Taking in parcels for neighbours

[ILCTM]

So where I used to live, it's always been the case that if your neighbour takes a parcel in for you, you go and can collect it from them and thank them. We moved to a different area a couple of years ago and have taken numerous parcels in for next door, but they never collect them. They end up being here so long that we'll just go and knock to give it to them to get rid. The first couple of times, I wondered if maybe they hadn't seen the card saying their parcel's been left here, but there's no way it's happened this often.

I've told my husband to tell the couriers we're not taking their parcels in anymore cos it really annoys me that they don't collect them. We're not a storage nor delivery service for their parcels because they never seem to open their front door whether they are home or not.

Does anyone else have this issue with neighbours and their parcels or is it just mine? I've never known anyone to not want to collect their parcels. Surely when you order something, it's because you want it?

One of my neighbours is pretty bad for collecting- I've had her things over a week at times! But we share a wall and sometimes I have to ask her to turn down her music when I'm wfh (I don't think it's unreasonably loud, it's just the way terraced housing is).... and to fair to her she always has so I see the parcel collecting as a way to keep neighbourly relations sweet and try not to get irritaed!

I take parcels in for three out of four of my immediate neighbours and they would do the same for me, we all collect as soon as we are back home.

I refuse to take in parcels for the other neighbour after they never collected or answered the door if I took it round.

On one occasion they ordered a hoover, it was left with me, they didn't collect and were not answering the door, I then found out they had gone on holiday for 2 weeks leaving me with their new hoover sat in my dining room - that was when I resolved never to take in a parcel for them again.

I work from home and only take in parcels for my nearest neighbour who would do the same for us.

I really would not bother to deliver them. Just stick them in your garage.

Wow some people really do take the absolute p. I guess I should be grateful that they're not directing their post to my door to hold for them... at least I don't think they are 😳

I mean there isn't a real community feel on my road, so I'm guessing it's not etiquette to deliver parcels you've taken in. I just can't see the logic in it. You take a parcel in. So you've been interrupted, you take the parcel in, you store it in your house and wait until your neighbour is home, you then take their parcel to their home and deliver it to them all because they had a delivery when they weren't home, which is down to them. I don't know, I don't think I could ever get on board with that. My logic is very much your parcel, you come get it. I wouldn't expect my neighbour to come and deliver my parcel to me.

After falling out with one neighbour, I simply refuse to accept any parcels that come for them. They are the living epitome of rudeness. Added to that, there is 99.99999% of the time someone in their house but as they have an attic conversion done, it means that if the people in that house happen to be in the rooms at the top of the house, they have to come down two flights of stairs to answer their door (the hardships, I know...we'll be running a go fund me for some sort of speedy way to sort this out no doubt).
I actually had a lovely guy from DPD call asking if I would accept a very large parcel for someone in that house and I just refused. I told him that there is always someone in and to keep trying. Not sure if he managed to get the parcel delivered or not. I actually felt sorry for the delivery guy.

I’ve never had a problem with taking in parcels for any of our neighbours, without fail they’d be collected when they returned home.

However, we had a new family move in late last year who are taking the piss.
One of them is a night worker so there’s a do not disturb sign on their front door so we’re disturbed for their deliveries instead when the sign is spotted.
And with that sign displayed and being taken notice of they won’t be asked to take in anything for us.

I now refuse as it’s several times a week and they never collect. Plus one of them works from home much of the time so is usually in to answer the door if the other is sleeping. My husband is a soft touch and took an Amazon parcel in for them on Saturday morning, he ended up taking it around last night. Royal Mail asked this morning if I’d take one in and I said no. It’ll only get more frequent as Christmas approaches.

There was one time when I had a notification that my Amazon delivery was a few stops away so I was looking out for it just as the neighbour went out to walk the dogs. I watched her walk past the delivery van parked a few door down. Two minutes later the van pulled up and knocked on her door, obviously she wasn’t in so when the driver brought my parcel I was asked to take in hers too.
It was addressed to her so she would’ve had the notification around the same time that I did yet chose to go out for a walk.

I always tell couriers NOT to leave with neighbours so when they do, it really annoys me. I select a safe space for them to leave it but some ignore this and take it next door. I don’t have anything against the neighbours but it’s extra hassle to go round after work and thank them for their good deed (that I’d never ask them to do!) when I have DC to put to bed. I will say that sometimes couriers don’t let you know where the parcel has been left so that has happened on occasion and the neighbour has brought it round.

I tell couriers not to leave it with neighbours or just take it to a drop off point.

I don't take in parcels for my neighbours any more. One side is never in so they just accumulate and the other side are rude.

Not necessarily a stupid man - we've twice had parcels delivered to the neighbour downstairs because the courier couldn't be bothered to climb ten steps to my front door.

One was for my son who was in a panic as it was my very expensive Christmas present, and he ended up going round the neighbours to ask if they had received it, and thankfully located it They didn't realise no card was left.

Second time I had been given a refund for non-delivery when a week later, neighbour brought it to my door, pissed off that I hadn't collected it. She didn't seem to believe that I hadn't been given a card.

I've also had stuff delivered to a transposed house number and received stuff that was for a completely different address. I noticed it on my town's FB group where someone said their parcel was allegedly delivered but the delivery photo was not their doorstep. I recognised my front door, opened it and there it was.

As all of these were driver carelessness, no cards were left so believe me when I say it does happen!

I agree with you OP. The onus is on the person who's parcel it is to collect it. If I get a card I always go and collect straight away.

We've stopped taking them for the twats two doors down now, cos not only did they not collect, the bloke refused to open the door when we dropped his parcel off and left DH standing in the rain.

I never deliver parcels. I had several sent to me in error (there is a block of flats down the road and we sometimes get deliveries for the flat that is the same number as our house even though to postcode is different). My rule is, I keep the box for two weeks, if nobody collects, it gets tossed. To be fair, they usually do come a week or so after the delivery.
I had a box of wine delivered to the wrong address, I simply contacted the merchant and got a refund. Hoping the guys enjoyed their 6 bottles of wine and are not sitting there seething I haven't been round to pick up the parcel.

@AuntiesWoodenLeg he admitted that he had had a card from the delivery guy but still somehow expected it to be delivered to him.

He is a stupid man.

My neighbour sometimes takes parcels in for me when I'm at work. I think she watches for my car to arrive home, because she whizzes round with the parcel when I've been in about 3 minutes and before I get a chance to go and collect it.

A good point from OXO01 is to make sure there is adequate proof that the parcel has been handed over to its owner .