When A Parcel is Misdelivered, Please Be Careful With Assumptions

[Deleted User]

I have had someone knock on my door twice now asking if a parcel sent to them had been delivered to me.  The second time they said a neighbour had passed a Parcel to me on Saturday (it was Wednesday not Saturday, she's elderly and was something in my name and ordered/paid for by me).  I told her again that I had not received any parcel addressed to anyone else, only my parcel with my name on it.  She brought out an item (something in a plastic container) and asked me if I had received anything like this.  She then said she'd asked everyone in the block, and I was the only one who'd received a a parcel from a neighbour and was I absolutely sure I hadn't received her item.  By this time I was feeling a bit pressured and that I was being accused of lying, nothing I said seemed to make a difference.  I did point out that she needed to go back to my neighbour and ask if the parcel had been in my name.  I found the notification slip and gave it to her, showing my name and address.  I did say that she was adding 2 and 2 and making 5.  But I don't think she was believing me at all.  But I feel a bit dirty, like I am viewed as a thief, which I'm not. As she kept insisting this was the only parcel that had been given to a neighbour I said it was a bit insulting as I'd already told her I'd not received her parcel.   I'm sure I was overheard.  Its all a bit illogical, why would my neighbour have given me someone else's parcel?????  But she just didn't want to listen.  

Obviously I know I didn't take in this parcel, and obviously there is no proof I did so hopefully that will be the end of it.  Hopefully she will find a way to get a refund or find out what happened to it.  But it was a bit unpleasant and I'm going to now have to make sure I don't answer the door to her anymore.  My son knocked on the door a couple of hours later and it took some times for me to get the courage to open the door.  My son thought there was something wrong with me!

I'm just posting the experience on here in case someone finds themselves in a similar situation.  Its like Chinese whispers, the woman is desperate to find her parcel listens to something a neighbour erroneously tells her (the dates were wrong) and now I'm regarded as the only suspect.  Not the dispatch company.  Not a nice experience.

TripleH

I'm sorry that you are having this trouble.
Are there other blocks of flats nearby? We had items delivered to our old flat that went to the right number but wrong block of flats. Address label was correct on all occasions, issue was building mix up.

lincroft1710

Deanna, I think you just encountered the "well X told me this is the case, so it must be true" scenario when blatantly X doesn't know what they're talking about.  I had this problem several times at work and found the best way to deal with it was to be very firm, but remaining polite but authoritative and just repeat that what they had been told was not correct. Eventually they will get the message.

You were not at fault

missile

Some neighbours can be so rude.
I took in a parcel for my neighbour. She came and collected it two days later, "I came before but you were not in" and not so much as a thankyou. Next week postie knocks at my door "Your neighbour marked this to be delivered here, if she is not in". I refused and now, I never take in parcels for neighbours.

[Deleted User]

missile said:

Some neighbours can be so rude.
I took in a parcel for my neighbour. She came and collected it two days later, "I came before but you were not in" and not so much as a thankyou. Next week postie knocks at my door "Your neighbour marked this to be delivered here, if she is not in". I refused and now, I never take in parcels for neighbours.

I completely understand, i had a similar scenario at my last address and did the same as you.

Teapot55

Sometimes I just don’t answer the door. I always think that if it’s someone important they’ll ring me anyway.

And if they haven’t got my phone number they’re not important. 

(I never agree to charity donation requests at the door, I’m not going to change my religious views on the doorstep & I don’t really want to lend stuff to neighbours. Bah, humbug). 

sweetsand

Years ago when we Lived in Greenwich/London we took in a parcel, about 3 foot by 2 foot for someone across the road.
They did not come to collect it on the same day but we could see they were back and left it until the next day as it got dark and late as we were hoping for them to cross the road and carry it back as it weighed a bit. Anyway the next day my OH knocked on their door as we knew they were in as all 3 cars were on the drive - it was heavy, the lady of the house opened the door and greeted by saying "yes, what can I do for you." Anyway we told re re parcel and how we thought they'd come over when reay last pm but we were going out and thought we'd bring it over. Rather than say thanks the woman said she got no card and implied we should have bought it over when we saw their cars - then went on and noted slight marks on the package and said "you should not have accepted it."  My OH offered to send it back as the courier was often on our road. The woman then said "why would you do that."   We just left it there and wlaked off .. we got dirty looks from her the family until the day we moved.

The moral of this story, don't take your neigbours parcels, etc and just tell the delivery person sorry you are out all day so can't take as there are many ignorant people everywhere.

theoretica

I am glad I live in my neighbourhood - my parcels are now and then taken in by neighbours and I take in theirs.  Only issue I know of has been TNT a couple of times leaving parcels at nearby addresses and not bothering to put a card through the door, but we sorted it and say thanks all round.