Hacker News Reader

Comment by Consultant32452 | Hacker News Reader

In the same week UPS made me sign for a set of $5 kitchen utensils I'd ordered off Amazon but left a Mac Mini on my doorstep no problem.

View on HN

Been there. It's worse with condos too where they often refuse to deliver unless you're there, they won't even take a signed note. Really annoying when you have a textbook delivery and an upcoming assignment.

Even worse when you can't get your package because they give no delivery window and attempt to deliver it to you during class, make you pick it up somewhere, then say it's your fault for not being at home 24/7.

My apartment door buzzer calls my phone. Generally they don't even attempt to buzz me, and then make me pick it up on the other side of the city.

I would suggest complaining to your local branch. You basically have proof that there was no genuine attempt at delivery. The driver will get in trouble.

Wow, cool. Where did you get that? Does it also have other features such as allowing you to talk to the person in front of the door?

There are interfaces for most common door buzzer systems. I have mine linked to my FritzBox, super nice if you're taking a bath and someone rings...

My landlord already had it installed when I moved in, but yes, I can talk to the person at the door and press 9 to buzz them in.

Very neat. I was hoping to unintrusively tinker with my buzzer in my condo, but I found that the wires coming out of the back of the device used some sort of signaling system, and I couldn't just use my own controller to switch on the door buzzer to let someone in from my phone.

With UPS, you can sign up for MyChoice(?) (it's free) and "presign" online.

Doesn't matter. They won't take any signatures at many condos here. They will only deliver if you are physically present to receive the box.

I just get everything delivered to the office.

I've found that postal companies ignore the option to "Leave at Door" even when it's marked in their system. (Canada Post, sigh.) The only thing that consistently works for me is to make the first line of my address read: "(Leave at Door; Do Not Card; Buzz XXXX)"

So far, I've only had to go to the post office 1 out of ~10 times, and that because the postal company said they were contractually obligated to get my signature. (So I don't get Dell shipped to my unit any longer.) It's striking how that one line changed everything for me.

That said, re. startling's comment elsewhere in this thread, I don't think lack of buzzing means they didn't try -- they often have to drop off more than one person's package in my building, and I never see delivery folks waiting by the door buzzing every individual's number ;-)

This is why I get all my packages shipped to work. Since it's a business, they're guaranteed to get delivered and signed for.

Sometimes Amazon uses a courier service that delivers to my work address at 9pm. They decide the building is closed and I never see my package again.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com