Parcels delivered fro someone else - What is the norm??

[Dogtrousers]

I've just noticed the poll at the top of the thread. There are two missing options:
* Pop round to their address, and if they're not in put a note through the letterbox. It's now their responsibility to come and get it.
* Put it down somewhere with every intention of taking it round to them, and then forget all about it.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

We live in Xxxxxxxx Road and less than 2 miles away, there is a Xxxxxxxx Avenue. Not frequent, but on more than one occasion, parcels have been delivered to the wrong one.

Last year, we even had a lorry load of building materials turn up. The delivery note had our address and postcode correct, but the wrong customer name. We guessed that the building yard taking the order, looked up the post code for mistakenly Xxxxxxxxxx road instead of Avenue.

We told the delivery driver where to go.

We have had a couple for the same number but another road nearby
I just took them round when I could

 

[Dogtrousers]

We live in Xxxxxxxx Road and less than 2 miles away, there is a Xxxxxxxx Avenue. Not frequent, but on more than one occasion, parcels have been delivered to the wrong one.

Some friends of mine are in a similar situation except the street with the clashing name isn't 2 miles away, it's just round the corner. I think they are on Christmas card terms with the occupants of the same numbered house, as there is so much to-ing and fro-ing between the two.

I can't imagine what they were thinking of when they gave those two roads (one is a side road off the other) the same name, but a different suffix (whatever you call the street/park/road/crescent bit). They could at least have given a different number range to the side road bit.

 

[ianrauk]

We live in Xxxxxxxx Road and less than 2 miles away, there is a Xxxxxxxx Avenue

We have the very same problem. I live in St ***** Street, less then half a mile away is St ***** Path. We are always getting their food/takeaway deliveries. Only last week we had a driver try to deliver a three piece suite.
I have actually spoken to the guy and he's really apologetic saying it's been going on for years. Every time he puts a note saying Path not Street but it seems its always ignored.

 

[ClichéGuevara]

We live in Xxxxxxxx Road and less than 2 miles away, there is a Xxxxxxxx Avenue. Not frequent, but on more than one occasion, parcels have been delivered to the wrong one.

Last year, we even had a lorry load of building materials turn up. The delivery note had our address and postcode correct, but the wrong customer name. We guessed that the building yard taking the order, looked up the post code for mistakenly Xxxxxxxxxx road instead of Avenue.

We told the delivery driver where to go.

I had very similar, and took the parcel round. It turns out it was a woman who worked in the same office as me, which made things even easier after that.

On a similar note, for years I got birthday and Christmas cards from someone that left no return address. No matter what I tried, I couldn't find out who they were really intended for. They usually added an update on how they and their family were doing.

They seemed elderly, so I think my gut feeling's liable to be correct on why they stopped.

I also had an elderly lady that phoned to speak to her son, but got my number in error. She'd chat for ages. It turns out her son's number is one digit different to mine. She continued to call me, I'm pretty sure knowing it was the wrong number, but I just chatted which seemed to make her happier. I did speak to the son, and he was polite but terse, saying he knows she's a nuisance, which I thought was a shame. I didn't mind her ringing, and again, feel a bit sad as to why they probably stopped.

 

[steverob]

We live in Xxxxxxxx Road and less than 2 miles away, there is a Xxxxxxxx Avenue. Not frequent, but on more than one occasion, parcels have been delivered to the wrong one.

We have the same thing but luckily the other address is two minutes walk away rather than two miles, so it's easier to retrieve stuff. However it does happen more often to us because parcel delivery companies have to drive past their house to get to ours, so they will normally see their house with a matching number and assume that this is the right address.

Most of the time this is fine, but the other house is a rental so every few years someone new moves in and we have to teach them that there is another similarly named road to theirs nearby. We did have a Sainsbury's online shopping order rejected by some new occupants a few months back as they weren't aware, which was a pain but luckily we did manage to get it rearranged for two days later.

 

[briantrumpet]

We have the very same problem. I live in St ***** Street, less then half a mile away is St ***** Path. We are always getting their food/takeaway deliveries. Only last week we had a driver try to deliver a three piece suite.
I have actually spoken to the guy and he's really apologetic saying it's been going on for years. Every time he puts a note saying Path not Street but it seems its always ignored.

Reminds me of the first trumpet lesson I had with a great teacher in London in 1983 (so pre emails & Google Maps etc). Train into Paddington, traipsed off across London to Warwick Road near Earls Court, and after going twice across the dual carriageway that intersects it, realised that no.XX no longer existed. Found a phone box and phoned teacher, who reminded me he lived in Warwick Avenue, almost right next door to Paddington. Oops.

 

[briantrumpet]

We have the very same problem. I live in St ***** Street, less then half a mile away is St ***** Path. We are always getting their food/takeaway deliveries. Only last week we had a driver try to deliver a three piece suite.
I have actually spoken to the guy and he's really apologetic saying it's been going on for years. Every time he puts a note saying Path not Street but it seems its always ignored.

What sauce was on the three-piece suite? Was it chair-grilled?

 

[presta]

Some friends of mine are in a similar situation except the street with the clashing name isn't 2 miles away, it's just round the corner.

In Leeds there are whole neighbourhoods with the same name on adjacent streets. eg:

Willoughby Crescent
Willoughby Row
Willoughby View
Willoughby Street
Willoughby Mount
Willoughby Place
Willoughby Grove
Willoughby Avenue
Willoughby Terrace

Here they do it the other way around: xxx Gardens, yyy Gardens, zzz Gardens etc.

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

I get a Christmas Card each year with no return address. It's addressed to my house, but the names are for nobody who has lived here (the previous occupants were here for years and years).
I have tried finding out who they are and so on, but to no avail. It doesn't help that the surname is also the same for a well known eatery in the area, so every time I ask on Facebook, etc, people just assume it's them.

I just sit the enveloped card in a corner in the hope that one day I'll find out who it's for, but I realise that they might be elderly (as the sender, 'Anne', might also be) and are not around any longer. 🤔

I find situations like that rather sad, but at the same time, they cannot be terribly close to each other, as surely they could communicate in other ways instead?

 

[presta]

I also had an elderly lady that phoned to speak to her son, but got my number in error.

Our phone number was nearly the same as the local convent at one time, so we used to get calls asking for Mother Superior & Sister Gladys etc.

 

[Psamathe]

hilst OP's question doesn't apply to me (my neighbours are always in so I domn't get parcels) I would wonder about liability voluntarily accepting somebody else's delivery.

What if it's a massively expensive Rolex and you take it round but then neighbour declares "we never got it" or "damaged packaging and broken item" and demands a refund. Do you get tangled up in liability?

Incorrectly delivered items that appear outside your house not an issue but where you accept the package to you tak liability for it's actual delivery?

Ian

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

Our phone number was nearly the same as the local convent at one time, so we used to get calls asking for Mother Superior & Sister Gladys etc.

The local Golf Club for us at one point too.

 

[derrick]

we live in a culdesac, all on a whats app group. so we just message the right one , then they pick it up.

 

[grldtnr]

I might be out on a limb here, but surely the courier or delivery driver have a duty of care to deliver as addressed or to a recognised location?
After trying and failed to pick up my parcel , when I was home and a poor attempt from the driver to deliver, even despite the firm notifying me when it was due, I was quite aggrieved and complained vigorously to the deliverer concerned, so someone has got a rollicking for it , too bad , they should have got it right first of.
I have done the job myself as Royal mail postie. Done it for years , so I do know what's what, it seems to me couriers are sent out with a van load of parcels and are over pressured to not take items back or attempt redelivery, the depots do not have facilities in to hold packages that not delivered.
The fault is the consumer not recognising the pressure excerted by contractors, on non committed part timers making a bit of pin money on the QT,
It's got so now I ask , who delivers my orders, if I don't trust the deliverer , then I request it's sent by Royal Mail, but even then that's been dumbed down from what it was.
Its time the customers , that's you and I ,demand better service, rather pander to the convience of some oik who really can't be arsed to do what they should do