Parcel just left on doorstep.

elsien

It comes down to in most cases that drivers have to do a ridiculous number of deliveries to earn a half decent wage.

until that changes they will carry on dumping and running

JSHarris

I suspect you're right. I believe the "last mile" couriers are self-employed and paid per-delivery, so anything they can do to reduce the time taken is worth money.

What I can't wrap my head around is the way the law seems to work. From what I've read the courier companies aren't responsible for security. If they dump a parcel on someone's doorstep and an opportunistic thief takes it, then it's the seller who is responsible, not the courier. That strikes me as being barking mad.

I've taken what I consider to be reasonable steps to prevent parcel theft. I've installed a secure parcel box, put clear signs pointing to it, have installed CCTV covering our front doorstep, with a motion alarm and have put a sign next to our doorbell, asking visitors to ring it.

Evri consistently ignore all this. They never ring the bell, or knock on the door. They never put parcels in the secure box. They always leave parcels by the exposed front door step, inviting theft.

GabbaGabbaHey

I have the same issue, especially with Evri. They do not "deliver" parcels; merely abandon them on my doorstep, in full view of the street. And without even ringing the doorbell, which is right next to where they abandon my parcels.

I suspect that until sellers are losing enough money (because they have to reimburse people for stolen deliveries), nothing will change. Once they do lose enough money, then they will force the couriers to deliver packages securely.

We probably also need a standardised, secure parcel box which every property in the country uses (just like they currently all have a letter box). It would include a mechanism (e.g. barcode scan) which would be a requirement to prove that a parcel had actually been delivered.

GDB2222

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81944940#Comment_81944940

I don’t blame the delivery drivers for shaving a few seconds off each delivery. Given the hundreds of deliveries a day they do that may shorten their work day by half an hour, which is potentially the difference between surviving and dying of exhaustion.

The solution is for those customers concerned to pay say £1-2 more per delivery for a premium service.

JSHarris

I bought a BrizeBox 3 or 4 years ago, because it's close to what you describe, @GabbaGabbaHey

It's not ultra secure, but secure enough to dissuade an opportunistic thief, plus it has a mechanism that prevents access to the parcel storage compartment whilst the parcel drawer is open (a sort of one-way valve for parcels). It also has a barcode for proof of delivery scanning. Not sure what the barcode system is but I know that a couple of the better courier companies are able to use it, so presumably it complies with some sort of standard.

Downsides are that it won't take large parcels (it's limited to one parcel 430mm x 310mm x 220mm, or multiple parcels no larger than this in total) and it was expensive for what it is. Mine's also showing minor signs of rust on the top, so now needs a coat of paint. Just had a look at their website and they now make a larger unit, but it's a heck of a lot more expensive.

In practice the box I have will take the majority of parcels I get. If I'm expecting a larger or heavy item it's easier to keep an eye out for the courier, as they normally use a bigger truck for those deliveries. Most of the Evri couriers seem to use their own cars, rather than vans. Makes it a bit harder to spot them before they do the "dump and run" thing.

JSHarris

@GDB2222 , I agree, and would VERY happily pay a bit more for delivery, if it meant couriers not just dumping parcels in the open.

The problem is very few sellers tell you in advance which courier company they use, plus Evri themselves take a lot of sub-contract deliveries from what appear to be agencies. For example, Simple Delivery, used by a lot of ebay sellers, doesn't seem to actually handle "last mile" deliveries, like one or two others they seem to be agents.

Much of the time Simple Delivery in my area seem to use Evri, very like the older Packlink and Hermes relationship (before Hermes re-branded as Evri). If I was cynical I might think that the Hermes re-branding exercise was an attempt to ditch the appalling reputation they had.

To be fair, everything really depends on the individual courier. My problems with Evri only started when our regular courier stopped working for them. Great shame as the service he gave was very good. Knowing how little they earn I tried to give him a tip whenever I met him, mostly because he always too care over every delivery.

mta999

I'm in the other corner - I LIKE them leaving it on the doorstep, especially if I am out.

Renfrewman

If you order 'stuff' online and don't plan to be at home to take delivery just how many times do you expect someone on barely a minimum wage to try to deliver it? Plan to be at home it's not difficult.

soolin

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81947723#Comment_81947723

Half the time I order things I have absolutely no idea when they will be delivered though, so how can I plan? Amazon give delivery options, I’m away at the moment and have stuff which I have delayed delivery on until I’m back but from experience they will often deliver it early hopefully to be helpful. Just before I came away my OH ordered 2 items with RM48 postage on eBay, both business sellers stated despatch next working day, he ordered 7 days before we were due to leave and neither arrived. They both show as delivered now so hopefully one was small enough to go through letter box and the other might be with a neighbour as our neighbour checks our post daily for us to collect up anything left on the door step.

JSHarris

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81947733#Comment_81947733

Exactly this!

We live in a rural area. Delivery times are pretty random; might take two days, could easily take a week or more. Some couriers email a delivery window, but they only send that some time during the morning of the delivery day. There's no way I can reschedule a day to be sure to be at home at such short notice. Much of the time I won't even be able to receive emails when out of the house.

This is precisely why I invested in a secure parcel box. These exist for exactly this reason, to allow people who may not be able to be at home for a delivery to still receive it safely. Yes, using a collection point is an option. However, that means a round trip drive of between 24 miles and 80 miles, depending on the courier.