Amazon - Is there really any point in postage instructions?

JustAnotherSaver

Ordered an item Thursday, should've been delivered Friday.

After seeing it on the TV and because the house doesn't have a number & isn't really easy to find on the map just from the name/post code, I now put in what3words reference where I can which will land you literally at the front door.

Yesterday comes & the parcel is supposed to arrive 12:30-2:30. Gets to 2:15 & still nothing but the timeframe then has been extended to 4:30. I don't really have time to wait to I drive to the address to pick up other parcels. According to my Google timeline I left the address at 2:50.

My mother heads out of the house at 3:15 but by that point my sister has landed back.

As I get home I get an email notification saying attempted delivery at 2:57.

No you didn't!

Also to update the delivery instructions with anything that can help delivery.

Thing is, on the instructions, not only do I have the what3words reference, I also have other references to help identify the house too.

I've ordered a bit from Amazon lately and not on any of the parcels does it contain any delivery instructions.

So whether these instructions are loaded to some gizmo the driver has or not, I don't know. I would've expected them to be on the label attached to the parcel but maybe not. Would make more sense to me for that to be the case but you never know.

Still, even if they do have that covered & it is on some device they have, that doesn't get round the fact that no delivery was attempted at all because people were in by that point.

This happens way more than it should & usually if time is getting on (as in getting towards back end of the delivery day) then the frequency of this happening increase massively.

My assumption is that there's no option for the courier to tick the 'couldn't be bothered as I wanted to get home for tea' box so they just say they attempted delivery instead.

Olinda99

There are many delivery companies that use what3words...

https://what3words.com/meet-uk-companies-delivering

.. but Amazon is not one of them. So to answer your question - there is no point in putting w3w in the postage instructions (for Amazon)

Your options therefore are either to make your house more findable by delivery drivers or to stop using Amazon - but I know this is difficult!

JetpackVelociraptor

In answer to your title question - no. I've had many deliveries sent to my work address which is labelled as such alongside instructions NOT to leave parcels with neighbours and details of what days and times the building is open for deliveries. These have been routinely ignored and Amazon usually deliver whenever they please, and occasionally to the exact people I told them not to leave parcels with.

I wouldn't assume all companies use w3w, I know I don't.

JustAnotherSaver

JetpackVelociraptor said:

I wouldn't assume all companies use w3w, I know I don't.

I think i've mislead you there then.

As I never said I assumed they all do as I know they wont. For some people going beyond half of what the bare minimum is is considered 'effort' and "F that I can't be bothered with that" (yes I work with delivery drivers so I'm all too aware of the general delivery driver mentality - no they're not all the same but having worked with over 100 over the years, I have a good idea), even when 'that' isn't even much or any effort. They'll act like the simplest task is equal to being required to do two marathons back to back.

I just put it in there now as habit (not just for Amazon) in case anyone wants to think outside of the box and give a fraction of a damn about doing their job well (as well as the usual instruction with visual reference points for the address).

I fully expect 99% of them to ignore it. In fact it's probably more like between 99% & 100%. Though it's there for that small fraction that do want to be helpful.

Still, regardless of ALL that ... to say attempted delivery at 2:57 when I was there at 2:50 and people were at the address after that is just absolute nonsense.

I've even had it at my own home (which has a number & is easily findable by Google Maps) when I've been off work so had a delivery due here - "attempted delivery, left card, nobody in".

Oh really that's funny because I purposely didn't go out. I'd love to know which address you attempted delivery at and where this card you left is because it's certainly not this address.

JustAnotherSaver

Oh wow, awesome Amazon.

My brother messaged to say my parcels have been delivered but he hopes I have nothing fragile.

Why I ask (I do - some of the parcels are computer components including a hard drive).

Because they've just launched the parcels over the gate & they've landed on the (concrete) floor.

Now I know the nitpickers will say - maybe they couldn't unlock the gate so had no choice.

No, it's a rickety wooden gate held by the most basic of latches (as in a bit of wood nailed in to the post which you basically spin on the nail to lock/unlock). You can also see the house from the gate

Clearly a case of it's late afternoon & I want to get to the pub.

Wonder what condition they'll be in. We shall see.

Jaybee_16

It depends completely on the driver and their behaviour. I live in a rural area with no house number and no street name. 

One delivery when I wasn't in, the delivery driver put his hand through the side gate to unlatch it, walked around the back of my property and put the package in a plastic storage box. Locked the gate and left a card telling me what he'd done.

Two other occasions, package shown online as delivered when it wasn't. Go onto Amazon website and get a response telling me to wait a few days. I suspect I may have been the only delivery around here so driver marked it as delivered and kept the package in his van until he actually delivered it two days later.

Same company, different behaviours.

custardy

Thought this was the original thread.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6360805/amazon-ups-terrible#latest

Its the drive to the cheapest. People dont want to pay for postage and the gig economy is the answer.

custardy

JustAnotherSaver said:

Oh wow, awesome Amazon.

My brother messaged to say my parcels have been delivered but he hopes I have nothing fragile.

Why I ask (I do - some of the parcels are computer components including a hard drive).

Because they've just launched the parcels over the gate & they've landed on the (concrete) floor.

Now I know the nitpickers will say - maybe they couldn't unlock the gate so had no choice.

No, it's a rickety wooden gate held by the most basic of latches (as in a bit of wood nailed in to the post which you basically spin on the nail to lock/unlock). You can also see the house from the gate

Clearly a case of it's late afternoon & I want to get to the pub.

Wonder what condition they'll be in. We shall see.

You seem to think couriers are clocking off at 5pm.......

sheramber

 According to my Google timeline I left the address at 2:50.

My mother heads out of the house at 3:15 but by that point my sister has landed back.

As I get home I get an email notification saying attempted delivery at 2:57.

No you didn't!

How do you know he didn't try to deliver at 2.57 since you had already left?

Your mother didn't arrive until 3.15- a while after 2.57>

When did your sister arrive?

mksysb

Don't use what3words, just put you latitude and longitude in instead, that's universal. will work in any satnav and mapping apps.

https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2019/03/why-bother-with-what-three-words/

jon81uk

Drivers are expected to deliver one package every few minutes. They don’t have time to faff about with a proprietary app entering three words to try and find you.
What3Words is not a useful thing as it relies having their own app. 

If you get a lot of lost deliveries might be worth looking at better signage or getting a number instead of a name.