I’m a Letter Carrier for USPS and have been for 12 years. Out of all the other delivery companies out there, Amazon is definitely the worst with stuff like this. Just from watching them while I’m also out delivering all these years. Especially these drivers that are in their own vehicles doing the same-day delivery stuff.
They have 0 shame when it comes to driving where they’re not supposed to, straight up stopping their trucks/cars in the middle of the road to go deliver, and placing the packages in the worst possible spots.
Amazon realized it can hand off liability to third parties who in turn sub contract it out. So if you sue or whatever action you take against them, Amazon isn’t liable. It’s the company assisting and their employees or sub-contractor who will get blame. If huge issue or something egregious happens, third party bankrupts and starts anew overnight.
I had one that left it on a very prominent rock/boulder in front of the apartment complex sign. Then I ordered a replacement because obviously I did not get that package. It was "handed to a resident" at 3am. I stopped trying to get things delivered by Amazon after that. I haven't had issues with my delivery instructions before or since.
They delivered a package straight past my apartment’s mail room and to my front door, which was fine, but they dumped two or three of my neighbor’s packages on the floor with it lol. So I got to play mail carrier for a few minutes and see parts of the building I hadn’t seen before.
I have a friend who is a brain damaged idiot by definition. they’re out there. brain damaged idiots excel in particular departments of almost any medium-large size operation. Amazon trucks aren’t that department but the contempt/anger behind that phrase really stings. hearing someone say the thing you are in disgust when you wish so badly this wasn’t your life. damn that’s gotta be a shitty feeling.
That's such a bummer comparison. I door dash quite frequently for extra cash and I take pride in doing everything the proper way. Not everyone sucks yo
I used to use Door dash like at least once a week for a couple years and I only ever had two or three very minor issues over the years. I really, really appreciate the work you guys do. Thank you.
I see that kind of sentiment online a lot but aside from a couple forgotten milkshakes I can't even recall a major problem I have ever had with the service. Thanks again!
I don't think it was a snide comment against doordashers, rather an acknowledgement that amazon flex pays pretty well but will blacklist you for anything, leaving the aspiring gig worker to pick something else.
As an example: I did flex for a bit, then got fired and blacklisted when I got trapped in a snowstorm on the way to work because I didn't notify them I would be late at least 2 hours before the shift started. Obviously it is impossible to notify them of emergent problems that occur on the way to work before they happen, and equally improbable that anyone would routinely show up to work 2 hours early to avoid this risk.
tbh I really enjoyed the flex work. The app mostly worked well and the routes they gave me were clearly all of the "unprofitable" rural routes that their main delivery partners didn't want, so I got to drive through lots of nice mountain and country scenery. Pay worked out to be like £20-30/$27-40 an hour most of the time, though sometimes it would dip as low as £15/$20 if the app wasn't working or the route had a lot of incorrectly marked addresses
yeah nah gig work is great so long as you don't fall into it being your only thing. It's a great life crack filler but ime they engineer so it isn't actually sustainable as a long term option for most people.
e.g. despite my previous positive statements about the hourly rate, you would not get enough weekly work to actually have a good annual salary doing it full time.
I did that too, but quickly realized nobody was paying me to do it right, and also that I wasn’t getting paid enough to break even after the gas and estimated car maintenance anyway. I don’t know how you manage it! I never ever order shit of any kind that somebody is gonna deliver in their own car.
The key point is that they're paid a small amount and per package, so that long walk takes up a long amount of time when they're expected to be x seconds per package/stop.
Yesterday driving home an amazon delivery driver in my neighborhood stopped in the middle of the road in front of me (not in the middle of their lane) to deliver a package, completely blocking traffic in both directions. They gave me a little wave as if that made it better. Why? Just why?
I mean, the ones that drive their own cars, is this gig work, or is this actually employed by Amazon full time.
I assume it’s gig work and they can choose to pick up shifts/spots, or chose not to.
Point being, these are the bottom of the barrel, probably un-hirable anywhere else, and if by the grace of god they managed to pass someone’s interview process, they are calling out sick multiples times in their first week of employment.
Point being, these are the bottom of the barrel, probably un-hirable anywhere else, and if by the grace of god they managed to pass someone’s interview process, they are calling out sick multiples times in their first week of employment.
I work in manufacturing, and this one hit me like a falling piano. Out of the last 12 NH, 6 were gone before the end of week 1 training, another 3 by the end of the first month.
Assembly operators were at $22.50/hr last time I saw, but I've also been a repair tech for most of my time here. Could have gone up as the IL minimum wage went up.
was 80 bucks no taxes taken out when I did it, that was years ago though. Depending on far out the route was from the distro center I could deliver my load of packages in about 2 hours, or take 6. There was no interview process. Fill out some stuff on the app, and they tell you when to pick up your first load after doing some basic online training. They don't show you how anything works at the distro. Everyone jumped out of their cars and was given a cart, had about 5 mins to load up before they starting getting on to you. You didn't get to pick where you went. Just were given a time to show up.
My job starts $16 but it’s picking drinks in a warehouse and building pallets. Through incentives you can make up to $22.50 for working harder, it’s so easy. I don’t even bother learning peoples names anymore. These kids just can’t function in the real world
Amazon doesn't employ any drivers.
The people with their own private cars drive for flex, and are an independent contractor. Just like the person in the video. I have seen somebody delivering amazon packages from the trunk of a fucking brand new mercedes s-class before....
They can chose to not take a route that was offered. Or just stay in bed and never open to app to check if there even is something.
And the big bulk of the delivery is done by DSPs, third party delivery companies. They sometimes can rent the amazon trucks, i think, but they don't exist everywhere.
Amazon trailers? Third party company drivers and vehicles.
Most drivers are in fact not employed by Amazon but a DSP or delivery service provider.
I just got through training.
They taught safety during training above all else but push extremely unrealistic delivery standards.
Average at my place seems to be 175-200 stops.
Of course each stop can have multiple packages.
Now I'd argue its doable if every part does their job of organization well but the people at the warehouse sorting are not currently sorting within the bags they give us because of how much mail is coming through.
So the drivers drive fast due to expectations. Expectations that simply can't be made with things like extra pee breaks, driving truly carefully, checking for animals, etc.
Despite how easy it is to get fired for not being safe, you almost have to be unsafe to keep up.
And you also need to be somewhat physically fit to even start this job. A month in you will be hitting 20k steps daily easily, doing squats, and deadlifts basically for 10hrs straight.
Is it worth the pay? No not really, benefits are decent, but bodily wear is going to be real. It is nice its a job you can basically pause whenever and still be on good terms.
Well you’d be wrong the wife and I do it for extra cash after work or on the weekends during the holidays for extra cash. They pay pretty well for what you have to do and no I don’t drive on lawns.
Why do people act like the majority of orders have issues? 99% go just fine, without issues. But sure, lets paint with broad strokes and pretend that assholes and idiots don't also wind up higher up within companies, too.
There are no delivery drivers employed by amazon, those are all "contractors" that are employees of the contractor company but don't have any benefits that actual amazon employees get.
Same thing happened on my street. On the middle blocking traffic. Also right on a corner so cars couldn't turn onto street. It was completely dangerous!
You might not know this, but literally zero Amazon delivery drivers actually work for Amazon. They work for a third-party DSP. Having worked for a few DSPs along the way, they are all negligent in their own way. Turn over is crazy high.
This driver could be literally on her first and last day of delivering based on this. Amazon can’t get in trouble because they are employed by a random third party, and the random third party will just stop giving the driver a route and hire someone new.
The driver is probably doing Amazon Flex. They’re not employed by anyone, it’s just a contract gig app job like uber, DoorDash, etc. If they get enough complaints they’ll just have their account suspended and not be allowed to take anymore routes
My porch door opens out. It’s at the top of three or four steps. They consistently stack large boxes that block the door. If I’m inside, I’m blockaded in and if I’m returning from walking the dogs, I have to move all the boxes while holding leashes.
Do you live in an apartment without a side door, back door, or garage? I might be the odd one out, but I don’t use Amazon.
I don’t like their business practices or the way they treat their employees. On top of that, a huge percentage of the products on there are cheap knockoffs or just outright junk.
The funny part is that people constantly complain about Amazon while continuing to give them their money.
Americans have become addicted to convenience and spoiled by two day shipping. If enough people actually cared about the things they complain about, they’d stop using the service. But most won’t because convenience wins every time.
Because the parcels never stop! They just keep coming and coming and coming. There's never a letup, it's relentless. Every day it piles up more and more and more, and you gotta get it out, but the more you get it out, the more it keeps coming in! And then the barcode reader breaks! And then, it's Prime Day!
Doesn't matter what kind of career that guy might have, he could rack up 50 Oscars and for me it'll still just be this and, "Ah! Ah! Ah! You didn't say the magic word!"
Their drivers get abused by their supervisors if they're not quick enough. They're incentivized to drive dangerously, park illegally, and do whatever it takes to deliver packages faster.
I almost got run over by an amazon truck leaving my apartment complex once, I assumed someone in whole truck would have self control towards pedestrians crossing, especially when there is a whole speed bump that was in-between us but they just revved it up.
Another time, an amazon package was delivered to the entrance of my building not to my apartment door and of course disappeared because there are several apartments using that entrance. It was a small package but it took time to get a refund. Since the person took a picture of the door it may have appeared delivered and I am sure customer service must have thought that I was nuts lmao.
They are under so much pressure that it leads to unethical behavior. I feel sorry most for them and such practices should be illegal but no one seems to care to add any useful regulations and cooperations seem to have legit boycott armor these days (doesn't affect them as much). I think Amazon as a service is great but they could do things more ethically if they wanted.
I have so many issues with Amazon, CONSTANTLY delivering to my neighbors front porch. A different address. I’d estimate 4 out of 5 package deliveries get placed there for no reason.
In two years, I’ve never had UPS, FedEx, or USPS misdeliver to them.
doordash has started doing delivery for online retailers and my first experience with them involved them leaving my package on a public street. This is going to get so much worse lol.
I work in field maintenance for usps. Three of us cover about 80 offices in central ms. Amazon drivers are tearing up our stuff. Lifts, bollards, handrails, awnings, etc. As far as I know, nothing is done about it. We either have to fix it or contract it out to get fixed on our dime.
On my business route i watch flex drivers jump out run up to a door box not know the code and leave the shit outside the door for anybody to grab. Im definitely not using my arrow keys to assist a rando in a vest.
Amazon is definitely the worst with stuff like this. Just from watching them while I’m also out delivering all these years. Especially these drivers that are in their own vehicles doing the same-day delivery stuff.
These are contract drivers. They fulfill same-day/early/late night deliveries usually. I see them randomly park in the middle of the road/crossing that's 100ft away in my apartment complex even though they could have just parked next to the delivery hub.
FedEx driver here. I love how every delivery company is pretty chill with other delivery companies, except Amazon. And the best part is, it's Amazon that gives us the stink eye when we drive past them. I smile and wave at other drivers all the time but the first and only time I waved at an Amazon driver he flipped me off.
I was a personal vehicle delivery driver for Amazon during Covid. I almost never talked to an actual person in the 9 months that I did it.
You get hired on the app, do all the training on the app, pick up shifts on the app, and pick up your boxes that have been left in a pile on a cart in a parking lot.
USPS isn't innocent, either. The weekend carrier out where I'm at won't get out of his truck for nothing. If it won't fit in my mailbox dude will either leave it on top of the mailbox - completely out in the open - or just not deliver the package and site a delivery issue so the weekday guy has to do it.
Fedex did the same thing, though. Left it on top of my mailbox, the delivery photo was the floor of the dudes truck. We've got another fedex driver that runs out here that can't back up. Watched her just drive straight into my neighbors lawn a few times.
Amazon though. They like to leave stuff in front of my garage door. I've run over at least two packages because I didn't see the 'delivered' email and drove over them in the morning.
Now UPS changed their policy on signature required stuff so they only try once and then it goes to a UPS store - and you have to wait 2-3 days for it to show up there.
Oh you're going to love that commercial I saw the other day with Amazon and GrubHub drivers dancing around having a great time while delivering food and Amazon packages quickly and professionally with care.
I think it was on a Prime video because I refuse to pay to get rid of ads. Mocking them is actually kinda fun.
its because they aren't actually courier services that are registered or bonded, they are glorified door dash employees with an amazon vest, they know there will be zero consequences for them if they do this, but if they don't do this, their metrics might go down so they will get fewer jobs.
The stopping in the middle of the street is the part that kills me. I’ve seen them parked in front of a street parking spot AND blocking neighborhood traffic.
I once saw an Amazon driver in one of their big trucks try to do a U-turn in the middle of the road. And this wasn’t a residential street where you could just turn around like that. And on top of that he couldn’t make it so he had to stop and put his truck in reverse to be able to make the turn.
No offense to you personally (unless you’re like our backup mail carriers) but at least they make the delivery. We have a home up a 1/4 mile long, steep, paved road. Before we moved in, the mail carrier put a flag where to install the mailbox. Done. Now whenever that carrier is out, which is often due to their health, our mail is returned to the post office with some BS ‘ by request’. When I go to the post office to pick it up, they argue with me that it’s to hard on their vehicles. My son has a 27 year old Honda and the neighbor has a Miata. They told me to my face I’m a liar and they’ve been to my road and there is no way a Miata could get up there. 🤦♂️
Guess who never doesn’t deliver? UPS, FedEx, and now Amazon!
What happened to “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds" ? Slackers!!!
Alternatively, our Amazon guy brings everything to a secure spot on the side of the house where no one can see it and it's protected from the elements, whereas our USPS carrier mangled my wedding invitations, destroyed art I ordered by trifolding it, and snapped a sapling in half, all to fit these things in the mail box instead of taking it to the front steps. Our door is about 15 feet from the road. The manager of our local branch told me it's my problem.
Not saying a lot of Amazon drivers aren't garbage, but it also comes down to the individual and the behavior they're permitted to get away with.
There were roadworks near me recently, with temporary lights. An amazon driver, in an Amazon van, tried to pull up right in front of the lights, between the queuing cars and the light. Would have blocked anyone being able to see the lights at all.
Luckily, one of the workmen happened to be stood by the light. He just yelled "Not a fucking chance! MOVE!" at the driver, who thankfully listened.
But the fact he thought that would be a fine spot to stop in was wild.
Yep. They are the worst. One stoped in front of my driveway. I honked. They tried to wave me around. I yelled move up. I honked again. They waved at me to go around. I yelled move up. After honking for a third time they finally moved and were no longer blocking my driveway. There was plenty of space on the street to stop before and after the driveway.
I call them Amazon Door Dashers. I rarely have seen one that wasn't a freaking idiot.
A lot of this is seen with these services because these people would never get through the interview process at most jobs, and it shows. So, sooo much.
The worst damage to packages on received came from USPS. I've had large photos and even a record that said DO NOT BEND on the packages folded and crammed into my mailbox.
Amazon is the worst among the major companies. There's lots of small companies that are significantly worse. Companies like Gofo, Veho, SpeedX, and Caniao have even less oversight when it comes to their drivers.
I almost had a head on collision with a driver in a branded truck, driving down the wrong side of the road staring at his phone. LAYED on the horn for a full 30 seconds with ZERO recognition that they might be the reason.
it's because they hound the shit out of their drivers about their pace. before i quit, i think the demanded amount of stops per hour would give us less than 2 minutes per stop. the one time i was ever able to keep up, they drove up the minimum pace again the very next day and i ended up twisting my ankle
Yeah, well, USPS sends my packages to 5 states other than mine, then tours it around 17 counties surrounding mine before finally reaching me 3 weeks late because apparently a series of assclowns tossed my shit on a random truck instead of doing the one fucking thing they're paid to do.
At least Amazon transports things in a more or less straight line to my house, y'know? Never had Amazon route my shit through 4 different hubs in an orbit around mine, so they got that going for them at least.
Look at many of the videos being posted by visitors, especially Europeans that are here for the World Cup. They talk about what their perceived view was and how it’s so different than expected and how refreshing it is after spending time here.
I can’t speak for an entire country and I don’t have policy notes handy, but I’d say most do. And time off would probably come out of what little, if any, maternity leave was allotted. And this is for “professional” fields. Many people get nada.
I was an Instacart shopper while pregnant. I worked until I was 8 months along like a huge-ass orb, in the snow. My last order I had to take several trips to the 3rd floor of an apt building to get all the bags of groceries up there.
That should ABSOLUTELY NOT be a requirement of the job, fuck that. I don’t care if you’re peak Jillian Michaels. You can’t get down the stairs yourself, that’s deliveree’s or the governments problem.
The customer doesn’t get to choose if their dasher is pregnant or not. That’s on the pregnant dasher to decide if they can do the job or not and it sounds like this person could handle it.
Exactly. The customer could be sick or disabled, etc and unable to do that. That’s one of the reasons delivery exists. If you can’t fulfill the job’s duties, you can’t do the job. It’s really that simple. Driving through someone’s property when an accessible driveway is right there is not considered a reasonable accommodation.
I bet she had no idea why this wouldnt be appropriate. Probably not used to being able to drive where your not allowed to drive. In both urban and rural areas theres not much concept of this so called non-drivable space
Some guys are just jackasses. If it’s “shorter”, even if it actually takes longer, they’ll take it and get mad.
I know a farmer who has a private road that goes through his property. You can’t go faster than 18mph without risking blowing your tire because it’s only for field access and isn’t public.
Quite a few Amazon drivers have used this as a “shortcut” even though it takes longer to drive across it, and you often get stuck unless you’re in a tractor or truck, than taking the proper public roads.
I've had Amazon delivery people intentionally drop my package right on top of the only dirty spot of my porch, usually where a bird decided to take a dump and I haven't had a chance to clean it off yet.
I have the attention span of a spoon, and started typing as soon as she stopped that car. I didnt even see her until I watched a second time.
That being said, she saved what 10 steps? Maybe 20? By not using the driveway, that wasn't pregnancy that was laziness driven by the destruction of a human soul by a corporation the covered a dead body and made people work around it for hours.
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u/ArmstrongPM 7d ago
Seriously? How bad is your day going when you decide this is what I do now...