What do you do when you’re a busy mum, your dustbin is full over the Christmas period, your kitchen bin has the normal food waste, an apple core, McDonald’s wrappers in it and then your child decides to puke and the nearest receptacle is the bin? Well you probably don’t want it in your kitchen and with your dustbin overflowing you can’t empty it so in the heat of the moment you might just put your kitchen bin outside the door to deal with later.
That’s what happened to Devon mum Toni, but when her main bin was emptied and she went to deal with the putrified kitchen bin she discovered that an Amazon delivery driver had decided a bin with puke in it was a ‘safe place’ to deliver an Amazon parcel containing an Alexa Dot, continuing the Amazon find your parcel game that’s been running over Christmas.
What to do next? Toni got in touch with Amazon and they happily told her it was down to her to retrieve the parcel and return it at her own expense if she wanted a refund. Well, if you’re a mum you’ll know exactly how hopping mad Toni was by now. Hours on the phone to Amazon and she’s told to delve into a pukey bin to retrieve the parcel. It’s at times like this something snaps and Toni had had enough… there was only one thing to do!
Toni took out the entire bin liner containing food waste, Mcdonalds wrappers, rotting apple core and the Amazon parcel covered in child vomit, tied the top, wrapped the entire bin liner in cling film, popped it all in a box ready to ship it back to Amazon to let them deal with it. Why should she wipe puke off a parcel Amazon had put in the bin when she could return the entire contents of her bin and let Amazon deal with it?
Branding all Amazon delivery drivers as ‘disgusting animals’ (perhaps a little unfair, some are great), Toni cancelled all her Amazon accounts from prime to music and audible.
It’s perhaps unfair to blame just Amazon delivery drivers for putting parcels in bins… it has been going on for years by just about every courier out there. Bins are never a great “safe place” and if that’s the last resort then perhaps leaving the parcel out in the rain is actually preferable… or simply returning to attempt a redelivery the next day!
8 Responses
Why do people order products for delivery, without making provisions for a safe place or “leave with neighbour” arrangements, when they know they will not be at home?
@tyler Well I have to disagree with you on this one. It may not boil down to who is “responsible”, but more to the most convenient and environmentally sound.
All my deliveries are left at the first attempt, because I have got a secure box for the purpose, plus I have made reciprocal arrangements with a number of neighbours who are happy to take in larger parcels.
This works perfectly and it means that it reduces pollution from delivery vans making unnecessary second or third return journeys and I get my goods on time.
Amazon do make it very easy to specify a safe place. Their couriers very often ignore the instructions as do those from other companies. I don’t know of one was specified in this instance.
crazy lady all she had to do was say the item was damaged and they would not be able to charge her for the return either.
Play them at their game.
If Amazon refunded her would she just keep it in the bin? Bet she wouldn’t. Just a customer fishing for a freebie.