I refused to accept my neighbour’s parcel – some people think I’m rude but I just couldn’t be bothered with the hassle

• User Sorry-Cookie-2783 asked for advice on the incident on a UK subreddit 
• READ MORE: My partner bought me a £70 bottle of whisky for our anniversary – but he said he was insulted when I mixed it with Diet Coke

If you’ve ever become fed up with your doorbell constantly pinging because your neighbours have volunteered you to take in their parcels, you’re not alone – but the etiquette of how to handle it is a tricky one. 

A British Reddit user, Sorry-Cookie-2783 took to the r/AskUK sub-reddit to check if they had ‘inadvertently committed a massive faux pas’ by refusing to accept a parcel for a neighbour.

They explained that they ‘just couldn’t be bothered with the hassle’ because they were on the way out of the house and had a busy schedule the next day. 

However, the DPD driver was not impressed by the refusal, prompting the busy Redditor to wonder if they’d done something wrong.

The tale left commenters divided, as some branded the action ‘rude’, whereas others insisted they had the ‘right to say no’. 

Social media users were divided after one poster confessed that they rejected taking a parcel for their neighbour (stock image)

Outlining the situation, the Reddit user wrote: ‘A DPD delivery driver just knocked on my door, asked if I would take the parcel for my neighbour,’ they began.

‘Usually I would, but I’m about to head out for the rest of the day and won’t be back until late. 

‘I’m really busy tomorrow, too, so in all honesty I just couldn’t be bothered with the hassle.’

The author then recounted how they then ‘politely said, “Sorry mate, I’m heading out soon”.’

At this, the delivery man ‘noisily huffed and said “for god’s sake” then stomped off’.

‘You were home, why not take it?’ one commenter asked. ‘In what way is it a hassle for you, when at most, you just have to wait for your neighbour to knock on your door to get the parcel in the evening?

‘If you wanted, it would take literal minutes to take it to them if you know they’re home when you get home later.

‘If a neighbour didn’t take a package for me, I’d assume I did something to offend them, and I don’t even talk to my neighbours. I always take theirs in.’

Another added: ‘If this is something which happens irregularly and you weren’t about to just take a two week holiday in Barbados, just take the package. 

‘What’s the big deal? Just leave it by the front door so it’s out of sight. Neighbours can pick up later tonight or tomorrow. It’s more convenient than having to rearrange with DPD. Neighbours would hopefully do the same for you should the situation ever arise.’ 

A third even hit out at the poster for being ‘self centred’.

Others, however, were on the person’s side and said they has the right not to accept the parcel if they didn’t want to.

‘It’s not rude, especially if it’s a nuisance for the neighbour to collect it due to your schedule,’ one wrote. ‘DPD driver understandably only cares about hitting the targets, so for him you’re a nuisance.’ 

Another comment agreed, writing that ‘the DPD driver was annoyed because he now has to return the parcel to the office and/or probably redeliver it another day’.

‘That’s all there is to it,’ they penned. ‘You’re overthinking it.’ 

Others even recounted their own experiences with not taking parcels for bad neighbours.

‘We’ve got very noisy anti-social neighbours two doors down & I never accept anything for them, I see it as my little contribution to real time karma,’ one shared.

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