Signed for a neighbour's parcel but they have moved out.

teh_catt

Hi, I wondered if anyone could clarify this situation for me.

A couple of weeks ago I signed for a parcel for a neighbour which is not uncommon in the block of flats I live in. I tried several times to take the parcel round but nobody answered the door. After a few days I noticed that the curtains to the flat were gone and looking through the window it looked empty. I also looked through the letterbox and could see piles of mail on the floor; the flat had clearly been empty for some time.

No one has called about the parcel. I did sign the electronic epad thingy. I wont say what I think is in the parcel but I can tell from the packaging that it is valuable.

What happens now? How long do I keep hold of it for? I am of course happy to hand over the parcel if the owner or delivery company come and ask for it, but I suspect that is unlikely to happen. From reading other similar threads, the purchaser would probably just take the matter up with the supplier and get it replaced or refunded as they never reveiced their delivery.

I'm not in the habit of stealing but also am not about to look a gift horse in the mouth, if that is what it is. Can anyone tell me then what the legal position is if no-one claims the parcel?

brettcta

return it to the sender?

paddyrg

Is there a return address on the package? Give the company a quick bell, tell them what happened and ask if they want to send a courier to collect.

DCFC79

Just give them a call, the sender that is,

T_T_2

You shouldn't sign for someone elses parcels/mail in the first place to be honest. If they are engaged in illegal activity such as making online purchases with stolen credit card details then you might be the final link in the chain that helps them get their hands on the goods without exposing themselves.

Nevertheless, you have the parcel now. There are two ways of looking at this: from a moral/ethical standpoint and from a legal standpoint.

Morally speaking, my personal opinion would be that you do not keep it - you didn't pay for it, you don't own it. I would return it to the company that delivered it. Remember that it is illegal to open post that isn't addressed to you.

wealdroam

T_T wrote: »

Remember that it is illegal to open post that isn't addressed to you.

That simply isn't true.

Only if you are planning to do something untoward with the opened mail is it wrong.

T_T_2

wealdroam wrote: »

That simply isn't true.

Only if you are planning to do something untoward with the opened mail is it wrong.

Would that include keeping it and selling it on as the OP is pondering?

wealdroam

T_T wrote: »

Would that include keeping it and selling it on as the OP is pondering?

Oh, I didn't make that assumption.
Did the OP say that?

I assumed he would be opening it to find a return address or phone number.

T_T_2

wealdroam wrote: »

Oh, I didn't make that assumption.
Did the OP say that?

I assumed he would be opening it to find a return address or phone number.

The OP intimated that he suspected the package was of some value and that despite not being in the habit of stealing he wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth...

mrbrightside842

teh_catt wrote: »

I'm not in the habit of stealing but also am not about to look a gift horse in the mouth, if that is what it is. Can anyone tell me then what the legal position is if no-one claims the parcel?

It's not a gift though, is it? Return it to the sender, if it is something expensive then I'm pretty sure they'll notice it missing.

teh_catt

Many thanks for the replies.

A 'gift horse' was probably a bad choice of words because clearly it is not that. My reasons for the question is not really to ask what the moral/ethical/honest thing to do is. And yes, I could go to the trouble of finding out which large catalogue chain sent the parcel and get it back to them (at my own time and expense).

My question is more about what the legal position is if I dont. It looks to me like someone ordered the goods online and forgot to change their delivery address after they had moved. They are long gone, and wont have access to the property so when they realise the mistake they will probably contact the supplier to arrange a redelivery. Their contract with the supplier has not been fulfilled, regardless of wether it was their mistake putting the wrong deliver address because the postman deliverered it to the wrong house anyway.

I dont intend to sell the item or even use it as I dont particularly need it. I'm pretty sure the large corporate catalogue chain wouldnt miss it though and I seriously doubt they would go to the trouble of trying to track down what happened to the original delivery either on behalf of their customer or for their own reasons.

If the parcel was something that looked clearly of lower value, say a t-shirt or a book; I certainly wouldnt bother sending it anywhere and would either leave it lying around in a corner or eventually open it and see what it was. Would I be commiting a crime by doing that?

Thanks again for your opinions and advice.