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Amazon Will Soon Offer To Deliver Packages To Your Garage So They Don't Get Stolen (cnbc.com)

Amazon has a new way to prevent thieves from stealing packages. In early 2019, Amazon will offer to deliver packages right into your garage, the company announced Monday at CES. The service is called Key for Garage, and joins Amazon's Key for Home and Key for Car services. From a report: Key for Garage, like Key for Home, requires some additional hardware. You'll need a $80 Chamberlain myQ Smart Home bridge, which will let Amazon talk to your garage door opener so that it can be opened by a delivery person. Folks who already own that hub will be able to use it. You'll also need an Amazon Prime subscription. Unlike Key for Home, you don't need a camera to record the delivery. This method of delivery might be welcomed by people who didn't like Key for Home (previously simply known as Amazon Key), which didn't always work well if you had dogs at home, didn't want to let Amazon into your house, or had an alarm system.

89 of 157 comments (clear)

  1. So they can steal my tools? by irrational_design · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Where I live, Amazon delivery drivers have already been caught stealing packages from porches when dropping off their deliveries. The tools in my garage are a lot more valuable than any package on my porch.

    1. Re:So they can steal my tools? by bobstreo · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Where I live, Amazon delivery drivers have already been caught stealing packages from porches when dropping off their deliveries. The tools in my garage are a lot more valuable than any package on my porch.

      Amazon Logistics seems to be the culprits in most of these. If delivered via FedEx or even UPS, problems seem to be very minimal.

      The other problem that has been observed is they don't bother delivering packages, but mark them as delivered. I guess this makes for good "metrics".

    2. Re:So they can steal my tools? by Narcocide · · Score: 1

      A UPS guy stole a package from me just last year.

    3. Re:So they can steal my tools? by Hadlock · · Score: 1

      Most people use their garage to park their cars, their kids bikes, and stuff not valuable enough to store in their climate controlled house.
       
      I'm like you though, my arc welder, milling machine, brand name hand tools etc are worth way more than my TV.

      --
      moox. for a new generation.
    4. Re:So they can steal my tools? by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 3, Funny

      Nobody cares about what happened 8 days ago.

      --
      #DeleteFacebook
    5. Re:So they can steal my tools? by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 1

      How big is your CNC if you need to put it in your garage?

      --
      #DeleteFacebook
    6. Re:So they can steal my tools? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      I've had Amazon delivery guys mark stuff as delivered before they actually show up. In one case I got the "Delivered" text hours before it showed up on my porch, just as I was about to report it as stolen.

      Do they not take pictures of the item on your porch? That is a requirement near me, and the Amazon delivery notification shows the picture.

    7. Re:So they can steal my tools? by MightyYar · · Score: 1

      Presumably he means a big ol' Bridgeport or the like. Not wife friendly.

      --
      W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
    8. Re:So they can steal my tools? by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 2

      Also, the delivery app records the GPS location. They may not need to walk it to the porch, but they will need to be at your house.

      I have a motion-activated camera on my porch, which sends me a notification when someone approaches. When the delivery guy scans the package and marks it as "delivered", I get another notification. These two instant messages usually arrive within seconds of each other. If I get one without the other, then it is obvious who stole the package.

    9. Re:So they can steal my tools? by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 2

      How big is your CNC if you need to put it in your garage?

      Size is not the only issue. I kept my Sherline CNC in the living room for a while. But my wife didn't like the metal shavings in the carpet.

    10. Re:So they can steal my tools? by Stolovaya · · Score: 1

      Sometimes I get pictures, other times I don't. Doesn't seem to be a requirement.

    11. Re:So they can steal my tools? by ctilsie242 · · Score: 1

      The door lock from most garages to the rest of the house isn't as stout as others. It also gives a rogue employee the ability to drop the garage door, use what burglary tools they feel like using to get in, without being visible. Yes, an alarm may help, but by the time the police arrive, everything is cleaned out.

      I almost wish Amazon had something a small version of the Amazon Locker that one can buy and install at their place, with a camera inside that shows the package being scanned and placed inside.

    12. Re:So they can steal my tools? by CrimsonAvenger · · Score: 1

      How big is your CNC if you need to put it in your garage?

      Size is not the only issue. I kept my Sherline CNC in the living room for a while. But my wife didn't like the metal shavings in the carpet.

      Just so. Can't get one till I can justify getting rid of some of the tools already in my garage....

      --

      "I do not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"
    13. Re:So they can steal my tools? by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      Obvious solution, just get rid of the carpet.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    14. Re:So they can steal my tools? by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      ...or the wife.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    15. Re:So they can steal my tools? by someoneOtherThanMe · · Score: 1

      I was with you at the bikes, but lost you at "not valuable enough".

    16. Re:So they can steal my tools? by neoritter · · Score: 1

      Pictures are usually requirements put on last mile delivery services by Amazon.

  2. Why? by Locke2005 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Or, you know, we could start building homes with a locked cabinet on the front porch to deliver packages into... personally, I want an "arctic entrance" (vestibule with inner and outer doors) so I can just give Amazon drivers the key to the outside door! Plus also saves on heat/cooling loss if only one one door is opened at a time.

    --
    I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
    1. Re:Why? by jellomizer · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Being that we are moving to an economy where products are shipped to us. Having a one way deposit of packages may be the better option then trying to give companies a key to your house. You get increased security, plus such a device can be used with other competing services.

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
    2. Re:Why? by vux984 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Hell, even an unlocked mail 'box' would make big difference. Packages out of sight are packages out of mind. Now the thief has to actually come up to the door and check if there is something to steal instead of just walking down the street seeing packages just sitting there for the taking.

      A basic lock would be even better, but I think you'd curb most of the problem just by getting the packages out of sight.

    3. Re:Why? by johnlcallaway · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I already have one of these (look up Elephant Trunk on Home Depot). It won't handle really big packages, but most packages will fit. It's normally unlocked, but when someone puts a package in it and closes it, it locks. It's bolted to the porch. It's a bit flimsy, a crowbar could probably open it. But it should deter the snatch-and-grab thieves.

      Problem is, no one will use it. I've had it for a month, and no delivery person has put a package in it. I've put the security code in Amazon, UPS, USPS, and FedEx delivery instructions so everyone has access to it. But none of those services provide 'parcel locker' as an option.

      Last week, I taped a 'Put packages in this and close the lid' label on it. But of course, I haven't gotten any packages big enough to be delivered to the house yet.

      --
      I rarely read replies, it's my opinion and if you thought about your opinion a little more, I'm OK with that.
    4. Re:Why? by DarkOx · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Yes 2019, the return of milk door.

      Srsly this probably the correct solution. Because like a lot of posters i don't want someone I don't know entering my garage any more than my house. In fact less probably. I would notice pretty quickly if any of the valuables went missing in the house. I have a lot of valuable tools automotive and woodcraft in drawers and cases that someone could remove and I could go weeks, in some cases months or longer, without discovering they were missing.

      --
      Repeal the 17th Amendment TODAY! Also Please Read http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/right-to-read.html
    5. Re:Why? by Nidi62 · · Score: 1

      Problem is, no one will use it. I've had it for a month, and no delivery person has put a package in it. I've put the security code in Amazon, UPS, USPS, and FedEx delivery instructions so everyone has access to it. But none of those services provide 'parcel locker' as an option.

      Last week, I taped a 'Put packages in this and close the lid' label on it. But of course, I haven't gotten any packages big enough to be delivered to the house yet.

      Of course not. That would mean they actually have to walk up to the door and place the package in the box, as opposed to just tossing it on your porch from 20 feet away. Especially the Amazon delivery people who have to deliver an insane amount of packages an hour to make any money off it.

      --
      The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for it to be pitted against a slightly greater evil
    6. Re:Why? by freak0fnature · · Score: 1

      DO NOT GOOGLE "Elephant Trunk Home Depot" while at work!!!! lol

    7. Re:Why? by Distortions · · Score: 1

      I have a box on my porch, keeps the packages dry ( apartment, no overhang ). But, I had a package go missing... and I was at home at the time... and checked just before and after it was marked for delivery. I think USPS delivered to wrong apartment, and the neighbor just kept it. The next day they also misdelivered a package to them, but I saw it on their doorstep and retrieved it ( it was a very unique box, and easy to identify ).

      Amazon refunded me, but still it sucks.
      Makes my wary of having anything I can't get replaced, or refunded delivered here.

      --
      Talent hits a target no one else can hit; Genius hits a target no one else can see.
    8. Re:Why? by Distortions · · Score: 1

      Actually, I had the same problem... and started putting "please place in box next to door" in the instructions for a few deliveries... now they seem to use it every time.

      --
      Talent hits a target no one else can hit; Genius hits a target no one else can see.
    9. Re:Why? by MikeDataLink · · Score: 1

      I have a huge front porch with 3 to 4 foot wide pillars in each side of the sidewalk. Want to know where my packages always land? Right between the two pillars in plain sight. It wouldn't even take one second longer for them to put it behind a pillar keeping it out of view.

      --
      Mike @ The Geek Pub. Let's Make Stuff!
    10. Re:Why? by dgatwood · · Score: 1

      Alternatively, that's what utility rooms (or enclosed porches) are for. You put a lock between that room and the rest of the house, and if you know you're going to have a delivery when you can't be there, you provide them with a temporary code for the outer lock, and lock the door between the utility room (or porch) and the rest of the house.

      --

      Check out my sci-fi/humor trilogy at PatriotsBooks.

    11. Re:Why? by vux984 · · Score: 1

      Yeah, good point, as you and the other responder point out... training the delivery companies/postal companies to actually use such boxes, or even other natural cover like pillars or planters etc so that the package isn't in full view of the street also needs to happen.

      Of course, just getting the package to the right address in the first place is proving enough of a challenge for them in some cases. :)

    12. Re:Why? by mspohr · · Score: 1

      I used DuckDuckGo to search for that term. No NSFW results and the first result was, as expected, Home Depot Elephant Trunk.
      Maybe you should switch search engines to one that doesn't spy on you. If you got NSFW results, Google may have been using some prior knowledge of your desires to tailor its results to your wishes.

      --
      I don't read your sig. Why are you reading mine?
    13. Re:Why? by mmascari · · Score: 1

      Amazon should provide (or sell really cheap) delivery boxes as part of Prime. Something that's just a resin deck box with a lid, no lock or anything.

      They have to train drivers on the "key" process for home or garage access. Training them to just put packages in the box with the (small) Amazon logo and "Deliveries" sign should be easier.

      With enough of them in use, all the delivery companies will get good at it. When it's just one house, it's a unique solution that's easy to not do.

      Just a box keeping packages out of sight and dry is probably enough to stop a huge percent of theft and rain damage. I'm guessing rain damage happens more often than theft. Along with theft from someone driving down the street happening way more often than a thief following the delivery tuck. A box with no lock doesn't solve that one, since they'll know something is there, they saw the driver deliver it.

    14. Re:Why? by Locke2005 · · Score: 2

      Or you could leave the box unlocked, and the delivery driver could lock it when they put something in it.

      --
      I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
    15. Re:Why? by reboot246 · · Score: 2

      All of the delivery companies know to leave my packages in the old car next to the driveway. The car has four flats, won't run at all, and the doors are always unlocked. So far nobody has taken anything left in the car. You're right - out of sight, out of mind.

      The only item I've ever had stolen was by a mail carrier. She cut the Amazon packing tape on the bottom of the box, took one of the two items inside, and taped the box back with clear packing tape. I made a complaint, but nothing ever came of it as far as I know. Haven't seen her again on my route, but I know it's damned near impossible to fire a postal employee,

      There's no way in hell I'm letting anybody I don't know inside my house, garage, or shop. I don't even trust some of the people I've known for years. Why trust a stranger?

      Amazon delivery is okay, but they need better routing around my area. They send a notice when they're eight or ten stops away so you can keep track of where they are. A lot of good that does when they're within a half mile of the house, but their next delivery is the other side of the county. Three stops away could mean they're in the neighborhood and will be here in twenty or thirty minutes, or it could also mean they're going to be another three hours getting to me. They drive way too far trying to deliver packages. You'd think Amazon would know that a computer would be able to route their vehicles much better and could save hundreds of miles a day.

    16. Re:Why? by mmascari · · Score: 1

      A driver could lock a box. But, I want to keep it simple enough that a driver will actually use it.

      I've seen boxes with digital codes (what if you get more than one package delivered), with directions to put the code in the TO address. Then, lots of stories about about drivers not using them. Even adding an open pad lock to attach is a big step.

      Something like this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079...

      Offer it in 2 or 3 colors, slap an Amazon swoosh on each side and the top that's less than an eighth of the area, and drop the price to $25 if you have Amazon Prime. Maybe a little smaller than that example, 50 gallon instead of 70.

      The goal is to is to flood the market with them. This way there is a critical mass and delivery drivers might actually use them. Along with making it simple, "lift the lid drop the package in". It's still more than "drop it on the landing from the bottom step". That's what we're trying to overcome. If the trip is to far, it's not going to get used.

      The added friction to the delivery driver needs to be as close none as possible. The added friction to the thief just needs to be enough to slow them down making it a pain. It doesn't need to defeat the guy following the delivery tuck and carrying a crow bar.

    17. Re:Why? by dgatwood · · Score: 1

      No, but pretty much every mobile home on the planet has a utility room, and those are pretty much all built after the 1950s. And lots of folks do things like add a screen room over the back deck or whatever. The same approach works with a wide range of styles.

      --

      Check out my sci-fi/humor trilogy at PatriotsBooks.

    18. Re:Why? by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      It's worth asking if you can get stuff delivered to work too. A lot of workplaces have people handling deliveries anyway, and handling employee stuff is just a nice perk of the job.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    19. Re:Why? by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      There are boxes designed specifically for this. They have a barcode that the delivery person can scan in place of a signature. The more intelligent ones have scales so they can weigh the item put in the box, to prevent substitutions or scanning the barcode without depositing the item. Kinda like those automated supermarket checkouts.

      They are overkill for most people though. A simple box with padlock would be enough.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    20. Re:Why? by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      plus such a device can be used with other competing services.

      Yeah, like that's gonna happen. Rest assured that whatever company starts developing something like that will ensure that it can be used by them and by them only. In other words, be prepared to have a delivery box for every big online retailer and for the smaller ones one for every parcel delivery service in your front yard.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    21. Re:Why? by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      Which is nice, until you wonder how to get that 100" TV home from work now.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    22. Re:Why? by freak0fnature · · Score: 1

      lol it was just male elephant underwear, one with a guy modelling them.

    23. Re:Why? by jellomizer · · Score: 1

      We have agreed on a set of Box types of holding letters and small packages. We call them Mail Boxes. There are different types one for Cities, and other for more rural areas, they are types for businesses with a lock and key. We basically need a bigger box,

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
    24. Re:Why? by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      The reason for this is that the post office is a government entity and more concerned with getting mail delivered than with making a buck.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    25. Re:Why? by Agripa · · Score: 1

      We have agreed on a set of Box types of holding letters and small packages. We call them Mail Boxes. There are different types one for Cities, and other for more rural areas, they are types for businesses with a lock and key. We basically need a bigger box,

      The government also made it illegal for other services to use a mail box intended for the postal service.

    26. Re:Why? by neoritter · · Score: 1

      See everyone goes to this homes with lockers thing, but how about a simpler and preexisting solution. An antechamber for the front door?

      To imagine it, start with the two doors some people might have already, a screen/glass door and the real door. Basically extend the distance between these two doors, and give it extra side space for travel. Bonus you also get a room to take on and off muddy/wet clothes, clean up dirty dogs, etc; before going into the house. The front most door would obviously use a different key and/or keypad to open, while the main door is kept securely locked at all times as far as the delivery person is concerned.

  3. Like hell they will by Kargan · · Score: 2

    Strangers coming into the house while I am not there... Yeah, right.

    I have relatives that I won't let in while I am not there, let alone some anonymous delivery person.

    --
    Palaces, barricades, threats, meet promises
    1. Re:Like hell they will by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      I have relatives that I won't let in while I am not there

      You live in a pretty sad state to have that little trust in fellow people.

  4. Delivery drivers with endless time by Scutter · · Score: 3, Insightful

    This must be for drivers will lots of spare time. Around here, they barely even slow down long enough to fling my package onto my front lawn from the driver's seat. I can just imagine how much they'll enjoy waiting for my garage door to open and then sticking around long enough to make sure it closes again after they carefully deliver my goods.

    Oh, wait, no they won't. Because their dispatcher will ride them for taking too long to make their route.

    --

    "Tell me doctor, with all of your defenses, are there any provisions for an attack by killer bees?"
  5. Pickup Point? by CohibaVancouver · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I live in Vancouver, Canada. I certainly don't mind going to an Amazon.ca "pickup point" to get my packages, but the way it's arranged is a disorganized mess as you can only pick up purchases fulfilled by Amazon. As Amazon doesn't want to discourage you from buying from third parties (more profit for them) they make it difficult to filter those options out of their search results, so it's hard to exclude them. Just make it possible to get anything I buy from Amazon.ca retrievable from a pickup point and the problem is solved - At least for me, anyway.

    1. Re:Pickup Point? by Nidi62 · · Score: 1

      I live in Vancouver, Canada. I certainly don't mind going to an Amazon.ca "pickup point" to get my packages, but the way it's arranged is a disorganized mess as you can only pick up purchases fulfilled by Amazon. As Amazon doesn't want to discourage you from buying from third parties (more profit for them) they make it difficult to filter those options out of their search results, so it's hard to exclude them. Just make it possible to get anything I buy from Amazon.ca retrievable from a pickup point and the problem is solved - At least for me, anyway.

      FedEx does this. You have to sing up for their manager service(free),but you can have them adjust the delivery option en route to a location that will hold it for you. I had them do it when I ordered a new PC that was going to be delivered around Christmas: didn't want a $1300 pc sitting in a big box on my porch for hours waiting for me to get home. So I diverted it to a Walgreens near my house and picked it up on my way home.

      --
      The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for it to be pitted against a slightly greater evil
    2. Re:Pickup Point? by mea2214 · · Score: 1

      Pickup points should be enacted into law by state legislatures. Require big delivery companies to invest in infrastructure. By making it easy for package thieves, I as a taxpayer subsidize your free shipping through the added police required to process these petty crimes.

    3. Re:Pickup Point? by CWCheese · · Score: 4, Interesting

      There once was a company called Sears, Roebuck and Co which had pickup points all over the nation. They let you order from a catalog and pick up the items when they were ready. Sadly, the company shut down their catalog just a couple years before ecommerce exploded and they never bothered to figure out they could restart the catalog on the internet. Now they are literally hours away from liquidating the corporation and finally going into the sunset.

      --
      Have a Day!
  6. Re:Lockers by aitikin · · Score: 3, Informative

    ...I've never seen one. Using the search on Amazon shows there are none in my area. Fortunately for me my expensive stuff can be received at work and things like the dog food that gets delivered regularly doesn't get stolen, but there's plenty of people in my city where that's not going to be...effective?

    --
    "Don't meddle in the affairs of a patent dragon, for thou art tasty and good with ketchup." ~ohcrapitssteve
  7. Re:Lockers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Except that they are not "literally on every street corner". I live well within the boundaries of the fifth largest metro area in the US and there aren't any within five or more miles from my house.

  8. Re:Lockers by jellomizer · · Score: 2

    Where the heck do you live. I have never seen such a thing.

    --
    If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
  9. E-Santa by Tablizer · · Score: 1

    Next up: E-Santa that crawls down your chimney to deliver packages. Drone "reindeer" lands on your roof, Santa-bot then crawls down with packages.

    I suspect newer houses will have large lock-boxes for such. The advantage of a lock-box is that even if a thief cracks it, they only have access to the lock-box. The other end of the door will lock, similar to a garage entry door.

    Then again, if a thief can crawl into the lock-box, they'll have a long time to pick the lock or dig through the wall without anybody seeing.

    What about drive-through package pick-up; kind of a post-office-done-right. McPackage?

    1. Re:E-Santa by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 1

      If you can split packages into two categories: small and lightweight vs others, this drive-through idea could work.

      The small and lightweight packages must be under 24x24x24 inches and weight 11.0231 pounds or less. An automated storage/retrieval system would allow someone to get their package under X seconds.

      Let's leave 6 inches around each side of the storage cubes for whatever technological solution you pick (rails, conveyor belts, etc), that makes 36x36x36 cubes. Also assuming a storage system with no further space losses than those 6 inches around each cube, and an average warehouse of 16400 square feet with 25 feet ceilings, that means a storage facility would be able to store roughly 43728 packages. Let's round down to 40K packages to allow for less compact retrieval methods.

      The bigger/heavier packages that don't fit/are too heavy for the automated system would use a human clerk to get your package, like a regular post office.

      Assuming the average post office is 16400 square feet, converting a quarter of their space for this automated delivery system via drive-through, they would be able to store/deliver 10K packages automatically.

      --
      #DeleteFacebook
  10. Parcel Drop Box by bradley13 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I really want random underpaid drivers to have access to my garage, sure I do.

    It would be better to just install a parcel drop box. This is essentially a mailbox that accepts and swallows packages. They can only be removed with a key. Any home that has a mailbox at the street can easily install one of these. There are also models for cluster mailboxes and apartments, though space can be an issue in those cases.

    --
    Enjoy life! This is not a dress rehearsal.
  11. Amazon Key by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    I have a better Idea for Amazon Key.

    Everyone gets a key to the Amazon warehouse. They are free anytime to come in and pick up their package. Cameras everywhere make this possible!

    Amazon has NOTHING to lose, and EVERYTHING to gain, a win-win situation.

    1. Re:Amazon Key by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 1

      You laugh, but with a big-ass QR code at the top of each box it would probably be easier than their current no-cashiers stores.

      --
      #DeleteFacebook
  12. Pepperidge Farm Remembahs! by the_skywise · · Score: 1

    Back in ye olde dayes - milk used to be delivered to special boxes (provided by the milk company) just outside the house so the milk man could just leave his deliveries at the door.
    Now there weren't lockable but it seems to me that Amazon could provide a smart-lockable box that could be mounted near the door or chained to the mailbox Yes, the box could be stolen but because it's a separate box nobody will know there's anything in it (unless they're watching for it) and then they can't just walk up and take the package.
    This also doesn't resolve the "big" package issue either but nothing really will there and I'm certainly not going to give Amazon access to my house/garage.

    1. Re:Pepperidge Farm Remembahs! by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 2

      Back in ye olde dayes - milk used to be delivered to special boxes (provided by the milk company) just outside the house so the milk man could just leave his deliveries at the door.

      We have one of those - Smith Brothers Farms still delivers dairy products to homes in the Puget Sound region.

      Haven't had any hobos stealing milk from us yet... although I think a starship captain may have stolen some clothes which were drying on the line.

      --
      #DeleteChrome
  13. Re:Yeah sure just turn over your life to Amazon by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 1

    So you have never had a package delivered to your house while you were at work?
    You have always worked where it was okay to have personal orders delivered to your office/desk?
    You have always been home at the delivery time of your packages?

    There's a lot of possibilities where a delivery box is needed.

    --
    #DeleteFacebook
  14. Ha yeah right by WoodburyMan · · Score: 2

    I'd settle for them getting to my house.

    They kept consistently putting them in my mailbox and raise the red "return" flag to avoid going up my 300ft driveway. This is illegal. Also problematic when the POST OFFICE picks up your item before you're able to revive it, as they should because red flags up and it's in the box. Then Post Office DEMANDS shipping fee to turn your item to you. Happened to me. Consistantly complained to Amazon Customer Support that they are NOT to go to mailbox and should be delivered TO THE HOUSE up the Driveway just like UPS, FedEx and other services do. I literally have security footage of the driver not even stopping and tossing two packages out the window on Sunday morning, half in the road at the bottom of my driveway. It rained. Packages got soaked. LUCKILY they were plastic wrapped inside the packages so they were safe. Complained to Amazon again, I doubt anything will be done.

    There are a few nice drivers, that rent UHaul Vans and wear reflective vests that drive up and hand deliver packages that are professional. But majority of the drivers are lazy looking to get paid and dont care. They get paid in "Blocks" ex you can a set price to delivered a set packages that should take you X amount of time by their estimate. If you deliver it faster, by chucking shit out the window, you can then pick up more routes and make more money per hour effectively. Thats what these people are doing,

  15. It's not a terribly hard problem to solve by MikeRT · · Score: 2

    Coworker of mine's daughter had her bike stolen by a neighborhood shithead. He drove over to the kid's house and told his family that he was going to take a baseball bat to one of them if they ever robbed his kids again.

    You know what happened? They didn't steal from anyone again that he knew of. Outside of UMC areas of the world, that is how most of humanity lives and has always lived.

    There is nothing uncivilized about his threat. Protecting property rights is the keystone for protecting human life because a significant amount of killing happens over resources. People who are afraid of getting killed for robbery are less likely to do the sort of felonious things that escalate into bloodshed.

  16. Re:Punked by magarity · · Score: 2

    a clown saying "Want to play a little game?"

    The only clown you really have to worry about says "We all float down here".

  17. Won't ring a doorbell, but will put in a garage? by Xochil · · Score: 1

    If Amazon (along with other delivery services) can't even be bothered to take 5 seconds to ring your doorbell when they do a hit-and-run delivery...how can one expect them to take the time to deliver a package to a recipient's garage?

  18. Amazon by fluffernutter · · Score: 1

    I thought Amazon was master of efficiency. Why don't they have an app that tells you the exact time your package is arriving?

    --
    Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
    1. Re:Amazon by Fly+Swatter · · Score: 1

      Yea I saw that once and at first thought 'neat'. Then I realized a porch pirate can use this to know who in their neighborhood just had packages delivered, it shows how many stops to go and where the driver currently is - doesn't take much to figure out which houses had packages delivered by refreshing the page a few times.

    2. Re:Amazon by ichimunki · · Score: 1

      But said porch pirate would need to get a delivery to access the map... thing I don't like about the feature is that it really doesn't help me out much since it doesn't show up until the package is almost there. Not even Alexa has a relevant skill in this area that I'm aware of. I get one doofy notice in the morning that I'm going to get a package... and then I get a notification after the package is delivered (sometimes a long time after I've already retrieved said package), but you'd think if they are route-planning the deliveries they could estimate the time down to at least a 2-3 hour range and let us know something a lot more accurate than "before 9pm".

      --
      I do not have a signature
  19. Chamberlain and Alexa by daveywest · · Score: 1

    So, Chamberlain, the company that forced the removal of a third party Alexa Skill, is going to allow Amazon access to it's systems?

  20. Re:Lockers by Nidi62 · · Score: 1

    Why don't people who can't trust packages left on their doorstep just use Amazon lockers? They are free and literally on every street corner. Just get your package on your way home from work.

    I've seen 1 Amazon locker facility. Downtown, across a major interstate (actually 2 interstates merged together)from a major university. Haven't seen one anywhere else.

    --
    The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for it to be pitted against a slightly greater evil
  21. Yeah, I don't want Amazon in my garage either! by kimgkimg · · Score: 1

    They need to figure out how to secure packages in something they own, not in something that I own.

  22. don't need a camera ??? so they can take no re by Joe_Dragon · · Score: 1

    don't need a camera so they take no responsibility for any issue?

  23. start by knocking on the door by Toxiz · · Score: 1

    They could start by knocking on the door, or ringing the doorbell. Half the time I'm sitting 5 feet away from the front door, and there is no indication a package has been delivered until I leave the house.

  24. Re:Won't ring a doorbell, but will put in a garage by Joe_Dragon · · Score: 1

    just kick it in we are not at flat if any thing brakes or the package stops and blocks the beams so your door is open all day long.

  25. I have been pricing Lock boxes for parcels by pgmrdlm · · Score: 1

    I am moving to a new apartment which is on the first floor with a porch, and I have been pricing lock box's for parcel drops.

    This is about the best I have seen so far for apartments. Let me rephrase that, this appears to be the most affordable one that I have seen so far.

    --
    Anonymous comments are as pathetic as the anonymous "sources" that contaminate gutless journalism from the New York Time
    1. Re:I have been pricing Lock boxes for parcels by pgmrdlm · · Score: 1

      One of my co workers told me to see if there is an Amazon drop off/pick up place close. 10 minutes from the new apartment. I will just use that from now on.

      --
      Anonymous comments are as pathetic as the anonymous "sources" that contaminate gutless journalism from the New York Time
  26. Re:Frist p5ot by PPH · · Score: 1

    Nobody is going to steal a package out of that.

    --
    Have gnu, will travel.
  27. Does Amazon guarantee myQ security too? by misnohmer · · Score: 1

    So if the myQ bridge is hacked giving criminals access to your garage, does Amazon take on the liability, or will they tell you it's not their product? Does Amazon own security patches for those devices now?

  28. Re:Won't ring a doorbell, but will put in a garage by ichimunki · · Score: 1

    Frankly, I wish they wouldn't ring the doorbell so often. It drives the dogs nuts. I'm surprised at the number of complaints I'm seeing here about how Amazon delivery is working for some people because ours has been impeccable thus far. Often they set it on some planter shelves we have, or behind a pillar, or even in the door. Even so, I'm liking the idea of just getting a lidded box, no lock even needed. That way you can't tell if there's a package from the street. But the garage? No way. My bicycle cost more than several deliveries put together and garage doors can be finicky about closing easily.

    --
    I do not have a signature
  29. K.I.S.S by nanospook · · Score: 1

    I just have it delivered to work.. even my sex toys.. no one knows!

    --
    Have you fscked your local propeller head today?
  30. If I needed this, I would never use it. by mcmonkey · · Score: 1

    The very need for this product obsoletes itself.

    I know there are areas where leaving a package unattended in front of your home is a good way to get a package stolen. I do not know why if I don't trust the people outside my home, I will let them into my home when I'm not at home.

    If I trust strangers enough to give them access to my home or garage or car when I'm not around, then wouldn't I trust them enough to leave a package on my front step?

    Basically, if I needed this service, I would never use it. If I felt secure enough to use, that would mean I didn't need it.

  31. Re:Yeah sure just turn over your life to Amazon by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 1

    I also think that anything inside-the-freakin-house is a stupid idea, but an external locking box is a pretty good idea.

    --
    #DeleteFacebook
  32. No good without much better employees. by SvnLyrBrto · · Score: 1

    Most of the time, the malingering burnouts doing the delivering are too damn lazy to so much as ring the doorbell. Does Amazon *really* think these loafers are willing (and able) to learn to use this new system? Does Amazon really think that someone who's unwilling to delay their next bong hit the 10 seconds it takes to walk the extra few feet and push the doorbell button are going to wait an extra 45 seconds on top of that to deal with the garage door and the remote system? Does Amazon actually believe that I'd trust these clods alone in any part of my home at any time for any reason?

    We've a Ring doorbell plus security cameras covering the porch & garage areas. So when a package is updated in the Amazon/USPS/UPS/FedEx/etc. systems as "delivered", I know 100% with zero doubt if it has, in fact, actually been delivered; or if they're lying through their teeth. Right about now, they're collectively running about 50/50. Hell, I try not to have stuff delivered at home at all unless I know someone will be in the house. So 90% of the time, if the driver could be arsed to expend that tiny bit of effort to push the damn button on the damn doorbell; there'd be a human being to hand the package off to 30 seconds later; no house or garage access or any integration with Amazon's systems necessary at all.

    --
    Imagine all the people...
    1. Re:No good without much better employees. by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      30 seconds running up to the door, 30 seconds for the idiot to figure out how to use the signature pad, that's one minute more than he has to deliver this package.

      Take a look at the ridiculous delivery time specifications these people get and you'll quickly understand why the only way they can keep their job is to do a crappy job. It's not the driver, it's the delivery service that's shit.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  33. pickup by houghi · · Score: 1

    When I use them, I just pick it up at a local store or at the post office. If I did not sign for them, I did not receive them.

    Disclaimer: living in Belgium.

    --
    Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
  34. Yeah, that's a great idea by Opportunist · · Score: 1

    It's probably the most efficient way to ensure that not only your packages will be stolen but also pretty much anything stored in your garage. There is SO much wrong with this that I don't even know where to start.

    First, the delivery guy. You have to trust this guy to be honest enough not to think that your new tools would look way better in his garage.

    Then, his schedule. How fast does your automatic garage door open? Mine takes quite a few seconds to open. And about as long to close. Now couple this with the average delivery guy not even having the time to sensibly deliver your package to the front door, more often than not you get it delivered in good old paper boy fashion, i.e. chucked towards the door with more or less aim. Even if you're home. Because getting your signature takes time he doesn't have. Now let's ponder for a moment whether he is going to wait for your garage door to fully open and fully close again. What you may expect is that as soon as that package can somehow be squeezed in the crack opened, he will do just that, hop into his car and be on his way. Whether the garage door closes? Not his problem. It's yours.

    And I don't even want to get started on the fairly shoddy state of security such IoT solutions are generally in. Probably anyone who has at least a passing interest in electronics will figure out a way to hack this.

    Thanks, but no, thanks.

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  35. No Alexa support? by trevc · · Score: 1

    Does the Chamberlain myQ Smart Home bridge support Alexa? I read it doesn't.

  36. Brand loyalty by Miser · · Score: 1

    What if I use Genie's AlladinConnect, you insensitive clod? Am I shut out of this? :)

    Miser