Not Your Package? Will You Keep It Or Be A Decent Human? [Block Talk]

ACROSS AMERICA — Your package, one of about 36 million delivered every day across the country, was supposedly delivered but is nowhere near your doorstep.

We asked readers for Block Talk, Patch’s exclusive neighborhood etiquette column, what they should do in such situations. Is it OK to check your neighbors’ packages to see if yours ended up at their door? Or do you wait for the neighbor who may have received a package by mistake to reach out to you? If you got a package or delivery you shouldn’t have, is it ever OK to keep it?

Answers to our informal survey varied among the nearly 200 readers who responded. One thing they agreed on was that it’s never OK to keep it — unless it’s a delivery from a restaurant, and then help yourself if it’s something you like.

“I confess I did keep the delivery from an expensive restaurant because it was, you know, food and not something multiple people should be handling. It was delicious,” Chris, an Across America Patch reader said. “Does this make me a terrible person?”

Perhaps not in that case, but in other misplaced deliveries, just be a standup person, many readers said.

‘You Sleep Better’

“Anyone who would keep a package that isn’t theirs is not someone I would want in my neighborhood,” said Arlington (Virginia) Patch reader Jennifer. “People need to have common decency and honesty about returning things that aren’t theirs whenever possible.”

“It is never OK to keep the package,” said Massapequa (New York) Patch reader Chris. “That would, I believe, be a form of stealing. It is very easy today to find an address and to be a good citizen and deliver the package to the correct address.”

“Honesty is the best policy; you sleep better and maintain your self-respect which is one of your most precious gifts,” said Trebuh, a New Brunswick (New Jersey) Patch reader who tracks down the correct recipients if they live nearby.

“I get first class mail frequently to another nearby address which I simply deliver by hand,” Trebuh said. “We once got a meat delivery from Costco which was not ours and Costco simply gave it to us without charge and we did not have to pay for our food delivery which went to another address”

Rochester-Rochester Hills (Michigan) Patch reader Lynette said that although she does her best to track down the person who should’ve gotten the package, that’s not always possible.

“Then I try doing a ‘return to sender.’ If that’s not possible, then wait a week or two in case they stop by for it,” she said. “After that, I may as well use it, donate it or throw it away.”

Dunedin (Florida) Patch reader Lu, who lives in a condo, has tracked down and re-delivered several packages, and also has called the company that sent them to check the address.

“One time, they said to keep it and they would re-deliver it. That happened to be packaged food,” Lu said. “One time I re-delivered a frozen full Thanksgiving meal to an address at a condo community down the street — that took a lot of tracking down.

“Only if I run out of options would I keep a package, or I would possibly donate it,” Lu said.

Literally, Hitch Your Wagon To Niceness

Debra, who reads Moorestown Patch and Collingswood Patch, both in New Jersey, said she and her neighbors work it out.

“I consider myself a good steward of the neighborhood,” Debra said. “If someone else received my package, I’d hope they would give me the same courtesy and respect as I would give them. It’s easy to keep our neighborhood friendly.”

Woodbury (Minnesota) Patch reader Junie works for home and said she often knows if a neighbors package was delivered to the wrong address before they do.

“I will always track down the recipient right away, if I’m able, or just walk the package over to where it needs to go,” Junie said. “If I can’t do either, I will call the carrier to let them know. It honestly never occurred to me to keep someone else’s package. I may open it by mistake, but I wouldn’t keep it.”

She added, “Thankfully, this doesn’t happen very often. The worst time was when the neighbor halfway down the block ordered a new weight set and I had to get the wagon out to deliver it. I can only assume I looked ridiculous.”

“Wouldn’t you want your package returned?” Athens (Georgia) Patch reader Dee said. “Do unto others as you want done to you, do the right thing.”

Still, be careful about trotting around the neighborhood peering at the labels on others’ packages, Dee said.

“I don’t know it’s my package,” Dee said. “It could be the neighbor’s. Let them bring it to you. Ring camera would show you stealing.”

Astoria-Long Island City (New York) Patch reader Barbara didn’t have doorbell camera video to verify her package went to a neighbor, but she did have a proof-of-delivery photo that showed it at the person’s house.

“They denied receiving it,” Barbara said.

The package was something Barbara frequently orders. The mistake never should have happened, she said.

“Delivery companies should keep better records maybe,” Barbara said. “This is not our first delivery. Our names should be in a database or something.”

Long Islander Diane, who reads Patchogue Patch and Mineola Patch, said some of her packages have vanished after they were delivered by the Post Office. She’s disabled and can’t make it to the mailbox every day.

“I have filed a doctor’s note and filled out forms with the Post Office. It seems a bit better, at the moment, after losing $700 worth of gift items and needed items last year,” she said. “I never was compensated and I am a senior, disabled woman struggling on limited income.”

‘They Get Angry With Me’

Dallas-Hiram (Georgia) Patch reader Carolyn said package delivery mistakes are an ongoing issue in her neighborhood. When she gets a package she didn’t order, she gives the intended recipient a quick call if she knows the person, and also lets the delivery company know of the error.

It’s no big deal to do so, but the problem is with the neighbors’ mailbox is in front of her house and they refuse to move it.

“We have a problem with their packages, food deliveries, and even construction materials being delivered to our home,” she said. “We have our address clearly marked at the end of our driveway and at the front of our home, but we continue to get their deliveries.”

Carolyn used to call her neighbors and let them know she had their delivery and ask them to pick it up.

“They would get angry with me for phoning them,” she said. “No way am I going to take it to them because of their multiple no-trespassing signs and cameras. After this happening for several years and their refusal to correct the problem, I now contact the delivery company to let them know about the mistake.”

Diana, a Brick (New Jersey) Patch reader, would wait to fetch her package when the neighbor got home. If another person’s package ended up at her house, she would call the delivery company and ask them to pick it up and deliver it to the correct address.

Morristown (New Jersey) Patch reader Keith vented his frustration with deliveries from the e-commerce behemoth Amazon, whose drivers “don’t seem to care about accuracy in delivery,” he said.

“Delivery people are in too much of a hurry and don’t have time to get it perfect,” he said.

‘Have Them Complete Their Job’

Norwalk (Connecticut) Patch reader L.M. longs for and thinks delivery drivers should resurrect the old practice of ringing the doorbell and waiting for someone to accept the package before leaving it.

“That way, it eliminates porch pirates and you can also let the driver know that’s not your package,” L.M. said.

Janet, who reads a slew of Connecticut Patch local news sites, said keeping the misdelivered package is wrong, but also that it’s not her job to make sure it ends up at the right address.

“I would contact shipping companies — UPS, FedEx, USPS — and have them complete their job,” Janet said.

Harlem (New York) Patch reader Douglas said tracking down his packages and delivering those that end up at his door by mistake is an ongoing struggle at his apartment, especially around the Christmas holidays.

“I wish deliverers would read package labels,” he said.

“Delivery companies need to step up their game,” said Concord (New Hampshire) Patch reader Alexandria. “It’s ridiculous how lazy drivers can be. Our packages are constantly misdelivered and /or left in a huge pile with dozens of other packages, blocking doorways, etc.”

Alexandria, who lives in a condominium complex of four buildings, said her neighbors usually tote packages to the correct address and often post on the complex’s Facebook to notify the recipient.

“As more packages are being delivered, the chance of errors increases,” said William, a White Lake-Highland (Michigan) Patch reader. “The companies responsible and being paid for their service need to know of problems that result in their loss of dollars.”

Dace, who reads Evanston Patch and Skokie Patch, both in Illinois, thinks everyone should just chill out.

“Let’s be considerate of our neighbors and delivery people,” Dace said. “Help each other when possible.”

Who Signed For It A State Away?

Jean, a Springfield (Pennsylvania) Patch reader, and her neighbor have a cordial relationship when it comes to package delivery errors. She had a different kind of package delivery nightmare that started when a set of mugs she ordered for Christmas never arrived. She called the company to make sure the mailing address was correct. It was. She got a notification from FedEx, saying that it not only had been delivered, but she had signed for it.

The signature was wrong, and the address was way wrong.

“It went to Ohio,” Jean said. “I live in Pennsylvania.”

FedEx picked up the package and delivered to her.

“Guess what?” she said. “A mug was missing from the box and [the vendor] said they were charging me for the missing mug.”

Jean eventually got her money back.

The vendor lost a customer for life

About Block Talk

Block Talk is an exclusive Patch series on neighborhood etiquette — and readers provide the answers. If you have a topic you'd like for us to consider, email [email protected] with “Block Talk” as the subject line.

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