As the Holiday’s and Cyber Monday approaches, and the amount we spend online shopping increases, it is a good time to talk about package deliveries and the best practices for getting a package delivered to you safely. Did you know that 31% of people have claimed to have had a package stolen? This is according to the 2017 Shorr Package Theft Survey Report.
So how do you protect yourself from package theft? What are the best practices for your association? Here you will find 8 best practices. Hopefully, one or a combination of them will best suit you.
- Signature Confirmation – Don’t rush through the ordering process. Always make sure when ordering that you check the box that you want signature confirmation when available. This way the delivery service can’t just leave the package by your door or in your mail room. Someone needs to sign for the package so you will have more control over things if it does get lost.
Tracking – Make sure you get the tracking number when you order. Most online retailers will email you the tracking information when your order is ready to ship. You can get alerts through email or text to see where your package will be at all times. This can help you plan when you might want to be home to receive your package if that is an option.- Delivery Day – If possible, it is always nice to be home when your package arrives but not very realistic. If you can’t be home and are fortunate enough to have door staff you should alert them that something is coming and through the tracking, you will know when it was signed for by your door staff. If you do not have door staff and can’t be home you should try to network with neighbors to see if they could possibly keep an eye out for the delivery and take it in when it arrives.
4. Ship to locations or lockers – Many of the delivery companies have a local location where you can request for your item to be delivered and signed for and then you can stop by later after work to pick up the package. UPS and FedEx both have store locations and/or lockers. Amazon also has “ship to” locations with 24 hour pick up access. Currently, if you are an Amazon Prime member they have over 16 locker locations in the Chicagoland area. This is a great option and helps control the situation.
- Get to Know the Delivery People – It is nice to get to know your delivery drivers. It helps to know their schedule and their routine. You can then let them know your preference of where to leave your package. Most drivers have some discretion regarding deliveries, so if something seems off at your place, they can choose to leave you a notice about an attempted delivery instead of leaving your valuables at risk.
6. Ship to work – If possible, you can ship items to your workplace.
7. Townhome Option – If you are in a townhome and you order from Amazon you could try their In-Home Delivery. This does require extra hardware. Included below is a description from Amazon about their “Amazon Key”.
Amazon Key allows you to have packages securely delivered inside your home.
On delivery day, you will receive a notification in the morning with a 4-hour delivery window for when the delivery driver will arrive at your home. Right before the driver arrives you will receive an “Arriving Now” notification and can optionally watch the delivery happening live. The driver will knock first, then request to unlock customer’s door via their Amazon handheld scanner. Amazon verifies that the package(s) belong to the address and the driver is near the door, turns on Cloud Cam and unlocks your door. No special codes or keys are given to the driver. The driver will then place the package(s) just inside your door and request to lock the door.
- Security Cameras – When you have a common mail area and you don’t request signature confirmation the drivers can just leave your package in a common mail area. Many associations over the past few years have installed security cameras to watch the package deliveries. The cameras are usually accessible for online viewing and the recordings get saved to a DVR. This does add a layer of protection and deterrence but in the end, if someone takes the package you will now have a video of who took it with little you can do about it. You can request a copy of the video from your Property Manager and go to the police but you still don’t have your package. So security cameras are nice but the items above are better options for getting your packages delivered.
We hope these tips have been helpful and make your online shopping experience a better one.
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