The Parcel

On the face of it chewy it sounds like they're taking advantage or just can't be bothered. I'd be annoyed too.
If you see them return from work at say, 6.15, I'd wait by their door at 6.10 and pointedly tell them that you have a large parcel and would appreciate it if they'd collect it right NOW. Accept no excuses - it's large and is cluttering up the hall.
Then NEVER accept parcels on their behalf again.
We like to be helpful but we don't like to be taken for a ride.

If the receiver has a contact no on the parcel I would call the no instead after having tried severally.

Have you knocked on another neighbours door near them to see if they know anything?

also there has to be a return address and the company who delivered it,see if you can arrange for them to pick it up from you.dont take in parcels again..

I had this once ...very annoying.... they might be people who do t even look at their post as it’s usually junk mail!? So what did was to write out , on an A4 piece paper , that the parcel was at my house ( giving number)...sellotape it to their front door ( eye level) and if they didn’t pick it up within 24 hours I would leave it in the doorstep and my responsibility was over .They picked it up within two hours!

You've done all you can. It's their parcel, they know where it is, the ball's in their court now. Don't you fret about it or waste anymore effort running around. If they want it, they'll have to come get it

actually i would call the 101 police and get some advice, say you are worried that you are getting no answer,and could they send someone round to investigate...have you tried banging on the window where the tv is...someone might have fallen or taken ill.

Dillyduck if you return the parcel to the sender you are hardly going to encourage positive or friendly relationships with your neighbours. PS it is the season of goodwill!

You seem to know what time they go to work and come back. Is there any chance you could lie in wait at one of those times and if you see them nip over with the parcel? Otherwise as others have said it may be that they are away and have security timers switching on and off.
The other thought is can you see who the sender of the parcel is? if you can then I would get in touch with them and see if they can help as they should have a contact email and probably phone number as well.
One thing I would not be doing - I would never take in a parcel for this couple ever again! This has been a real nuisance and a worry for you.

I think I may have posted this before but will repeat myself!

I always take in parcels for neighbours as they tend to be out all day. One time I took in a case of wine (neighbours were wine buffs). The delivery driver put a note through the door telling them where it was. Over the next few days I telephoned and left several messages asking that it be collected (I would see them drive out every day for work so knew they were home).

After it had been sitting at the foot of my stairs for a week I rang and left a message saying if it wasn't collected I would assume they didn't want it and would start drinking it - it was collected within the hour!

I too very kindly took parcels in for neighbour's until like you had to keep trying to get them to collect then no thanks after a mountain of packages I had enough told delivery drivers sorry no more still kept coming so in the had to put sign on my door, but what upset me was and is why do neighbour's order so much yet never stay home or make arrangements just prosume it's everyone else's responsibility to be their parcels drop off point really selfish attitude, in this case you have gone out of your way to help maybe just contact sender to arrange return and truly don't accept anymore as you don't need your life controlling this way

I had exactly the same problem so in the end just dumped by their front door telling them beforehand that if they didn't collect within 48 hours it would be placed on doorstep. I refused to take anymore parcels after another neighbour failed to collect. I walked around with it and guess what, he grunted, took it off me and closed the door like I was the delivery man. Both were rented properties and I guess neither cared about their neighbours as they moved on. So my golden rule is that unless they are friendly neighbours that I know well, I wouldn't bother accepting. It's so rude and inconsiderate.

Just one more note Chewy then put it somewhere safe and hope it doesn't contain anything perishable!!

Chewbacca - The best thing is to contact the deliveries company and ask them to collect it.
Do you not see comings and goings of the people who live there?
All else fails, put it in a large plastic bag and leave it on their doorstep, make sure you put a note through the door saying you have done so, in case it goes missing. I had a parcel go missing recently, for nearly three months, finally I discovered from Royal Mail that it had been delivered to the wrong address. The lady had kept it for three months, unopened, because she did not know what else to do. Of course she could have returned it to the Post Office, but I got my parcel at last. Good Luck, don't fret about it. Put it in an out shed, you're not responsible for it.

Yes, I did wonder if they were ill but you say they are only in their 30's so maybe not. I think a lot of the responses are harsh. Having said that I regularly take parcels in for neighbours and recently did so for a new youngish couple. I had the parcel for a few days and knocked a couple of times at various times, including evening. The young lady came over for the parcel so I passed it to her with a smile and said in passing with no malice that I had popped over a couple of times. She responded rather haughtily saying well we are at work all day. My thoughts after I shut the door were well make other arrangements if you are that ungrateful.

I think I would tape a note to the front door so it is unmissable stating you have their parcel and could they kindly collect it straight away as you will not be available for a while after that time.

IMO these delivery people offload parcels onto neighbours far too readily. We've had situations for instance where we've been in and rather than coming up our steep drive, they've taken them to our neighbour. We've also had the problem OP is talking about ... so frustrating as we also didn't get any acknowledgement from neighbour for the trouble we went to (to ensure she got her parcel). We now refuse to take in anyone's parcels, they're like 'hot potatoes' in my opinion.

Are you sure they are there and the lights and television are not on timers , so people think they are there . You have done your bit and put a note through the door . If they don't come and collect it , you have gained yourself an early Christmas present .

maybe try one more time knock really hard and long, i had the same prob last month and they just never heard me at the door, then put a note in saying parcel will be gone by say monday if its not collected,

I agree with Dillyduck return to sender but do not pay anything.

Blimey, have to say I’m very thankful for my lovely neighbours - a lot of you sound dreadful!

You can't, Margs. The law says once you have accepted post or a parcel you are legally responsible for looking after it until either collected or you have given legally compliant notice of disposal which I think has to be at least two weeks from notification.

You are not their servant - dump the said parcel on the doorstep and to hell with the weather!

Not your responsibility.....they're just ignorant.

I had exactly the same problem a couple of years ago.
Neighbour used to keep odd hours when at home (often up until the early hours so used to stay in bed often until lunchtime- she was retired) So tried knocking on her door whenever the lounge light was on and she wouldn't answer her door. Put a note through the door 3x, her grandson told her I had the parcel and even spoke to her as she was about to go out - ("hang on a minute I have a parcel that I took in for you") but when I got back to where she'd parked, she had driven off!
Left a message on her answer phone asking her to make sure that she collected it by a certain date, still lumbered with a large box in my hallway! I finally stuck a note on her car windscreen telling her that if she didn't collect it, the parcel would be disposed of at the tip - found the note screwed up in a ball and thrown onto her footpath so as this had been going on for 3 months by now , next time we went to the tip, the parcel came too! One thing that always has bothered me - just what was in that parcel ?????
PS the neighbour concerned stopped speaking to me, no longer popped a Christmas card through my door and when I mentioned it to another neighbour, she said she had been told it was because that I had taken in a parcel and not passed it on to her! No reason why she couldn't have actually come and asked for it!!!

I'd pop over with a friend ( as a witness) then leave the parcel on the doorstep. Push a note through the letterbox saying you've tried several times to deliver it but can't keep the parcel any longer.

NB you can't just dispose of it, that would be theft.