Would it kill 'em to ring the doorbell?

AZ Jim

AZ Jim

R.I.P. With Us In Spirit Only
Location
SURPRISE, ARIZONA
I cannot go out and shop so I order many things online for delivery. Almost none of the delivery companies bother to ring the doorbell to alert me of a delivery. These days with the "porch pirates" so aggressive, leaving packages sitting on the porch is asking for theft. I check two or three times a day to see if there are deliveries on the porch. I received two boxes today. Why can't they bother to simply ring the bell?
 

Yes, very rarely will a UPS or FedEx guy ring my bell, either. The mail lady does ring my outside bell when she delivers a package too large for the mailbox; but she's unusually nice. She also leaves the package in a spot where it can't be seen from the street; That's probably why I've never had a package stolen. And I'll also check frequently.

I've worked for such companies & the focus is SPEED. They're pressured to get everything on the truck delivered, or they're "written up" for being too slow. And, to ensure that they're getting efficiency out of their employees, they intentionally overload the truck with more than can possibly be delivered.

UPS & FedEx can also deliver your stuff to a dropoff location, but, of course, that may not be convenient for you, depending on how difficult is to get around.
 
By me, sometimes they ring the bell and sometimes they don't. Recently I was waiting for a package and the dog was in the house, the bell never rang. I checked it when I saw the package on my front step, and checked the bell to see if it was working, it was. So far there hasn't been very many porch pirates around, at least not on my block.
 

They don't ring the bell here either. I had a bad experience several years ago. I had ordered a ceramic piggy bank as a gift for my little Grandson. The same day that it was delivered I was cleaning up my garage after having a garage sale the day before. I had several empty boxes that I wanted to save and I put one inside the other,closed them up, and was throwing them down my cellar steps to deal with storing them later on.

I left the garage door open and took a break for lunch and the delivery man came and plopped the package down right in the middle of the next set of boxes I had ready to throw down the stairs.

I went back out to the garage and as I picked up one of the boxes I noticed that the package rattled. I opened it to find the piggy bank. If It hadn't rattled I would have tossed it down the steps and I'm sure it would have shattered in a million pieces.

The bell and the inside door was right near the package. All he had to do was ring the bell or knock on the door.
 
Maybe you could make or have made a sign asking to ring bell when delivering anything, There are a number of front door security cameras on the market.
A plus ( and sometimes a minus) about apartment life here is USPS, UPS & FEDEX all deliver to apt office usually without attempting delivery. Our cluster mailboxes are there so I have to go up at least a couple times a week & can bring home anything but the really big stuff by hanging a tote bag on my Walker, & tip maintenance to bring me anything too heavy or bulky. Win 231 is right, on the shipping end it's all about speed & volume.
 
They don't care what notices you put up. Some are only marginally literate. They stopped ringing my doorbell about ten years ago. One guy puts the boxes on a front chair, where they are plainly seen from the street. He is only a sub, so I do not want to move my chair, as I like to sit in it, at times. If a package gets swiped, I'm OK with it. I just let the supplier know, and a new one is delivered, quickly. Never had a big hassle with that, thankfully.
 
Is this an area where things are more efficient in Britain? I don't have a car so I buy lots on the internet and have never had a problem with deliveries. Some carriers are better than others and give you a time slot, the Post office take things back to the depot if you're not in. As for groceries, they bring them inside, they are never left on the doorstep.
 
Never been a problem -sometimes they knock or ring the bell - sometimes not. Never had anything stolen but we live on the outskirts of town on a main road. Rarely see foot traffic or cars stopping or parking.
 
Like many of you, over the past year or so delivery people would sometimes ring my bell, sometimes not. For the past several months when expecting a package I put a sign on my front door requesting that the delivery person please ring the bell. 100% effective so far. If I happen to get to the door fast enough to catch the eye of the person, I always wave and thank them for alerting me.
 
I live in a Senior apartment complex where they still deliver to your door .. that is UPS and FedEx do. UPS usually just drops boxes at the door w/o knocking, but the FedEx guy knocks and stands there until I open the door!! ... That surprises me.

USPS has a mailroom where all mail goes into our cluster boxes and they have several large parcel lockers too. If you have a package they put the key for the locker in your mailbox. If packages are too large, they go to the office until you pick up.

My beef is with the delivery people that work for Amazon these days. It's a guessing game as to where a package is, and when it is delivered.
I finally set up an app on my phone for notifications by text when they deliver. It helps some, but I still have to find it!
 
Like Win123 said, it's all about speed, especially Amazon. They promise 2 day delivery or, next day for a charge. We are used to speedy deliveries now and won't wait. The delivery services are under a lot of pressure to fulfill that delivery window, regardless of weather and traffic conditions.

Heaven forbid, a deliverer should ring a bell and a person opens and starts yakking.
 
Bonnie said:

I finally set up an app on my phone for notifications by text when they deliver. !
Click to expand...

THAT...is the thing to do these days

Nobody comes to our neck-o-the-woods, but we do have USPS notifications via email as to what has been delivered to our post office in town
 
Jim, I installed the Blink outdoor security camera system at all entry points of my house. It's a wireless system and the cameras activate upon motion. It's easy to set up and synchs with your smartphone to alert you when the cameras are activated and it will take 15 second videos continuously as long as motion exists within the cameras range. The videos can be stored for up to a month on the cloud at no charge. The new cameras have a 2-way audio system as well. You can get a one camera starter set for $99 on Amazon and purchase add on's as you need them or they offer multiple sets (2, 3 or 4 cameras) for different prices. It's well worth the price in my opinion. This system will notify you when packages are dropped off and also video any suspicious activity if needed. I like to use it when someone rings my bell and I want to see who it is before I answer the door. Just pick up my cell phone and cue up the live feed to see who's at the door.

Here's a link to the new starter set with 2 way audio for $99 on Amazon (looks like it won't be available until 5/22 but you can pre-order now if you want): https://www.amazon.com/All-new-Blink-Outdoor-Security-included/dp/B07MMZ2LTB/ref=dp_ob_title_def
 
RadishRose said:
Like Win123 said, it's all about speed, especially Amazon. They promise 2 day delivery or, next day for a charge. We are used to speedy deliveries now and won't wait. The delivery services are under a lot of pressure to fulfill that delivery window, regardless of weather and traffic conditions.

Heaven forbid, a deliverer should ring a bell and a person opens and starts yakking.
Click to expand...
The new Prime Delivery Service has rung the bell and Alexa also notifies us on Amazon orders..
 
I find more and more despite a stated delivery date ..so you can ensure your home or arrange a neighbour to accept your delivery..that the date isn't adhered to...usually days before.

for example yesterday morning I had a text and an email saying my delivery would be here on Friday the 15th ...I'd just read the text , and 10 minutes later there was a knock on the door with the delivery!!

now if we're out, they'll generally ask a neighbour , and if they can't take it, then it goes back into the system, and we have to arrange another date online !

What's the point of people arranging to have time off work, or staying home for a delivery if they don't stick by that delivery date!!
 
I get too many deliveries to bother a neighbor with. I feel better off taking the slim chance of porch theft if I am not home (a rare event for me these days).
 
Oh we get a lot of deliveries too Jim, and fortunately now I'm retired I'm home , and some companies will let you state a place to leave the parcel if you're not home..like the back porch or the garage , but not all..and they won't leave it on the doorstep thank goodness, so unfortunately if they deliver on a different day to the day they've stated and there's no instruction for them to leave it somewhere on our property they will knock neighbours' doors.. Fortunately I have trustworthy neighbours but many people don't.. and millions of £££'s of stuff goes ''missing'' every year in the western word... !!
 
They always ring the bell and run for their truck, lol.
 

You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top