Taking in parcels for neighbours

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!

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.

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.

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?

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?

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!

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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!

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.

There are some rather worrying posts in this thread.

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?

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

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.

Dibbydod

ElderlyPerson

Why do people have the belief that the onus is on the person to whom the parcel is addressed to come and collect it?

Reading your posts elderlyperson I can’t believe your attitude. The delivery drivers always ask first if the neighbor minds taking in their parcel , most decent neighbors would be happy to do so , then the driver always puts a note , or text or whatever the company does , to the customer to say where their parcel has been delivered. The decent thing then is to go to that neighbor to collect your parcel that they have kindly taken in for you and have kept in their home for you in your absence , that act of kindness then in turn saves you all the trouble of having to have your parcel resent again , so that is surly worth the ‘ effort ‘ of retrieving your parcel . Neighbors do this to be kind and helpful to others not for the benefit of their own health.
I’m just so glad I don’t have you as one of my neighbors, because if I did I doubt if I’d ever want to speak to you as your totally unneighbourly and unfriendly.

The problem is, some people don’t have decent neighbours, and wouldn’t want the confrontation. You’ve just said you wouldn’t want a neighbour like EP, so already, you’ve set yourself up to not want to do this ‘ kind favour’ for someone like her. You may have a whole street of people like her!

The driver doesn’t always put a note through, so you wouldn’t always know about it.

EP, can I just say this isn’t my opinion of you. I don’t know you, so can’t judge. Like I said before, it’s not a one size fits all. Some people have awful neighbours.

MerylStreep

ElderlyPerson
i was told such a thing is unlikely
How about this scenario.
Delivery driver wearing an Amazon tea shirt approaches house with parcel.
Door opens and driver pushes his way in and attacks woman.
2nd woman comes to help she too is attacked.
3rd woman comes downstairs and too is attacked.
Driver rushes into lounge and grabs what looks like a hard drive.
Driver leaves property.
Owner of property is alerted of attack. Because house had cctv everywhere there was a very clear picture of the attacker.
Owner of property quickly puts this cctv image of the attack on FB.
Attacker sees this and flees with his wife ( very quickly) to Romania.
I would like to know your honest opinion of this bizarre scenario.

Wasn’t this appalling? So glad they got him in the end. Any scenario is possible.

But nobody asked if the named recipient was happy to have their parcel delivered elsewhere. EP is not. He wants it delivered to him personally. This is what he has paid for. Why should he traipse everywhere to get his parcel? If he is in why isn’t it delivered directly to him. I can see his point. We don’t expect the postman to deliver our mail to someone else - it could be private and personal.

ElderlyPerson

Why do people have the belief that the onus is on the person to whom the parcel is addressed to come and collect it?

Reading your posts elderlyperson I can’t believe your attitude. The delivery drivers always ask first if the neighbor minds taking in their parcel , most decent neighbors would be happy to do so , then the driver always puts a note , or text or whatever the company does , to the customer to say where their parcel has been delivered. The decent thing then is to go to that neighbor to collect your parcel that they have kindly taken in for you and have kept in their home for you in your absence , that act of kindness then in turn saves you all the trouble of having to have your parcel resent again , so that is surly worth the ‘ effort ‘ of retrieving your parcel . Neighbors do this to be kind and helpful to others not for the benefit of their own health.
I’m just so glad I don’t have you as one of my neighbors, because if I did I doubt if I’d ever want to speak to you as your totally unneighbourly and unfriendly.

if the neighbours don't know where it has been delivered to then you should take it around. Some notes state that it has been delivered to number x but many don;'t .