Amazon Prime “doorstepping”

Today’s moral maze.

Twice this week I’ve had an Amazon Prime delivery driver dump a package on the doorstep (my front door opens directly onto the street), ring the bell and then immediately turn heel and set off back down the street like Usain Bolt.  Unfortunately for them, I have a video doorbell.  Different drivers both times.

I spoke to a mate who’s a former Amazon driver.  He tells me that Amazon operates a zero tolerance policy towards “doorstepping.”  If I report them, they will likely be fired on the spot.

On the one hand, I don’t want someone to lose their job, I want them to get told to knock it off.  On the other hand, if you don’t want to be reported for taking the piss then don’t abandon deliveries in the street.

WWSTWD?

I spoke to a mate who’s a former Amazon driver.  He tells me that Amazon operates a zero tolerance policy towards “doorstepping.”  If I report them, they will likely be fired on the spot.

Is that how “your mate” is a former driver?

If Amazon did that, they’d be out of drivers by end of week

Report them. You wouldn’t be ordering from Amazon in the first place if you actually gave a shit about workers rights, so don’t try coming over all righteous now…..

I would report it. I did the Amazon delivery stuff for a short time a couple of years ago. You get sacked immediately if you do age verification incorrectly. If you deliver incorrectly a few times you have to sit through a refresher training session. I’d guess this guy will probably get a refresher course once you report it. Which is probably a good thing in my opinion.

You got the parcels, stop making a mountain out of a molehill.

Fat chance of you bring able to report it to Amazon.

You got the parcels, stop making a mountain out of a molehill.

We had two parcels nicked this week because they were left on the doorstep by Amazon. There’s no way to report non-delivery and the retailers covered the cost of replacements because Amazon won’t.

That is how all of my Amazon orders arrive. Didn’t ever think about it being a problem :shrugs:

It looks like there are only 2 options, report or don’t report.

That’s a shit maze.

You wouldn’t be ordering from Amazon in the first place if you actually gave a shit about workers rights, so don’t try coming over all righteous now…..

It never ceases to amaze me, the vitriol, judgement and general unpleasantness the simplest of questions can elicit on here.  Do people hover over their keyboards, constantly refreshing in case they miss the opportunity to demonstrate their moral superiority or tell someone else how shit their ethics are?

Most of us probably buy from Amazon. You’d have to have your head in the sand to think they’re a good employer. Therefore most of us are complicit. I am.

Is that how “your mate” is a former driver?

No, he had a mental health breakdown and had to quit.  But thanks for asking.

A least your delivery people press your video doorbell. Round here they deliberately don’t press the doorbell because then there would be evidence that they didn’t hang around to see if anyone was in. Ours just give the gentlest of knocks on the door before legging it back to the car,leaving the package on the doorstep.

We’ve got a new delivery driver i think, last few have been over the gate jobs, reality is i get the email so just nip out, if it gets nicked or isn’t there then i’d be reporting the failure of delivery, bar that, i try and avoid having to speak to online places these days!

We had 2 parcels left on the front door step at the start of this week.

In the rain.

Despite the designated place to put them is a nice dry greenhouse, literally 5 ft to the side of the front door.

One of the deliveries was recorded as ‘delivered to recipient’ or something like that.

The other, no knock as I was in the house amd so was the dog who woofs whenever theres a knock.

They were books when they were ordered. Paper mache by the time we got them.

Reported, refunded.

You got the parcels, stop making a mountain out of a molehill.

I’d take this approach.. it’s happened to me a few times, once or twice…once was a £400 phone, lol! if I actually got the parcels I’d just swear and moan a bit and then move on with my life.

If one went missing/got stolen/rain damaged from the doorstep, then I’d report it and get a refund. Driver takes thier own chances when they do that, IMO.

I’m quite happy for them to leave mine on the door step. Makes life easy.  Sometimes they leave them in the bike shed and other times in the back of the land rover.

When they take them away. That’s a pain in the hole.

Another annoying thing worh Amazon was a pack of new guitar strings.  Got them (not wet).  But they’re counterfeit. Look counterfeit when you have a ‘real’ packet to compare to.

And when they say ‘made in the USA’ on the printed packet, but the stuck-on label on the back says ‘made in China’, that’s another clue.  Lesson learned, will buy from a proper music shop in the future.

No, he had a mental health breakdown and had to quit.  But thanks for asking.

Thanks for  telling…….maybe the guy you report also has mental health issues. How do we know?

It never ceases to amaze me, the vitriol, judgement and general unpleasantness the simplest of questions can elicit on here.  Do people hover over their keyboards, constantly refreshing in case they miss the opportunity to demonstrate their moral superiority or tell someone else how shit their ethics are?

Yes.

Before you report anyone, it’s worth remembering that Amazon don’t actually give a flying ****!

I had a good mate who spent a couple of months delivering for Amazon last year. It’s a miserable way to make a living with absolutely insane schedules and very, very long hours. think you’re having a day off tomorrow even though you’ve done ten 12 hour days on the bounce? Not any more you’re not because we’re busy. We’ll let you know that via text at 8pm

You’re subcontracted out so you’re essentially self-employed at their beck and call literally 24/7. They will then fleece you at every turn due to the small print in the contracts which makes you liable for everything while they’re liable for nothing.

His attitude to it nowadays (now he’s got a much better job) is that people would be a lot more sympathetic to delivery drivers (not just Amazon) if they had appreciated the day-to-day realities of that particular job

Not aimed at anyone, just my thoughts on this.

I’m a hypocrite. I know Amazon is not a good employer but the convenience is a huge plus in my life at the moment due to, “reasons”.

So… when a driver does something a bit daft I’ll have a moan to myself and then just get on with other stuff.

This seems to be standard practice for all delivery firms since Covid.

We had 2 parcels left on the front door step at the start of this week.

My delivery pref is just dump in front garden if we’re not there. When it raining, they just zip tie it in a plastic bag, which really impressed me, I was expecting to come home to a soggy parcel…

I like it when couriers leave parcels. Means I don’t have to wait around at home for stuff.

It never ceases to amaze me, the vitriol, judgement and general unpleasantness the simplest of questions

The OP asked a question around the morals of his dealings with Amazon. It wasn’t a simple question. Look at the first line …

Today’s moral maze.

My reply was perfectly valid, if a little strongly worded.

Someone at Amazon has worked out the cost of replacing lost parcels is less than the cost of hanging around waiting for someone to answer the door.

high value stuff has a code the driver needs from you.

It wasn’t a simple question.

My reply was perfectly valid, if a little strongly worded.

OK.  I’m just not sure the perceived complexity of the question justifies the rudeness.  I think most people posting questions on here do so in good faith, even if the question might seem daft or the answer obvious to someone else. And as others have pointed out, we can all be a little hypocritical in our purchasing choices sometimes.

While I’m sure Amazon are pretty shit as an employer, much the same can be said of the majority of courier and multi-drop delivery companies – certainly when I found myself out of a job for a while I considered it for all of 30 seconds before deciding that I was way too old for that shit!
Fact is that many things I often want or need to buy are just not possible to get from local shops – the calci worms I buy for the birds and hedgehogs I would buy in plastic tubs from Wilco’s, but they don’t exist anymore, nobody else sells them locally, so Amazon it is, and I buy 5kg bags for around £20, which would have got me 2Kg in town.

dunno you decide

His attitude to it nowadays (now he’s got a much better job) is that people would be a lot more sympathetic to delivery drivers (not just Amazon) if they had appreciated the day-to-day realities of that particular job

Same as any other life experience.

Someone at Amazon has worked out the cost of replacing lost parcels is less than the cost of hanging around waiting for someone to answer the door.

Amazon replace ****-all – the retailer does.

In the US it’s completly standard, even from reputable delivery firms. Mind boggling.

Ive had an iPhone left on the doorstep.

This seems to be standard practice for all delivery firms since Covid.

Agree, I think that is when it noticeably changed for obvious reasons and never went back because it saves time for the person delivering.

We’ve a curtain twitching neighbour who clears up our drive should anything be accidentally deposited in her line of sight.  It’s not malicious. She’s just batshit. Even weeds aren’t safe.

Most couriers know now to leave parcels in one of the  store it out boxes. Amazon sometimes do, but they have such a turnover of staff it’s random. The main issue with them is they’re generally inexperienced drivers who end up getting stuck in the ditch opposite the drive when turning around.

it didnt stick to my wet gutters, i had to dry and clean them. worked for about a year,

I think it’s a good way to deliver. What if you’re in the shower or having a dump? Are they supposed to stand there and wait until you’ve finished, wiped and got ready to answer the door? Makes no difference if you’re stood with your hand on the front door handle or got one in the bay doors, you still get your parcel. And the driver gets to meet their (no doubt horrendous) delivery quota.

I thought it was weird, but cool when I was on my way out the other day, when the Amazon van drove up my road, so I turned back, knowing I had a delivery. I got out of my car, said “Number 10?” and he just handed them to me in the middle of the street.. I supposed I could’ve been anyone, but guessed the right door number lol

This week I had a fancy new camera that was supposed to be signed delivery left by my front gate (not even the doorstep!), in the rain. This was by DPD, and I complained this time. Had i not had a window open and heard the delivery driver doing the beepy thing it would probably have been swiped.

This…

I think it’s a good way to deliver. 

… does not jibe well with this….

… he just handed them to me in the middle of the street.. I supposed I could’ve been anyone… 

What they’re supposed to do if you’re in the shower or having a dump is look for a safe place, try a neighbour or take with them. Ours was supposed to get proof of delivery but did not, even though that’s against their own terms, but refused to countenance a claim for non-delivery because the driver marked it down as delivered “near” the house.

I think it’s a good way to deliver.
… does not jibe well with this…

Yeah, er, if you have trouble – they are 2 different things. The first part was about the thread’s original theme (leaving a parcel on the doorstep). The second was an experience of how a parcel was delivered to me. It was a different scenario. Clearer for you now?

Was perfectly clear how facile the argurment was in the first place, thanks. 🙂