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Amazon investigates smart license plates & doorbells to provide more delivery options

Dougald

Member
Seems a bit unnecessary, for those in super remote locations they can surely just leave parcels in a "safe place" as they do already, and for those in more densely populated areas Amazon Lockers works perfectly well. In the UK Amazon along with most couriers will also deliver to local shops too, do they do this in the US?

I always get my packages delivered to a locker/pickup shop even though I generally work from home anyway. It's much more convenient than waiting in all day for something and inevitably missing the courier if I go to walk the dog or have an emergency at work
 
I'd allow it but I'd first set up a camera or two to ensure that if I spot the delivery person going past the entryway they would be reported (most likely). I suppose maybe have a camera that faces the bathroom entryway because if they do come in to drop a turd I'd prefer to know. If I couldn't tell after they leave then no real harm, but if they plug things up or don't flush? There'll be a reckoning.

If I had a family or something I imagine I'd feel differently but I'm just a single dude. I'm not particularly worried.
 

Geist-

Member
Wait until you find out how easy it is the "hack" your analog door lock. But just the same way it's good enough because the average person is not a trained lockpicker.
The difference is someone in your immediate vicinity needs both skill and a willingness to work on opening a door while exposed to the world, increasing the risk of someone catching them, while a internet lock is exposed to every asshole on the internet who wants to cause a little mayhem by unlocking doors and letting the most common home intruders (guys who go door to door until they find one unlocked) take all your stuff.

Smart locks exist now that allow exactly this.

Tesla's unlock via phone app.

‘‘Tis the future
I'll wait until we get quantum encryption before I start replacing my locks.
 

CDX

Member
At the same time, Amazon is developing a smart doorbell device that would give delivery drivers one-time access to a person's home to drop off items,

Yes I'm all for it. This would be extremely useful for anyone that has a vestibule or hallway type area with two sets of doors on their house entrance.

Just make sure you also have a proper lock for the inside door, so nobody can actually enter your entire house.
 

Ri'Orius

Member
I had a cleaning service for a while. It was kind of weird knowing that someone I'd never met in person was coming into my apartment once a month, but it turned out fine.

Sometimes I wonder how well my dog got along with whoever it was, though. Did she get pets and cuddles like she demands from people we pass on our walks? Did she come to associate the cleaning person with the vacuum cleaner and thus run and hide whenever they arrived?
 

Acorn

Member
Yeah, no thanks. I'm not inviting strangers into my home, how bout we use drop off boxes.

Not disruptive enough?
 
It's going to make sense for some people who regularly get large items delivered and work 9 to 5. Taking a morning off to wait for a delivery doesn't make sense for everyone.

My worry about security wouldn't be the delivery guy stealing stuff on the spot, It would be them seeing inside the house. All sorts of workers get in houses anyway, but the delivery business isn't that stable these days, it isn't necessarily a guy with ten years on the job and a good pension that would be doing this.
 
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This x ∞

Fuck off Amazon. You're already balls-deep in more than enough homes.
 
Aren't they better of just making deals with local shops? We deliver the package there, you are open until 10 PM anyway so they can pick it up.

Also, I'd be worried with this about the first delivery guy getting shot in the face by some dude who didn't hear the doorbell.
 

Ionic

Member
Maybe if you had delivery people with body cams with me being able to watch the delivery after the fact if I think something odd went down. But that seems like a lot of work for a little covenience and peace of mind.

Edit: Come to think of it if I was an Amazon delivery person I'd be freaked out about getting accused of something I didn't do during one of my in house deliveries.
 

executor

Member
Isn't it easier to realtime track the delivery people (they already has gps devices) and alert you when they're near your house and are delivering the package ? And maybe add this to a delivery receive service where you can buy someone time to receive the package for you and then organize how you get it ?
The technology is here to do all that kind of things... But opening the door (or the car) to someone unknown do not seems a suitable solution for the problem.. It's a matter of trust....
 

Nipo

Member
If only there was a solution to this problem...

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Sadly, our technology is not advance enough. One could dream though, one could dream...

Would have to be a lot bigger. We've bought a couch, tv, full dining room set, bed, etc off amazon. Then there are the days we order 7 little things that for some reason come in 6 different boxes.
 

Ghost

Chili Con Carnage!
Could definitely work for some people who have a porch or some secure area in their house that's separated from the rest somehow.

Obviously not for every house though, I'm sure even Amazon wouldn't pitch this thing as 'hey just let a delivery guy into your house'.
 
This sounds like the type of thing that would invalidate your home or car insurance?

You've never had people house-sit or pet-sit for you while you were away?
If anything that's probably legally more risky, since generally no company vets house or pet sitters.
 

Raptomex

Member
What is wrong with the current system? Leave it on the porch, in the mailbox, somewhere outside my home. Amazon needs to calm down.
 

Apt101

Member
I just wish they'd build larger Amazon Lockers (my preferred method, as one is extremely close to work and where I do a lot of shopping). It's a crapshot what the fuck will fit in one. It's super convenient, I can choose when I want to pick my package up, day or night, and not have to worry about being home or someone stealing it.
 

artsi

Member
Well maintenance guys in my apartment building already go and fix stuff while I'm away, I would not mind a delivery guy.

If they stole anything Amazon would know who was there anyway.
 

MrT

Member
You've never had people house-sit or pet-sit for you while you were away?
If anything that's probably legally more risky, since generally no company vets house or pet sitters.
I get what you mean and I have, but I made sure they hold disclosure certificates and their own insurance (as well as references). I can't imagine every Amazon driver having them lol. Just seems like insurance companies are always looking for an "out", like people posting about their holidays on social media, and having a special doorbell or licence plate to give a delivery driver access would be a great one for them to use too :/
 

soqquatto

Member
Well maintenance guys in my apartment building already go and fix stuff while I'm away, I would not mind a delivery guy.

If they stole anything Amazon would know who was there anyway.

I can't believe you can be so naive. first, a lot of people committing crimes are not thinking forward, so, maybe someone enters, steals your stuff, sells it and then get caught because he's dumb. the item has been sold and good luck retrieving it. or he steals your stuff, then quits the job, and runs away with your only photo of you with your granma. it can be something you can't replace easily or something that cannot be repaid in full. different case, that stupid delivery guy enters and kills your pet, because he's also mean. but I guess you can have it refunded? or he destroys your TV, because he's also clumsy, or malicious. or takes your other mail. or gets information on you and steal your identity, or hides cameras in your bathroom (thanks for your suggestion, previous gaffer). I don't know, giving an unknown person access to your home while you're not there is always stupid, unless you're 100% sure he's honest or you're sure you can fix anything that happens.
 

Krakatoa

Member
If they stopped using their own Amazon logistic drivers then their shit might get delivered. I had zero issue with Amazon deliveries when they used UPS/USPS. The moment they started using private couriers it went to hell.
 
I've always wondered why picking up packages at the Post Office hasn't become more of a thing.

The biggest caveat of a PO box is that carriers other than the USPS can't deliver to them. I maintained a PO box for many years but it saw limited use due to that. I let the PO box go early this year.

Some UPS stores provide a similar service without this caveat, but operating hours and cost varies by the store providing the service.
 
The biggest caveat of a PO box is that carriers other than the USPS can't deliver to them. I maintained a PO box for many years but it saw limited use due to that. I let the PO box go early this year.

Some UPS stores provide a similar service without this caveat, but operating hours and cost varies by the store providing the service.

A postal worker told me that you can have any carrier deliver a package to a PO Box. You just needed to use the address of the post office that your PO Box is located at.
 
I prefer getting my boxes the old fashion way.

You need to rehost your images. They aren't loading.

A postal worker told me that you can have any carrier deliver a package to a PO Box. You just needed to use the address of the post office that your PO Box is located at.

Hm, I've never been told this. I didn't think postal regulations allowed for this sort of thing either. It's moot now for me anyway, since I moved away from the post office I had been using.
 

Kthulhu

Member
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Why would I want a delivery person in my house? Sounds like a horrible idea and a solution in search of a problem.

The way it is now is just fine, thank you. If something large and expensive is coming I'll schedule a delivery window or make sure I'm around.

Yup.

I'm not letting a stranger in my home or giving them access to my car.
 
I'd probably be willing to try the trunk thing if I didn't have a Hatchback (trunk opens in to rest of the car rather than being enclosed). Definitely not interested in delivery folks having access to the house. If only because I'm paranoid enough about me remembering to lock the door. I don't want to worry about someone else doing it as well. Plus my dog has free roam of the house during the day. Yeah. I dunno dudes. Doesn't seem ideal. At least not for me.
 
I'd probably be willing to try the trunk thing if I didn't have a Hatchback (trunk opens in to rest of the car rather than being enclosed). Definitely not interested in delivery folks having access to the house. If only because I'm paranoid enough about me remembering to lock the door. I don't want to worry about someone else doing it as well. Plus my dog has free roam of the house during the day. Yeah. I dunno dudes. Doesn't seem ideal. At least not for me.
Even a lot of non-hatchbacks being sold these days have folding rear seats that allow access from the trunk.

And even then, my car uses remote entry; the key being in proximity of the car alone allows trunk access, so if I were to leave my keys locked in the license plate, anyone could open my trunk even without unlocking the access box first.
 

Kthulhu

Member
The only way I can see someone wanting them to come into my house is if I'm disabled or a dependent elderly person. Otherwise, not something a lot of people will want.
 

Hilbert

Deep into his 30th decade
How often are you not present, but your car is? If my car is at home, so am I. If my car is at my work, so am I. This car trunk thing seems to have limited usefulness.
 
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