Or am I being a parcel stealing, curtain twitching busybody?

[TwilightSkylightsAndA40WattBulb]

Name change.

A video has been posted on a local facebook group that looks like I have stolen parcels. The person who posted it said "what is the world coming to when the local druggy nicks your child's bedtime story books". I'm scared this will get back to my employer. I work for the civil service so if they dont get the full story, I will be sacked. I will tell my boss when she gets in. She wont find it funny and I'm humiliated. I dont take drugs but I did stumble in the video and I have a cold so was wiping my nose a lot which looks bad.

My husband thinks I was niave and shouldnt have got involved. I have the parcels but will I be liable for them if I put them back where I found them because they will get nicked? I dont really want to speak with the person as they are obviously looking for trouble.

I've already commented on the video and have asked admin the take it down.

Our Evri and Amazon driver has started leaving parcels on our doorsteps which are directly on the street. Obviously they arent there when we get home.

I walked past a neighbour's house yesterday. It is a few houses down but I dont know them. They had parcels leaning against their house (directly on the street/pavement). I thought I was being nice. I wish someone had taken in the ebay parcel I had stolen the other day because the item in that was irreplaceable. So I thoight I was being a good neighbour.

The video shows me look at the parcels as I walk past, then come back a few minutes later, pick them up and walk off with them. What actually happened was that I walk past, come back with a note, post it through the door and then walk away with the parcels. I didnt realise there was a camera or I would have made a big drama of posting the note. You can see the door on the video but because of how Im standing you can see Im doing sonething but not that I posted a letter through. The note was an A4 sheet of pink lined paper ripped from a book and folded in half so they would have seen it.

The note said that their parcels were left on the doorstep so Ive taken them in, my house number and that someone will be in for the rest of the day and today.

I dont know what to do with the parcels. I dont want to speak with this person but if I put them back they'll get stolen.

I'm humiliated. I wont do it again.

My husbabd thinks I was interfearing in sonething that didnt concern me and basically asked for trouble. I thought I was just being nice and doing what I wish other people did.

YABU - you should have left the parcels alone
YANBU - you were trying to be neighbourly

Why are you telling your boss? How would it get back to them?

Did you take their parcels round to them surely that is the best solution to this problem solved?

I think you were well meaning OP but I wouldn't move someone's parcels unless I had a pre existing arrangement with them. It is up to the person receiving the deliveries to nominate a safe place and then to take responsibility if anything is taken.

If there was a note through the door why is the person thinking someone stole their parcels?

You’re a good person. We do this sort of thing in my neighbourhood all the time. You won’t get sacked at all.
The person whose parcels you took in will be grateful when they see the note.

Because it's a small world and quite a few of my colleagues are on the same group. So Ive no doubt it will get back to her.

Honestly you did a nice thing but calm down.

Just comment or message the person saying exactly what you said here and ask if they got the note? Say you've had lots of packages go missing and you didn't want that to happen to them.

I di not think you'll get fired for this and there is absolutely no reason to involve your manager.

So do they have the parcels now, the misunderstanding has been cleared up?

Why do you need to involve your boss?

Just add a comment to the group explaining that you left a note.

No good deed goes unpunished. You meant well but it has backfired on you. I don’t understand why they would post that if you had posted the note through the door.
I would go around and take the parcel back.Explain what happened and ask them to put an update on social media your version of events.

Yes, return the parcels. I wonder if someone in the house saw the piece of paper and binned it without reading it and realising what it was. I think it's unlikely this will get back to your employer, seems a lot of effort for the person to go to, especially if they get their parcel back.

I understand you were trying to be helpful, but I wouldn't take someone else's parcels in off their doorstep. If anything gets stolen, it's on the company and courier to sort out reimbursing the customer.

Was the camera footage from the house from where you took the parcels (ie presumably they didn't see the note you left) or from a neighbour's property (who wouldn't have known you'd left a note?).

It was a nice thing for you to do and a pity it backfired on you.

Take the parcels, knock on the door and explain about the note. Tell them the online post is defamatory and you won't be doing them any favours in future.

I won't be doing it again. My husband is of the opinion that neighbours should always be plesasnt but only help when asked or after offering. That makes me sad but I am going to have to take that approach going forward. I think I was just thinking how much I would have appreciated someone looking after my ebay parcel for me.

The whats app group for my road is always asking ppl to bring in parcels-some of the houses are set back but some literally have a front step on the pavement and the parcels are very vulnerable.

I think you did a nice thing and it is fine-easily explained if required but think you might be over thinking a little here.

I would comment on the post with a picture of the intact parcels saying if they didn’t see the note you left you have their parcels safe and happy to drop back or for them to collect. Had they actually got home or just had a notification from their ring doorbell?

OP you haven't answered yet do they now have their parcels?

No idea. The note would have been really obvious. I put on my comment on the video that my details were on the note. The video hasnt been taken down yet.

In your OP you said someone would be in all day today. Is that you? If so go round now, explain, give them back and don’t do it again!

I’m with your husband. You don’t even know these people. You had no right to remove a package from their doorstep and you haven’t even returned it yet because excuses, excuses.

They’ve probably ordered or bought replacements by now. Put it back, for pity’s sake. If you put it back (take footage of yourself doing so) and then it gets stolen, that is none of your business or your problem.

This. Unless they had a ring doorbell and were viewing from their phone elsewhere.

My neighbour did that for me, and I was really grateful and it £200 worth of school uniform. She even waved at our security camera while doing it.

Do you know your neighbour to say hello to though?

Maybe they haven’t found the note then? You need to tackle this head on. If you know most of the people in the FB group then why not. Put a post on the Facebook group with your version of events. Say your intention was good, keeping them safe, you left a note, and you’re mortified by the assumption of stealing Etc.

You were coming from a good place but it's really presumptuous to take parcels off the doorstep of someone you don't really know or had asked you to do this. I am sure you won't be in trouble at work, but it was an odd thing to do. Fine if you have an existing arrangement but otherwise not. Some people are happy to risk parcels being left because of the convenience.

Post a cheering response on the FB page. "Hi, that was me, your neighbour 2 doors down. I picked them up for safekeeping, as I've had parcels stolen from my doorstep. I did post a note to that effect, sorry you don't seem to have seen it. Contact me by PM and I'll bring them along when convenient. "

I think you were well meaning, but I wouldn't have done it.

I don't know why it wouldn't cause an issue for you at work.

I think you are catastrophizing here.
If you've explained yourself on the post and asked for it to be removed, leave it at that. As the parcels will be returned unopened and intact, surely it will be obvious to anyone with a brain that you weren't planning on stealing them?