Amazon Now Taking Pictures OF Delivered Items

I wonder if that changes who is liable when you don't get a product that you ordered. If someone steals the product from your front step, if Amazon has a picture proving that they delivered it to the correct location, does that absolve Amazon, the carrier and the vendor from having to replace/refund your purchase?

I have the same problem with USPS, and FedEx, they cannot tell the difference between 2875 and 2775

How about ringing the door bell when they deliver? If you don't know how it is getting delivered you might not have a tracking number.

But have Security Cameras to get multiple angles of anyone going near or on property. It automatically uploads to cloud so if they break in they can't destroy videos. Also can get instant alerts to smartphone and see all videos, nice if break in I can call Cops and describe what's going on.

Since Amazon took a picture of the delivered item, then they can say they fulfilled their obligation. If the package is stolen, then Amazon could tell you to call the local law authorities for an investigation. Because Amazon fulfilled their obligation to deliver the package, then they could put the burden on you to replace the item by using your home owner's insurance, or have the burden of an out of pocket expense. Basically, "we delivered the package, no it is your responsibility to secure it."

A lawyer could also argue that the picture was inaccurate. Suppose whoever delivered the product took a picture of the product. Then they took the product and kept it for themselves.

Getting a security camera to denote all activities at your home is a good idea. This actual filmed footage can produce evidence of events that happen at your home. Of course, if the legal authorities are involved you will have to endure the fact if they really want to solve the case, or simply handle a more important case because they might feel they are too busy to work a petty theft case.

Last time I had a package delivered to my mom with Christmas presents in it they sent a photo of it. It's a good thing they did, because they left it on the trunk of her car, so I called her and told her where it was. 90 year old ladies don't notice things like that until it falls off and they run it over.

Just because Amazon has a picture of the delivered item on a front porch does not prove it was the front porch of the person who placed the order. Geocoding the photo would help determine where the package was actually delivered.

Despite the pitfalls, I think this is a good idea. It should be fairly simple for other carriers like UPS and Fedex to follow suit by adding cameras to their electronic "clipboards". The pictures could then be included in their delivery notification system.

what does a picture mean? That it was left on a doorstep that could be anywhere?

This is also flawed. I have dealt with 2/4 of the USAs largest banks, having to do with a lost/stolen credit card.

The phone rep will say, "Do you have a mobile number where I can text you a code?"

Give them a random cell, they text a code, read it back, and now the account is secured.

HOW CAN THAT BE, THEY TEXT THE CODE TO A MOBILE # NOT ON FILE ALREADY?

I'm not going to name the banks, but rest assured it is 2/4 largest in the USA. Where do we find these geniuses who design flawed policies?

what does a picture mean? That it was left on a doorstep that could be anywhere?

This is also flawed. I have dealt with 2/4 of the USAs largest banks, having to do with a lost/stolen credit card.

The phone rep will say, "Do you have a mobile number where I can text you a code?"

Give them a random cell, they text a code, read it back, and now the account is secured.

HOW CAN THAT BE, THEY TEXT THE CODE TO A MOBILE # NOT ON FILE ALREADY?

I'm not going to name the banks, but rest assured it is 2/4 largest in the USA. Where do we find these geniuses who design flawed policies?

I have been on the wrong recipient end of the delivery. I received a huge & heavy box but no one at my house ordered anything. It turns out that there's a number mixed up. Courier delivered it to my address at 1338 instead of 1383 which is a few houses away. I end up becoming the last mile courier.

Leaving a package in front of the garage door, or on the trunk of a car, or leaving it on the grass next to your mailbox is pure incompetence.

The USPS mail service is even worse than UPS, FedEx, etc, when it comes to making deliveries to the wrong address, and they've been doing it for decades.

Until you have a barcode on your front door and the delivery person is required to scan that along with your package label barcode then it will never be their fault. A picture in this case is not worth very much as stated previously.

While in this town most street addresses fit in an orderly way into blocks, with even and odd numbers on opposite sides of the road, my neighborhood is _different_. Even vs. odd is not at all consistent as to side, and much more rarely, adjacent numbers don't obey sequence. The regular UPS and FedEx drivers generally have been here many times, and must understand that nothing short of directly reading the intended street number on mail box or entry is sufficient. But some years ago FedEx ground used a delivery agent who repeatedly got it wrong. Four times in just a few months he delivered to the wrong place. The first time he put it at a door on the place across the street which the occupants rarely used. They got it to me weeks later. I learned to look there.

But then the genius found somewhere else to drop off a valuable delivery (a laptop). That time supervision got through to the guy and the next day he called me. He had picked it up from wherever he left it the first time, and was calling because supervision had told him to hand it to me personally, and I was not answering the door bell.

You guessed it, the genius was again trying to deliver to the place across the road--happily I could see his truck, and soon the delivery was done.

I suspect FedEx Ground terminated the genius, or at least gave him deliveries in easier neighborhoods. Years went by without another of those, then something important showed as delivered by UPS with no trace on my property. I resolved to check the neighbors, but started with the place (and door) favored years earlier by the genius. Sure enough it was there.

In more than one of these cases, a delivery picture would have helped me out.

Of course, access to a delivery picture for someone else's account could be pretty helpful to a package thief. The question is how the balance applies in a particular case.

Just to get this on topic--for my problem and some others, it would be helpful if the delivery picture was geolocated with enough lat/lon resolution to distinguish typical house separation.

They have been doing it for a while now -- about 6 months. Liability could be the main reason.

I can see another possible reason for Amazon to require their drivers to take a photo of delivered items - proof to Amazon that the driver delivered it when claimed.

I have had two occasions in the last three months where the Amazon tracking showed an item as delivered that did not show up until the next day - which meant that it was not delivered within two days as promised.

I have also seen an Amazon truck making deliveries in my neighborhood after 9 at night, and I have heard that Amazon drivers get a lot of flak from the company if they do not deliver their entire load on the assigned day, even though that sometimes represents a LOT of deliveries.

All of this makes me wonder if Amazon is having photos taken that are uploaded over the phone as a means of tracking the performance of the drivers.

- Tom -

I know a UPS driver who goes to our church. He says too many delivery drivers these days, under pressure to meet their schedule, use the often incorrect Google Maps for address routing.

Amazon's delivery location photo is one way of dealing with this increasing problem. Another is Amazon's Locker Delivery program where they deliver to a secure neighborhood location. Customers then pick up items at their convenience. In some locations, locker delivery is a necessity due to the high package theft rate.

In my neighborhood, neither Fedex or UPS ring the bell when they make a delivery and the same holds true for USPS.
I always track my shipments when I receive an email advising of the delivery date.

As far as Amazon goes many times it's difficult to get information regarding updated package tracking.
This holds true for any tracking # that starts with TBA through AMZL US.

On February 13th (Tuesday) I received a package using a Amazon TBA tracking number.
After I tracking and I saw it was delivered, I discovered Amazon had a picture of the package at my doorstep. I never saw that before,

Then I had another package on February 18th (Sunday) with a TBA tracking#, this one was scheduled to be delivered on Sunday which I found odd since I don't subscribe to Amazon Prime.
This package did not show a picture of the package. One would think this had a higher priority since it was a Sunday delivery, go figure that one out.

Seems these days that there are many pieces of mail / packages being miss delivered.

I signed up for USPS informed Delivery, so each morning I get a notice (email) of any packages that are on the way and when they will be delivered and also they send actual photos of the First Class mail that will be delivered that day. A great tool to make sure that what they say is coming and what actually got delivered is that same.

UPS also has a great app for tracking packages. Use the USPS and UPS app all the time to send a note the delivery person on where I would like the packages left so that if I am not at home they can be hidden out of sight from the porch pirates.

On a happy note, having all the USPS mail being delivered to the wrong address in this neighborhood give us all a chance to deliver the mail to the right place and meet new neighbors!

That's what the company I worked for used. I found the UPS tracking to be absolutely horrible. They never logged any info. I could never track the package. Frequently I would use Fed Ex. I knew where that package was every time.
The problem became the delivery people. Even though I always had specific instructions to leave the package in the garage (the door was plainly visible), it would be left on the front step 75% of the time. I resorted to a note on the front door. That only worked most of the time. I swear they hire drivers that can't read!

deliver the box without damage. Now THAT would be an accomplishment. Hmmmm wonder if the picture will show the damage?

Most of the pics I've gotten are from the independent drivers who drive their own cars and wear nothing indicating they work/deliver. I've had a lot of deliveries from USPS and UPS that were ordered on Amazon and got no pics.

I've found the them hanging the thingy on the door. I was home and they didn't knock and they certainly didn't use the door bell.
Have to wait till next day to pickup. I still like Amazon.

I used to have excellent Post Office carriers and UPS drivers that knew me on a first name basis. The mail carrier used to give my dog biscuits when I opened the door when receiving packages, not out of fear but he really liked my dog.

I always tipped the mail carrier and UPS driver at Christmas time and never had problems with lost packages, they always rang the bell and waited for me to open the door.
Both drivers put thank you cards in my mail box acknowledging my tips at Xmas time.

Unfortunately both drivers switched routes and the replacement drivers are not very friendly so I stopped giving tips for the Christmas holiday.

If you have steady drivers that you like, consider giving tips for a job well done. I sure miss those guys.

I am ok with this. As they are taking a picture of the package that got dropped off, my Ring Doorbell is taking video of them delivering the package.

What I find interesting is that apparently "package delivered" means right now "I dropped it around your home. Now you find it". I may be somehow old fashion, but just few years earlier "delivered" meant to be drooped to person at certain address or - if you accepted this as option - at your neighbor or office at condo complex. If package was just dropped at steps or around house and was stolen, it didn't count as "delivered" and carrier was responsible for missing package.

Looks like now it's more of your responsibility to receive package than carrier's to deliver it.

Yes indeed, I agree with fkent.

The old fashion way when you need to sign up in person to have a package delivery to you. or if you are not home then they leave a notice and you to pick it up at the post Office yourself.

And what about, now Amazon they can open your Door at your house even when no one is home just to delivery a package

The way I see it Technology sucks.

It's pretty cool, but what does it really have to do with the package being taken by someone other then who it belongs to?

A friend in commercial real estate, took a video of an office and the hallway off the freight elevator, two weeks before his co. moved out.

Sure enough, the prop owner stated due to damage that occurred upon moving out, they are withholding the $10k deposit.

He said ICGFT, and showed them the video which based on the timestamp, established that the said damage was there prior to the move out. He even emailed it to the prop mgt. at the time it was shot. They said it's photochopped and not acceptable.

They're not going to have a civil trial over $10k. Sad part is friend is telling the truth. This is the way it's always been (I remember over and over landlords keeping the deposit when I was in college).

Not sure how that is relevant to the topic?

Thanks for sharing. Amazon once opened my backyard gate and let my three dogs out to roam the neighborhood despite my having a large front porch with a sign that says: Leave Packages Here.

Oh, you were srious???

Wait until they send in the drones.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/gregorymcneal/2014/07/11/six-th...

but if the picture doesn't include the address with the package what good is it? How will it stand up in a court of law?

Do the pictures have GPS location data?

interesting question...

...a picture of why they can't deliver a package.

I have my packages delivered to work where there is someone at the front desk all day 7:30-5:00. USPS and UPS are no problem.

FedEx often sends a "business is not open" failure to deliver without even coming into the building for a couple of times before trying. I'll get the text message as they are pulling onto the road.

Amazon Logistics is generally pretty good except I did have one time where they kept saying we were not in the building. Talking with their plant down here, the lady on the other end of the phone was equally baffled why the deliverer couldn't figure out where the fifth floor was. We ended up having them call me from the parking lot.