It's no secret that ordering from Amazon is one of the easiest and fastest ways to get what you need. But even though opening one of those brown and black packages can be a bright spot in your day (it’s like a present to yourself every time the doorbell rings!), getting them to your doorstep is not always as seamless as it could be. Packages are often delayed, and sometimes even broken or lost, so we wanted to get the behind-the-scenes scoop from Amazon drivers themselves. Read on for five warnings from ex-Amazon delivery workers.
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1 | Theft is common.
Jeramey Lende/ShutterstockAmazon deliveries are famously left outside their delivery location. While it's great to not have to sign for the package or worry about being home when they're delivered, this practice does make them more susceptible to being stolen—and it happens pretty often.
“Thieves easily identify delivery vehicles and will follow their mark and decide which houses to steal packages from, [it] doesn’t matter how clever you think you are or how well that package is hidden,” a former delivery driver, David Scott, shared in a Quora forum.
Luckily, Amazon is good about sending the items out again or issuing a refund, but Scott suggests a more proactive solution if you're worried about your packages being taken. “If [you’re] concerned about theft, don’t have packages sent to your home and left unattended. Instead, rent a box at a storefront mailbox service and use that as your mailing address,” he said.
2 | Drivers might not follow your special instructions.
Tyreke Seaton via QuoraListing special instructions for your deliveries can go one of two ways: the driver will either follow them or they won’t. The best way to get them to do the latter is to be concise and kind, a former driver named S. Elj said on Quora.
He explained that the drivers are busy delivering hundreds of packages. so some instructions will likely not get followed. If the instructions detail some frivolous request, it will probably get ignored. But if you have simple drop-off directions written in a kind way, the drivers will be more inclined to read and follow them.
3 | Drivers are forced to use a low-quality GPS system.
Vizanty/ShutterstockIf your packages are late, the Amazon delivery driver may not be to blame. Each driver uses the Amazon Flex app to deliver packages. If they work independently as a contractor they can download it on their own phone but if they drive an actual Amazon truck they must use an Android phone that has the app on it—which people aren't too happy about.
In a TikTok video, Amazon driver Alex Reyes Obs, who calls the phone "the rabbit," says the battery dies extremely fast and "the network’s signal goes away all the time." But the main issue seems to be the GPS, which Reyes Obs says takes him on way longer routes than necessary.
In addition to all the info for packages, the Flex app provides a set delivery route that drivers are expected to follow, former driver Kareem Caldwell explained in a Quora forum.
"Sometimes the GPS on the Amazon Flex will be out of wack and have the ping in a different location when we’re at the exact location it gave us," Caldwell said. "We have to fix it our selves or contact the people back at the station to fix it."
You may not be getting your packages exactly when Amazon says because of its delivery app losing connection or because of its complex re-routing system.
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4 | Drivers may call you if they can't find your address.
QualityHD/Shutterstock“Whenever we deliver packages, we follow the route that the GPS is pinged to,” Caldwell said on the forum. “What we normally do is text or call the customer if we can’t find the exact address and when they don’t respond we skip them."
The drivers want you to receive your items, so they'll try their best to find your correct location. But Caldwell says customers often list the wrong delivery address in their Amazon account, which will certainly cause a delay. He advised customers to triple check their account and make sure that all the information is up to date before they purchase something.
5 | Complaining to the drivers won't get you anywhere.
dennizn/ShutterstockIn a perfect world, all your packages would come on time and damage-free. But things happen, and usually, there is nothing the Amazon delivery driver can do about it. Most of them don't even directly report to Amazon but work for a third party delivery service provider where all they're responsible for is scanning and delivering.
"Unless we actually did something wrong, don't complain to us because it doesn't help anybody and if you have a problem, you can report it directly to Amazon," an Amazon driver who goes by Gryzbowski on TikTok says in a video. "If you have a question that is not related to your package, but it is related to Amazon in some way, make sure you check the Amazon help site or the Amazon help page on the app because most of the time we don't know what the answer is either. We just deliver your packages."
