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Comment by wilwade | Hacker News Reader

Let's think about this for a minute. (ignoring if the tech works)

1. For people without a security system, there are many simple ways to get into a house. If you are worried about people getting into your house, you might not want this, but you better also already have a nice security system (that is also not on a botnet).

2. At least for us, we generally recognize our UPS & USPS folk that deliver to our house.

3. This has a log and video of the drop off.

4. Who do you trust more? The people delivering your package or the random person driving around the neighborhood looking for packages that would imply you are not at home? (or just grabbing your package)

All that said, usually someone is at home when we get deliveries so I wouldn't buy it (also don't use Amazon much). But I don't see the reason for the backlash.

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I'm not worried about the normal, full-time delivery guy. I'm worried about the fill-in, all-the-regular-guys-were-sick guy. Someone who doesn't have a good job and reputation to lose.

You also have to think about it from the delivery person's perspective. They won't really know if someone is away from home or just lazy. They could be opening the door to an assault or any manner of sexual harassment.

I wonder if they'll get resistance from drivers after they really think about the situation they could find themselves in. There's some security in knowing where your attacker lives, but not much if we're talking apartments.

Finally, will Amazon let you participate if you're in an apartment complex that already has lockboxes? Wouldn't that kill the delivery efficiency?

In amazons bid to take over the last mile, they’ve done a measure to their reputation. They accept terrible drivers who have failed out of Uber and have been caught doing a number of things ranging from stealing to vandalizing to shitting in bushes and doing heroin on customers’ front porches. It’s hard to imagine how they could have gotten it any worse than some of their contractors like OnTrac, but they certainly did. And there’s no way in hell I would ever let an Amazon Flex driver in my front door.

Ok, so now I'm worried about the full-time driver almost as much as the fill in. I haven't followed any of the scandal on the subject since I don't think I'm in their delivery area -- I see a lot of UPS and USPS from Amazon.

I don't know that there has been a scandal, at least publicly. I'm speaking as a friend of someone who performs operations audits on Amazon Fresh and Prime Now facilities, who has ranted to me about how much they've had to deal with police reports and customer complaints about their terrible drivers. But needless to say I don't trust them. I won't even buzz them into my apartment building to drop off the package in the lobby if I'm not there to receive it directly.

Do you have sources for this? That's a pretty big accusation.

2. At least for us, we generally recognize our UPS & USPS folk that deliver to our house.

I would not recognize the Amazon subcontractors that visit my house/office. They are optimizing for least cost.

Yeah, Amazon seems to use a mix of USPS, FedEx/UPS, and private couriers. And because I'm in a townhouse complex with remote mailboxes, I wouldn't recognize any of them.

Article specifically says this is restricted to Amazon Logistics delivery. No subcontractors.

I regularly get deliveries from Amazon Logistics. It’s always a random person in their own car, no uniform. Indistinguishable from an Uber or Postmates driver.

5. Amazon also contracts deliveries out (at least in Toronto). I've had guys in unmarked cars show up with packages.

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