Had packages stolen off front porch today

I figured it would happen eventually but it still makes me mad. I had 2 packages delivered today, 1 from Amazon and 1 from Barnes and Noble. Got an e-mail update that they were delivered and on my front porch. I went and checked and they were not there. Not more than 10 minutes between the delivery time and when I checked. Amazon said they would ship me a replacement. Anybody have any experience with Barnes on something like this? I'm going to have start sending everything to the UPS store which will be somewhat of a hassle because it's out of my way.

 

I've seen things like this on the local news and there have been updates from the local police to be vigilant.

I sent a small care package to my parents last year and that was swiped off of their porch. Sucks.

 

That sucks. So sorry to hear this.

 

'Porch Pirates':

http://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/consumers-warned-porch-pirates-online-sales-soar-n472201

 

There was a video on the news here that showed a woman walking up on a porch and stealing two packages. (The owner had a surveillance camera) It was a neighbor..... AND, her husband is a police officer! On top of that, she is on probation for shoplifting! The woman was at her hearing in her Jail pajama's, crying. Her policeman husband was nowhere to be found.

 

I'm pretty lucky in that my front porch is not visible from the front of the house and I have cameras covering the house. I have had a few times when UPS claimed to deliver something her that I never got, and I was able to prove that they never did deliver it. In both cases they delivered to the wrong house yet their records show them delivering to me.

In one case, I got the package a few weeks later when the person who it was delivered to got back from vacation. It had been sitting on the wrong front porch all that time. The bummer is that this was a Shure V15 cartridge and one of the last ones. I did have them ship me another and I foolishly returned the first one when I got it back. I should have kept it (and paid for it) even though I didn't need it, as they became very scarce and the price went up.

 

This happened to a friend of mine. I had an idea to place a couple fake packages on their porch which would be filled with something resembling humans remains and fake blood along with a vague note, or large clumps of hair. Something really bizarre and weird that would make anyone taking packages think twice about it again.

 

I hate when they leave stuff on my porch, but I guess it beats waiting for UPS to return.

 

My wife talked to my neighbor across the street and it turns out he has a surveillance camera and he showed us footage of two guys walking down the street and just casually going to my front porch and taking my stuff. Unfortunately nothing clear enough to identify them. One had a blue and white umbrella though which I'll be sure to keep an eye out for. Barnes and Amazon are both shipping me replacements which I'm going to have shipped to the UPS store this time.

 

Melted chocolate candy bars can't hurt either.

 

Common in Southern California, UPS is putting tracking devices in some packages to track the thieves. Looks of videos of crooks walking off with stolen packages.

 

Local news story:

A Vallejo man came up with a smelly solution to fighting off package thieves this holiday season.

Bryan Nalette tells KPIX that after a package disappeared from his doorstep in October — and then again last week — he began setting up decoy boxes as a way to get photos of the thieves in the act.

“I don’t like being stolen from,” he said. “I don’t think anybody does.”

After allowing thieves to get away with two empty boxes, “I filled up the third box with dog crap,” he said. The source? His dog, Chance.

“I wish I could have been there in the car when they opened the box,” he said, laughing.

Nalette has since turned over the photos to the Vallejo Police Department, but no arrests have been made.

 

Sorry to hear about your trouble. I maintain a box at a private postal center and have all my purchases shipped there. It's an expense of $200 a year, but I receive all my packages without fail. Theft potential aside, I've also learned I cannot count on the USPS to be sensible enough to actually leave package on my porch. I've found them in the dirt at the entry gate or sitting in the middle of the driveway entrance. Out regular carrier won't deliver that foolishly, but oftentimes packages are sent via another carrier and they just don't care where they leave things. UPS and FedEx will always leave boxes on the porch if no signature is required.

 

This is one of the main reasons I have security cameras covering my entrances. I once had UPS swear that they left a cartridge at my house yet my cameras showed that they didn't. It turned out they left it at a house the next block over and those people were out of town. When they returned the next month they brought it over to me.

Of course by that time I had received a replacement. Sadly I returned the first one, and that was sad because it was among the last V15xMR's ever sold by Audio Advisor. I should have just kept it and paid for the second one.

The point is that UPS was sure it was delivered to me, but I was able to prove to them that it never was. They tried to tell me it was delivered and must have been stolen, of course absolving them of any liability.

 

It's groundhog day all over again!

 

There are a lot of things I dislike. A thief, a thief ranks up very high on my list.

 

I worked for UPS 30 years in management, they found it's more cost effective to leave packages without a signature rather than making multiple delivery attempts on the same package. That said they pay hundreds of
millions of dollars in claims each year for damages and thefts. What you described above is fairly common when you deliver millions of packages per day errors are made. Ups and FedEx both complete successful deliveries about 95-97% of the time on about 20 million packages per day that leaves about 700,000 thousand damaged, misdelivered or stolen packages each day !!!

 

If thieves are known to be in your area, leave a nicely packaged and very visible box filled to the brim with a plastic bag of dog(or other) poop. They may not stop stealing but you won't be able to avoid feeling a slight bit of satisfaction imagining their faces while reviewing their "score"

 

I am a big fan of the dog poop decoy box. Every one should do that haha

 

What about an exploding dye pack?
Wonder if they would come back and try to sue?

 

This is why I have rented a post office box.

 

You can also pick up your package on will-call at the UPS facility that serves your area no charge.

 

The holiday season just seems too tempting for some porch pirates..

http://www.thestar.com/news/crime/2015/12/08/christmas-wreath-theft-captured-on-video.html

I believe this woman later returned the wreath and apologized.

 

I'm pushing for some exploding dog poop.

Edit: Anyway we could make that happen?

 

I grabbed my 35 lbs. of calzones off my porch yesterday. Fed Ex truck was just pulling away, and there were my calzones...all alone, and unprotected.
$123.00 makes you think they'd at least wait a second, for you to open the door, but that's not the world we live in anymore.
.