Neighbours keep accepting my deliveries

adouglasmhor

I had one courier who sat in his van, then drove off without getting his fat !!!! out the van rather than attempt to read the instructions on the door entry system. His !!!!!! friend at the depot said they would try again tomorow, unfortunately; 1 I had taken the day off work to receive the parcel, 2 It was frozen food. 3 I contacted the sender and caused hassle for the couriers, (told them I was contacting the credit card company within the hour if they did not sort it). People work as courier drivers as the only qualification they have is a driving license, not because they are good at something.

Margaret54

Hi Kentrel, I feel sorry for you having all this nonsense to contend with, and I too would not feel happy about it all. I have placed a few orders online over the past two years, and have always been happy with the service(from different places delivering.) If something needs a signature and we are out, we always have a card left to say it is at the main post office, or I have asked for parcels from a certain company to just leave it on the doorstep, as it is well hidden the way our garden is laid out, and I have always received the parcels this way. Boots online insist on a signature over a certain amount and if we are out then we pop up to the post office to sign and collect. i have never had a problem so far, and I would rather not have our neighbour take it in for us, but one time he did as the card said left with your neighbour at number whatever, and I thanked him. I do hope you manage to have it all sorted out I really do, best wishes Margaret

missbargain

Yes, Royal Mail Parcel Force usually delivers to their main post office depot, which is usually not too far from local residences.
The problem is when it is some other courier, they always have depots in the most remote, industrial areas, and some of them don't deliver on weekends (the only time I am at home!). That's where neighbour pick up comes in handy. Of course, if one has dodgy neigbours or does not get along with them, that's a bit of a problem...Or if they don't want their nghbr. to know what they are ordering.

There is obviously a need to have some kind of across the board rule, as at the moment there is lots of inconsistency out there. Good luck with your efforts!

Beebop

My next door neighbour is pure evil and I wouldn't want any of my things going to her as she would probably destroy them.....
Anyway, to avoid this happening, I had a word with my Postie (who is lovely) and he's told the other relief posties that parcels for me can only be delivered to me, or my nice neighbours. This was about a year ago and so far so good.....
Secondly, for couriers, if I know when a delivery is due and I'm out, I put a little notice by the door bell asking them to "leave at Number ** if no reply". Obviously checked with these neighbours first if this would be OK!

geordie_joe

missbargain wrote: »

There is obviously a need to have some kind of across the board rule, as at the moment there is lots of inconsistency out there. Good luck with your efforts!

The problem with an across the board rule is it will not work for everyone.

If you make it so they can't leave parcels at neighbours you spoil it for those of us who have good neighbours.

If you make it so they can then you upset those who have bad neighbours.

I suppose that if I were a courier, or a seller who used couriers I would say that it's up to you to make arrangements.

As a buyer I would say, give us a box to put instructions for the courier on the order form, and make sure couriers follow those instructions.

olly300

OP is it possible for you to have the item delivered to your work place?

Myself and loads of colleagues get items delivered at work when we knew it was unlikely we would be in.

The thing about ordering online or using catalogues is that you need to either:
1. have good neighbours to take your parcels in particularly if they are just dumped on the doorstep
2. be able to state an alternative address which is a business address

kentrel

olly300 wrote: »

OP is it possible for you to have the item delivered to your work place?

Unfortunately not. I don't work until afternoon time so I generally always catch the delivery guy, and if not I'm quite happy to travel to the depot to pick it up. I also called several courier companies today to find out their policy on undelivered items and they all had a holding time of well over a week (UPS had 10 days), so its bizarre that the courier company they use would return the item after only a day at the buyers expense.

I've never come across such a policy as ridiculous as theirs. Its even worse because they mention NONE of this in their Terms and Conditions. I've asked them to rectify this as soon as possible, which they should do if they're to adhere to Consumer Law.

However, what rights do I have to asking for some kind of compensation for time wasted?

olly300

kentrel wrote: »

Unfortunately not. I don't work until afternoon time so I generally always catch the delivery guy, and if not I'm quite happy to travel to the depot to pick it up. I also called several courier companies today to find out their policy on undelivered items and they all had a holding time of well over a week (UPS had 10 days), so its bizarre that the courier company they use would return the item after only a day at the buyers expense.

I suspect they are not being entirely truthful. Even Royal Mail don't return special delivery and recorded delivery letter/parcels so quickly.

kentrel wrote: »

I've never come across such a policy as ridiculous as theirs. Its even worse because they mention NONE of this in their Terms and Conditions. I've asked them to rectify this as soon as possible, which they should do if they're to adhere to Consumer Law.

Make a complaint about the company's policies to their local trading standards. You can do so online through http://www.tradingstandards.gov.uk just put the company's postcode in and email them with a link or copy in the terms and conditions they sent you.

You don't need to go into details of your neighbours' stealing your stuff as it's likely the company's T&C falls foul of the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999.

Once you have contacted Trading Standards contact the company again and inform them you have done so, and in addition inform them that their T&Cs breach this law. (You are a consumer and a lay person you don't need to be accurate with the law as this is for a judge to decide.)

Depending on their customer service they may tell you where to go or not answer you.

I suggest you also ask for a refund under the Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations 2000. You need to do this in writing. They have a maximum of 30 days to give you this refund.

If they don't and you paid by credit card get the credit card company to reimburse you under section 75 of the consumer credit act. The credit card company may give you a lot of rubbish how you must get the money back from the retailer, just tell them you have tried and if they don't help you, you will report them to the financial ombudsman service.

kentrel wrote: »

However, what rights do I have to asking for some kind of compensation for time wasted?

None unfortunately.

That's why large companies get away with just giving approximate delivery days rather than actual dates and times.

That's why when companies give me crap I use the laws I've mentioned above against them.

Horace

IWasWondering... wrote: »

Parcelforce don't leave a card to say your delivery has been left elsewhere.

Yes they do.

I had a parcel delivered and it was taken in by the rotters in flat 2 (I don't know them other than their wretched daughter takes great delight in ringing my intercom bell and asking to be let in:mad: ). Parcelforce kindly left me a card letting me know where they had delivered the parcel to and telling me that it had been signed for. I never asked for it to be delivered to that flat.

Normally, my immediate neighbour at flat 6 will take things in for me - I do the same for her and we both look out for each other's flats when we go away for a couple of days.

The folks in flat 2 always nose through other people's post to see what they can filch which is why I had a proper lockable postbox fitted rather than wait for the landlord to put one up like he promised but that doesnt work either when my usual postie goes on holiday because everything is put through the door into the communal hall where flat 2 like to nose through it:mad: I know they open my post because one day I received a hospital appointment clearly addressed to me in a white envelope - the envelope was thick so I guess they thought that there was money in there, how sad for them to find that it was the second part of my appointment letter (typed in a large font so that I can read it). They even had the nerve to scribble across the letter - not the envelope - delivered to flat 2:mad:

I would complain to trading standards about the courier companies and their non-deliveries, I would also be contacting the original supplier of the goods to explain the problem and get them to tackle the courier company from their end - after all they were the ones that posted the item out.

Perhaps you could ask that anything you get be sent to your work or even to your local post office and you can collect it from there.?

tomstickland

I must be lucky - my neighbours regularly take in parcels for me. The couriers usually leave a note through the door. It saves the courier hassle and me hassle.