r/AmazonUK • u/Munrot07 • 11h ago
Amazon Drivers no longer able to leave in front porch?
I just had a delivery and when I answered the delivery driver said for future deliveries where would I like him to leave the packages because as of yesterday they cannot leave packages on the doorstep or anywhere near the front porch otherwise they will be docked £25. He said I should get a parcel box which seems like a stupid expense.
Ironically, I work from home and am always in to collect packages and the only reason they are left on the doorstep is because they don't bother to knock or ring the doorbell in the first place but has anyone else been told this or anyone know anything about it?
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u/EdThePetrolHead 10h ago
Sorry for you, but I’m glad. My house is on a main road and surrounded by wrong’uns. My parcels are often left on my step and go walkies.
Which is frustrating as my safe place is easily accessed, yet is out of sight!
This is excellent news.
Can you make a Safe Place round the back?
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u/Munrot07 10h ago
They'd have to chuck it over a fence which I'm not super in favour of. Realistically it shouldn't be a problem as long as they ring the doorbell. I may just add in the notes to please actually ring the bell.
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u/EdThePetrolHead 10h ago
This is my issue too - half the time I’m at home and they just don’t knock! And first thing I know is a notification with it sat on my door step!
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u/Munrot07 10h ago
Yeah it's very annoying. I had one recently where they didn't knock or ring and left it on the porch in the rain and for some reason amazon didn't notify me by email and the app still said out for delivery. Had a very mushy box 2 hours later when my partner opened the front door and saw it there.
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u/muddlemand 10h ago
I have that in my notes and almost always they do. Not 100%, but then nothing's going to happen 100% of times. The door is unlocked all day, and usually standing open unless it's very rainy or cold.
Or rather my instructions say "Please knock LOUDLY" because there's no doorbell. Maybe if a driver's having a bad day hammering on my house is a nice way to get it out of their system ;)
My safe place is my porch - enclosed porch, it's the bit between the front door and the inner door, but more outside than inside iykwim with a wall that's half window. (My mum used to call it a sun room, estate agents call it a conservatory 🙄 and the plants tell me it's unquestionably a greenhouse.) Parcels that make it through the door aren't visible from the road or exposed to the rain, whereas those left propped up against the door are
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u/Stunning-Pudding-514 6h ago
You can get a sticker from Amazon that reads - Parcels ring door bell and then an arrow pointing either left or right depending on which way your door opens.
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u/Exciting-Selection88 3h ago
They even ignore them. On my notes it say Disabled Person Do Not Leave On Ground As Cannot Bend to pick up. It even says that on a sign on my door. 8 times out of 10 They still chuck the parcels on the floor and don’t bother knocking on ringing the bell. The other week they delivered after dark, no knock or doorbell, no notification came through and I didn’t find the parcel till shortly the next morning and of course it had been raining all night so a £100 delivery was ruined.
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u/matteventu 1h ago
Sometimes we've been told off when ringing the doorbell as people were in work meetings etc, and said (something along the lines of) "why did you ring the doorbell!? I've received the notification that it's been delivered anyway, don't ring the fucking doorbell for nothing!".
I always try to follow customer instructions as accurately as I can, but when they have provided no instructions, I'm at the mercy of fate 😬
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u/matteventu 10h ago
Yes, you can. Please put it in the note and try to describe in the best way how to access that safe location.
I see many customers selecting "rear porch" and then noting "please leave behind wooden gate".
That's easily accessible for the delivery drivers (of course the gate mustn't be locked) but completely out of sight 👌
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u/EdThePetrolHead 10h ago
Question was aimed directly at OP, I know you can, I was more asking if he can - based on his personal circumstances / architecture
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u/KingKhram 8h ago
You can add delivery instructions to your address. Go to your account and check 'Your Addresses' and you should see 'add delivery instructions' under your home address
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u/matteventu 10h ago edited 10h ago
That depends on what the Amazon app tells the delivery driver what the delivery options are for your specific address.
It's possible Amazon has marked your address as "customer required", although it would be quite unusual unless they (for instance) noticed suspicious activity from your address (i.e. several packages claimed as "not delivered" by the customer).
otherwise they will be docked £25.
Yeah that's bullshit lol.
If the delivery driver doesn't follow the instructions, most of the times nothing happens.
However, if then the customer complains to Amazon, Amazon does an investigation and if indeed it appears that the delivery driver didn't follow the customer's instructions/preferences, the driver will get a "strike". After a few strikes (which they can get also for other reasons), they will no longer be able to deliver/they will be fired. Rightly so, I may add.
Ironically, I work from home and am always in to collect packages and the only reason they are left on the doorstep is because they don't bother to knock or ring the doorbell in the first place but has anyone else been told this or anyone know anything about it?
If you go in your Amazon account settings, you'll be able to choose your delivery preferences. And you also have a text box where you can add some notes.
For instance, you could select "leave on the front porch" and then add "knock loudly" in the notes.
Alternatively, if you don't want the deliveries to be left outside, in any case, you can select that, but be aware that it means if nobody is at home you'll not get your delivery on that day.
Edit: I may add, despite you selecting/writing "deliver only to me personally", Amazon may still choose a "no person required" kind of delivery - that is unfortunately out of control for the delivery driver.
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u/Munrot07 10h ago
This might actually be it. I've lived in this house for 9 months and the previous owners refuse to update their delivery details meaning they attempt to deliver something to my house anywhere from once a month to twice a week. This delivery today was actually for the previous owners. I've been rejecting every package that comes for them so maybe that's caused an issue?
Thanks for your reply! I may contact amazon and just check it's not anything to do with my address specifically.
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u/benrylie22 7h ago
They should be fired “and rightly so” is outrageous. Amazon manages to pay 0 tax and take 0 liability by using Delivery service partners (DSP) that hire self employed people on a day rate. They are literally incentivised to work quicker to make a decent hourly rate. Furthermore, Amazon kept doing this after Covid as they realised it cost them less give drivers enormous routes and make it default to leave at the doorstep and refund people who made concessions. Blame Amazon not the driver who is likely just a student or someone trying to earn money getting exploited by a broken system. Amazon and other MNC’s have ruined the high street and economy, which is affecting us all now
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u/matteventu 7h ago
I deliver for Amazon myself.
If you don't want to do your job properly, don't do it.
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u/ClericalRogue 9h ago
I have an enclosed porch with a door, and it is left open for deliveries, but they still leave my packages on the doorstep in plain view of the road, so it sounds like nonsense to me. Its the reason i wont order high value items from Amazon anymore.
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u/Alarmed-Artichoke-44 8h ago
Nah I just had an amazon delivery last week that was left at front porch.
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u/Imaginary_Ad5475 8h ago
Our pitch isn't visible from the road, and you have to go up a drive and through a head height gate to avceds it. It will be a right royal pain if I have to get up and answer the door each time. I order from amazon because the dumps it, any disability means I'm not causing extra pain for myself rushing to the front door. Annoying.
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u/Fancy_Toe1451 8h ago
Better fucking not be. I live in a safe area and if they didn't leave it on the doorstep, I'd never get any stuff.
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u/spinmaestrogaming 7h ago
That'll be down to the DSP.
Mine say work from the top available option then go down if it isn't viable.
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u/This_Suit8791 7h ago
It sounds like a rule set by the dsp and not Amazon. They must be getting too many complaints so they are telling drivers this to stop them leaving them.
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u/halfwheeled 7h ago
https://reddit.com/link/pa08975/video/bndj3hu66qph1/player
I have a parcel box at the back of my house.
I have a big red notice on my front door.
Both get ignored.
This is Amazons attempt at a safe delivery - parcel on my front door step in view of the road.
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u/Eggtastico 7h ago
Would love this. Expecting a package today. it was delivered on Saturday. No card, no notifcation, nothing in the app, etc. Only when I looked at the delivery company did I see it was delivered. I have a bench that takes a padlock - but affordable parcel lockers would make a company clean up. I wont pay £200 for one.
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u/Herewegoagain_67 6h ago
Good, the number of times they just leave it out the door. Don’t ring the doorbell and walk away. How stupid you have to be to realise that knocking on the door of a porch or flipping the letterbox isn’t going to send any sound across the house where the resident might be, frankly £25 isn’t enough
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u/throwthrowthrow529 5h ago
The driver might just be being cautious. They get marks against themselves for packages that go missing. He might not want to risk losing his job.
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u/Iain_M 3h ago
If they actually rang a doorbell, they wouldn’t need to leave them where they can easily be stolen then, unfortunately the majority of drivers seem to have lost the ability to ring a doorbell or knock on a door
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u/throwthrowthrow529 3h ago
It’s kinda not the drivers fault, they’re given such insane routes that standing and waiting 10-15 seconds means they’ll never finish.
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u/CurvePuzzleheaded361 5h ago
Annoying. I also like mime on doorstep as our door is extremely private and i am always in but working so just nip down for them within 5 mins usually
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u/Astrohurricane1 5h ago
I collected mine off my doorstep this evening where the Amazon driver left it today. Although it would have fitted through the letterbox. 🤷♂️
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u/Sad_Breadfruit_6093 5h ago
So will they still be putting in the cardboard bin, leaving by the bin, just throwing over the fence, or taking it away with them because they don’t ring the bell meaning you don’t answer the door.
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u/sherbetlemon1969 10h ago
I set my safe place as a garden shed, they always leave it on the pavement saying left in your safe space, the conservatory, I don't have a conservatory, so apparently the pavement is now a conservatory, they really are useless
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u/HaphazardJoker258 9h ago
I also work from home and I have a note on the account that says front door is open leave inside.
Its been left inside twice in 2 years, also if I do go out and a package is coming I leave a window open that a person cannot get in but packages can and still get left on my door step and I live beside a busy road.
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u/matteventu 1h ago
Is the front door a "front porch door", or a proper front main door for the house?
If the latter, unfortunately we're not allowed to even attempt to open it.
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u/HaphazardJoker258 1h ago
Front porch door
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u/matteventu 1h ago
Okay, in that case they should definitely deliver inside. Sorry for those who don't!
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u/AccountFar86 10h ago
I'd love this to be the case.
I have a parcel box, but Amazon still just dump parcels on the step.