Amazon start new game find your parcel

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Who doesn’t love a good game around Christmas time? Amazon have just started one called ‘Find your parcel’ Piloting in Wales & Guisborough… and it could be coming to you next!

Around this time 10 years ago Chris was shocked to find out his parcel almost took a ride to the dump courtesy of Royal Mail, it’s still happening but this time Amazon are to blame. On two occasions this December Amazon delivery drivers became creative with their parcel drop-off locations including inside a bin and on top of a car port roof.

Unlike Chris, Helen’s parcel did unfortunately end up at the dump thanks to the kind neighbours who put her bin out. Appalled Helen couldn’t understand why they didn’t simply leave the parcel with a neighbour or in a more practical location. The amazon delivery card left at her property read ‘Brown lid bin @ back to keep dry’ with a small innocent looking smiley face scribbled below.

When David Smith returned home, he found that his parcel had been left on the roof of his car port either by the delivery driver who threw it up there or Spider-man deciding to give parcel delivery a go. Thankfully the item was not breakable and they managed to get it down with the help of a trusty broom. Despite their concern over how parcel delivery is dealt with both David and his partner found the situation laughable.

It’s possible that parcel delivery drivers need to be more careful about where they leave packages or the companies involved need to ensure the correct protocol is followed. If customers leave clear instruction as to where they want their parcels left there is really no excuse. I mean come on… nowhere on Amazon’s add delivery instruction page does it mention putting parcels inside wheelie bins… only behind them…

To conclude, despite Amazon’s amazing attempts at their own new game, yodel are currently in the lead with a parcel down the bog.

37 Responses

  1. Gosh, a Hermes delivery copycat.
    Not funny when you are the sender, which is why we don’t use low priced couriers.
    Last week I received a Holland & Barrett delivery from Hermes left in the pouring rain behind a bin in open view. Contents cost me £000’s.
    Why?

  2. Talking to my couriers they are given so many parcels to do in a day that they simply don’t care. Once one of my guys had over 200 drops! Don’t blame them sometimes… The wife did a week with yodel, talk about an eye opener!

  3. You know who is really to blame, it’s the people that order them. The oblivious customers.

    “Oh, please send to my home address, which might be incomplete or inaccurate. No one will be in to take the parcel, but I will still be angry it wasn’t delivered that day, as I really needed it urgently (despite selecting the free slowest delivery) and in my mind, estimated delivery date equals guaranteed delivered by. I will also be angry if I have to collect it from the local depot or re-arrange delivery. Can’t you do that for me? And anyway, why didn’t they leave it with a neighbour? I’m sure if they knocked on enough doors, someone would have answered and taken it in.”

    If your home is regularly empty during the day, have it sent to work. And if your work won’t let you do that, have it sent to a collection point, locker, or a friend. It’s not rocket science.

  4. many moons ago i delivered for a company called white arrow.
    The systems in place force drivers to take a gamble.

    I had an item in the usual poly bags unfortunately just too big for a letterbox even when punctured to let the air out. (usual practice). So it went round the back and found a small upper window open for the bathroom i lifted it up and dropped it in.

    On the Monday i went into work only to be called in the office.
    The bungalow was for a disabled lady and the parcel had dropped into the sink but had hooked on the lever control she had for her taps.
    The parcel went round and round in the sink but it blocked the plug and the overflow so he water was overflowing all weekend till she returned home on the Sunday evening to find a flood.

    Oops trying to ensure prompt delivery often goes wrong.

  5. Gav does have it spot on, just think about what you expect the courier to do with 150-200 drops a day, don’t be inconsiderate, make a safe place if you’re not going to be in. Currently Amazon drivers get penalised for leaving with neighbours (called phr score) too

  6. I’ve had parcels not delivered but it says on my Amazon account that they were handed to the resident. After checking cctv of the sheltered accomodation that I live in I discovered that the driver had not even attempted to gain access to the building. He came back later that day and at first denied ever having a parcel for me but then miraculously found it in his van. This was all done using a translator on his phone as he could neither speak or understand English.

  7. We have customers that put delivery instructions in the address, like: Leave behind bin.

    We remove any instructions like that and as explained to one customer who was very angry, should it rain then they may not be happy, should something go wrong then they will blame us.

    In fact, unless the customer gets the order in good condition it will be our fault.

    All delivery instructions are removed.

  8. Well it’s NOT always the buyers fault. It can well be down to the seller and the courier. My most recent experience of delivery is a catalogue of disasters. The (Amazon) Seller transferred my address onto my purchase, an expensive large room sized rug, with only the flat number and the name of the town. The courier then tried to deliver but could not find the property and marked the item “delivered” even though it had not been.
    As I’m housebound and had received 20 small parcels that week, I could show I’d been in and there is nowhere to leave such a large item without it being obvious!
    After a few calls to the courier company, the incomplete address was finally acknowledged. The driver had not been able to deliver and had changed the status to “return to the sender. ” All very inconvenient as the second status was not showing on the tracking so the seller thought I was a scammer. It has now been acknowledged but I’m still waiting for the promised refund. A frustrating few weeks.

  9. I think hermes drivers do their best I personally know a driver who will try his best to deliver the parcel but unfortunately the people who order the parcels should make arrangements to be in or direct it to where someone will he in to get it so no it not always driver fault put a phone number or email on order u will get notified of delivery and time slot so no excuse for not being in stop moaning if u order stuff and cant be bothered to be in for delivery simple

  10. I used to deliver for Amazon. I had a parcel going into a block of flats, with the addressee living at #38. The addressee left instructions to leave the parcel at #42. The lady at 42 was quite pissed off at the fact that #38 had taken the liberty of leaving these instructions unbeknown to her, so refused the parcel. Guess who got it in the neck for “non-delivery”?

    Mind you, Amazon quite often shot themselves in the foot. They provide an estimated date, but the parcel will often arrive at the delivery station a couple of days ahead of the estimate. They then email the customer the day it goes out for delivery, but you will only be notified that it’s on it’s way once the courier scans the parcel, and swipes to complete his manifest. The customer is often at work, and it is probably frowned upon by their employer to deal with personal emails on company time, hence the driver does not get updated with any new delivery instructions. This is when the driver uses their own initiative to complete the delivery, by lobbing it through an open window, leave inside a bin when it’s raining, etc. Amazon also dont facilitate putting in special delivery instructions at the point of order – you can only do that once it’s out on the road. Therein lies the problem!

  11. I am a delivery driver for a company who delivers amazon. At this time of year we are overloaded and overtired hours of working from 08:00 – 22:00. Between 150 – 250 drops a day. I am unable to take a lunch break because of customers believe we don’t need one. What would you customer’s do if us drivers went on strike.

  12. 95% of the time customers are to blame for ordering items for delivery when they know they are not going to be at home. Stop looking for blame when you are at fault.

  13. That’s why I love using parcel lockers. Problem solved. And from environment point of view it’s also better to deliver 100 parcels to one parcel locker than to drive around the town and deal with all this nonsense.

  14. I shop regularly on Amazon and only order when I know I will be in to receive parcels. In spite of that if Hermes deliver then they frequently lie and say they attempted to deliver when they blatantly didnt. I’ve complained to Amazon many times but all they do is compensate me with a £5 gift token. Whilst i do not condone Hermes behaviour i know they are under alot of pressure for very low pay. Amazon are to blame for offering next day delivery using a third rate service. It’s not like they are short of money!

  15. We’ve all witnessed couriers hurtling dangerously along (often in a diesel vehicle), whilst looking at their smartphones, banging on doors in a desperate attempt to offload a parcel, or just leaving a parcel in the rain. This is what happens when they get paid a pittance, and only when they do offload a parcel. But with so many issues such as road safety, pollution, and the long term health problems associated with driving long hours, this situation simply has to be resolved.

    At least in urban areas, lockers are the key, preferably serviced using electric delivery vehicles, and preferably numerous enough to be within walking distance of buyers, to avoid a delivery spawning yet another short trip by car to collect the parcel.

    And we absolutely have to get to grips with ending (maybe even making it illegal) the incredibly dangerous arrangement where drivers are paid per drop, which inevitably means that drivers are paid more for driving ever faster. Drivers should be hourly paid, to ensure they drive sensibly. And they should be paid sufficiently well that they can make a reasonably wage without driving for ridiculously long periods.

    And of course, if we do embrace lockers, then it’s reasonable to expect shipping costs to be reduced over the longer term, which must be good for everyone reading this post.

  16. Hi, I work for Royal Mail. My delivery is in the centre of my town. Most days I complete my round 100%. The reason this happens is 33 years experience. My customers know me by name and I know all of them, where they work, who their favourite neighbour is and where they like their parcels left. If you choose Amazon logistics or Yodel or Hermes, these people do not have my experience and can’t possibly do the same job as well as me. But the Great British public didn’t want to protect that knowledge, no you let the Government sell all that knowledge and now, Royal Mail as a private company is heading the same way as all the rest. No training and aggressive confrontational managers are stripping the company down for profit in place of service. You’ll get what you pay for!

  17. @Tyler.
    Just a further point about locker useage.
    I’ve noticed, a several times on Amazon recently, that a message comes up telling me that my nearest set of lockers are full, and then asking me to select another set of lockers further afield.
    So I suspect that demand for locker deliveries may well be exceeding the number of lockers available.
    My local Argos now has a specific counter just for Ebay purchases, and always seems busy whenever I’m in there.
    And there are three companies who’ve recently set up shop near where I live, who offer a “virtual mailbox” service, where parcels can be delivered and then collected at a convenient time.
    So I suspect the demand for some sort of parcel pick-up service is growing fast.

  18. @steve
    The great british public dont care as long
    As the jobs done

    Much like you will have no real idea or really care much how your electricity is delivered as long as its at the best price possible

  19. I thought using an Amazon Locker would solve this issue !

    But NO …

    They forgot to tell the seasonal drivers where the locker is !
    Checked with the rep .. and there is space in the locker to drop my parcel . And its exactly in the location Amazon say it is … BUT Amazon logistics couldnt find it .

    Maybe they should paint them bright orange so that they are easier to find …

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