Money Moral Dilemma: Should I ask my neighbour to pay for the meat they spoiled?

skiingsalsaman

It's not their fault so I think that you have to put it down to experience.  I would speak to the delivery company rather than risk your relationship with the neighbour.

rwgray

If they haven't offered to pay, it might be more diplomatic not to ask.  As you were in, the courier is probably liable anyway.

Anyanka1

Y'all know what?  I am totally sick of taking in packages for my next door neighbours when they are in, which is all the time these days.  We have never taken in anything perishable, thank goodness (and how would we know if it was?) but they never bother to collect them.  Why should we provide an unpaid delivery and storage service?  Who died and made us their servants?  Won't be doing that any more especially when at least one of them has been in all the time for months.

Carrot007

Anyanka1 said:

Y'all know what?  I am totally sick of taking in packages for my next door neighbours when they are in, which is all the time these days.  We have never taken in anything perishable, thank goodness (and how would we know if it was?) but they never bother to collect them.  Why should we provide an unpaid delivery and storage service?  Who died and made us their servants?  Won't be doing that any more especially when at least one of them has been in all the time for months.

From this it seems.

You don't seem to be able to say no?

You also accept packages for people you know are in rather than telling this to the delivery person?

torvil

ABSOLUTELY NOT!!! Even if my neighbour made a mistake, they are worth far more to me than £40. £40 is pocket change and doesn’t come close to the value of a neighbour. Fresh food delivered to your door should have the resilience of lasting hours if packaged correctly ie thermo blanketed in a carton with large ice blocks. 

Anyanka1

Carrot007 said:

Anyanka1 said:

Y'all know what?  I am totally sick of taking in packages for my next door neighbours when they are in, which is all the time these days.  We have never taken in anything perishable, thank goodness (and how would we know if it was?) but they never bother to collect them.  Why should we provide an unpaid delivery and storage service?  Who died and made us their servants?  Won't be doing that any more especially when at least one of them has been in all the time for months.

From this it seems.

You don't seem to be able to say no?

You also accept packages for people you know are in rather than telling this to the delivery person?

You are right.  The whole being in thing is recent; we have been doing this for years when they were out at work so I suppose it is just habit; our bad.  From now on, I will point out to the delivery person that the recipients are in, whether they answer the door or not.  Shame, shame, shame.

Pollycat

tain said:

Blimey this has really blown up! Thanks everyone for the responses.

I'm the person who had my delivery nabbed by the neighbour.

Do you really feel that your neighbours 'nabbed' your parcel?

You make it sound like they lurked in the shadows waiting for the parcel to arrive and offered to take it in for nefarious purposes.

Is that what really happened?

tain said:

I tried following it up with the courier as the guidance to them was to leave it on the doorstep if delivery wasn't possible, so I'd have got the package quickly and put it in the fridge. But as a successful delivery was made, they won't cover the perished contents. 

So why did the courier not leave it on your doorstep?

Carrot007

tain said:

Blimey this has really blown up! Thanks everyone for the responses.

I'm the person who had my delivery nabbed by the neighbour. I won't ask them for money as I can't see a polite way of doing that. But I kind of wanted to get a feel for if I was in the right to be disgruntled at them because of it, and possibly mention it when I see them again (e.g. 'don't take in our deliveries if that's ok please'). This isn't the first time they've taken in a delivery then immediately left for the day and night (just not perishable beforehand). 

My view is that your intentions mean nothing in this situation - you haven't done anyone a 'favour' until the neighbour has received their delivery in the same condition as you received it in. For instance, if it said fragile you don't have the right to throw it about and say 'oops, I meant well though' with no consequence.

I tried following it up with the courier as the guidance to them was to leave it on the doorstep if delivery wasn't possible, so I'd have got the package quickly and put it in the fridge. But as a successful delivery was made, they won't cover the perished contents. 

And even though it's clarified in the post - the delivery driver didn't knock at my door using either the knocker or the bell. They either didn't knock at all, or they tapped on the window, which I can't hear from my kitchen where I work - that's why we have a huge knocker and a bell.  

OK your neighbours are weird or just cannot refuse a delivery person. (At least they have not yet taken it in and gone on holiday! (it does happen)).

However a successful deliver was not made and the company are completely at fault. Sorry perishables should never be delivered elsewhere unless specified and certainly not when you are in. If doorstep was your altrernative then they did not follow procedure either. You should push it with the company (not the courier who are nothing to do with you unless you organised them) and get a refund. They may ban you as a customer but why would you ever use them again anyway?

MsRightAboutEverything

Granted, your neighbours may not be the sharpest crayons in the box to put any package on top of a radiator, let alone one marked "perishable", but the fault definitely lies with the courier service. Contact the company that you ordered from and explain that you were at home at the time but the courier made no attempt to deliver the package to your address. The company will likely replace your order and pursue compensation themselves from the courier service they used. I've had similar experiences and suspect that some couriers hand over packages to any neighbour they see, of just dumping it on the doorstep, because it's quicker than having to wait for the reciprient to answer the door. Trouble is, they're in low paid gig jobs with impossible delivery targets to meet.

Benthebadger

If you get no satisfaction with an agreement to re-supply from the butcher, did you pay by credit card? They may be able to take this up on your behalf if you end up with goods which you can't use and the the supplier won't play ball.