Poll Shows People Don't Want Amazon Deliverers to Have Access to Their Homes
thestranger.com
thestranger.com
I've never had an issue with Amazon delivery until they used their own drivers. I now frequently have my packages never arrive (I have cameras on my porch. Not being stolen) and four times in the last six months have received a delivery for someone else. It isn't like a package for my next door neighbor, either. They're packages to addresses up to three miles away.
If Amazon wants to reduce missing packages, they need to hire drivers who actually give a shit or go back to using USPS/FedEx/UPS.
Does seem like a bad way to run a business.
Seems strange for amazon to propose entering into a house instead of just selling a locked box that you and deliveries could use.
This is how businesses maximize profits nowadays. Nearly all new jobs since the recession have been unstable contract jobs, and nearly 40% of workers nowadays don't have stable jobs[1]. This is why even though unemployment is incredibly low, inflation has been flat: workers lack the leverage required to experience wage gains.
[1] https://www.forbes.com/sites/elainepofeldt/2015/05/25/shocke...
You can't significantly improve the job and the work conditions, it is what it is. You can't pay more, that'd impact costs too significantly.
The consequence is high turnover and you can't fix the root cause. Lucky you, there is an endless supply of fresh blood that can and are willing to do the job so it's a viable business model.
It'd be interesting to see how much business is B2B and repeated addresses for UPS/Fedex vs Amazon.
Amazon is likely to be distinct. High amount of one off consumers. Varying routes every day. Customers being away during delivery. Exactly what ruins a delivery company.
Maybe not now, but it used to be. You say that the job and work conditions can't be improved, but the fact that they were better before proves that your statement is false.
I'll reckon, any job was better 50 years ago when rent was a fraction of a salary and you could provide for a family on a single income.
It's not your dream job. My last cab driver immigrated 16 years ago and has been driving 5pm-5am shift for the last 7 years. Full time delivery is a dream in comparison. I don't think he could send his kids to college on Uber.
It's healthy compared to desk work, doesn't require any extensive training, and relatively low stress.
Be cautious when predicting the behavior of others.
Did you ever have to deliver to someone who is away? to an address that doesn't exist? to an address that exists but is located at the wrong place? what when it's inaccessible or has no bell?
That's what you get to deal with every single day, you never know where you gonna be or what's gonna go wrong the next hour. Meanwhile, your delivery time is accounted and customers can complain back about you for anything.
Also, "one off consumers. Varying routes every day." Well, delivery company employees will have precisely fewer of those because their job is to deliver things, seems like the reason not to trust Amazon drivers over Fedex.
But hey, at least shareholders are getting a better value.
edit: It seems like any comment not intensely pro-capitalistic ends up downvoted. You folks need to realize that while capitalism is a fantastic method of maximizing wealth generation, it's not perfect.
Our lower-middle class is shrinking while our lower class is growing because of the loss of jobs like these. The fact that I'm getting downvoted for pointing this out is a bit surprising, given the generally levelheaded comment section this site usually provides.
Amazon is abusing drivers, fulfillment workers, and AWS engineers (so I’ve heard) because they can get away with it. It’s a shame really.
Then they can rejoin the poorly paying gig economy and hopefully get paid enough to have things delivered to them by their replacements.
And letting a delivery person into your house is a very bad idea, even if they don't make it past the threshold. They see that 100" TV and then their buddies break into your house 2 weeks later.
Good luck getting Police to look into it.
Amazon is trying to cut losses from stolen packages, and get you to pay for it. Via buying one of their cameras. Unless you have Cameras covering every inch of your property. And they don't allow other brands of Cameras.
I strongly suspect that streamlining deliveries is a pleasant side effect rather than the intended goal of this.
Amazon also is still lacking the web access to manage the delivery that I get with UPS and FedEx.
UPS and Fedex pay drivers enough to care.
Amazon delivery drivers have no incentive, thus terrible service.
Disclaimer: when I have to order through Amazon, I have them flag my account to use traditional delivery methods because Amazon delivery is trash.
The comments when Amazon Key was announced[1] were also giving good reasons why that's not a great package delivery solution.
But if you watch the video of the Amazon Key annoucement[2], they mention multiple other scenarios: "maybe let in your dog walker, a friend, or maybe to let in a team of cleaning ninjas"
I don't think it's too far-fetched to see the 'friend' here being actually your airbnb guest. Many airbnb homes already use a rudimentary lockbox with code, if the guest can now instead set up something on their amazon account and know they'll be able to get in (at least the initial check-in, and have a key waiting on the coffee table), it could make the experience smoother for the guests, and the host as well.
For which solutions from all the major lock companies (and others) already exist. I can give people who need access to my house custom codes on my Schlage lock. It is an internet-connected thing--although it doesn't really need to be that. And I have found punching in my code is easier than dealing with the app on my phone.
Better, real-time truck-tracking information for user expecting a delivery.
When you request an Uber or Lyft, you see where the car is and exactly when it will be at your door. FedEx/UPS/Amazon trucks certainly are being driven with intelligent GPS systems which instruct a certain predictable route... share this data with the user so they know when you're be at the door - and possibly, give them the ability to input preferred time through an app ("I won't get home until 2p.m., can you be an hour or two late")
I too had an Amazon next-day (Amazon Logistics) delivery erroneously marked as delivered (last Saturday). When I contacted Amazon customer support, they requested that I file a police report over the missing package. And then even when I did, they refused to do anything.
What's the magic word I have to say to get them to care?
It does actually solve the issues you gave as examples.
The driver is at the wrong house, scans the box but the door doesn't open. If Amazon doesn't detect the door being opened and the driver coming inside and delivering the package then they definitively know the package wasn't delivered.
This gives them an automatic way to evaluate drivers. When you complain that you did receive a package they can check the footage and resolve your customer service issue immediately instead of having to contact the driver.
1. Every house installs a dropoff box. This box allows owner to activate or deactivate which delivery companies get to access it
I like this. No more write special delivery note.
2. Open more amazon lockers that allow bigger sizes and more flexible delivery time
Actually #1 is the right solution
This dropoff box is nothing but a larger mailbox. BTW in some states in America, your mailbox must meet certain standard....
Sounds like a mailbox, just bigger.
The real complication is not isolated houses, but apartment buildings with shared entryways and/or limited space.
This of course varies by location, but the point is there are typically rules in place to prevent people from using the front of their house for storage.
Not to mention HOA ordinances which can be much more restrictive.
[1] https://www.acgov.org/cda/planning/ordinance/documents/R-1_D...
You need to live in a city, but not in an apartment building, which is a pretty small (and wealthy) proportion of people. If you live in the suburbs or the country, you probably don't mind leaving packages on the porch. In the city if you don't have a doorman, a package is almost guaranteed to get stolen.
Homicidal maniacs who want to kill total strangers for no reason are pretty rare. Packages thieves are ubiquitous.
I'm guessing you're in NYC?
Doormen are not common in LA/SF.
That’s taking a pretty narrow view of ‘the city’ - very few places on the west coast have a doorman for example (I’ve never actually seen one), and there are plenty of cities where you could have a package not stolen. Of course if your definition of a ‘city’ only includes Manhattan then you may be correct.
In fact I would argue that if a package can reliably last 8 hours on your porch you don't live in a city (at least for the purposes of this discussion).
- It's long.
- It's mostly about products being Made in America.
- The question in question is near the end (which could contribute to taker fatigue)
- The question in question makes no mention of Amazon. In the case of this service, brand matters.
- I didn't see anything (read: I could have missed it) saying if these are Amazon customers or not.
- I didnt see any question along the lines of: Has a delivered package ever been stolen from your porch?
This idea is new. No doubt some people won't use it, at least not right away. But it could catch on. Maybe.
That being said, I don't see this survey being a good indicator. It feels far from a ideal survey (to me).
In Toronto, Canada, if given the option, I always prefer FlexDelivery, when I can choose delivery to any post office even if it is not anywhere close to my home. It is much easier for me to mosey up to the post office steps away from my office in downtown and then bring stuff home, than try to make it to the office in my neighbourhood before closing.
Unfortunately, too many shippers do not support FlexDelivery, and this is a hassle. Amazon could start with that or strategically place the electronic lockboxes around downtown: the ridiculous amount of people work in a relatively small area of downtown core.
They're making this optional only if wanted so I this doesn't matter to me I'm sure some people have some value.
For lower-cost items Amazon just puts it under my welcome mat (just got one today under the mat) at my front door that is covered. From the street u can see there is a package as it there is only shade and not well lit.
A few times they have called me especially in bad weather conditions on where to leave. Like leaving it in the backyard under the covered deck or with the renter in my basement Suite
I can't believe Bezos and company can't take that concept and retool for the US market.
What this poll actually shows is that Amazon already has 32% of people who want this is some form.
This is kind of like those "if we can just get 1% of 1% of the population we will make millions" things, except in this case they have 38%(!)
The product managers of this service must be beyond joyful seeing acceptance like this.
A better headline might be, "Poll Shows 70 Million American Adults Comfortable With Amazon Deliveries Into Homes."
I would happily install a remotely accessible window not accessible from the street, and give amazon the authentication to open it and close it for their drone to drop stuff in my house, IF losing packages was a recurrent problem for me. It isn't, but drone delivery is plausible in future so worth thinking about.
Seems better for most situations, but it might be the sort of thing where you need a few dozen people to sign up for your location before they'll give you one.