I refused to accept my neighbor’s package – some people think I’m rude, but I just didn’t feel like it

If you’ve ever gotten tired of your doorbell constantly ringing because your neighbors have volunteered to take their packages, you’re not alone — but the etiquette of how to handle it is tricky.

A British Reddit user, Sorry-Cookie-2783 took to the r/AskUK subreddit to check whether they had “accidentally made a huge mistake” by refusing to accept a package for a neighbor.

They explained that they “just didn’t notice the hassle” because they were on their way out and had a busy schedule the next day.

However, the DPD driver was unimpressed by the refusal, leaving the busy Redditor wondering if they had done something wrong.

The story divided commentators as some branded the action ‘rude’ while others insisted they had the ‘right to say no’.

Outlining the situation, the Reddit user wrote: “A DPD delivery person just knocked on my door and asked if I wanted to take the package for my neighbor,” they began.

‘Normally I would, but I’m about to go away for the rest of the day and won’t be back until late.

“I’m also very busy tomorrow, so to be honest I didn’t feel like it.”

The author then told how they then ‘politely said, “Sorry mate, I’ll be leaving soon”.’

At this, the delivery person ‘sighed noisily and said ‘for God’s sake’ and then stomped away’.

“You were home, why don’t you take it?” one commenter asked. ‘In what way is it a hassle for you, while at most you have to wait in the evening for the neighbor to knock on your door to pick up the package?

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

“If a neighbor wouldn’t accept a package for me, I would assume I did something to offend him or her, and I don’t even talk to my neighbors. I always take theirs with me.’

Another added: ‘If this is something that happens irregularly and you weren’t planning on just taking a two week holiday to Barbados, just take the package.

‘What’s the problem? Just place it near the front door so it’s out of sight. Neighbors can pick it up later tonight or tomorrow. It is more convenient than having to reorder with DPD. Neighbors would hopefully do the same for you if the situation ever arose.”

A third even criticized the poster for being ‘self-centered’.

However, others sided with the person and said they have the right not to accept the package if they don’t want to.

“It’s not rude, especially if your schedule makes it difficult for the neighbor to pick it up,” one person wrote. “DPD driver is understandably only interested in hitting the targets, so you’re a nuisance to him.”

Another comment agreed, writing that ‘the DPD driver was annoyed as he now has to return the package to the office and/or probably re-deliver it another day’.

“That’s it,” they wrote. “You’re thinking about it too much.”

Others even shared their own experiences with not accepting packages for bad neighbors.

“We have very noisy anti-social neighbors two doors down and I never accept anything for them, I see it as my small contribution to real-time karma,” one person said.