We are coming on to that holiday season, and with it, a major increase in online orders and package deliveries. On average, package deliveries double during the three weeks before Christmas, which is fine, unless you are one of the 25.9 million Americans that will have a package delivery stolen this holiday season.
The problem is that it’s hard to guarantee your package is safe once delivered. That delivery insurance you bought helps to insure your package gets to your door, but ends the minute it’s dropped off. And that’s when Porch Pirates strike.
Delivery services and retailers are trying really hard to combat the issue, creating alternatives to traditional home delivery to try to keep your precious package out of a thief’s hands. UPS has created the popular “My Choice” program so that customers can track their packages, view estimated delivery times and even change the delivery address, say to a friend’s house or your office, before scheduled drop-off to keep it from sitting there waiting for you. And UPS’s “Access Point” allows customers to opt for a public drop off point, like your local drugstore or UPS store, instead of your home.
Package Concierge is a service aimed at apartment and condo dwellers, where packages will be delivered to Package Concierge Lockers, installed near resident mailboxes, rather than the front desk. Residents are notified when they have a package waiting, then use the app or an email code to unlock the right locker. You should also take advantage of couriers’ ability to hold packages at their facilities. Notify the US Postal Service, UPS, FedEx and many other delivery services if you are going to be out of town during a scheduled delivery date. They can easily hold it for you till you return.
You can also leave a note requesting that the delivery service leave your package at your back door, behind your gate, or in another out-of-sight location so an opportunistic thief won’t see it when strolling by. Security cameras and video doorbells can catch a pretty good image of a thief as well. Unfortunately, it probably won’t stop your package from being stolen, but it may help catch the thief later.
Unfortunately, this kind of theft has become a reality we just have to deal with, and ultimately, it’s up to you to take the steps necessary to protect your precious packages from Porch Pirates this holiday season.
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Photo Credit: George Sheldon / Shutterstock.com