Package Delivery Mistakes: Be Neighborly, With Exceptions [Block Talk]

ACROSS AMERICA — Joe sounds like our kind of neighbor.

His answer to Patch’s Block Talk questions about what to do when your package winds up at the neighbor’s door by mistake tells us it would be pretty darned cool to have him living next door.

Sometimes the Miller Place-Rocky Point Patch reader fetches his package; at other times the neighbor brings it over. They leave polite notes for each other, and sometimes mime about the mixup for doorbell cameras to explain what’s going on.

“When I moved into this neighborhood, I made it a point to establish a relationship with all of my neighbors.” Joe said. “It doesn’t necessarily mean we will all be sharing coffee and bagels every morning, but we do share an understanding and acknowledgement of each other regularly.

“Even though we live in a time where everyone has cameras and avoid personal contact, it doesn't have to be that way at home,” Joe continued. “A good neighbor is a reflection of oneself and the way we choose to interact.”

We also like Joe’s neighborhood.

“It's great to get to know your neighbors,” said another Miller Place-Rocky Point Patch reader. “We live in a community of choice. Why not go out of your way and be friendly?”

‘You Just Want Your Stuff’

It’s pretty simple, said Pleasanton (California) Patch reader Kellie.

“If I can see it, and it’s not behind a gate, I go get it,” she said. “If I mistakenly receive a neighbor’s package, I take it to them.”

Right?

“What do I do? I either take it to their house once I know they are home. Or I text/call them to let them know I have it and to stop in on their way home. Called being a good neighbor,” said Concord (New Hampshire) Patch reader Liz.

Following the Golden Rule is never the wrong approach, added Great Neck Patch reader Deborah.

“I treat my neighbors the way I would want them to treat me, so I’m thoughtful and considerate even if I don’t know them very well,” Deborah wrote. “We should not be strangers with our neighbors, but if that’s not possible, at the very least, leave a note that you were on their property explaining why.

“In case there is any question, snap a quick photo,” Deborah continued. “You just want your stuff, and you don’t want any trouble. Use common sense and, also, common courtesy.”

“I would absolutely go over as soon as I could and politely ask if they received my package,” said Alex, who reads Northport Patch and Huntington Patch, both in New York. “Mistakes happen.”

“Grab it,” a Levittown (Pennsylvania) Patch reader said, adding, “If I don’t know my neighbor, I would wait until they are home.”

Vishal, who reads the Patch national page, also said what to do is an easy call.

“You go knock at their door and check with them,” Vishal said. “If it was vice versa. I’m sure logically they would do the same.”

‘I’ll Have To Make It My Business’

Logically, they would.

But good intentions can go south — or in the case of New York City Patch reader Trish — north.

Trish received an Amazon package with her address on the label, but the name was that of a stranger. She called the online retailer, and “after going back and forth with them, they told me to either throw out the package or keep it, and there was nothing they could do,” Trish explained.

“A few days later, I got another package with the same name, called Amazon again, got the same answer,” Trish said.

That happened three, maybe four more times. Inside the packages were action figures, the kind of gift she knew her 4-year-old great-grandson in Upstate New York would enjoy. After all, Amazon had told her they were hers to do with as she wished.

Meanwhile, a couple living four houses away were wondering whatever became of the action figure gifts a relative had ordered for their children. They narrowed the address down to Trish’s, and paid her a call.

“I feel so bad,” she said, beating herself up over not unraveling the mystery before she sent the toys upstate to her great-grandson.

She wants to make sure they understand what happened, and “when it gets a little warmer outside, I’ll have to make it my business to see them,” Trish said

‘A Very Annoying Situation’

Kristina, who reads Garden City Patch and North Fork Patch in New York, said she and her neighbors solved their problem with a group text because delivery mistakes happen so often. She lives in an area of Garden City South with about 100 duplicate addresses distinguished by individual house numbers.

“I have my GCS twin on speed dial, and we are always picking up/dropping off packages to each other and directing people to each other’s houses,” she wrote. “I’ve even had hospice supplies left on my doorstep meant for my previous GCS twin. Open communication helps, but it’s a very annoying situation.”

With the ability to track packages and photo verified delivery, “it’s a no-brainer,” Freeport (New York) Patch reader Pat said. “I’d go get it.”

Bellmore (New York) Patch reader Alice said that if the address on the mistakenly delivered package is similar to hers, she would attempt to deliver it to the right person. “If not,” she said, “I would contact the delivery service.”

“Grab it if you know where it is; otherwise give it 48 hours. If you do not receive it, then contact the company or shipper,” advised Falls Church (Virginia) Patch reader Chris. “If you receive someone’s package, you should promptly take it to their door and never take it inside if you find it before they do, unless it’s raining, or you’re unsure where the address is.”

Karen, who reads Miller Place-Rocky Point Patch, said she’s used to retrieving her packages from her neighbors’ houses.

“The mail has been screwy lately. I have been getting stuff for my neighbors,” she said. “I just go to their house and ring their bell and give it to them or leave it outside their door if they don’t answer.”

You’d Probably W(h)ine, Too

Not everyone has such faith in their neighbors doing the right thing. Limerick-Royersford-Spring City (Pennsylvania) Patch reader Sue said that if her package is delivered to them by mistake, she will “go grab it before they steal it.”

Doo, a South Brunswick (New Jersey) Patch reader, retrieves the package. “My neighbor is not nice,” Doo said, adding, “More people should be kind so that we could trust our neighbors with our property.”

Count Oyster Bay (New York) Patch reader Kay among those who haven’t reached that level of comfort with the person next door.

“We run over as quickly as possible when informed of the delivery, as this particular neighbor has taken in and not returned packages in the past,” Kay said. “It seems the police cannot be of much help.”

“I go get it, ’cause I don’t trust they will bring it,” said Erica, a Glen Cove (New York) Patch reader.

Kat, a Sachem New York Patch reader, doesn’t trust her neighbors to do the right thing, either. In her experience, they won’t.

“I had an expensive item delivered via FedEx to a neighbor across the street, which I only know because FedEx confirmed it, the neighbor was contacted and denied receiving the item,” Kat said. “Thieves.”

Phil, who reads Marlborough (Massachusetts) Patch, gets that. In 45 years, he’s only had one package delivered to the wrong address and went over to grab it.

“Good that I did,” he said. “It was a case of wine, and they opened the box and put the wine in their wine rack. Makes you wonder, don't they look at the box?”

Yes. Yes, they do.

“We have had one neighbor open our packages, another neighbor took one of ours inside and when we went to get it they said they planned on returning it the next day. So we definitely go on a doorstep hunt whenever receiving a delivery notification but no package,” said Limerick-Royersford-Spring City (Pennsylvania) Patch reader Nic.

“Unfortunately,” said Bellmore (New York) Patch reader Lou, “if your neighbor keeps a package that doesn't belong to them, they are a crappy neighbor.”

“I feel defenseless,” another reader said. “That’s why I pay by American Express now. I wish I paid by American Express for a certain order that never came, and the seller told me to check with the neighbors. That is a big no for me. Right now, I am not sure what to do. They say it went into my mailbox. That is also a no.”

There Are Risks, Though

Angela, who reads Montauk Patch, said the neighbors aren’t the problem.

“I would run over and grab it before the box pirates come and collect it,” Angela said.

Patch reader Cindy wants to make sure that no one thinks she’s stealing when she rescues her grocery deliveries from the neighbor’s house.

“I walk over, ring the bell, tell them that the unexpected groceries on their step are mine, with the order ready to show them on my phone,” Cindy said. “Then, if anyone has me on their security cameras, they can see I wasn’t stealing.”

Terri, who reads Across America Patch and Across Rhode Island Patch, said that “just taking your package off your neighbor’s porch nowadays could be dangerous if they have one of those video doorbells.”

“They might think you’re stealing their package,” she explained. “So it might be wise to leave a note even if it’s your package you’re removing from the neighbor’s porch.”

Let The Company Know

“I go and get it — I don’t like my neighbor, so I don’t think they would walk it over to me,” a reader named Angela said, adding, “Delivery person needs to read the numbers on the house.”

Ah, that.

Sometimes, it pays to raise the issue with the delivery company.

“Call the delivery company; they should retrieve it. Happened to me once, UPS gave me the address and I went and talked to the gentleman and retrieved it. He had no idea it was out there,” said Cary-Crystal Lake (Illinois) Patch reader Stephanie. “I’ve also taken packages to the correct address. It's not that hard to be courteous.”

Jesse, who reads Across America Patch, notified Amazon after virtual verification showed the delivery driver had put the package on the wrong porch.

“I went across the street and took a photo of it there,” Jesse said. “Took my package and took a photo of my empty front porch, which I sent to Amazon with the explanation of what had obviously happened and asked them to never let it happen again.

“And it never did.”

Dirk, a Sachem (New York) Patch reader, said it ought to be easier to contact delivery companies and ask them to rectify the problem. And Freehold Patch reader Tracey said delivery drivers “should be doing their job right and make sure it’s the right house. They are numbered.”

It Can Be A Hassle

“As a neighbor, I look to see when my neighbor arrives home, and I contact them if I have their number or run over within 30 minutes,” said Plainview (New York) Patch reader Jon. He doesn’t see the problem. He has his neighbors’ numbers and gives them a call, or walks over and asks if they got his package by mistake.

“I find it happens very infrequently,” he said. “Either the package requires a signature, or they leave it on the correct steps.”

This helps, too: “I also like to make sure my house number is easily seen day or night,” he said.

Charmaine, a Pennsylvanian who reads Bensalem Patch, Levittown Patch and Philadelphia Patch, said retrieving misdelivered items can be a hassle.

For the most part, it’s as simple as chatting with the neighbor, who lives on the same block. They exchange each other’s packages and are friends.

“Small packages are easy to transport but when it is large bulky items that are a problem,” said Charmaine, who ordered two chairs that were delivered to the wrong address. “They were not too heavy but were bulky and would have taken two trips for me to pick them up. Her boyfriend put them in his pickup truck and brought them to me, and even brought them in the house for me.

“Package delivery workers are expected to deliver everything in their truck — sometimes mistakes get made. As long as I end up with my package, I am OK.”

About Block Talk

Block Talk is a regular Patch feature offering real-world advice from readers on how to resolve everyday neighborhood problems. If you have a neighborhood etiquette question or problem you'd like for us to consider, email beth.dalbey@patch.com, with Block Talk as the subject line.

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