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Taking in parcels for neighbours

(270 Posts)
Su12 Wed 29-Sept-21 18:31:57

We have often taken in parcels for next door neighbour who never came round to collect - they always waited for us to take the item round to them - this could even be the next day. They moved out and now the same thing seems to be happening with our new neighbours. I never mind taking parcels in for people if they are not at home to receive them but it does annoy me that they don’t have the decency to come and collect from us. If, on the rare occasion, a parcel of ours is delivered elsewhere I make a point of collecting it as soon as I am home. My husband says we should just hang on to it if they can’t be bothered to pick it up from us, but to be honest I would rather it was out of our way. Does anyone else have this problem?

Zoejory Thu 30-Sept-21 16:40:30

He might try to take the line that because he took in the parcel she owes him a favour. The delivery driver has caused trouble for her.

I think that anyone who can come out with your strange scenarios should stick to keeping them in your head.

MayBeMaw Thu 30-Sept-21 16:49:35

He might try to take the line that because he took in the parcel she owes him a favour. The delivery driver has caused trouble for her

What sort of men do you mix with who think like this? confusedconfused

And don’t say “it is possible” of course it could be but is is far from likely unless you are describing a twisted, not to say criminal scenario which makes Eastenders at its worst look like the General Synod

Blossoming Thu 30-Sept-21 16:58:22

There are some rather worrying posts in this thread.

Patsy429 Thu 30-Sept-21 17:10:31

I am so glad I have lovely neighbours. We take in each other's parcels. Some times we knock to collect, other times we come and deliver! No problem. Whichever is easiest.

CBBL Thu 30-Sept-21 17:28:29

I used to take deliveries for neighbours all the time! Yes, sometimes, I might have a parcel for a day or two after I have texted the addressee - but that wasn't very often!

Since we moved to Scotland - I don't have neighbours as such. There is a Garage next to me (but not close) and only fields beyond our property.

Sometimes delivery drivers leave parcels in our Bins, at the back of the house, since that's what the previous owners requested!!! I would really rather arrange for re-direction, since I now have to check the Bins when I have been out - just in case! I order lots of things online, as our (very small) Town centre is 11 miles away, and only has a Temporary Post Office (with varied hours). There are no shops in the village, and no bus service - but this is just the same as the previous village where I lived, in Lincolnshire (except the Town was larger and fewer miles away).
I would like to get to know more people here - but unless I stop them when they go past on dog-walking missions, I'm not sure how!

HannahLoisLuke Thu 30-Sept-21 17:30:41

I’m the parcel receiver for many of my neighbours. They mostly collect the same evening as they will either have been left a card or sent a text. Occasionally it might be a few days if they are away and then they are most apologetic.
I wouldn’t deliver and they wouldn’t expect it.

Nannina Thu 30-Sept-21 17:37:35

This used to happen to me and some of the parcels were large or heavy. I told my neighbours I was having trouble taking the parcels round so would ask my son to do it when he next visited. They now collect as soon as they get home and there’s no I’ll feeling.

MayBeMaw Thu 30-Sept-21 19:35:26

Alright, a scenario. She lives alone. She ordered some underwear mailorder. The delivery driver has left it with the man in the house opposite. She knows that his wife fled to a refuge. The delivery driver has given him an excuse to interact with her. She is worried. What does she do? Would she ever wear that underwear as she knows it has been in his house with him? She looks from her window at his house and knows her parcel is in there. And then the murders began.
??oops wrong thread gringrin

AlisonKF Thu 30-Sept-21 19:36:00

My cottage opens straight on to the main street, so no porch. I order absolutely everything online as I have serious arthritis a can no longer drive. I leave a note on my door asking delivery drivers to leave my parcel behind a black bin in the entrance to a narrow side passage and to leave a note through the door. This works pretty well. Potential thieves do not seem to read notes on doors.

tavimama Thu 30-Sept-21 19:42:42

Being housebound, my lovely Mum became the street repository for parcels - she took them in for about 25 households. And yet the one time she needed a parcel taken in, not one person would oblige and she had to get a taxi to the Sorting Office to collect it. She has now had to go into a Nursing Home - only three of her neighbours even bothered to contact her to see she was ok. It has been quite upsetting for her, as you might imagine.

Jess20 Thu 30-Sept-21 19:48:27

If it's someone who comes home to inescapable childcare I would be sympathetic, otherwise no, just lazy.

MissAdventure Thu 30-Sept-21 19:51:20

I do get cross sometimes when I've been at work and nobody has taken in a parcel for me.
I think all sorts of uncharitable things about my neighbours.

MissAdventure Thu 30-Sept-21 20:00:23

I also get cross when I know my next door neighbour is in, but doesn't open her door.
I then get disturbed by a desperate parcel man so I can take it in.
Then the second he had gone, she knocks at my door for her parcel!
It can be multiple times a day.

Shandy57 Thu 30-Sept-21 20:08:20

I've just tracked the parcel I sent my daughter in NI - very luckily taken in by her lovely neighbour! She does it for them too. I'd sent her a power cut kit and the PO lady was worried as the torch had batteries in the clear packaging and put a 'batteries' sticker on it. I wondered if it had been delayed because they'd opened it.

Madgran77 Thu 30-Sept-21 20:40:46

He might try to take the line that because he took in the parcel she owes him a favour. The delivery driver has caused trouble for her

Well anything MIGHT happen in any scenario in day to day life surely! The same applies whether she collects it from him or he delivers it! confused

Socksandsocks01 Thu 30-Sept-21 20:53:33

The rules are not being broken depending upon the service paid for of course. It's the law for delivery person to attempt delivery asap. The card "while you were out" make it obvious it's not against the rules at all. Quite the reverse. So by doing a favour the person is then expected to deliver the said parcel? Why do you think the company leaves a card in your letterbox then. If the onus is on the good samaritan?

suelld Thu 30-Sept-21 20:53:37

SueDonim - that's exactly what happened to me .... I have a great neighbour both of us 'single' and a similar age (mid 70s) he takes in parcels for me and vice versa - I take them to him- he brings them to me - I phone to check he's in first - or look to see if his shed is open!
In April he tried a couple of times to deliver a parcel for me left with him, at the same time a friend arrived but couldn't get hold of me - my neighbour tried his key I gave him when I was last ill, realised it was bolted on the inside - they called the Police...I'd been unconscious in bed for 3 days in near renal failure and sepsis - I spent 4 weeks in hospital and am lucky to be alive!
Thanks to being good neighbours and taking in each others parcels!
I don't understand all this pettiness - why not take in a parcel for a neighbour?

joysutty Thu 30-Sept-21 20:54:05

Yes, its a bit rude/unfair on you. As if we have missed a parcel with Royal Mail there is a small red card put through letterbox to say which house its been left at, so would go round once have unpacked our shopping, or had quick cuppa or maybe go round instantly there and then if its just next door, but knowing that our neighbours are still working from home, wouldnt ring their doorbell till after 5.30pm. Equally we have taken in our new neighbours that moved in few months and and they range our doorbell and with Covid I let them actually pick up the box as it was quite heavy and saves gelling hands so many times, as my daughter said in the beginning of the panademic she was not prepared to take in any of her neighbours parcels and at that stage think the delivery guys like Amazon, DPD, Hermes take a photo of what has been delivered just outside your doorstep and in one instance 2 parcels were left around the side of our house from Amazon which happened to be a kettle + matching toaster and no note put through + no email to notify time of delivery or anything as some firms like Hermes even do this, so the next day just happened to see our items and we were furious as anyone could have just taken them when we were out. But thats a different topic of conversation. But, yes the person who's parcel it is should come to your front door and politely thankyou in any case.

Early Thu 30-Sept-21 20:58:42

Madgran77

*He might try to take the line that because he took in the parcel she owes him a favour. The delivery driver has caused trouble for her*

Well anything MIGHT happen in any scenario in day to day life surely! The same applies whether she collects it from him or he delivers it! confused

It's the slippery slope argument Madgran in logic and in critical thinking. An argument in which a party asserts that a relatively small first step leads to a chain of related events culminating in some significant (usually negative) effect. This type of argument is used as a form of fearmongering in which the probable consequences of a given action are exaggerated in an attempt to scare the audience.

The slippery slope argument ignores the possibility of middle ground which would be that the parcel is collected or delivered and nothing bad happens.

MayBeMaw Thu 30-Sept-21 21:23:22

The slippery slope argument ignores the possibility of middle ground which would be that the parcel is collected or delivered and nothing bad happens

Well of course - because that’s what generally happens isn’t it? gringrin

MayBeMaw Thu 30-Sept-21 21:26:42

suelld

SueDonim - that's exactly what happened to me .... I have a great neighbour both of us 'single' and a similar age (mid 70s) he takes in parcels for me and vice versa - I take them to him- he brings them to me - I phone to check he's in first - or look to see if his shed is open!
In April he tried a couple of times to deliver a parcel for me left with him, at the same time a friend arrived but couldn't get hold of me - my neighbour tried his key I gave him when I was last ill, realised it was bolted on the inside - they called the Police...I'd been unconscious in bed for 3 days in near renal failure and sepsis - I spent 4 weeks in hospital and am lucky to be alive!
Thanks to being good neighbours and taking in each others parcels!
I don't understand all this pettiness - why not take in a parcel for a neighbour?

Oh my goodness!
How lucky you are to have a good neighbour!
But just as to have good friends you have to be a good friend, it sounds as if you are equally a good neighbour on your part.

tickingbird Thu 30-Sept-21 21:39:13

FGS! What have I just read???!!

I take parcels in for neighbours, they take parcels for me. The phrase ‘get a life’ springs to mind.

Early Thu 30-Sept-21 21:49:41

MayBeMaw

^The slippery slope argument ignores the possibility of middle ground which would be that the parcel is collected or delivered and nothing bad happens^

Well of course - because that’s what generally happens isn’t it? gringrin

2019/2020 numbers. 2.8 billion parcels delivered in the UK. A mere 7.67 million parcels every day assuming 7/7 delivery. Yep, nothing is what generally happens. grin

MayBeMaw Thu 30-Sept-21 22:20:32

Honestly is there a single woman here who would think like this?

He might try to take the line that because he took in the parcel she owes him a favour. The delivery driver has caused trouble for her

I think there is a long way to go in male re-education in relation to attitudes to women.

BigBertha1 Thu 30-Sept-21 22:24:45

We are very happy to take parcels in for neighbours and often do so. We pop the parcel round to them when we see them come in. It's the neighbourly thing to do. Glad we don't have crabby neighbours who are too mean to do a small act of kindness.