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

If you’ve ever gotten tired of your doorbell constantly ringing because your neighbors volunteered to deliver their packages, you’re not alone, but the etiquette for how to handle it isn’t easy.

British Reddit user Sorry-Cookie-2783 took to Reddit r/AskUK to see if they had made an “inadvertently serious faux pas” by refusing to accept a package for a neighbor.

They explained that they “just weren’t bothered by the hassle” because they were going out and had a busy schedule the next day.

However, the DPD driver was not impressed by the refusal, leading a busy Reddit user to wonder if they had done something wrong.

The story divided opinion among commentators, with some calling the actions “rude” while others insisted they had the “right to say no.”

Social media sections are divided after one poster admitted he refused to accept a package for a neighbor (file photo)

Describing the situation, a Reddit user wrote: “A DPD delivery driver knocked on my door and asked if I could deliver a package for a neighbor,” they began.

“Normally I would, but I’m going to be gone for the rest of the day and won’t be back until late.

“I’m really busy tomorrow too, so to be honest, I’m just not bothered by the hassle.”

The author then recounted how they “politely said, ‘Sorry buddy, I’ll be leaving soon.’

At this, the courier “snorted noisily and said ‘for God’s sake,’ and then left.”

– You were at home, why not take this? asked one commentator. “What’s the hassle for you when, at best, you just have to wait for your neighbor to knock on your door to pick up your package in the evening?”

“If you wanted to, it would literally take a few minutes to get it to them if you know they’re home when you get home later.

“If the neighbor hadn’t picked up the package for me, I would have thought I had done something to offend him, and I don’t even talk to the neighbors. I always take them.

Another added: “If it’s not regular and you’re not just going to take a two week holiday in Barbados, just take the package.”

‘Will you think so? Just leave it by the front door out of sight. Neighbors may pick up later tonight or tomorrow. This is more convenient than rearranging via DPD. Your neighbors will hopefully do the same for you if this situation arises.”

A third even criticized the poster for being “self-centered.”

Others, however, sided with the man and said he had the right not to accept the package if he didn’t want to.

“It’s not rude, especially if it’s inconvenient for your neighbor to pick it up because of your schedule,” one wrote. “It is clear that the DPD driver only cares about hitting targets, so for him you are a liability.”

Another comment agreed, writing that “the DPD driver was annoyed that he would now have to return the package to the office and/or possibly deliver it another day.”

“That’s it,” they wrote. – You think too much about this.

Others even shared their experiences of refusing to deliver packages to bad neighbors.

“We have very noisy, anti-social neighbors two houses away, and I never accept anything for them. I see this as my small contribution to karma in real time,” one of them shared.