To think postmen etc should not be allowed to deliver parcels to neighbours without explicit permission

[Czerwonitz]

it's insane in 2026 this isn't a country village in a miss marple

Are you drunk?

I'm sure you can just nominate a safe place? I've done this for Royal mail & DPD successfully & I work from home but I don't want to be distracted.

My safe place is my front step. Some delivery people ignore this. I think it should be a criminal offence to deliver private correspondence to the wrong address without explicit instruments to do so.

As it is I've had to resort to a thumbs down review

You need a safe space, direct it to a locker or be in.

The alternative is return it to the sorting office for collection. Thats a lot more inconvenient for everybody IMHO.

Interesting that your front step is safe but your neighbour's aren't to be trusted. Aren't you worried that they or some random will steal the parcel from your doorstep?

I don’t particularly want to go round to the neighbours to collect a parcel, but there are plenty of alternatives. Specify a safe delivery place / get a parcel box / have it delivered to a shop or locker.

If you aren’t home and you don’t want it delivered to the neighbours, then you need to make suitable alternative arrangements. It’s not the posties fault.

We try our best but it’s not always possible. Royal mail only notify about the day of delivery, without a time slot, so you have to sit at home the whole day and sometimes they still deliver on the next day. At least it’s my experience.
At my previous address the delivery always happened at school pick up time so I practically had no chances.
I try to order to a pick up location whenever possible but it’s not always an option.

It is - they just pleased themselves and dumped it somewhere random.

Agree!

You don't have to accept any delivery that is not for you. If it's post, just return to sender. If it's parcels, just put them out on the kerb.

The alternative is return it to the sorting office for collection. Thats a lot more inconvenient for everybody IMHO.

You just write NATA on the envelope and stick it in the post box. You don't need to go to the post office or sorting office.

I haven’t had a parcel left with a neighbour since before Coronavirus. Or had one left with me. They always leave them by our front door or in our back garden.

I'd far rather walk 10 metres at a convenient time to collect a parcel from a neighbour than have to rearrange delivery or schlep half an hour into town at weird hours during work time to the sorting office.

Agree. I had a card saying my parcel was left at a number that doesn’t exist. I went to the houses with the next numbers - all denied all knowledge. No one has dropped anything round. I wish they’d take it back to the sorting office like they used to.

Try this?
https://www.royalmail.com/personal/receiving-mail/delivery-to-neighbour-opt-out

I did it when moved temporarily away. Then you can either rearrange delivery or go collect from sorting office.

Your front step is not a safe place. I would lose my job if I just dumped your parcel there. What you are asking is not reasonable.

My heart sinks now when I have a parcel from RM. It takes all day, from 7am to 7pm and often half way through the day I will suddenly get an email to tell me it's out for delivery....
So I duly sit indoors if lucky enough to see the unexpected email, changing my plans occasionally, for it not to arrive.

I never thought I'd ever say this - Evri are better than RM around my neck of the woods. Sorry female postie!

Everyone else does it. It's safer than making me go and ask a stranger to give it to me. Take it back to the van otherwise.

Wow I didn’t realise my northern city was Miss Marple territory….my kind neighbours take parcels and I do for them. No issue. FAR better than going to the depot

If you delivered when I was expecting it and not several days later, I probably would have been in.

Leaving it on my doorstep is exactly WHAT I DON'T WANT! There for anyone to steal and advertising that the house is empty. Much rather it went to one of my lovely neighbours.

For Royal Mail our designated 'safe place' is the step. I also have a note saying leave parcel on step and the doorbell camera plays the same message. Our door can't be seen from the road and we're on a quiet road. So ours are never left with neighbours.

So most companies will leave on doorstep if no one home. There is only one, I think it may be Yodel, who refuse to do this.

Bloody hell, bit of an overreaction 😂

Buy a big delivery box, screw it to your wall … happy days