The Story
OP and her husband bought their home a little over two years ago after a heated bidding war. During the final walkthroughs, they met the previous owners, who were friendly and offered their contact information in case OP needed help with the house’s quirks—especially some unique pool-related features the old owners had built themselves. In the early months, OP did reach out for clarification, but once they were settled, the old owners respectfully faded into the background.
Since then, however, the old owners have continued having packages mistakenly delivered to OP’s address. It’s been happening every five to six months, not frequently enough to be a major issue, so OP never felt the need to bring it up.
But this time was different. On the Friday of a long weekend, OP was relaxing at her neighbor’s backyard with her husband and neighbors. Out of the blue, the old owners showed up at her house after being notified by a courier that their misdelivered package had arrived. Rather than knocking or texting, they sent the neighbor’s kid into another backyard to hunt down OP, calling her out from behind a tall privacy fence.
After the fact, OP saw a message from the former owner’s wife, asking if her husband could swing by—but OP hadn’t seen it in time. OP felt a boundary had been crossed. She messaged back, politely but firmly, explaining that showing up unannounced and pulling her from someone else’s property was inappropriate and disrespectful.
The old owner did not take it well. She lashed out, calling OP a miserable person who hates helping others, claimed OP was being indecent, and even dragged OP’s neighbors into it, saying she felt bad for them. Despite OP maintaining a respectful tone, the old owner went full unhinged. Now OP is left wondering if she was out of line for setting that boundary.
Tea & Feels Verdict
Our Take
This is textbook boundary stomping, plain and simple. OP was more than generous giving the old owners access to reach out when it was actually helpful—back when pool plumbing mysteries were a thing. But two years later, random packages being sent to the wrong address isn’t OP’s problem, nor is she obligated to be the neighborhood package concierge.
The part where they sent the neighbor’s kid to track OP down in someone else’s private backyard? That’s where it crosses into “what are you even doing” territory. If you’ve got a six-foot privacy fence between you and someone, maybe that’s a hint to send a polite text and wait. Not deploy a child as your personal errand runner.
OP didn’t cuss anyone out. She didn’t go nuclear. She set a clear boundary in a respectful way, which is exactly how grown-ups should handle these things. The old owner’s meltdown says way more about her than it does about OP.
In short: being neighborly doesn’t mean being a doormat.
Reader Takes
We’re not the only ones with opinions. Here are some top takes from the Reddit crowd that caught our eye:
u/HealthyBoundaries101:
“NTA. You were more patient than most. Sending a neighbor’s kid to invade someone’s privacy over a package you misaddressed is wildly inappropriate.”
u/NotYourProblemAnymore:
“It’s been two years. They need to update their shipping info. You’re not their personal delivery hub. You handled it with more grace than they deserved.”
u/RespectMyFence:
“The audacity to send a child through private property to retrieve you is next-level entitlement. NTA. You’re allowed to enjoy your own backyard without being summoned.”
u/PackageDramaUnnecessary:
“They’re embarrassed they messed up again and are lashing out. You set a boundary politely. That’s not being miserable, that’s being an adult.”
u/CourierFailsDoNotExcuseThis:
“This wasn’t a neighborly favor. This was blatant disrespect. You were right to call it out. NTA.”
TL;DR Verdict
✅ Not the Asshole
