Amazon driver opened my front door without permission (it's on camera) - can I claim compensation?

titaniumapple

400ixl said:

Nice, pile in and make a long time member but low poster want to never want to post again.

Mainly high posters too.

Thanks but the mob won't put me off.

Going into someone's house without permission is called Trespass - a crime.

The job of a delivery driver is to deliver a parcel to the front door, not open the front door (for clarification, there isn't a porch).

Whether my door is locked or unlocked is completely irrelevant - if someone does something illegal, it's still illegal whether there was security or not.

If I had given that particular delivery driver permission previously 'oh yeah, sure, just open the front door and pop it on the floor' there wouldn't be a problem. I didn't, so it's problem. I didn't give them permission and they did it anyway.

Pollycat

TELLIT01 said:

OK.  Working on the assumption the question isn't a joke - no compensation due as the delivery person hasn't done anything illegal.  They were trying their best to get a package delivered.  I accept they shouldn't have opened the door, but maybe they thought they heard somebody in the house calling.

As concerning though is the OP leaving a door unlocked.  Maybe it shouldn't be necessary to lock doors all the time, but the reality is that not doing so leaves the occupant at risk and may invalidate insurance if somebody enters the property and either steals items or vandalises the place.  Most insurers require evidence of forced entry before they will consider paying out for theft.

I was having a conversation with a near neighbour.
She told me that a couple not too far away had someone walk into their house and take a laptop and handbag - containing cash, cards and phone - from the kitvhen table.

She admitted they don't lock their doors when they are in.
I said we always do.
Good point about invalidation of insurance.

It would have been helpful if the OP had said if they'd said anything to the delivery driver and how the dialogue went.
Or if the delivery driver had just opened the door and left the parcel for the OP to find.

Jonboy_1984

Personally I was delighted that one of our regular delivery drivers opened the door and left a parcel just inside and out of the rain earlier this week.

A couple of others have a habit of leaving them under the leaking car-port at the bottom of the garden without even trying to see if I am in.

elsien

titaniumapple said:

400ixl said:

Nice, pile in and make a long time member but low poster want to never want to post again.

Mainly high posters too.

Thanks but the mob won't put me off.

Going into someone's house without permission is called Trespass - a crime.

The job of a delivery driver is to deliver a parcel to the front door, not open the front door (for clarification, there isn't a porch).

Whether my door is locked or unlocked is completely irrelevant - if someone does something illegal, it's still illegal whether there was security or not.

If I had given that particular delivery driver permission previously 'oh yeah, sure, just open the front door and pop it on the floor' there wouldn't be a problem. I didn't, so it's problem. I didn't give them permission and they did it anyway.

Not the full picture - trespass is not automatically a criminal offence.
Trespass and Nuisance on Land | The Crown Prosecution Service (cps.gov.uk)

But you've not reported it as a crime. If you did it wouldn't go anywhere. And you specifically asked about compensation so as a starting point who do you think should be compensating you, what for and what material loss have you suffered in order to quantify the amount? 

I do understand why you are annoyed. I would be too. But I'd be making a complaint about the driver to amazon rather than looking to see what I could get out of it. That may not be your intention but that is how your initial post came across. 

Mnoee

titaniumapple said:

400ixl said:

Nice, pile in and make a long time member but low poster want to never want to post again.

Mainly high posters too.

Going into someone's house without permission is called Trespass - a crime.

... 

Whether my door is locked or unlocked is completely irrelevant - if someone does something illegal, it's still illegal whether there was security or not.

Trespass is almost always civil matter, not a crime. It's not a crime to open your front door any more than it is open the gate and walk down the path to it. You own that too. Nothing illegal has happened. 

molerat

If you think a crime has been committed call the police.  They can then send someone round to give you a bit of home security advice. They won't take your "crime" seriously though !

MattMattMattUK

titaniumapple said:

400ixl said:

Nice, pile in and make a long time member but low poster want to never want to post again.

Mainly high posters too.

Thanks but the mob won't put me off.

Going into someone's house without permission is called Trespass - a crime.

Actually it is not a civil tort, not a crime, it is only a crime in specific circumstances and I doubt your home is a school or railway line. Tresspass also requires "unjustifiable interference with land which is in the immediate and exclusive possession of another", it would be very hard to argue that a delivery driver opening a door would be classed as trespass on that basis. 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trespass_in_English_law#Trespass_to_land

titaniumapple said:

The job of a delivery driver is to deliver a parcel to the front door, not open the front door (for clarification, there isn't a porch).

That depends on the delivery driver, some are contracted to deliver to the kerb only, others to the door, others to inside a premises, others to a room etc.

titaniumapple said:

Whether my door is locked or unlocked is completely irrelevant - if someone does something illegal, it's still illegal whether there was security or not.

It is relevant, especially when you are accusing them of doing something illegal when what they did is not illegal. As an example breaking and entering is a different crime to property theft, if something is taken from your premises without your permission because you left the door open/unlocked then that would in theory be a lesser offence than if they had to break into the property/pick the lock etc. Also in the former you would not be insured, where in the latter you would.

titaniumapple said:

If I had given that particular delivery driver permission previously 'oh yeah, sure, just open the front door and pop it on the floor' there wouldn't be a problem. I didn't, so it's problem. I didn't give them permission and they did it anyway.

It might be your problem, but it is no one else's. The driver did not commit a crime, they did not do anything illegal, you might have deemed their actions impolite, but that is not a crime.

Finally, someone opened a door, on what planet could you possibly think that entitled you to compensation?

jon81uk

titaniumapple said:

400ixl said:

Nice, pile in and make a long time member but low poster want to never want to post again.

Mainly high posters too.

Thanks but the mob won't put me off.

Going into someone's house without permission is called Trespass - a crime.

The job of a delivery driver is to deliver a parcel to the front door, not open the front door (for clarification, there isn't a porch).

Whether my door is locked or unlocked is completely irrelevant - if someone does something illegal, it's still illegal whether there was security or not.

If I had given that particular delivery driver permission previously 'oh yeah, sure, just open the front door and pop it on the floor' there wouldn't be a problem. I didn't, so it's problem. I didn't give them permission and they did it anyway.

Trespass onto private land isn't a crime, its a civil matter not criminal.

What you've described isn't really trespass anyway, they've been invited onto your land to deliver a package, they would only really be trespassing after you tell them to leave.

Seems like it was purely an accident, they assumed it was a porch maybe, or accidentally pushed the handle. What did they say when you asked them why they opened the door?
No compensation is due unless there was actually damaged.
If you are that concerned then lock the door in future to prevent it being opened accidentally.