postie if I saw him or dropped at Post Office if I was going anyway.

The person who needs the package will sort it out eventually. They are the motivated party.

Missedmytoe · 14/08/2023 13:39

Saucery · 14/08/2023 12:47

I’d seal it back up and take to the RM sorting office next time it’s convenient. Not known at this address.

Agree. Its not up to you to address the parcels or deliver them correctly.

I'd mark as "wrongly delivered" and put back in the post. The address on the parcels was correct but it came to your address instead.

CrazyHedgehogLover · 14/08/2023 13:47

Just ring them and state that your more then happy for the person to come to your address to collect there parcel once there back from holiday as it’s to far for you to drop off the item especially if there not home.. this is not your responsibility to fix, no you don’t sound petty.. they sound lazy.

they are the ones who made the error, they can suggest a way to rectify it, can’t see the other person (who the package was originally addressed to) being to pleased with RM either tbh.

theemmadilemma · 14/08/2023 13:47

Not my problem. The business needs to send you paid for postage to send the item either back to them, or on to the correct address.

Otherwise it would sit with me until someone collected it.

The only thing that might change that is you seem down one package, if I still needed that I might be more helpful, but I still wouldn't be delivering it anywhere.