A mystery Good Samaritan has been thanked for rescuing a Christmas present that had been left on the doorstep of a house on a busy high street. The present buyer, Nick Jimenezshaw. claims the delivery was an 'open invitation to thieves' after it was left outside his Flintshire home.
But someone passing hid the package behind a bin and posted a sweet note explaining what they had done. It said: "I saw a package left for you in front of your door and I didn't want someone to steal it so I hid it behind your bin!". It was signed off with a smiling face and a heart.
Nick had ordered the present from Amazon for his wife Agnes and says he had requested a delivery for after 5pm when he would be in.
The 41-year-old says it was left by the front door of the house in Connah's Quay at 11.42am - despite delivery firm Evri being given a “safe place” where it could be put if the occupants were out, NorthWalesLive reported.
An Evri spokesman said they will be speaking to the driver, and are offering Nick a "gesture of goodwill" after he lodged a formal complaint.
Furniture assembler Nick vented his frustration on Facebook and thanked the person who hid his parcel. It prompted similar stories, including some from people whose parcels had disappeared after being delivered.
“What upset me is that I told Evri that if no one’s in, the delivery should be left in a safe place,” he wrote. “I also told them they could leave it with a neighbour.
“But they didn’t, they just dropped it on the front doorstep knowing it will be harder to get a refund as it’s classed as delivered. I always believe that if the door is not opened, it’s not delivered: photos mean nothing...
“I can’t believe Evri can do these things, leaving a package on a main high street for anyone to take. At this time of the year it’s totally unfair. It could have been a family with small budget expecting presents for their children.”
The spokesman for Evri said: "Our local team will speak to the courier to remind him what constitutes a safe delivery place and ensure this doesn’t happen again.
"We will also speak to Mr Jimenezshaw to apologise and offer him a gesture of goodwill. We are glad that he has his parcel safely now."
Timed deliveries are trickier near Christmas because of the sheer volume of parcels being sent - and Evri doesn't offer this service anyway.
Evri was formerly known as Hermes until the company rebranded in March this year. In the 2022 parcel league table compiled by Citizens Advice, the firm came last for a second year running.
Citizens Advice said its findings showed that consumers are continuing to experience problems at an "unacceptably high rate" right across the board. “Further action from the regulator is likely needed to prevent problems occurring in the first place,” it added.
Earlier this month Carolyn Harris, MP for Swansea East, published a letter on Twitter addressed to Evri CEO Martijn De Lange. She explained that many of her constituents had complained of missing or misplaced parcels – and similar problems were being reported across the country.
She wrote: “With thousands of households already struggling during the current cost-of-living crisis, few will be in a position to replace parcels that do not arrive. Many will have already stretched their budgets to buy gifts for family and friends, ensuring they purchased in good time for Christmas deliveries.”
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