Package thief

I just got an email from a neighbor on Glenside Rd in South Orange. Her husband found someone stealing freshly delivered packages from their front step. The person took off in a bluish-green Honda Accord. This happened earlier this afternoon.

The police were called and are on the scene.

I'm sending this out to let people know to be cautious and keep their eyes peeled.

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OliveBee said:

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I'm not on Facebook.

this seems to have become the norm.  Anything I order worth more than a few bucks has to go to the UPS store.

We're right across the street from the victims.  We weren't home at the time-got back a few minutes later.  Could it be that the thief or thieves follows the delivery truck, and then makes his grab for the packages?

lizziecat said:

We're right across the street from the victims.  We weren't home at the time-got back a few minutes later.  Could it be that the thief or thieves follows the delivery truck, and then makes his grab for the packages?

I think that's the MO yes.

The big problem in many cases is that the friggin' delivery people (FedEx, USPS, and some UPS) will put your packages on your front stoop, right underneath the doorbell, and can't bring themselves to ring the friggin' doorbells.  I had this problem in Maplewood, and I have it where I live now.  I have had umpteen conversations with all three delivery organizations and all tell me their delivery people are supposed to ring the bell.  I'm not asking for them to wait for me to answer the door and hand me my package.  Just ring the friggin' bell to let me know there's a package there.

It all came to a head when a package of food from Omaha Steaks sat outside my front door overnight because UPS delivered it at 8pm and didn't ring the doorbell.  My neighbor saw it sitting there the next morning around 11am and called to tell me.  

I have now signed up for text messages when packages are delivered by FedEx and UPS.  My Amazon packages are delivered by USPS, so I get the texts from Amazon.  However, the text messages can lag 5-10 minutes after the delivery, which is ample time for someone following the truck to run up and grab my stuff.  Luckily that hasn't happened yet......

So aggravating! 

We've had the same UPS man for years and he goes above and beyond making sure things are out of sight.  He also rings the bell and waits a reasonable time for someone to get to the door to grab packages from him.

My issue is with the FedEx guy. I've waited for packages that I know must be signed for and have heard him at the door (dogs give him away) and instead of ringing the bell, he's putting the sticker on the door! This happened about 2 months ago and I was able to catch him and gave him major attitude. WTF? He said he rang the doorbell and I demanded that he ring it again -- with me standing there. He never rang it and we both know it. Leaving packages out and not waiting for a minute for us to get to the door, IMO, is bad service and allows theft to happen. 

I think I had the same UPS guy when we lived in SO. Packages were always left on the front porch and tucked up against the wall so you couldn't see them from the street. He always made sure to ring the bell. I wish there were some way to tell UPS "if you ever have to lay off drivers, make sure this guy is last."

Our current UPS guy is...not so great.

kibbegirl said:

So aggravating! 

We've had the same UPS man for years and he goes above and beyond making sure things are out of sight.  He also rings the bell and waits a reasonable time for someone to get to the door to grab packages from him.

kibbegirl said:

So aggravating! 

We've had the same UPS man for years and he goes above and beyond making sure things are out of sight.  He also rings the bell and waits a reasonable time for someone to get to the door to grab packages from him.

My issue is with the FedEx guy. I've waited for packages that I know must be signed for and have heard him at the door (dogs give him away) and instead of ringing the bell, he's putting the sticker on the door! This happened about 2 months ago and I was able to catch him and gave him major attitude. WTF? He said he rang the doorbell and I demanded that he ring it again -- with me standing there. He never rang it and we both know it. Leaving packages out and not waiting for a minute for us to get to the door, IMO, is bad service and allows theft to happen. 

Do you get confirmation e-mails from your online companies telling you when your item has shipped?  If so, click on the tracking link and it will bring you to either the UPS or FedEx site where you can sign up for e-mails and you can choose when you want to receive e-mails (shipping status, etc.).  I always check "upon delivery" and I get an e-mail saying my package was delivered within a few minutes of its being delivered.  It's a whole lot better than arguing with the dumbbell drivers.  Also, if you create a My Fedex or My UPS account, they will automatically notify you whenever they get a package addressed to you.

Everything sent to me from UPS and Fedex is tracked via email automatically.  FedEx can be a PIA sometimes, but my UPS guy (and even his fill-in) know to leave things at the back door.  If the door is open they'll even knock and put it inside.

Upper Gregory right here at its the same. I had a huge lighting fixture stolen a few Saturdays ago in broad daylight. We were out to lunch, delivery happened, went home and it was gone. The person must be pretty desperate b/c we live way up in the hills and out of the way - not a through street what so ever. They are searching for things to take.

I never followed up. The perpetrator was nicked by the SO Constabulary thanks to a neighbor catching the license plate.  The stolen items were returned to us and our neighbors. 

mrincredible said:

I never followed up. The perpetrator was nicked by the SO Constabulary thanks to a neighbor catching the license plate.  The stolen items were returned to us and our neighbors. 

WOW -- give that neighbor a round of applause.  You lucked out!    

RobB said:

I think I had the same UPS guy when we lived in SO. Packages were always left on the front porch and tucked up against the wall so you couldn't see them from the street. He always made sure to ring the bell. I wish there were some way to tell UPS "if you ever have to lay off drivers, make sure this guy is last."

Our current UPS guy is...not so great.

kibbegirl said:

So aggravating! 

We've had the same UPS man for years and he goes above and beyond making sure things are out of sight.  He also rings the bell and waits a reasonable time for someone to get to the door to grab packages from him.

We must have the same guy. He's awesome. We have an enclosed porch, and I really appreciate when the packages are tucked out of view. 

and UPS pays good for someone with only a high school diploma and the ability to drive a truck..true it can be back breaking work.....but it is a decent living..you would think the workers would care more so they don't get fired and have to work at Walmart for 1/4 of the salary

I'm going to guess the biggest metric for success at UPS is largest quantity of packages delivered... and not least number of packages stolen.

mrincredible said:

I never followed up. The perpetrator was nicked by the SO Constabulary thanks to a neighbor catching the license plate.  The stolen items were returned to us and our neighbors. 

Niiiiice.  And great job by the SOPD (as usual).

UPS in South Orange will take your delivery, with a $5 charge.  Worth it if your package is valuable.

Krungle:

The UPS Store South Orange program that you posted about is called the "Package Only Customer" program.  Anyone can use it.  First call into the store and have your name logged into the computer system, your phone number and eMail address.

Now ship any package you want, via any carrier EXCEPT the Post Office, and we will accept your package, scan and log it and hold it for you for 5 days.

The fees is $5 per package.

If you get more than an occasional package, opening a Mail Box can be done for as little as $26 per month.  US Post Office packages can come to a Mail Box.

As you said, cheap insurance for high value or needed packages.  Plus, they arrive much earlier than to your home.

Later, George@The UPS Store