Package Delivery and Common Sense...

[eball]

This has been a peeve of mine for a while.  Why do the delivery people from certain services think it's ok to leave a package right in front of your door or otherwise in plain view for anyone to see?

 

The two worst offenders in my experience are UPS and Amazon Prime.  These idiots actually "throw" packages onto my front stoop and don't even bother to ring the doorbell.  I can see all of this by the alerts on my phone from my Ring doorbell.  I was once away for an entire weekend and kept checking the doorbell camera to make sure the big box in plain view was still there.

 

The best service in my book is FedEx.  These guys ring the doorbell and place packages behind the column on my porch where only somebody actually coming to my front door can see them.

 

I complained to Amazon once.  They apologized but clearly they don't make this a part of delivery training.  It's just surprising to me in this day and age.

[KD in CA]

Usually they knock regardless of which one is delivering, but not always.  I assume it's up to the guy.  I doubt failure to knock/ring is a fireable offense.

[ExiledInIllinois]

Because most people aren't situationally aware, that goes for delivery people.

 

It's that simple.

 

You can leave directions on Amazon.  I specifically said, keep the delivery out of sight.  Some will do, others won't. My UPS driver is great, BTW...

 

 

5 minutes ago, KD in CA said:

Usually they knock regardless of which one is delivering, but not always.  I assume it's up to the guy.  I doubt failure to knock/ring is a fireable offense.

Exactly.  Amazon will snap a picture for you.

[shrader]

My personal favorite was a couple of years ago when I had a tv delivered to my house.  They left the box diagonally leaning against column on my front porch.  There were a few big problems with this:

 

1. It was a giant box left in the most blatantly obvious view in public sight, just screaming for anyone to take it.

2. Thanks to all the surface area on that box, any good wind gusts could have blown that thing over.

3. I didn't order a tv.

[row_33]

i've walked past 100s of packages on my condo floor, never once thought to take them

 

[billsfanmiami(oh)]

Short answer, it’s cheaper for them to toss a box up there and move onto the next place instead of trying to perfectly position each one at each residence. It costs them less to replace / repair the probably very few items that end up damaged or missing than to take the extra time at each stop. 

[Foxx]

46 minutes ago, eball said:

This has been a peeve of mine for a while.  Why do the delivery people from certain services think it's ok to leave a package right in front of your door or otherwise in plain view for anyone to see?

 

The two worst offenders in my experience are UPS and Amazon Prime.  These idiots actually "throw" packages onto my front stoop and don't even bother to ring the doorbell.  I can see all of this by the alerts on my phone from my Ring doorbell.  I was once away for an entire weekend and kept checking the doorbell camera to make sure the big box in plain view was still there.

 

The best service in my book is FedEx.  These guys ring the doorbell and place packages behind the column on my porch where only somebody actually coming to my front door can see them.

 

I complained to Amazon once.  They apologized but clearly they don't make this a part of delivery training.  It's just surprising to me in this day and age.

would it not behoove you to have a neighbor or short of that, a relative pick the box up for you if you're going to be out of town for an extended amount of time?

 

also, in my experience Fed-Ex is the worst. first of all, it is against the law for them to put any thing inside of a USPS mail box, yet they do it time after time. not to mention that they have lost more packages of mine than they have actually delivered. anytime i order something and see that Fed-Ex is the delivery option, i go out of my way to contact the vendor to see if there is an alternate delivery option, because they absolutely suck. of course, your mileage may vary.

[Johnny Hammersticks]

First world problems.  They always leave our packages right on the doormat.  Never had a problem.

[Gugny]

Many years ago (~2003) I ordered a new PC from Gateway.

 

In an odd "this guy knows me, but I don't know him," moment, I was at work, outside smoking a butt.  UPS guy comes up to me (I had no idea who he was) and says, "Hey, Gug ... I just delivered a big package from Gateway to your house.  I figured it was some expensive computer, so I put it in your shed for you."

 

I thought that was pretty cool.

[ExiledInIllinois]

5 minutes ago, Johnny Hammersticks said:

First world problems.  They always leave our packages right on the doormat.  Never had a problem.

Because everyone is too stoned in Vernont to notice.

 

Now... If the packge had big letters written on it:

 

"Larry & Daryl and his other brother Daryl's Essential Oil and Yoga Pants Emporium & Head Shop"

 

Or if it was a smoker and @Gugny was drifting through town...

 

You bet your roach clip that the package would be gone in a flash!

 

?

[Augie]

3 hours ago, row_33 said:

i've walked past 100s of packages on my condo floor, never once thought to take them

 

 

....until today!  ?

 

This should be part of the basic training for all of these delivery services. We get at least one package every day (and I return half of it weekly). I have found no rhyme or reason to where it’s placed (hidden vs displayed to tempt bad guys) or whether they ring, knock, both or neither. Just today I had FedEx knock AND ring, which I appreciated. 

 

We live in a one entry circle street community, and we are all close in terms of proximity. Not to say it couldn’t or hasn’t happened, but this would be a bad place to try that. We all know each other, and you know who is out of place. It’s better than nothing.... OK, one clown did leave his keys in his car, then wonder where the car went. Oops! Bad day in the neighborhood! 

 

This has made me realize that every time I drive up to the house I instinctively look to the front door for packages, and if I’ve been home for a few hours and go by the entry I’ll stick my head out to see if anything is there. I wonder when I started doing that? My....how the world has changed! 

 

 

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Edited December 4, 2019 by Augie

[ExiledInIllinois]

2 minutes ago, Gugny said:

Many years ago (~2003) I ordered a new PC from Gateway.

 

In an odd "this guy knows me, but I don't know him," moment, I was at work, outside smoking a butt.  UPS guy comes up to me (I had no idea who he was) and says, "Hey, Gug ... I just delivered a big package from Gateway to your house.  I figured it was some expensive computer, so I put it in your shed for you."

 

I thought that was pretty cool.

+1.  My UPS driver has the code to my garage. But, only the one driver I have known for years on the route. 

[notwoz]

Our UPS guy always knocks. The Amazon Prime guy takes a photo of the package on my doorstep. Most of our FedEx packages are envelopes so he leaves them on the welcome mat. If I am expecting a package that needs a signature when I'm not around, I leave a note on the door asking that the delivery person cross the street to have my neighbor sign. He does the same. And obviously, we check with each other before leaving such a note. 

 

Of course I have pillars by my front door, and some outdoor furniture to help conceal packages.

[Augie]

My son recently got engaged and we were involved in sending out of state various jewelry, diamonds and eventually receiving the ring to keep the surprise. This wasn’t a pair of shoes or some vitamin supplement. I can’t tell you all the details, and the jeweler did it frequently with their procedure, but I didn’t trust it!  I usually do all the leg work because I have the time, but I was having NO part of that. Mrs Augie had to step up on that one! 

 

 

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Edited December 4, 2019 by Augie

[Not at the table Karlos]

For the most part the delivery drivers near my house are pretty good. They’ll put most of the packages in the garage or on the back porch.

 

USPS is another story. They’ll leave a sorry we missed you tag on the mail box with out knocking or attempting to see if anyone is home. You can be sitting on your porch and they’ll rush off as you walk to the mail box.

[Augie]

YOWZA! NBC Nightly News just said 1.7 million packages go “missing” daily. That’s insane! I wonder what % that’s is, and if it’s all stolen or just some sloppy handling?  It was a story about package theft, so the media would never mislead me, would they?

 

 

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Edited December 4, 2019 by Augie

[Sig1Hunter]

8 hours ago, shrader said:

My personal favorite was a couple of years ago when I had a tv delivered to my house.  They left the box diagonally leaning against column on my front porch.  There were a few big problems with this:

 

1. It was a giant box left in the most blatantly obvious view in public sight, just screaming for anyone to take it.

2. Thanks to all the surface area on that box, any good wind gusts could have blown that thing over.

3. I didn't order a tv.

So, how’s the TV working out for you?

[UConn James]

8 hours ago, Foxx said:

would it not behoove you to have a neighbor or short of that, a relative pick the box up for you if you're going to be out of town for an extended amount of time?

 

also, in my experience Fed-Ex is the worst. first of all, it is against the law for them to put any thing inside of a USPS mail box, yet they do it time after time. not to mention that they have lost more packages of mine than they have actually delivered. anytime i order something and see that Fed-Ex is the delivery option, i go out of my way to contact the vendor to see if there is an alternate delivery option, because they absolutely suck. of course, your mileage may vary.

My dad was a rural carrier until just a few years ago. The USPS has agreements with FedEx to deliver some certain packages on the final leg of their journey, which includes in the mailbox, so that wouldn’t be against the law. Just looked it up, it’s termed SmartPost. Just FYI. Word is that this agreement may be ending this year.

[shrader]

16 hours ago, Gugny said:

Many years ago (~2003) I ordered a new PC from Gateway.

 

In an odd "this guy knows me, but I don't know him," moment, I was at work, outside smoking a butt.  UPS guy comes up to me (I had no idea who he was) and says, "Hey, Gug ... I just delivered a big package from Gateway to your house.  I figured it was some expensive computer, so I put it in your shed for you."

 

I thought that was pretty cool.

 

 

11 hours ago, Sig1Hunter said:

So, how’s the TV working out for you?

 

Sadly, I actually kind of like the intended recipient.

[LB3]

I have all packages delivered to my office now. Too many things stolen when delivered to my place. 

[Punching Bag]

I ordered some prime meat from Omaha Steaks and was told it would be shipped in usual Styrofoam shipping box with dry ice, etc so it would not require immediate attention.  I got an alert about delivery on email at work so I called my wife who was hope at time to look for package and less than 5 minutes after delivery there was no package.  I contacted vendor immediately and was told they have record of it being delivered to my house and I stated my wife checked and there is no package at door.  Vendor stated they will check with driver at end of delivery schedule and all packages were delivered. 

 

For several days I called, go questions about my honesty and finally company said they would send me replacement but I needed to sign for it (Duh! Do it first time!) and would need to go to UPS office which I did. 

 

A day later I had neighbor come by from up the street with package put in bushes next to front door.  Her address and ours are the same except numbers were transposed.  Opened package and everything was still cold (Good package!). Contacted Omaha Steaks manager whose name I had and as soon as he heard who it was he started bitching at me so I hung up.  Their poor customer service resulted in 2nd package not being returned but they probably would not have reused it anyways. We ended up using those Styrofoam shipping boxes for years.

[KD in CA]

16 hours ago, Augie said:

YOWZA! NBC Nightly News just said 1.7 million packages go “missing” daily. That’s insane! I wonder what % that’s is, and if it’s all stolen or just some sloppy handling?  It was a story about package theft, so the media would never mislead me, would they?

 

 

.

 

NBC "News"?  Oh, they'd never mislead you to create a sensationalized soundbite!

 

Missing could mean a bunch of things.  I once reported a 'missing' FedEx and it was sitting on the stoop of my side door the whole time.  

[Augie]

1 minute ago, KD in CA said:

 

NBC "News"?  Oh, they'd never mislead you to create a sensationalized soundbite!

 

Missing could mean a bunch of things.  I once reported a 'missing' FedEx and it was sitting on the stoop of my side door the whole time.  

 

I’m guessing you were NOT the neighborhood champ in Hide & Seek!     ?

 

 

But you probably STILL got a Participation Trophy! 

[row_33]

18 hours ago, Augie said:

 

....until today!  ?

 

 

 

 

.

 

I don't want nothing to do with packages left out for my neighbours, might get sentenced to hard time if i took them....

 

 

[row_33]

usually a half dozen boxes filled with "total meal" product are sitting in the lobby each day, not even tempted to take one

 

 

[Augie]

22 minutes ago, row_33 said:

 

I don't want nothing to do with packages left out for my neighbours, might get sentenced to hard time if i took them....

 

 

 

That is en excellent public response! Don’t make it easy on them!  You don’t want any time in The Big House! ?

[row_33]

2 minutes ago, Augie said:

 

That is en excellent public response! Don’t make it easy on them!  You don’t want any time in The Big House! ?

 

a few are wake and bake, so those bundles outside their doors, that people's dogs like to sniff at,  are best left alone.

 

 

[Foxx]

food (literally) for thought.

https://twitter.com/flowerhunni/status/1202360549541056513

 

[Augie]

2 hours ago, row_33 said:

 

a few are wake and bake, so those bundles outside their doors, that people's dogs like to sniff at,  are best left alone.

 

 

Have you gotten any PM’s from people on the board asking for your address? I won’t make any specific public guesses, but......I bet we have some risk takers here. 

[row_33]

5 minutes ago, Augie said:

Have you gotten any PM’s from people on the board asking for your address? I won’t make any specific public guesses, but......I bet we have some risk takers here. 

 

interesting angle...

 

 

[RaoulDuke79]

My driveway is steep and I live on a culdesac, so I'm not terribly concerned about porch pirates. On a side note, am I the only person without one of those camera doorbells?

[row_33]

3 hours ago, RaoulDuke79 said:

My driveway is steep and I live on a culdesac, so I'm not terribly concerned about porch pirates. On a side note, am I the only person without one of those camera doorbells?

people at work have a multi-angle home monitor on a computer screen all day long

 

not sure what they are hoping to find out, burglar, wife affair, kids party

 

 

 

[RaoulDuke79]

Just now, row_33 said:

people at work have a multi-angle home monitor on a computer screen all day long

 

not sure what they are hoping to find out, burglar, wife affair, kids party

 

 

 

All of the above possibly.  Or maybe just voyeurs. There's not enough going on at my place to bother Although who knows, maybe if I got one of those I'd be surprised at the stuff I'd see.

[Buffalo_Gal]

We have a UPS box and send 95% of our packages there, but for the remaining 5% that get delivered to the house, I have a big fat sign on my front (double) storm doors to open a door and leave the package inside in the vestibule. There are still delivery people who leave packages outside of the door even with the eye-level signage.     I'm more worried about the elements than I am getting my packages stolen, however.  

And no one rings or knocks. They used to, but that stopped a few years ago.

 

Edited December 6, 2019 by Buffalo_Gal

[Gugny]

1 hour ago, Buffalo_Gal said:

We have a UPS box and send 95% of our packages there, but for the remaining 5% that get delivered to the house, I have a big fat sign on my front (double) storm doors to open a door and leave the package inside in the vestibule. There are still delivery people who leave packages outside of the door even with the eye-level signage.     I'm more worried about the elements than I am getting my packages stolen, however.  

And no one rings or knocks. They used to, but that stopped a few years ago.

 

 

Whenever I have items that I don't want left out in the cold, I have them delivered to work or to my parents' house.  I haven't had a knock or a ring in years, either.

[Augie]

13 minutes ago, Gugny said:

 

Whenever I have items that I don't want left out in the cold, I have them delivered to work or to my parents' house.  I haven't had a knock or a ring in years, either.

 

That is so strange to me! I’m surprised there are not more company and/or industry wide standards in training and practice. 

 

We get a lot of stuff weekly, and I think I usually get a knock or a ring, or both. But sometimes it’s neither. It takes virtually zero effort or time, so why not lessen the risk of trouble down the road. That should come down from on high as standard procedure. 

 

 

.

Edited December 6, 2019 by Augie

[Punching Bag]

2 hours ago, row_33 said:

people at work have a multi-angle home monitor on a computer screen all day long

 

not sure what they are hoping to find out, burglar, wife affair, kids party

 

 

Imagine all three at same time.

[row_33]

7 hours ago, RaoulDuke79 said:

All of the above possibly.  Or maybe just voyeurs. There's not enough going on at my place to bother Although who knows, maybe if I got one of those I'd be surprised at the stuff I'd see.

many cat(s) are well paid as security to sit there and stare out the window when they aren’t snoozing

 

 

[OldTimeAFLGuy]

On 12/4/2019 at 1:34 PM, eball said:

This has been a peeve of mine for a while.  Why do the delivery people from certain services think it's ok to leave a package right in front of your door or otherwise in plain view for anyone to see?

 

The two worst offenders in my experience are UPS and Amazon Prime.  These idiots actually "throw" packages onto my front stoop and don't even bother to ring the doorbell.  I can see all of this by the alerts on my phone from my Ring doorbell.  I was once away for an entire weekend and kept checking the doorbell camera to make sure the big box in plain view was still there.

 

The best service in my book is FedEx.  These guys ring the doorbell and place packages behind the column on my porch where only somebody actually coming to my front door can see them.

 

I complained to Amazon once.  They apologized but clearly they don't make this a part of delivery training.  It's just surprising to me in this day and age.

.....I put a covered bin on my steps marked DELIVERIES and they ignore it....SMH..........

[Foxx]

just wait till drones begin delivering begin delivering these packages in earnest. you'll be lucky to find them in your front lawn.

Edited December 6, 2019 by Foxx