this post was submitted on 11 Oct 2024

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Using inside info, iPhone thieves arrive at your house right after FedEx (arstechnica.com)

submitted 11 hours ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 hour ago

FedEx pointed out that shippers of high-value goods "can request Hold at Location or Direct Signature Required services, or redirect a package to FedEx Office”

Can’t tell you how many times FedEx has just completely ignored the direct signature required part. If it’s not something like alcohol where the government will crack down on them then they don’t care.

You can look up the signature for the package on their app. I can’t sign my name in Times New Roman…so clearly I didn’t sign for that. If I do sign for it then it’s an image of my actual signature.

They also have a bad habit of delivering stuff to my neighbor without ever setting foot on my property because apparently they can’t read house numbers…FedEx is terrible in my area.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 hour ago

And then there's Kansas City...

[–] [email protected] 25 points 4 hours ago (4 children)

In the UK you’re not getting a phone delivered to your house and left without providing a pin to the delivery driver.

I’m all for leaving low value items outside but phones and stuff, come on people.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 hour ago

In France you can have it delivered to a post office. To pick it up you’ll need to show a state id card as proof.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 hour ago

In Germany you have to show your ID card to get it, at least in theory.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

At least in my area, theft really isn't a thing. I don't know anyone on my street who has had a package stolen, and I've ordered TVs, phones, consoles, etc, all of which could be pawned pretty easily.

So the security around these things really should take area into account. A densely populated area like NYC or SF would probably need more strict protections than a place like mine.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

I think at lot has to do with the company. Like Amazon don’t care as they make so much it’s just not worth waiting around for PINs or signatures as it’ll cost them more than lost stock. Plus they probably have some insurance.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

Right, and we're talking about iPhones here, so Apple has certainly done the math on whether paying for the signature service costs more than buying insurance on the item.

As a customer, I don't particularly care which they do. When I order things from smaller retailers, I usually have to sign. When I order from larger retailers, I usually don't. Either way, I have never had a stolen package, and if I did, I'm confident I could report it and get a new one sent out quickly. If I had packages stolen frequently, I would expect the retailer to get suspicious and require signature and photo to make sure I'm not the one stealing them or something.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

Apple don’t deliver their own parcels, at least in the UK, so that’s all on the courier. I was more referring to buying on contract from carriers anyway as this is also how they’re delivered and it’s the delivery companies that give drivers like 30 seconds per drop because they make more money delivering more parcels so it’s likely cheaper.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 hour ago

Right, and my point is that the carrier probably sells enough phones that insuring them could end up being cheaper than requiring a signature. So whether you buy from Apple or your local carrier probably wouldn't matter, they'll just mark it as a loss and send a new one.

And since the insurance is probably with the courier, the courier is the one that decides if a faster delivery is better than fewer stolen packages.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

Last one I ordered was left inside a wheelie bin. Which my neighbour helpfully put out the next morning.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 hours ago

Which network? That’s madness.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 4 hours ago (5 children)

Why do package delivery companies in the United States seem to just leave the package on the doorstep when the person isn't home. That seems like such an obviously stupid thing to do.

Pretty much everywhere else the package delivery companies would either take the product back with them and deliver it on another day or contact the person via the contact details they have and request a safe place to leave it. Most delivery companies will let you specify this when you make the order.

Or if it's not bin day they can just put it in the recycling bin.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 minutes ago

How do you get anything delivered if you have a job?

[–] [email protected] 11 points 2 hours ago* (last edited 2 hours ago) (1 children)

Because if the delivery requires you to sign for it, the delivery driver will just walk up to your house and slap a “we missed you” sticker on your door and get right back in his truck without even attempting to deliver it. If they even bother getting out of the truck at all that is.

We don’t have enough PTO time to take entire days off from work just so we can be home for a delivery that doesn’t show up over and over.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 hours ago

I had that happen once, and it was a new laptop and I guess they were running late that day.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 hour ago

Why do package delivery companies in the United States seem to just leave the package on the doorstep when the person isn't home. That seems like such an obviously stupid thing to do.

Because no one forces them to.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

I'll tell you why. Time.

I used to live two hours away from a UPS delivery hub. it could take weeks for me to get a delivery from UPS after I was supposed to get it.

they used to not deliver packages unless you were there. I missed the first delivery, the next two times they never showed up and said they did.

over two months later I finally had to drive two hours to the distribution hub and claim my package.

I had no option of who to ship my package with. that was entirely left up to the seller.

I now live 15 minutes away from the same distribution hub and it STILL takes a month extra to get my packages.

this is why I tell every delivery service to just leave it at the door.

our options suck, sellers refuse to use USPS because we have a corrupt bitch running it that's running it into the ground, and I just don't have the time to wait 3-4 times the shipping length for products I bought.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 2 hours ago

Wow, you must live in the Bermuda Triangle or something. The latest I've had a package be delivered is like 2 days, and usually my packages get here early. It doesn't matter if it's USPS, UPS, FedEx, DHL, OnPoint (or whatever it's called), or some other random carrier, I've never had a package stolen, lost, or significantly damaged. FedEx seems more likely to be a day or two late, Amazon, UPS, and USPS are usually a day early, and the others are less consistent.

That said, I live pretty close to an Amazon warehouse, my USPS office seems to be a regional hub, and I'm just outside the area for the worst FedEx in the state. It's probably because I'm just outside a larger metro area of a smaller state, but honestly, my delivery service rocks.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 4 hours ago

In Germany they give it to your neighbor. Kinda drives me crazy, especially for security hardware

[–] [email protected] 9 points 5 hours ago

This just happened to a friend of mine on Wednesday. Had a new phone from AT&T delivered, and was almost immediately taken from their porch. Their doorbell camera caught both the delivery and the theft.

[–] [email protected] 59 points 8 hours ago (19 children)

It baffles me that "delivering" packages like this is a standard practice over there. I'm in the EU, and if I'm not home by the time the delivery is attempted, the company would call and ask when is a good time to try again, or would leave the thing to be collected at an office.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 hour ago

I'm in the EU and I don't have to be present for anything.

My guess is that wherever they is more prevalent they would require signatures/presence.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 hour ago

Well — Amazon has made package delivery such a common thing that few people would have the time to be around during package delivery hours because they are at work. Few people can go home from work just to wait for a package.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 4 hours ago (2 children)

The seller can mandate a signature. I've had to sign for valuables like laptops, phones and ammo. (That last one was to prove I'm American.)

[–] [email protected] 8 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

So it's possibly cheaper for the seller not to require a signature (since it's an extra service), but it's no biggie if the package gets stolen? Seems logical...

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

Well yeah, if it only gets stolen 1% of the time, and the cost of that service is more than the replacement cost when things get stolen, it makes sense to not require a signature. It's just like retail, they just factor in a certain amount of loss into the price of the items they sell.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 hours ago

Fair point, yeah. If it's a no-hassle process for the customer to report something as stolen (even without proof - because I figure not everybody has surveillance cameras), sure.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

The other thing that's quite common is to require proof of delivery. Always fun because now the delivery driver has to take an awkward photo of me holding the box.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 12 minutes ago

🤣damn

[–] [email protected] 37 points 8 hours ago* (last edited 8 hours ago)

It used to be that they would not leave packages unattended at a residence, they would leave a note on the door about an attempted delivery. I suppose with the rise of online shopping things had to change. I don't see American delivery companies bothering with trying to contact you/retrying deliveries, they just want to get out as many packages as possible... and there is a LOT they have to deliver in a day.

You do have a lot of choices in how you want your items delivered depending on the delivery company. Most of the have apps/websites where you can choose to have them hold the package, or deliver it to a specific location on property. By default packages will be left at the door.

Personally I have never had a problem with porch pirates, and if a package is expensive or important I will have the delivery company hold it and pick it up there.

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[–] Sensitivezombie 13 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

Generally, phone delivery requires the residents signature at the time of delivery. At least that has been the case with T-Mobile and Verizon in my experience. Does AT&T not require signature?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

It's in the article. Most of the time they don't, but in areas where theft is an issue they do. But I'm guessing they haven't caught on yet to change the signature policy.

[–] Sensitivezombie 2 points 2 hours ago

It’s unfortunate that the signature requirement isn’t a standard policy for all.

[–] [email protected] 49 points 10 hours ago (3 children)

We UPS drivers at least get signatures for the damn things. Who would have thought the delivery drivers getting paid shitty wages would be working with thieves to augment their wages lmao

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 minutes ago

That is why apple is sending iPhone using UPS, I guess..

[–] [email protected] 21 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

Really? Where at? Every phone delivery I’ve gotten via UPS does a ding, dong, dash (and sometimes not even ringing the bell). No I don’t have a release signed.

I have to either redirect it to UPS store (hard to do since it’s overnighted and I don’t want to pay an additional fee), or make sure I’m monitoring my camera for motion alerts all day.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 7 hours ago

FedEx too, even for packages marked signature required I've waited at home for them and the driver leaves the package and rushes off before I can even get to the door.

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