Why do Amazon not have an industry leading package tracking system?

Discussion in 'Marketplace Discussions' started by OobuJoobu, Nov 10, 2017.

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  1. OobuJoobu

    OobuJoobu Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Yorkshire, UK
    Like many, I consider Amazon to be an innovative company that have revolutionised the way we shop, and the way shops do business.

    This is why it surprises me that if I want to track a package that's on its way to me, that there are companies out there who do it so much better.

    Whilst it's true that if Amazon tell me that a package is due for delivery today, then I can be almost certain that will be the case, but getting any information beyond that, such as likely time of delivery, is not an option.

    If I compare them to a company like DPD, there really is no comparison. Now I'm sure DPD have let plenty of people down badly (what delivery company hasn't!) but the few times I've had a package from them have been superb.

    For anyone not familiar, what I would get online when tracking one of their parcels, is something along the lines of....

    "Your package is with Fred. Fred has 85 deliveries to make today, your package will be delivery number 60, he is currently on delivery number 21" and then there's a map showing where Fred is now, and the estimated time Fred will be at your house.

    This is perfect! On one occasion I was able to wait until the driver was within about 5 deliveries of arriving at my house, so I sneaked out of work, got home about 10 minutes before the driver arrived, got my parcel and arrived back at work before anyone noticed I was gone.

    Anyone know why Amazon can't at least match this service, let alone blow it out of the water with something even more innovative? You'd think they would want to be seen as the best out there!
     
    Last edited: Nov 10, 2017
  2. audiomixer

    audiomixer As Bald As The Beatles

    Nothing like that in the US.
     
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  3. OobuJoobu

    OobuJoobu Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Yorkshire, UK
    You mean like the DPD service I described? It's really good, and it's been around at least 3 years. If you ever think to yourself "Can I go to the shops without missing my delivery?" you can pretty much make your own decision on that with the DPD tracker.
     
  4. audiomixer

    audiomixer As Bald As The Beatles

    Yep. Nothing like it...
     
  5. I think most people are satisfied with knowing the package will arrive between Tuesday and Wednesday during working hours.
    The package companies can certainly offer minute by minute tracking but this costs money, takes time and effort, and is more burden on an already laden delivery driver.

    In my opinion there is little need to micro track a package unless you have poor delivery conditions, environmental needs that can effect the contents of the package, or an issue arises that requires finding the package because it has not been delivered to its destination on time.
     
  6. Tim S

    Tim S Senior Member

    Location:
    East Tennessee
    Amazon used to feature much more detailed tracking system - for some reason it got scaled way back about 6 months to a year ago. I agree with the OP that it could and should be better.
     
  7. PaulKTF

    PaulKTF Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    Amazon has their own delivery service which has it's own tracking system but they can't control the tracking system for USPS or UPS or FedEx.
     
  8. Bender Rodriguez

    Bender Rodriguez RIP Exene, best dog ever. 2005-2016

    There's no profit in it. You bought the item; they already have your money.
     
  9. DreadPikathulhu

    DreadPikathulhu Senior Member

    Location:
    Seattle
    Amazon has started using their own logistics service to deliver packages in the Seattle area. We used to switch between USPS, UPS, FedEx, and OnTrac fairly regularly and Amazon even has USPS doing Sunday deliveries. Now they are using their own couriers with mixed results. Last week I was able to follow the progress of the delivery in Amazon's iPhone app, including a map showing the location of the delivery agent in relation to my address - for a few days I was able to watch the dot of the delivery person walk around my apartment complex trying to find my building. That functionality seems to have gone away this week.

    The delivery a few days ago was done by an elderly woman, obviously overworked, flustered and frustrated, as she went around a huge complex trying to find all of the doors to drop packages off. I let her know that the office was open until six and they accepted packages there and could notify resident to come get them.
     
  10. bluesbro

    bluesbro Forum Hall of Shame

    Location:
    DC
    Works fine for me
     
  11. Chazro

    Chazro Forum Resident

    Location:
    West Palm Bch, Fl.
    I'm usually ok with Amazon's tracking info but I bought a small item from Japan and there's NO info besides it'll get here sometime this month! Don't understand the delay as I've received CD's from Russia in less than a week!
     
  12. Steve Martin

    Steve Martin Wild & Crazy Guy

    Location:
    Plano, TX
    "Fred is tossing your package 20 feet from the curb to your front porch."

    I was out for a walk the other day and saw Fred do this at several houses. Hope there was nothing breakable.
     
  13. rburly

    rburly Sitting comfortably with Item 9

    Location:
    Orlando
    I was going to say, maybe 10 years ago, maybe. Now I get exact tracking and after it's picked up for delivery to me, I have a log of where it is and when it will be at my door.
     
  14. Did you know you can frequently, in GOOGLE, type in the word tracking and the number and it will direct you to the particular shipper?
     
  15. and when they drop it off outside they frequently send you a photo of where the package is....
     
  16. PaulKTF

    PaulKTF Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    Also, the Amazon Orders page tells you which shipping service they used.
     
  17. Black Elk

    Black Elk Music Lover

    Location:
    Bay Area, U.S.A.
    Did you buy from Amazon Japan directly? I've bought a fair few CDs/SACDs/SHM-SACDs from Amazon Japan, and there is only one global priority shipping option, and I get the packages (via DHL) in 2-3 days without fail and with full tracking info.

    Which is going to make life interesting when they drop neighbors' packages at your home by mistake (which happened to me, again, just the other day -- I took the package the two doors down to the correct address!).
     
  18. Myke

    Myke Trying Not To Spook The Horse

    Amazon here uses their own, plus USPS, UPS, and Fed Ex. I'm fine with the way things are.
     
  19. C4rl

    C4rl Forum Resident

    Location:
    The Fens
    DPD are indeed excellent, Amazon send me an e mail telling me my package is being delivered tomorrow, if its via DPD I get a text message first thing in the morning telling me that my package will be delivered between say 13:11 and 14:11 and sure enough it arrives within that hour, I’ve had well in excess of a hundred packages via DPD, all delivered within the hour they specified, credit where credit's due :thumbsup:
     
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  20. SandAndGlass

    SandAndGlass Twilight Forum Resident

    One reason that they don't provide the location of the delivery service vehicle is security, and that is the main reason. None of the companies want people to know the location of their vehicles.

    However, since they do know that your item is out on a truck for delivery, they could text you an approximate time rather than informing the customer, who is tracking the package on the internet, that the package is out of the truck at 7:00 AM and will be delivered by 6:00 PM.

    Delivery companies know how many packages are on a certain truck and they know the route that the truck is going to take.

    Based upon that, it would not unrealistic for them to send out a text, based on this information, with an approximate delivery time, say within a couple of hour window, instead of saying that said package will be delivered by the end of the day.

    Running a small motel, I know my mailman, and my UPS driver. He will come through the gate and leave a package at the rear door of my office, if I am not around when he knocks at my front door.

    He will also come back later in the day, if his schedule will permit it.

    But lately, FedEx has been leaving packages outside the front door without first even bothering to knock, when I'm sitting on the sofa, just inside.

    Not happy about that, we are located on the beach, on the west side of A1A and there is straight in parking in front of this 60-year old motel. After the parking spaces is the sidewalk and then the street.

    Anyone walking down the sidewalk could just walk up to the front porch and pick it us and walk off with it. I find this very stupid for a FedEx driver to do this, as a customer who pays for FedEx service, is paying a premium price to have their package quickly delivered and without damage.

    It sort of goes without saying that they don't want the thing dumped of outside a front door, without even giving a chance to make an attempt at contacting someone inside the delivery location.

    All private delivery services should be able to give an estimated delivery time early in the morning when the trucks load up and leave the loading dock.

    Initially they could say early or late morning delivery expected or early, mid, or late afternoon, delivery expected.

    As the delivery time gets closer, then, they should, as a courtesy, narrow it down to two hours or even an hour.

    This is something that would be very simple to implement and save a lot of wasted time, waiting around for package deliveries, which makes little sense to me.
     
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  21. Dubmart

    Dubmart Senior Member

    Location:
    Bristol, England
    It's because Amazon in the UK subcontracts it's deliveries out to other companies who probably treat the drivers as self-employed subcontractors, the reality is that Amazon's delivery service isn't a standalone delivery company like DPD or similar, the bottom line is Amazon don't want to spend money if they can avoid it.
     
  22. Tjazz

    Tjazz Breakfast at (a record store)

    Location:
    USA
    USPS has started a new service called 'informed delivery'
    Informed Delivery

    Scans of the letters that are expected to be delivered that day. Also mentions packages about to be delivered. It's helpful, but not perfect.

    So you can see when they make mistakes.
     
  23. Jeff Kent

    Jeff Kent Forum Resident

    Location:
    Mt. Kisco, NY
    If they say it will be there on Friday by 8pm and it consistently is...I don't care where it is before that.
     
  24. This is exactly the reasoning. Amazon and publicly traded companies in general are solely driven to seek profit. It's the main reason why companies sink the bare minimum into customer service operations, because those are viewed as cost centers and not profit centers. A company shipping the item to you already has your money.

    If Amazon could monetize that tracking information, they would improve it. By the way, they likely reduced tracking details because customers were hassling customer service about it too much.
     
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  25. OobuJoobu

    OobuJoobu Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Yorkshire, UK
    Well, as if by magic, I've just been looking at the delivery status of my Beatles Christmas vinyl box on Amazon, and seen this! (That green dot seems to be indicating where the driver is now)

    [​IMG]

    I can only assume of course they read this thread and realised what a good point I'd made ;)
     
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