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back to article New I-hate-my-neighbour stickers to protect Brits' packages

From Monday the Post Office will deliver letters and parcels to the house next door if you're out - and hand out new "don't trust the people next door" stickers that will tell you at a glance what type of neighbourhood you're living in. The Post Office asked for permission for surrogate deliveries back in July, and following a …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    After some consideration, I conclude this is "a good thing"

    If your parcels go to a neighbour, and you don't receive them, you complain to the sender, who sends another and retrieves the cost from the PO for failure to deliver. Bit annoying, introduces a delay, but ultimately you should still get your stuff.

    If your parcels DON'T go to a neighbour, and you DO receive them, you sell them on ebay (or for preference at a car boot sale.. you know, less traceable) complain to the sender anyway, who sends another and retrieves the cost from the PO for failure to deliver.

    If a neighbour's parcel comes to you, you disavow all knowledge of it, and again sell it on ebay/carboot. They complain to the sender, who dispatches another and retrieves the cost from the PO for failure to delivery. Bit annoying for them, but hey - ultimately they get their stuff.

    And all you have to do is be a complete bastard. It's like i'm pissing in the plant pot at that party all over again.

    Hey presto, 6 months down the line and no-one users RM for anything but postcards any more, and our evil overlords get their wish and privatise the whole business. HURRAH FOR PROGRESS!!

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  2. Burch

    How about

    ...if the postie would ring my bell instead of making a meek knock then immediately sticking a card through?

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  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Poorly thought out option

    My electronics were given to my neighbor at my apt. complex. That was after I finally deciphered what passed as writing which had the apt. the idiot had left it at. I'd never met this neighbor beccause she'd just moved in. She was nice enough to drive around with it sitting in her front passenger seat all day in the city. I would never agreed to this type of arrangement due to all the shootings and drugs in the area... which is why I ended up moving at the end of my lease.

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  4. chris lively
    Boffin

    It's a bit backwards

    This isn't nearly complicated enough. There should be more options such as:

    1. Don't leave my stuff with others

    2. Don't leave other peoples stuff with me.

    3. All deliveries go to number 7.

    4. I never order anything, send it back.

    5. I'm out for a holiday, please invite yourself in to take whatever you want.

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  5. Tom 35

    can I stick my sticker next door?

    So I don't get their shopping channel crap at my house?

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  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    i pay a small child to stand at my door and guard my mail

    he's imported from one of the other countries

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  7. Chloe Cresswell Silver badge

    I have one of the "Do not deliver next door" stickers from the post office.

    Stuck it to the door the day it arrived.

    It's already faded by around 40%...

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  8. JaitcH
    Go

    Evening deliveries ... most people are in then.

    Day deliveries are bound to disadvantage the two-people working families.

    The P.O. could either have evening deliveries; or have a truck parked in a market square for pick-up..

    In VietNam, if you include the addressees cell number behind their name, they will send them an SMS!

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  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    How about

    Delivering to two addresses involves this.

    Attempt to deliver to first address, knock on door, ring broken bell, dozy member of public is too lazy to answer, you have around 1,000 houses to visit in 4 hours or 15 seconds for each address. Lazy, dozy member of public cannot get up from chair. Takes 120 seconds

    Go to neighbours, knock on door, ring broken bell, get hassle for interrupting them from sex, sleep, eating, cooking, cleaning and they do (or do not) accept to take package lazy bastard in first address is not in for. Takes 120 seconds

    Go back to first address, write out card with their full address, the time, the date, the tracking number (or not) of their package, your initials and duty number, the full name on the package, the time it will take before they can collect, tick the type of package, the reason why you can't deliver, where their item is, the number of items and how long they have to wait to collect it.

    Post card, if neighbour was not in, write on package the date, duty number and reason for failed delivery and take package back to depot for collection by lazy bastard.

    Royal Mail, (not sure how the Post Office are doing on their deliveries) leave it up to discretion, so no I won't be knocking on your neighbours door and doubling the time it takes to attempt a delivery.

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    1. Bod
      Reply Icon

      Re: How about

      You actually have the parcel with you? I'd swear sometimes I've seen the card left and clearly no package even in the bag. It's already at the depot! ;)

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  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Also it isn't " Come Monday" their are over 130,000 delivery postal workers and and an unimaginable number of depos, areas and sections. We are not doing the delivery to nieghbour nor are most areas come Monday.

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  11. Bod

    And then we have ParcelForce's recent "not in" system

    ParcelForce delivery and you're not in because you are of course working between 9 and 5.30...

    Great idea, we'll deliver it to your nearest Post Office (not depot) which is of course only open... 9 to 5.30 ! (at least mine are).

    Had several parcels recently this way and had to wait until Saturday to pick them up. Oh, and once delivered to a PO you can't get PF to redeliver.

    I'm looking for an opt-out of that one. Leave a bloody card and I'll pick it up from the depot if I'm lucky enough to get there in time (think they close a bit later but not much). In the past I'd go for redlivery to another address, but they charge £5 for this now!! (and yeah, sometimes things can only be delivered to the cardholder's address).

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  12. Triggerfish

    Troll the neighbourhood

    One bunch of stickers and a quick trip out and you could really ruin a neighbourhoods relationships.

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    1. The Alpha Klutz
      Reply Icon
      Trollface

      Re: Troll the neighbourhood

      where is downing street again?

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  13. stu 4
    Boffin

    the secret

    is to be such an uber-geek that you get deliveries of gadgets on a daily basis and know ever courier company driver personally.

    Sometimes I've been out at the corner shop or driving my car to work or summit and a courier will be coming the other way flashing his lights for me to stop and take my 'daily' parcel.

    My posty signs for my recorded/special deliveries too and hides them in my 'secret place'*

    yes... I know I am sad.

    stu

    *this is not a euphemism

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    1. Joe 37
      Reply Icon

      Re: the secret

      You too? They know me by name at the local PO - which I go past 4x a day on my way to and from work. The guy usually in there used to be my postie and would sign for anything that he could stuff through my letterbox. I was last asked for ID at the PO some time in the nineties.

      Which isn't as bad as their making coffee for me at the local crematorium. Just don't ask.

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      1. Anonymous Coward
        Reply Icon
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: the secret

        "Which isn't as bad as their making coffee for me at the local crematorium. Just don't ask."

        Ambulance driver.

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    2. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: the secret

      "is to be such an uber-geek that you get deliveries of gadgets on a daily basis and know ever courier company driver personally."

      Nah, the secret is to live in a small village. Even if you receive a letter once every other year, everyone knows who you are and where to find you.

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  14. Arachnoid
    Thumb Down

    If Im not in take it to the nearest shop for collection Im sure they would welcome the extra buisness.............

    Oh I forgot Amazon have started doing that if your not in OH WELL.............

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  15. Flakey

    Dear Delivery Driver

    .."if you have a parcel for me and theres no reply when you knock at the door,take your pick from the following:

    you can leave it next door at No3, the woman is nice,bit of a cougar but Ive been there and I'd vouch for her,

    leave it at No5 altho you may not get an answer,the guy there grows some of the most wicked weed this side of the pennines and is usually comatose most of the day but if he does answer, mention my name and you can probably score (if thats you thing of course)

    dont leave it at No7,they have a rabid dog that roams the garden freely and eats delivery drivers at any opportunity and dont bother with No9, they are foreign and english is not their first language. take ya pick"...is that too long a message to put in a window?

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  16. C. P. Cosgrove
    Go

    Stand and deliver . . .

    I was retired from RM five years ago, and had spent the previous five years as the Delivery Office shop steward. I don't know where this 'new' policy has come from but it was standard practice to try the neighbours here, and then put the card through the door saying where you had left the packet. I will admit that I was flummoxed once:

    'Will you take a parcel in for so and so?' 'No, we don't talk' !

    However I will apologise to the commentard above who works night shift. I always had the policy that when I knocked on a door the response was 'Ah, there's somebody at the door.' not 'Did I hear something' - sorry !

    Chris Cosgrove

    PS 'Here' is Central Scotland

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  17. steogede
    FAIL

    Obvious Failures

    1. The sender should be able to decide on a package by package basis whether to allow it to be delivered to a neighbour.

    2. In this day and age, you should be able to designate a trusted neighbour. Postie can then look it up on their PDA.

    3. You should be able to get a sticker saying 'Do not disturb'.

    4. There is little point to this with Royal Mail, most people live within a few miles of their sorting office, unlike courier depots who can sometimes be 60 (or more) mile round trip. What would be useful is if the collections office was open longer (currently mine is open 10.15 till 10.20 every fifth Tuesday of the month).

    5. You shouldn't need stickers, postie carries a PDA.

    6. RM should be campaigning to prevent couriers from being able to do this, not joining in with them.

    7. Whenever possible, I choose to get stuff delivered by Royal Mail, because the sorting office is nearby and they don't leave stuff with the neighbours or in the greenhouse or on the door step or in an unlocked porch.

    With regard to the phantom cardings - I used to have a real problem with Amtrak 'carding' me when I was in and waiting for the delivery. It was probably the work of one lazy driver, it happened every time for months, most of the time they didn't even have the courtesy to pretend and leave a card. I'd be sat by the front window, refreshing the tracking page and all of a sudden it would pop up 'delivery attempted' - no sign of any card or van in the vicinity.

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  18. DanceMan

    Postal vs.courier in Canada

    Here in Canada, postal delivery beats courier. Postal also has tracking available, and if you're out, it will be left at the local postal outlet. These days that's in a nearby drug or convenience store open 7 days a week and evenings. Courier is much further away and hours are much shorter.

    I had to change from [Avenue] Street North (postal preference) to North [Avenue] Street for Newegg deliveries so the moron Purolater drivers could find it. The North addresses exist in several bubbles close to the harbour. and evidently some of the drivers were unaware of the N/S dividing line. I've seen "Querying Address" on the tracking site as they drove by the South addresses trying to find the number. Even when they find the house I've had them often leave the card when I'm home.

    There are lots of knee-jerk idiots here eager to get rid of the PO who don't realize what they will be losing. I live in a big city and won't suffer as much, but those in the remote areas will be hurt.

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  19. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    They're closing my local sorting office...

    ...So now, if RM card me, I'll have to drive a 16 mile round-trip which takes over an hour on Saturdays. Good job the Wife works from home, but it's going to be hell for lots of people.

    And another thing... recently we've only been getting deliveries every few days and some recent purchases have taken longer than expected to arrive. (like first class recorded taking 4-days?!?)

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  20. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    data analysis of the stats ??

    Is there a downloadable printable image, so I can poster bomb the neighbourhood and start WorldWar III ?

    why do they need to harvest my email address, to snail me a sticker - they could let me / everyone just download and print it directly..

    especially as they apparently fade quickly..

    given my neighbours have opened bank statements etc addressed to me, and wrongly delivered to them, with my same address as usual on them - I do wonder about some people who seem normal..

    a sticker saying "I don't trust my neighbours" would seem to be a bit "not politically correct"?

    there is an implication there is no database of whom has requested a sticker - but ...

    a government survey could draw some conclusion about how we all trust our neighbours... or not...

    if someone could scan the image, then I can just have a sticker - please, without being flagged in another data collection scam..

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  21. Mr. Nobby
    Thumb Up

    I like this new sticker thing

    I hope they stick to it. My neighbour on the left is very trustworthy but also very elderly, I'd hate for him to be bothered by my missed parcels. My neighbour on the right is hardly ever in so there's no point trying to deliver my stuff there.

    Of course, the real answer for most people is to get your stuff delivered to you at work.

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    1. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Thumb Up

      Re: I like this new sticker thing

      That's what I was thinking.

      Why does everybody not just get stuff delivered to work?

      I've had computer equipment, books, christmas gifts, even car doors and exhausts delivered to my work.

      They know the company is open (other than a Saturday) so someone to sign for it. You know you're going to receive it and not chase after it to some depot by the airport that closes 1 minute after 5pm and your parcel is likely to be "in the van".

      The courier / postie doesn't have to bother with "you are out" or neighbours etc.

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      1. Anonymous Coward
        Reply Icon
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: I like this new sticker thing

        I chose my neighbours but is still dont trust them, why on earth would i trust the buffoons that i have to work with?

        anon as i know a few of the buffoons read this site.

        ps, yup its me! the bloke who regularly uses the word buffoon!!

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      2. Anonymous Coward
        Reply Icon
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: I like this new sticker thing

        Because if, like me, you work in a building in Central London with 4,000 other people it gets the mail room and security people arsed having car doors delivered here

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        1. Anonymous Coward
          Reply Icon
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: I like this new sticker thing

          Fair dos then to the people who can't get mail to their work. Good point.

          My work is in a small office block in a regional city, the car door was brought up to the office.

          (It turned out to be buckled and dented from the courier after someone had signed for it, but that's another story...).

          Seems like a nice free perk for any company to do. So long as your mail does not distract you (eg. new gadget).

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      3. Bod
        Reply Icon

        Re: Why does everybody not just get stuff delivered to work?

        I've worked in companies where they dislike people getting stuff delivered to work, and one which had intense security on their goods-in which made it near impossible to get something delivered without a serious amount of hassle. Others the package goes into the system at work and takes a week to get it into your hands or gets given to the wrong person.

        Also a lot of orders these days come with no definite delivery day (even if you order next day, it can be unknown if they'll actually ship it out the door that day). Get it delivered to work but you're planning some days off, and no idea when the parcel will arrive. It could end up at work and you're at home those days, but you can't be sure.

        If you're temporary staff, part time or freelance, etc. You may not be sure if you'll be in or out of the office.

        Just give us an option when ordering things to pick 'deliver to depot' or a handy collection point. Postie/courier doesn't have to attempt a first delivery wasting time and money, we pick up the parcels at our leisure. Just staff a collection point out of office hours.

        But currently they won't do this, they'll insist they have to attempt a delivery first, which wastes everyone's time.

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    2. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: I like this new sticker thing

      This assumes your work allow you to do this.

      My current work does although they prefer it not to be a regular occurence whereas a previous employer didn't and got quite aggro about it.

      Fortunately for me I know our postie and if we are not in he already leaves stuff with a neighbour (as do a couple of the couriers) and leaves a card.

      Stuff only goes back to the depot if the neighbour is out.

      As for opening hours at the sorting office ours tried late opening once a week (until about 8pm from memory) but stopped it after about 6 wks as no one was taking advantage of the extra hours.

      Yes RM can be shonky at times but, in my experience, they are paragons of virtue compared to Yodel and HDNL!!!

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  22. Mark Reed
    Stop

    3 Requests and still...

    3 Requests to the Royal Mail site and still no opt-out sticker. Its not that I hate my neighbours but I live in an area of rented properties and my neighbours change frequently. Was going to try the central post office for a sticker but have read in previous comments that you can't get one from there. How irritating.

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  23. gaz 7
    Flame

    I want some of these stickers

    To put on the bloody neighbours doors to stop us being bothered!

    We get several deliveries left with us a week. Either the drivers lie about leaving a note, or the neighbours ignore it, and my money's on the former!

    Constantly have to keep an eye out, especially for the one who works odd hours in IT and often doesnt come home until really late. once came home to find the wife had accepted a 12U wall mount rack for him...

    Yes, I know Im a grumpy fucker! Also need local shop drop off for my deliveries I dont want the missus to know about.

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  24. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Print your own

    http://neighbourhoods.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341ce56753ef017615de44c2970c-800wi

    Or alternatively.

    http://shepherdsbush.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/royal-mail.gif

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  25. Andy Livingstone

    Hyacinth Bucket says

    Well that was such fun, boys and girls.

    I'm having no vulgar stickers at my home.

    My postman gives true quality service. Would he dare do other?

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  26. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Like adverts on Sky

    Now they're going to be doing this, I don't suppose they'll stop delivering literally tonnes of unsolicited junk mail onto our floors for us to collectively pick up and fill the wastepaper baskets we only just emptied of the last day or two's worth of shit they so kindly passed off onto us with?

    I don't know about you lot, but my recycling bins are accessible from the front. I reckon we ought to get together and compel the useless organisation to put the waste of pulp Postie delivers straight into them instead of requiring us to do it. Fucking spam merchants.

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  27. PLAzmA

    Is it legal

    Ive had my sticker on for weeks, I would love someone to investigate the legality of the post office doing this, essentially if they are contracted to deliver to X address and they deliver to another address that is surely a breach of contract. I dont want to have to explain to a customer that their consignment of parts has gone missing because the idiots next door signed for it.

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  28. ReefMSX

    My problem with this is that RM are paid to deliver to the ADDRESSEE. If I live at No10, Nos 8 & 12 are NOT the addressee. Plus the fact that RM are PAID to deliver to the correct recipient. Why should I take in Nos 8 & 12's parcels, store them and then have to interact with them to complete the delivery? Are RM going to pay me a handling & storage fee, like the ones they currently charge if you go to the depot to pick up an item ?

    RM are paid to deliver and if they cannot it should be on them to deal with, not dump it on the nearest available neighbour.

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  29. terlan
    Stop

    Dont delivery here

    Forget a sticker saying dont deliver to my neighbour, how about one that says "I dont want my neighbours crap delivered to me and cluttering my house" Though I suppose a "I do not accept other peoples mail" sign might be a little more tactful.

    Although I do forsee some interesting pranks using this system. A pranskster could have some fun and start a war or two between neighbours with the post offices stickers. Pop along grab a pile of "I dont trust my neighbour" stickers. Then pick a few random houses in a street and pop those stickers on them and then sit back and watch the lovely feeling of neighbourly love that has just been created.

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  30. terlan
    Flame

    This should opt out at the senders end

    As the operatr of a small scale onlien shop, this strikes me as a nightmare for us should it go ahead. There should be the option of having packages ONLY delivered to the adressee, and it shouldnt be the addressee who decides if the mail can be dropped at a neighbour, it should also be within the rights of the sender to decide if its allowed.

    I pay extra when sending packages to ensure they are tracked and signed for by the recipient. I pay to have them delivered to a specific address. Not some arbitary house nearby.

    Fraudulant delivery addresses are one of the largest concearns we have and the thought that RM will now simply post to a neigbour and allow them to sign for secure or recorded packages is absurd and is going to make it worse.

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