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

She did leave a note. That’s the problem. They don’t seem to have got it after it was posted through the door.

She didn’t leave the confounded parcel though and that’s what she needs to do tout suite, taking photographic/video evidence and then uploading to the FB group with an explanatory note.

This whole palaver could be done and dusted by 11am.

I did reply. I said "I took them so they didnt get stolen like all the other parcels. I put a note through your door. I'm at number x. I'm in all day or let me know when to bring them round. I don't take drugs. Please edit or remove the video as what you are saying isnt true."
Then I posted a picture of the unopened boxes and said we've just tried to bring them round but there was no answer.

@TwilightSkylightsAndA40WattBulb OP, you need to mention the first note you left at the time. The neighbour needs to vouch that there was a note even if it was binned. That's your evidence that you didn't steal it. Have you posted this?

I'm afraid just taking it back to where you found it makes it look like you stole them but after being called out, you returned them. So to exonerate yourself, you need to show evidence that you didn't do that.

This should be quite easy to do. No need to overthink.

Edited: Sorry I've just seen your last post. That should do it then. Take screenshots of your posts on the app and report to whomever needs to remove the post.

Which suggests they may not be at home, and are relying only on the doorbell footage which appears not to show the note being posted? That, or the note got shovelled up with the post from the doormat and overlooked.

It’s the major plot point of several 19thc novels.

Ah - I missed that somehow (am sure my glasses have a mind of their own).

In that case @TwilightSkylightsAndA40WattBulb I’d post anonymously (you can usually tick a box) on the SM forum stating that a note was left advising them you had taken them for safe keeping as you were concerned they would, indeed, be stolen and will return duly return them at their leisure - but would appreciate them removing the post as it is slanderous given you were only trying to be a good neighbour.

And no, I wouldn’t take them again unless you’ve been expressly asked. They seem a little unhinged to resort straight to posting footage on SM.

My neighbour, who I had only spoken to in passing, took some boxes from the front of my house to her house when they had been left outside. I didn't call her a junky and put her on Facebook because I'm not a dick. I said thank you when I collected them. You've done nothing wrong.

Why would you just take someone's parcels if you've not been asked?

If the parcels aren't handed directly to the residents and they haven't requested delivery in a safe place and they get nicked because they've been left outside the neighbours can get onto whoever they bought them from and ask for a refund or redistribution of goods as it was not technically delivered to them.

You have effectively stolen them if you've taken them without permission.

Go round and give them the parcels and explain yourself and ask for the video to be removed but please don't take people's parcels again.

My NDN does this with my parcels but she's in cognitive decline and I often don't see the packages again and it drives me nuts.

Because I look like one on the video. 😪 I stumbled twice (once quite dramatically) and was rubbing my nose a lot. I also didnt realise how badly fitting my coat was. The wind made my hair crazy. It isnt the point at all but I look awful on the video. If I saw that video, I'd come to the same conclusion. 😪 I'm worried that is how I actually look to people each day.

It's not the same thing. OP hasn't "effectively stolen" them. She left a note and directed them to her home.

Not unless you walk outside with your ill fitting house coat often while stumbling and rubbing your nose. If you otherwise are dressed in regular fitting clothes and walk normally, I doubt they see you that way.

Why were you stumbling? A bit drunk/hung over or just coincidence?

🤣 that made me laugh.

I have to admit I probs wouldn't want a parcel back from someone who was ao sick they kept rubbing their nose so much in what I assume is a short video.... 🙈

Just take the parcel round and leave it on their doorstep. Take a photo and post it under her video of you on social media. Write, " I did leave you am original note and another recently explaining I'd taken it for safe keeping (as mine was stolen the other day) and to come collect. You haven't been to collect, so I've left it on your door step." Do not tell your manager!

Perfect. Don't think any more about it.
I'd imagine they won't answer as they think you are going to start an argument about the video on social media. People tend to be quite good at giving out when sitting behind a keyboard and less so when face to face.
If they don't pick up in a few hours, I'd record myself putting the parcels back on the doorstep, message and tell them you've put them there and leave it at that.

I did leave a note. I left a note that I thought would stand out from any junk mail. I dont think we got any junk mail yesterday.

Literally this - you might have rescued their parcel but you are gifting them all your lovely germs. How do you know they don’t have a vulnerable family member?? Have people learned NOTHING from Covid??

Your husband was bang on, you need to learn to leave well enough alone. And the only person who should have prevented your irreplaceable eBay item from being stolen was YOU. You can easily elect a safe space for a parcel to be left. Mine is more often than not popped in my blue recycling bin or somewhere equally hidden. You can also elect a specific, safe neighbour (or neighbours garden/bin) for it to be left with so it isn’t on your doorstep.

No one who hasn’t asked wants or needs you rushing in to rescue and infect them.

Oh don't because I thought about doing this to a neighbours parcel the other day! They were just left directly onto the road and we're large (potentially expensive?) boxes. I did think about grabbing them and leaving a note but decided against it. Glad I didn't now, they could have a dog that moved the note or it could have fallen under a mat or a cupboard, anything!

I dont know. The name doesnt match the parcel and it's terrace housing with doors next to each other with the camera looking down. It looks like it is set up to cover both doors so it could be either.

And your husband is mainly right.

You can't take it upon yourself to remove parcels even if they look vulnerable there, that’s an issue for the owner to deal with.

I hope it all gets sorted out for you in the end.

All of this could have been sorted in an instant, if you’d left a note. 😢

Oooh maybe that neighbour had been asked to take them in as away or something. Came home to find them gone and now feels responsibility to find them!

Have they replied to your explanation?
I would add a post saying "do you want me to put the parcels back on your doorstep, or will you pick them up? I don't care either way. I was only trying to be helpful. Lesson learned. Never again. Now I know the meaning of the phrase No good deed goes unpunished!"

This is all such an unnecessary drama (and I'm not even sure it's about the parcels at all tbh) I just cannot fathom why you didn't take the parcels back straight away with the note.

I'm not quite sure why you are so adamant they would get stolen 😵‍💫

(Again)

(Sorry)

Id be really pissed off if I knew my parcels were on my doorstep and then I had to bother to go round to a neighbour to find the things. Where I am yes I might go and knock on a neighbours door to collect my parcel, but equally they'll bring it round if they see I'm back.

Putting a note through the door saying they need to come and get it, when it was there already adds complexity to their day they didn't need. There's also the possibility they didn't get the note, a dog or cat ripped it up, it got picked up amongst the junk mail, another member of the family binned it....