According to a support document recently added by Amazon, Amazon Logistics — the company's shipping service — may now take a photo of your front door, porch, or other location when a package is left unattended as proof of delivery. The photo will focus specifically on the placement of the package, so not only will you know that your stuff was delivered, you'll also be able to discern where exactly it has been placed. That way, you'll be able to find it more easily and you'll be able to tell if it's been moved, tampered with, or stolen.
Though this won't happen for every Amazon delivery, if a photo is captured by AMZL, it may show up when you track a package from Your Orders on the desktop site or app. To access it, you'll need to either sign in with or re-input your username and password like you usually would to get to your personal information. Outside of you, the account holder, the only parties able to access delivery photos are Customer Service representatives, who may look at delivery photos to troubleshoot if you report a package missing, and individuals responsible for quality assurance, who may audit the photos to make sure everything is running smoothly.
If an order is marked confidential — for instance, if it's a gift you're sending to someone from their Amazon Wishlist — the company won't post a delivery photo on the order in order to protect the privacy of the recipient.
Not down with AMZL taking a photo of your residence? You can choose to opt out of the Photo on Delivery feature pretty easily. When you view a photo on delivery in Your Orders, all you have to do is click on the "Don't take delivery photos" option to halt the service from that point forward.
iMore Deputy Site Manager Lory Gil recently had a positive experience with Photo on Delivery, in which she was able to track down a package after it was delivered to the incorrect address:
I had a package "delivered" last week and the driver took a picture of the box sitting in front of the door. The package was not on my porch, so I panicked thinking someone had stolen it. I took a closer look at the picture and discovered that it wasn't my porch! I went outside and looked at my neighbors' porches and recognized the doormat in the picture. Luckily, the package was mistakenly delivered to my friend and I was able to call and get it from her. Thanks to the picture, I was able to determine 1) that he package was delivered to the wrong address, and 2) where it was delivered.
Thoughts?
Do you like the idea of receiving a photo of your package upon its delivery, or do you find the whole thing unnecessary (or maybe even unsettling)? Share your thoughts in the comments!
