Scam or not?

Dirty Savage

Paranoid Android
The other day a coworker of mine made a delivery attempt at a residence and found no one to be home. He works an area of town lovingly referred to as "the hood" as it is a very low-income, crime-filled area. So he left a del. notice.

The next day he's doing his rounds and he gets a message over the diad. Customer called from that house and asked that the driver please come to the back door. I guess that house contained a couple of suites and the driver was ringing the wrong doorbell. So he goes around the back and there is a staircase leading up to a second floor balcony. He looks up and there is a guy sitting on a chair. The resident sees the upser and comes down the stairs and says "do you have my package?" Driver gives it to him and all is well.

The next day a concern comes from that same address wherein the resident claims he did not receive his package. From my way of thinking there are two possible scenarios here. First, the resident did indeed get his package and is just lying in an attempt to get free stuff out of UPS. Second and more unlikely is that a neighbour saw the driver come and leave a notice on the first attempt. THis person then grabbed the notice, called UPS and had the driver come to the back door where he then waited all day and intercepted the package.

Your thoughts?
 

rod

Retired 22 years
I think I would try to get out of delivering "da hood" . When it's your word against the customers you may as well give up.
 

lovetokayak

Well-Known Member
I am still new to the driving experience, but I wonder, if the driver knew it is a questionable area or town, why wouldn't he ask for a signature anyways? Or when DR-ing the package to the person, use "Other" for the delivery option and ask for the person's last name?
If he did get a signature and the customer still complained, in the future just use the camera on the cellphone, and take a picture of handing the package over to the customer. :lol:
 

Ms Spoken

Well-Known Member
I am still new to the driving experience, but I wonder, if the driver knew it is a questionable area or town, why wouldn't he ask for a signature anyways? Or when DR-ing the package to the person, use "Other" for the delivery option and ask for the person's last name?
If he did get a signature and the customer still complained, in the future just use the camera on the cellphone, and take a picture of handing the package over to the customer. :lol:

Leave this to the LP people or you just might find yourself looking down the barrel of a 9MM. No package is worth any amount of $$ when you working in the DaHood.
 

browned_out

Well-Known Member
:confused:1 I believe company policy says to get ID if consignee is outside of residence and you don't know the person. We have had many PCM's on this subject, people waiting outside for the dlvry person then asking "do you have my pkg" driver thinking great I'll just give them the pkg and save myself some time. Only to get a concern later from consignee saying they did'nt get pkg. Does'nt matter if its the hood or not, lots of a**holes out there trying to rip us off.
 

Just Lurking

Well-Known Member
I always get signatures from multi-tenant residents - regardless if its a slum or mansion-type condos. 340 gives the driver discretion on multi-tenant if the driver believes it safe. I believe none are safe.

I never let people ask me which unit I am looking to deliver. They give me the unit and show me that they have access to the unit.
 

Just Lurking

Well-Known Member
:confused:1 I believe company policy says to get ID if consignee is outside of residence and you don't know the person. We have had many PCM's on this subject, people waiting outside for the dlvry person then asking "do you have my pkg" driver thinking great I'll just give them the pkg and save myself some time. Only to get a concern later from consignee saying they did'nt get pkg. Does'nt matter if its the hood or not, lots of a**holes out there trying to rip us off.

AMEN People are think that Big Brown will eat the lost. They do not believe that Big Brown will make us eat the lost if they can prove that we made a truly improper DR.
 

toonertoo

Most Awesome Dog
Staff member
Did he get a signature? In that situation I would have and also checked an ID.

Maybe its just me,
but when you deliver to the back door in then hood, you arent likely thinking,
"Geez, maybe I should get a signature, better yet I'LL card this guy"

If a pkg isnt marked to get a sig, you dont. Most likely it was shipped as one thing and insured as another. Got their drugs at the back door, and saying they didnt get their mink coat at the front.

You are not required to do any of the above, when you feel you could be in danger. And in the hood when you get out your fancy camera flip phone they could pull out their own little device, and it doesnt shoot pics. . Not worth it. And I would never go back to a residence, and be told to go around back that looks like a set up.. I get the number from the OMS, call them, Ill be coming by in a few minutes and meet me out front.

This is dangerous stuff you could be dealing with in a bad part of town. You might have b@@ls that clank when you walk, but they dont clank when they are splattered all over the ground. Think. first....
 
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Raw

Raw Member
The other day a coworker of mine made a delivery attempt at a residence and found no one to be home. He works an area of town lovingly referred to as "the hood" as it is a very low-income, crime-filled area. So he left a del. notice.

The next day he's doing his rounds and he gets a message over the diad. Customer called from that house and asked that the driver please come to the back door. I guess that house contained a couple of suites and the driver was ringing the wrong doorbell. So he goes around the back and there is a staircase leading up to a second floor balcony. He looks up and there is a guy sitting on a chair. The resident sees the upser and comes down the stairs and says "do you have my package?" Driver gives it to him and all is well.

The next day a concern comes from that same address wherein the resident claims he did not receive his package. From my way of thinking there are two possible scenarios here. First, the resident did indeed get his package and is just lying in an attempt to get free stuff out of UPS. Second and more unlikely is that a neighbour saw the driver come and leave a notice on the first attempt. THis person then grabbed the notice, called UPS and had the driver come to the back door where he then waited all day and intercepted the package.

Your thoughts?
You messed up, you should of got a signature and asked for ID. :bored:
 

browned_out

Well-Known Member
:confused:1 Hey tooner, in a situation that is questionable, you always use discretion. Your statement about not having to get a signature is wrong. We are always told to rely on our instinct when delivering, if a situation looks strange(hood,multiple units,back door,person outside) you should get a signature and ID. Just because your in a DR area does not mean you just DR everything, certain situations arise which require a different approach.
 

toonertoo

Most Awesome Dog
Staff member
While I agree to some point with your answer, I respectfully disagree with parts of it. A reasonable person would get a sig for a known electronic, or high value pkg, even if no sig is required. IF there are multiple apartments they should be marked as such. IF the sign on the door says use back door, and it appears to be a single family dwelling, I would do that. If it looks like medicine, I will go back, if not I wont. A reasonable person would not call and ask for a redelivery to the back when it clearly looks like you could make a front door attempt, if they ask for a redivery at all. If they insist they need the pkg, and to me it looks suspicious, They can meet me at a time and a place, chosen by me. And a reasonable person would approach the meet with an ID.
I got the whole, you should have asked for a sig and ID from a sup last winter, while I was blocked in with nothing but vacant houses around. And I did not, and wont. That was later over ridden by the center manager. To ME this sounded shady, and I dont engage in shady. Id rather lose my job than get shot.
I follow the rules and I will do the best to service the customer, but if I am being used as a courier for drugs, Im not risking my life, and I would win at any panel. If Im being expected to cater to somewhere I dont feel safe, someone else can come do it.
After a while you have a sense of what is right, or wrong with a situation. I trust my instinct. think long think wrong.
 
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Upslady20

Well-Known Member
I'm with Tooner if I got out then realized something was not right about the stop and the person was there for the package I would just hand it to them and get out of there. And the next time they had a package they would be meeting me out front or not at all. There is nothing in those packages worth risking your life over and if anyone ever wants the keys to the package car they can have them. I will give them the board also in case they want to deliver a few while they are out joy riding....:laugh:
 

code5

Well-Known Member
Thought I might as well get in on this as I am the driver in question here. I've been delivering in the "hood" for 13 years and know what acceptable and whats not there.

You mind your own business and be polite to everyone no matter what.

The guy met me half way down the stairs so I was in a rough spot. The chances were good that he was the consignee as I had instruction to go to the back door and he was waiting.

The package was driver releasable. A UPS claim or me. I'll choose me and not feel the least bit guilty of it.

13 years in the "hood" without incident makes me feel I am making the right choices. Knock of wood!!
 

sendagain

Well-Known Member
When did they make the decision to DR packages in the hood? Besides that, getting a signature doesn't mean you are getting a real one.
 

browned_out

Well-Known Member
:thumbup1: Code5, you are absolutly right, it's your route and who better to make that decision. I just feel that if there is a claim and you cannot get a positive result then Ups could say that you didn't follow the "policy" regarding deliverys and people outside of the residence (multi unit, apartments, duplex etc). I have seen Ups go after drivers who did not follow exact procedure in regards to claims, I just hope your situation turns out ok.
 

code5

Well-Known Member
:thumbup1: Code5, you are absolutly right, it's your route and who better to make that decision. I just feel that if there is a claim and you cannot get a positive result then Ups could say that you didn't follow the "policy" regarding deliverys and people outside of the residence (multi unit, apartments, duplex etc). I have seen Ups go after drivers who did not follow exact procedure in regards to claims, I just hope your situation turns out ok.

My Sup was very good about it. I knew exact procedures, but did what I felt was best interest for myself. It was a small package from Labatts marked samples.

For the most part, when you do something and are honest with good intent for UPS and the customer, even if it isn't exact proceedure you still come out ahead. Thats been my experiences anyway.
 
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