'AITA for opening an ex-neighbor's package, after a year of them not coming to get it?' UPDATED
"WIBTA for opening an ex-neighbor's package, after almost a year of them not coming to retrieve it?"
So I (33M) have been living with my husband (35M) in one of four courtyard houses for five years. We love it here, and have amazing neighbors. Now on to my question. Context: One of the houses, for some strange reason (there are no interior or exterior problems, and rent is actually reasonable), cannot hold a tenant.
We've had four in the last year, with the last one staying the longest. The first neighbor who moved in back in January, had a very toxic relationship and it would spill out into the yard, authorities were called, and she eventually moved back to the East Coast with her parents. Lovely gal, and we tried to be supportive neighbors; we were so glad when she snapped out of it and ended the toxicity in her life.
Well, a random Amazon package showed up on our doorstep addressed to her. This was normal as our addresses are hard to see; property management has lagged for years to rectify the issue. We didn't quite know what to do, so first we contacted the property managers to see if they had contact with her.
They called, but it was clear she had changed her number (for good reason) and emails were returned to sender (mailer-demon). My husband then says "Let's contact Amazon." They were ZERO help, which was not their fault because she had deleted her account, and of course her email and number were changed. We asked if we could drop it off at an Amazon return (i.e. Kohl's, Whole Foods).
They said that because we have no receipt or any of her information, there was no point. We were at a dead end. Cut to present day, the package is still sitting in the nook we left it, unopened.. I haven't felt right opening it; for some reason, I'm scared karma will get me...I know, irrational fear, but the way this country is going, anything can happen!
My husband is feeling the same way; all the what-ifs keep popping up in our heads and we feel absolutely silly to be anxious about an unclaimed package. Yet here are. So, WIBTA to finally open the package? My curiosity has me yearning to know what's in it (watch it be a self-help book lol).
Edit: Was not expecting to make a bunch of Curious George's out of this post, but I'm relieved to know my anxieties are silly. Once the hubbie gets home, we'll open it together and decide what to do with the content of said package. I will update with the big reveal! Thank y'all so much for easing my mind.
The internet was seated and ready for answers.
something-strange999 wrote:
Open it so you know if to donate it or toss it...and recycling le the box.
That's what I would tell myself, but curiosity is the real reason for opening it.
OP responded:
I jokingly told my husband "What if it's something we can regift to someone for Xmas?" That ended in him being convinced we should open it. Honestly, i'm at the point where I might as well open it; it's the ethical thing to do, right?
something-strange999 wrote:
Of course. And if you are not convinced, tell you husband that I said it was OK, and I'm taking the blame if it goes wrong.
OP responded:
Bless you, kind soul.
teratodentata wrote:
It has been an entire year. Open the package. It’s probably considered legally abandoned at this point. If she ever shows up to ask about it (which she won’t), lie. And update me! I must know what’s in the package. I hope it’s not perishable (Although that would be funny).
Wanderluster621 wrote:
What's in the booooxx!?!?
OP responded:
I will update when hubbie gets home. Only feels right if we do it together.
Longjumping-Pick-706 wrote:
I have an idea. Decorate the box and repurpose it into a Christmas decoration or something. It will be a little secret between you and your husband for years. “Oh, what a nice homemade Christmas decoration,” people will say. You and your husband will know there is a secret mystery buried inside. Then when you elderly, maybe you will open it one Christmas morning. Just a thought! 😂🤪
OP responded:
I lightweight love that idea, but i'm too damn nosey not to open it.
desertboots wrote:
As regards to the addresses being hard to see, drop by your local firehouse and ask them to inspect your addresses for safety compliance.
OP responded:
Thank you! The property managers have been giving us the run around, and we're scared to do anything ourselves in case they're jack-wads and charge us for "damage." They're not all assholes, but the team lead has always had this power-struggle that makes talking to them a pain in my arse. You just saved me from another migraine-inducing email I'd have to write.
Efficient_Wheel_6333 wrote:
Probably already know this at this point, but generally, if it's after 30 days, you're cool. Some places might have a longer or shorter time frame for when a package is delivered to the wrong address and never gets picked up/unable to be returned.
OP responded:
Amazon's policy is 90 days. I don't know why I didn't think to Google it till now, but my ignorance made for a fun story, so I'll take the win.
Three hours later, OP shared an update.
First, I wanna thank everyone for their words of wisdom. Also wanna thank those who made their guess. Y'all were quite entertaining. Now onto the update.
Hubbie got home, and I showed him the post and the subsequent comments.
We had a good chuckle, he got changed and we tore right into the package. (Note to add: We checked the Amazon policy; we were relieved to find a 90 day wait period before it becomes ours to do with as we please. We are well past that meow! Lol) We made a bet on what was in the box, and I'll be honest, we went pretty dark on our guesses.
Both were completely wrong, which just showed we are heathens. Lol! To our surprise, it was a RingBell with two additional mini-cams. Funny enough, we've been wanting to get one. Our house is off a busier street; we're near downtown, but not in it. We get people, both homeless and not, walking by and we've had situations with invasive behavior.
Hubbie's YouTubing advice on the best angles while I read and reread the instructions, making sure I put it up right. Honestly, it's kind of ironic she purchased the contraption then left shortly after, but at least we got something out of it, right? Oh, and our guesses! Hubbie bet some form of weapon for protection and I went more... rated X. Clearly we both lost, but in a way we kinda won, and a win is a win.
Lol! Sorry if anyone was hoping for a more salacious discovery; turns out it was way more practical and less entertaining. Thanks again to everyone who became invested. This was a fun day, and a lot of it, was thanks to y'all. Hubbie and I are gonna go figure this thing out and enjoy our night with a glass of wine. Love and light!
The internet had a lot to say in response.
AddictiveArtistry wrote:
Hell yea! Free Ring!!!
OP responded:
And two mini-cams. My husband is a tech nerd, which I love, so we'll take this kinda win any day.
toofpaist wrote:
Ahhhh, sweet, sweet, closure.
OP responded:
Forreal. Guess my karma was clean!
Colonelkok wrote:
Heck yea! Free ring cameras!? Your neighbor's an idiot. They just gave up like $400 lmao
OP responded:
Husband looked up the model of ours, it's now $350. We'll take it! Lol
Poppins101 wrote:
Since she was in a volatile relationship I guess she bought the Ring Camera for that. I like to think she won a scratch off lottery ticket and win big. With enough to escape away.
OP responded:
Actually, something just clicked for her and she called her parents. They came as soon as they could to move her out. Wasn't home when she did, but hubbie was. She ended up changing her contacts so guess I'll never know how she is. She was only here for two months or so.