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Cancelling food parcels for the vulnerable

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  • Umiamz
    Umiamz Posts: 594 Forumite
    Sixth Anniversary 500 Posts Name Dropper
    Splatfoot said:
    The letter in the box does tell you how to cancel it if you don't want it.

    The letter in the box tells you to re-register on the gov.uk website saying that you no longer need the food package. It offers, as an alternative, the suggestion to refuse the delivery.
    I'm not prepared to risk the former and it's difficult to do the latter because they just leave the box at the front door without knocking, so I never know when they've been. It's always a Thursday but has varied between 07:30 and 11:00-12:00.
  • calcotti
    calcotti Posts: 15,696 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Splatfoot said:
    The letter in the box does tell you how to cancel it if you don't want it.
    Mine have come without any letters - just a schedule of ingredients in case of allergies.
    Information I post is for England unless otherwise stated. Some rules may be different in other parts of UK.
  • BooJewels
    BooJewels Posts: 3,006 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    Splatfoot said:
    The letter in the box does tell you how to cancel it if you don't want it.
    Yes, it tells you to either fill in the form on the Government web site stating that you no longer wish to receive the boxes - with the inherent risk that you might also lose your supermarket delivery slot. Or that you can turn them away at the door to be given to someone else on the list - and as people have reported, they've either ignored instructions left at the door, or leave the box without knocking, as in our case.
  • Buggins
    Buggins Posts: 344 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 100 Posts Combo Breaker
    I have the box but it is left on doorstep early and it is so heavy. Ok when it’s dry and warm but really difficult to move or empty when it is cold and wet!  Sounds ungrateful but I daren’t cancel as I would lose supermarket slot. Any ideas?
  • JDPower
    JDPower Posts: 1,689 Forumite
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    I don't have any letter in my boxes either, just the allergy list.

    I went through the registration again last week to say no to food help, and as of today I still have priority supermarket slots available, but then I also still got a food parcel Monday. Will post back here if my priority slots go missing at any point, although from what I've gleaned over the past week that SHOULDN'T happen. Will find out next Monday if the parcels have been cancelled. If not, at least I have a local charity who will make sure it DOES go to someone who needs it :)
  • The_Hawk
    The_Hawk Posts: 139 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 100 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    I'm in a similar position, receiving 'unwanted' food parcels every week. Immediately after the first box, I changed my answer to 'yes' regarding the question "Do you have a way of getting essential supplies delivered at the moment?", but this seems to have made no difference and the parcels still arrive. Last week's came at 06:30 (with a knock on the door) and the driver has quickly disappeared each time. Even a sign on my door, stating that I don't want them, has failed to stop them.

    It seems such a shame when there must be many who desperately need such support.
  • calcotti
    calcotti Posts: 15,696 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    I managed to speak to the person dropping off the parcels. He said two things
    1) he said government have changed the registration questions to allow you to be clear about whether or not you need a parcel. I checked this after he had gone and that doesn't appear to be the case (although I didn't go all the way to the end because  didn't want complete a re-registration so it is possible there may have been a question I didn't get to).
    2) there is a 6 week delay in sorting out cancellation of parcels
    I can't verify either of the above.
    Another trip to the food bank on Friday.
    Information I post is for England unless otherwise stated. Some rules may be different in other parts of UK.
  • Umiamz
    Umiamz Posts: 594 Forumite
    Sixth Anniversary 500 Posts Name Dropper
    I've just spoken to somebody on my local council's Coronavirus helpline. She assured me that cancelling the food parcels will NOT affect supermarket priority status because no further information is being given to supermarkets after the initial list was sent.
  • JDPower
    JDPower Posts: 1,689 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    calcotti said:
    I managed to speak to the person dropping off the parcels. He said two things
    1) he said government have changed the registration questions to allow you to be clear about whether or not you need a parcel. I checked this after he had gone and that doesn't appear to be the case (although I didn't go all the way to the end because  didn't want complete a re-registration so it is possible there may have been a question I didn't get to).
    2) there is a 6 week delay in sorting out cancellation of parcels
    I can't verify either of the above.
    Another trip to the food bank on Friday.
    Just went through the registration process and the questions/wording certainly haven't been changed as yet. The delay in cancellations seems unlikely (a computer striking names of a list shouldn't require weeks), but I did get another food parcel this week, two weeks after supposedly cancelling.
  • BooJewels
    BooJewels Posts: 3,006 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    One of the ministers in the daily press briefing a few days ago said that you could sign out of the food parcels without losing supermarket deliveries, but it doesn't sound as though anything has changed yet @JDPower

    We got another parcel today and they thwarted our efforts to try and catch them this time by coming at 06:40am!  I'm sleeping downstairs in the lounge whilst my husband has treatment and I was woken up by a sound nearby and realised it was something through the letterbox. After a few strange minutes trying to fathom what would be posted that early, the penny dropped. Sure enough, I looked through the door window and could see a loaf outside - the paperwork had been posted through. 
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