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I see on my orders there is a spot to put in special instructions. Never paid much attention to it but if you do not want them delivering late maybe try putting that in there? Not sure if it would work but give it a try.

I could try that but my confidence that it would be effective is pretty low. I think I will go ahead and do it just to see what happens.

Packages showing up after dark (in the PNW winter especially) is not anything new or different. Especially during the Christmas season.

It's not so much the condition of darkness as the lateness of hour.

the USPS "last-mile" program and pass the parcel off to the Post Office who, you guessed it, typically will use private carriers for this type of delivery.

You may be confusing Amazon's "Last Mile Program" (their name for it) with the USPS drop shipment system. Special interests in the mailing business lobbied the Postal Rate Commission years ago to get parcel drop shipments done by the USPS. Commercial mailers would move pallets of parcels in bulk cheaply by common carrier. These would be delivered to post offices where postal employees would take them out with regular mail delivery, which was cheaper than having UPS (for example) deliver them to homes. The USPS never used "private carriers" to do the final delivery. That was the whole idea, to get these packages in the regular mail stream at the point where the most savings would be realized. Amazon still does this, but they are moving away from USPS drop shipments and more toward their own "Last Mile Program."
 
Solution - put a big rubbermaid tote by your mail box with a sign on it that says "PACKAGES" - and put instructions to put your packages in the tote. It's no less secure than a package sitting on your porch. Keeps the scary delivery people off your lawn or porch.

Or get a Ring doorbell which serves as a security cam.

Or install a camera system to watch, with motion sensors and alerts.

Or don't buy $h17 from Amazon.

Its literally no different from pizza or chinese food delivery drivers - they are mostly driving their own vehicles, and wearing their normal clothes.

Putting on a shirt with a logo doesn't magically make someone professional or better. And if they're contract drivers - no one is going to spend the thousand bucks to wrap their vehicle, which they likely only use part time for their delivery job, with Amazon logos. There's probably also regulations prohibiting such, actually, because it could be construed that those contracted workers are employees, not independent contractors.

These people providing the service are just doing what they can to enjoy a bit of freedom to make extra cash, or have a job where they make their schedule. They're increasing the speed that online shoppers get their crap - we have to have instant gratification after all!

Just be glad that it's not the dark ages of having 15 lb paper catalogs, and you either called an 800 number and gave someone a credit card number over the phone (because that wasn't risky at all) or you mailed off a check or money order to some place in Iowa or wherever, and got to wait upto 3 months before your stuff arrived. I remember getting packages that I forgot I even ordered because of the long waits in those days. :oops:

Much complaining over a non-issue. The drivers are the ones at the greatest risk of harm - financially and physically - if something bad happens. They're "banned" from carrying any defensive weapons, they are going into multiple unfamiliar locations and carrying around a bunch of potentially valuable stuff. The contract workers are bidding on routes that pay a fixed rate - when I looked into doing Amazon delivery, it was typically $75 to $100 for a route, which they estimated would take between 4 and 5 hours to complete, but that was entirely upto the driver's familiarity with traffic, the area, and how efficient they could do it. Figure that after taxes, expenses, etc they probably took home $8 per hour. But for some it's not about the long game - its about the "I need cash to pay XXX bill, and this pays daily" and they were concerned more with the gross income at the time.

Welcome to the future. And yeah, wait till its drones delivering packages - its not like those will have cameras or anything :rolleyes:
 
The USPS has been delivering packages within "normal" working hours for decades.



Here I believe you are referring to USPS Rural Carriers and some Highway Contract drivers. … I don't think I've ever seen a contract carrier vehicle that wasn't identified with the words, "US Mail" on it somewhere.
I was including these drivers and the private carriers that are also used. The private carriers and many of the rural carriers many times simply mark their vehicles with a US Mail placard placed on the dash of the vehicle. It's probably around 8 x 12 inches in size. They all wear an ID on a lanyard (or are supposed to do so) but it really doesn't make them stand out in any appreciable fashion … anybody can wear a neck lanyard and ID.

Regarding delivering within "normal" hours … well by limiting those hours the USPS was becoming even more irrelevant to the current marketplace and this was one of the many reasons the Post Office continues to decline in volume compared to private carriers.

This market decline is why the USPS started delivering beyond the normal cut off times. They were losing market share in the parcel market in a huge way. This mirrors how they have lost market share in First Class mail because of technology etc. The Post Office is dying a slow and painful death because of this and many other reasons. They are struggling for relevance and costing the taxpayer huge amounts of money in the process.

The after hours parcel delivery began about 8 years ago and required private contract carriers because the Letter Carriers Union would not bargain working outside of "normal" hours without insanely increasing the pay.
 
UPS delivers till the driver is done. It may be later than 9 PM at times. Those amzon drivers pullin up in my driveway with unmarked cars and pink hair bug the crap out of me.:D
At least when I deliver at 9:00 it is in a very recognizable UPS truck with the flashers on and I come to the door wearing a uniform.
What really needs to happen is that the customer should be able to select a delivery option at time of purchase and pay accordingly. A lot of the customers on my rural route would gladly pay an extra couple of bucks to have UPS or FedEx make the delivery rather than some yahoo with no uniform in a beater car. Strange cars on long driveways in the country after dark is unsafe.
 
Solution - put a big rubbermaid tote by your mail box with a sign on it that says "PACKAGES" - and put instructions to put your packages in the tote. It's no less secure than a package sitting on your porch. Keeps the scary delivery people off your lawn or porch.

Or get a Ring doorbell which serves as a security cam.

Or install a camera system to watch, with motion sensors and alerts.

Or don't buy $h17 from Amazon.

Its literally no different from pizza or chinese food delivery drivers - they are mostly driving their own vehicles, and wearing their normal clothes.

Putting on a shirt with a logo doesn't magically make someone professional or better. And if they're contract drivers - no one is going to spend the thousand bucks to wrap their vehicle, which they likely only use part time for their delivery job, with Amazon logos. There's probably also regulations prohibiting such, actually, because it could be construed that those contracted workers are employees, not independent contractors.

These people providing the service are just doing what they can to enjoy a bit of freedom to make extra cash, or have a job where they make their schedule. They're increasing the speed that online shoppers get their crap - we have to have instant gratification after all!

Just be glad that it's not the dark ages of having 15 lb paper catalogs, and you either called an 800 number and gave someone a credit card number over the phone (because that wasn't risky at all) or you mailed off a check or money order to some place in Iowa or wherever, and got to wait upto 3 months before your stuff arrived. I remember getting packages that I forgot I even ordered because of the long waits in those days. :oops:

Much complaining over a non-issue. The drivers are the ones at the greatest risk of harm - financially and physically - if something bad happens. They're "banned" from carrying any defensive weapons, they are going into multiple unfamiliar locations and carrying around a bunch of potentially valuable stuff. The contract workers are bidding on routes that pay a fixed rate - when I looked into doing Amazon delivery, it was typically $75 to $100 for a route, which they estimated would take between 4 and 5 hours to complete, but that was entirely upto the driver's familiarity with traffic, the area, and how efficient they could do it. Figure that after taxes, expenses, etc they probably took home $8 per hour. But for some it's not about the long game - its about the "I need cash to pay XXX bill, and this pays daily" and they were concerned more with the gross income at the time.

Welcome to the future. And yeah, wait till its drones delivering packages - its not like those will have cameras or anything :rolleyes:
When you order a pizza, you know and expect that someone will be arriving within the hour to deliver it.
When you order a package from Amazon, you dont always know what day or at what time it will arrive, or by what carrier.
The problem is lack of choice. Most of the time it is up to the shipper, not you, to decide which carrier to use.
As far as leaving a tote by the mailbox...good luck with that. I have literally seen an OnTrac driver throw a package out his window at the mailbox as he drove by without stopping. And the Amazon guys arent looking at mailboxes, they are looking at the app on their phone that guides them to the porch.
 
This.

You don't have to order through Amazon and can easily stick to vendors that use USPS/UPS/FedEx.

Think of this from the driver's perspective - they're just trying to make a buck and are out delivering your crap while the rest of us eat dinner with our families. I know who I'd not envy.

If someone is running away from your place with boxes, there's a problem. If someone is running toward your place with boxes, that's fine.

In another thread aren't y'all opining about the good ol' days when people trusted one another? By all means, have caution...but don't assume Hannibal is trolling your street in a crap delivery van.
^^^^THIS^^^^
 
I really like Amazon's delivery methods.

I have their phone app, so within seconds of delivery I get a text or email (my choice) with a picture of the delivered package at the delivery location (front door in my case).

I can hit "where is my package" and see a real time map with the location of the truck. It will tell me "you are 9th in line" or what ever is accurate at the time and gives me an approximate time of arrival.

It's probably not good for OCD types, as they would be following the truck in real time all the way from the warehouse to their door! I guess there are worse uses of your time. ;)
 
I live in Eugene up on a mountain at the end of 1/4 mile of one lane gravel road and driveway. I can throw a rock and have it land outside the city limits. We have several acres of fir and oak trees and 450' of winding driveway. We also have a dog that goes crazy whenever anyone comes up the driveway.

We order from Amazon because here in Eugene, somebody decided that all the big retail stores should be on the west or north edge of town. We are on the south edge. Consequently, I am forced to drive 7 miles across town on city streets to buy a nail at Home Depot, or a pair of shoes at Fred Meyer. The city government says it's trying to prevent urban sprawl by grouping retail in "high density" areas. Then the city has the nerve to complain that those of us in the other parts of town drive our cars everywhere. In order to discourage that they have begun removing lanes from main arteries, meaning that that 14 miles round trip takes about an hour, not counting shopping time.

Hence our reliance on online ordering.

My frustration comes from the various delivery contractors not following instructions. I have a sign in my parking area that says "UPS/DHL/USPS: Put all deliveries in the adjacent RV." They routinely ignore that sign, even though it is at eye level in 3 inch lettering. There is an unlocked RV sitting next to the sign in that parking area. They usually dump the packages at the side of the driveway instead, where my curious dog often decides to open them and see/eat/relocate/hide/chew on what's inside.

The worst offenders are two gray haired, mean faced women who drive a vintage Dodge hatchback that is awash with letters and packages up to about armpit level. It looks like they live in it when not delivering packages. I think the last oil change happened in the 1990's.
They are afraid of our one year old standard poodle puppy, and won't get out of the car if she's visible. They turn around and leave instead.

I often get text messages 6 pm to 8pm saying that they attempted to deliver a package a few minutes before, but "couldn't access the front door". I'm puzzled because I was sitting in my living room with all the lights on with the dog asleep on the couch next to me, and I guarantee you that NOBODY came up that driveway to deliver anything or the dog would have been turning summersaults and waking the dead. It's why we have her. It's her job. Obviously, they are lying and didn't even make an attempt to deliver.

So yes, it's a problem, and it's probably going to get worse before it gets better. house - 1 (1).jpg house - 1.jpg
 
Last Edited:
Know your delivery person personify regardless of service. Not possible during the Season. Also it does get dark here in the Pacific Northwest quite early this time of year. No perfect solution. We try to just deal with it> EY BOARD DIRTY >>>> AGAIN!! TIME TO GET A NEW ONE>

Edited: Disconnected the old key board and banged it upside down on the counter. Amazing how much junk was trapped between the keys. Seems to work OK now.
 
When you order a pizza, you know and expect that someone will be arriving within the hour to deliver it.
When you order a package from Amazon, you dont always know what day or at what time it will arrive, or by what carrier.
The problem is lack of choice. Most of the time it is up to the shipper, not you, to decide which carrier to use.
As far as leaving a tote by the mailbox...good luck with that. I have literally seen an OnTrac driver throw a package out his window at the mailbox as he drove by without stopping. And the Amazon guys arent looking at mailboxes, they are looking at the app on their phone that guides them to the porch.

Except when you order with Amazon, they provide you tracking information that tells you how and when the package is coming. :rolleyes: And the fact that you point out another common carrier - OnTrac - is just as likely to have lazy drivers as the Amazon contractors or employee-drivers sinks your own argument about the "professional" delivery folk.

The Amazon drivers aren't face-glued to the phone anymore than anyone else it - they're looking for house numbers just like every other delivery person. Yes, they leave stuff on the porch. Does does Big Brown, so does USPS. I would lump in FedEx, but they're so goddamned lazy about delivery that every package I get shipped through them (which I would never use, except certain places I buy stuff from use FedEx exclusively, with no option for USPS) gets handed off to the postal service anyway. After detouring from Portland, to Kent, Washington :confused:

We can compare piss poor delivery services all day, and speak on professionalism and schedules - prior to Amazon's Prime delivery and them pushing for their own delivery service, I've had crap service from all the common carriers and the postal service. Everything from items that just never got to me, to crushed computer screens, broken fishing rods, or crap that was supposed to be "two day delivery" that took over a week.

The individual is what makes the experience. And for consumers that either have to buy online, or choose to because they hate dealing with the masses, or they want the best deals - they're looking for the best, most convenient shipping. That doesn't happen with the postal service in many cases, it surely doesn't happen anymore often with FedEx or UPS than it does DHL, or OnTrac. With Amazon distribution centers popping up in more places, they will rely more and more on their own drivers and their own contract carriers for delivery, because it is more efficient and less expensive. Amazon is already sorting and grouping the items by route - if UPS, USPS, or other carriers would integrate systems, so that they literally only showed up to load and head out directly for delivery that'd be one thing - but that's not what USPS, UPS, or FedEx are setup to do. They want to control the routing and sorting. They have their own system and for their primary customer base, that's fine. Its not how Amazon has shaped their business though.

And with Same Day delivery options available for a lot of items in more and more regions - the old model of doing things is even more rapidly hitting obsolescence. In a way, we are returning to an even older model - where things were shipped by individual couriers - either working for a company or as independent couriers who took your package from pickup straight to drop off, like hot shot truckers.

And most consumers don't mind, or they actually like having stuff show up ASAP. Even if that means that their new gizmo shows up on their porch at 11PM. It's not just old timers who worked 9 to 5 anymore - we're in a 24 hour world and more and more people are working overnights or mid shifts, and they're not on a traditional schedule. Pop in to a Winco at Midnight and you'll see what I mean. Years ago, it was a novelty to be a 24 hour operation like Winco. Today its almost a necessity and it is a godsend for a lot of folks, so they don't have to give up sleep to go grocery shopping.
 
There are no good carriers, especially when it is piece work.
I won't boast on the USPS either, or UPS.

One does have to admit, there are a lot of packages these contract carriers get. We found two boxes on our front porch one morning. No clue who or when it was delivered but I don't have video of the delivery either. Somebody is magic.

Every one of them has issues and with what is paid per package, I'm not surprised stuff is broken and left in the rain. I'd never treat anyones stuff like that but then again, I'm not delivering 150 packages per day.
 
I live in town in Silverton. I have never seen a uniform on our Mail person and there have been at least a dozen of them in the last 32+ years we have lived here. Once in a great while for what reason I can't tell they drive a Mail van. Currently the guy running his arse off drives a Toyota Pickup with a Canopy. We have gotten mail as last as 8:30 at night and sometimes as early as 1pm in the same week go figure. We do buy regularly from Amazon and a dozen other on line places. And everything from the UPS trucks and a FED EX semi trailer has dropped off stuff. The Amazon people tend to be quiet and in a rush. My Chair sits right by the front door. We have a large semi enclosed front porch with one entry. I have had them back at their rig before I can get up and open the door when I hear them drop something off.

I got much bigger things to worry about then someone dropping a cardboard box off on my porch. I bet they do to.
 
How? With Amazon and many other places you cannot choose who delivers it. Or the one you select hands it off to someone else (eg. part-time USPS drivers delivering UPS packages). I don't think it's too much to ask that people approaching my house in a professional capacity dress, drive, and act accordingly.

How?

1) If it is Amazon, they will deliver it to a locker if you wish. Amazon.com: Amazon Locker Delivery

2) If it a different seller, have them deliver to a private PO box that takes deliveries. I used to do that when I lived in the city because I could not be home when they delivered and someone would take the item. So I got a PO Box for about $100 per year.
 
I agree with the OP and others that express valid complaints or concerns. My experiences have been mixed. I have gotten all my packages and not any thefts. HOWEVER...

* I dislike the lack of any uniforms or signage on vehicles. I confronted a man in a unmarked van at my neighbors' house, and I thought he was stealing packages. Turns out he was delivering packages. All was fine thereafter.

* I've had "missed you" tags left, or packages left, when I was at home and vehicles in driveway. First, nobody rang the bell or knocked. So it's lazy or dishonest. Secondly, I don't like tags on the door alerting the world I'm not home or packages left in the open. Just today (Saturday) I was waiting on a ammo delivery (requiring signature) and received an email stating I wasn't home so redelivery in FOUR DAYS (Tuesday) would be attempted. For most of us that's a big inconvenience. Saturday is convenient. Tuesday is not. And the kicker is nobody rang the bell or knocked because I was home all morning and my dogs would have barked. I suspect it was a subcontracted delivery driver, and this is the 2nd time it's happened recently.

* I am also worried about unknown people skulking around with "authority" to be there, or monitoring what you get delivered and when you are home or away. I worry about how carefully these "uber drivers" are vetted...
 
Driveway alarms let me know when someone comes up the driveway, or a deer walks across it as well. That sets off one of the grand dogs, pit bull or GSD. Look out the window to verify, and by the time they get the 400 feet to the house they have had their picture taken two times. I know when deliveries are coming and am prepared for it.

The UPS guys are recognizable and work their azzes off. Our local guy got hung up in the snow here last week, and I threw a chain on him and pulled him out. He goes the extra step for us. Mail is another story though. There are groups of mailboxes out here, and it is still an isolated area. People have figured out not to leave their mail in there overnight since some outside scum bags come on the Ranch here and jack the mail boxes with crow bars. Takes balls since there is only two ways out of 12,000 acres, but they usually have a lot of time to make their escape in the middle of the night.

We have a PO Box in town for that reason, and go there a couple times per week to get the mail, what mail we get.
 
I agree with the OP and others that express valid complaints or concerns. My experiences have been mixed. I have gotten all my packages and not any thefts. HOWEVER...

*snip*

* I am also worried about unknown people skulking around with "authority" to be there, or monitoring what you get delivered and when you are home or away. I worry about how carefully these "uber drivers" are vetted...

How well do you think UPS, FedEx, etc vet their drivers? Background checks for non-government jobs are generally a joke, and won't show anyone who hasn't been caught. As an attorney, you should know that. Nothing is going to stop a UPS or FedEx guy from noticing what you're getting either. People get so wrapped up with uniforms and signs - it gives credence to the joke that a clipboard and a high viz vest can get you anywhere :confused:
 
How?

1) If it is Amazon, they will deliver it to a locker if you wish. Amazon.com: Amazon Locker Delivery

2) If it a different seller, have them deliver to a private PO box that takes deliveries. I used to do that when I lived in the city because I could not be home when they delivered and someone would take the item. So I got a PO Box for about $100 per year.

I see Amazon pushing this locker stuff a lot. I have to guess it's because they end up eating so many packages that get stolen. It has become a cottage industry so to speak, people driving around looking for these to steal. I suspect that is some area's people are going to be forced to use this kind of thing. Since I live in a large developed area I love the way Amazon does it. It did at first catch me off guard when I would see POV's stop at my house until I got what they were doing. I can't think of a problem I have yet had with these guys. Where as FedEx, who used to be top notch, have just gone to hell in a hand basket last many years. I don't know what happened to them but I now dread seeing anything shipped using them. They make the USPS look super great. during the great ammo shortage I had .22 ammo coming weekly for me and a couple others. 90% of that was FedEx and an amazing number of the packages were left at the wrong damn house. Since we have LONG had camera's we see our deliveries and I have not yet seen one of the Amazon private carriers throw things at my house and break it. FedEx is now all over video doing this. Not sure what happened to them.
For those who don't like the people showing up late? Use one of the lockers. Amazon will send you a notification on when the package is there and you can go get it. Problem solved, and looks like Amazon would prefer this method as it saves them a lot of stolen stuff.
 
The only thing I ask with delivery services is to please please please please verify address to whats on the package. I have had at least a couple $100+ items be delivered to the wrong address. Calling the center they say they cannot tell you where it is only that its at the wrong address (which if they KNOW this why does it have to wait for me to call to begin with...) anyways. Please guys who do this, I get you have a crappy soul sucking job but can we at least verify its dropped at the right place?

ty

Kind of makes me want to sign up for a PO Box instead tbh, can't screw that up can they?
 
USPS sends me an E-mail whenever something is delivered to my mailbox (usually with a photo of the piece of mail or package) but, if it's just a flyer or junk then sometimes no picture.
This means I don't need to check everyday..... only when there's something worth the trip.

The service is free.
 

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