Last week I took in a bulky parcel for a neighbour and they haven’t collected it. 

I’ve knocked on their door and left a note, but I don’t have their phone number. 

It’s cluttering up my hallway and I’m getting annoyed. Can I just leave it outside their house?

G. L., by email.

Dean Dunham replies: Legally speaking, once you accept a parcel on someone else’s behalf, you become what’s known as an involuntary bailee. 

In plain English, this means that you have a duty to take reasonable care of the item in your possession. 

However, it does not mean you become obliged to store it indefinitely or rearrange your life around the responsibility.

What you should not do is simply dump it outside their house without warning. If the parcel is stolen, damaged by rain or interfered with, you could – in theory – be liable. 

This means you would then have to reimburse your neighbour for the value of the stolen or damaged goods.

However, the law does recognise that your patience is not infinite. The sensible next step is to leave another written note to make your position crystal clear. 

I would suggest that you state how long you have been holding the parcel and request that it be collected by a reasonable deadline – I recommend seven days.

You should conclude your note by saying that if the parcel is not collected, you will either post it back to the sender or simply leave it outside their property somewhere you deem to be a safe location. This would give your neighbour fair notice and show that you have acted reasonably.

If the deadline passes and there is still radio silence then, yes, you are generally entitled to leave the parcel outside their house – provided you place it in as safe a location as possible, so that it is out of sight, sheltered and not blocking access.

At that point, responsibility shifts firmly back to them.

Get get refund for ugly vase 

A friend bought me a vase for Christmas which I thought was ugly. 

It included a gift receipt so I returned it to the shop, but the business refused to give me a credit note because I didn’t have the original box. 

It was just a plain cardboard box with some bubble wrap inside. Is this allowed?

A. S., by email.

Dean Dunham replies: As your friend purchased the vase in store (as opposed to online), the starting point here is that there is no right that allows you to return the item just because you think it’s ugly.

The Consumer Rights Act only affords consumers rights in situations where the goods are faulty, or where there is some other breach of consumer law. 

You will therefore need to rely entirely on the retailer’s goodwill and its returns policies. 

With this being the case, you need to look to see what the shop’s return policy says in relation to packaging.

Most retailers’ policies say items must be returned in a ‘resaleable condition’. That does not always mean unused, but it does mean the retailer must be able to put the item straight back on the shelf.

Packaging will form part of this, especially branded packaging, but my view is that damaged unbranded packaging should not necessarily prohibit a return if the retailer can simply replace the box with another unbranded box – and charge the customer for this cost.

This is therefore the question you need to ask the retailer. In my experience many businesses will exercise discretion, particularly if the item is clearly unused, so you should raise this with someone from the management team.

If the retailer continues to deny your request, you can speak to your friend – though I appreciate this may be a little awkward.

If they made the purchase with a debit or credit card, they can make a chargeback claim with their bank.

Alternatively, if they paid with a credit card, they can make a claim under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act.

When taking either option, your friend should state that there has been a breach of contract as the retailer has refused to accept a return when it should have done.