Amazon taking photos to verify parcels have been delivered

Over the past few months Amazon has been having delivery people take photos of delivered packages The photo shows exactly where the package was placed and is included in the notice of delivery.

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Amazon will be able to verify a package was delivered

The new practice will allow Amazon to check to see if drivers were able to successfully deliver a package. If a package is misplaced or stolen Amazon's refund policy is to allow customers to receive a duplicate of the order.

Amazon spokesperson Kristen Kish said: “Amazon Logistics Photo On Delivery provides visual delivery confirmation — it shows customers that their package was safely delivered and where, and it’s one of many delivery innovations we’re working improve convenience for customers.”

Amazon Logistics (AMZL)

AMZL is the Amazon-controlled delivery network that is growing even if still small. Amazon contracts with UPS, the US Postal Service and FexEx for most of its deliveries in the United States. However, the new service shows the growing importance of AMZL.

Program has been in development for some time

The photo program has actually been in existence for at least the last six months according to USA Today, but only recently did the company update the device and app, called by drivers Rabbit, so that all Logistic drivers can take photos. The program exists only in some markets in Oregon, Las Vegas, Indianapolis, Seattle, San Francisco and northern Virginia cities.

Users can opt out of the program should they wish. When they see a delivery photo under the Your Orders section, there is a place to click on that says "Don't take delivery photos".

To access a delivery photo requires a user to sign in with their user name and password on the Amazon website. Customer Service could look at the photos to see what might have happened to a parcel or to check the photo for quality purposes. If parcels are to go to an address marked confidential Amazon will not post a delivery photo in order to protect the privacy of the recipient.

Amazon

Wikipedia describes Amazon as follows:Amazon.com, Inc., doing business as Amazon (/ˈæməˌzɒn/), is an American electronic commerce and cloud computing company based in Seattle, Washington that was founded by Jeff Bezos on July 5, 1994. The tech giant is the largest Internet retailer in the world as measured by revenue and market capitalization, and second largest after Alibaba Group in terms of total sales....The company also produces consumer electronics—Kindle e-readers, Fire tablets, Fire TV, and Echo—and is the world's largest provider of cloud infrastructure services (IaaS and PaaS).[4] Amazon also sells certain low-end products under its in-house brand AmazonBasics.

In 2015 Amazon surprassed Walmart as the most valuable retailer in the US by market cap. Amazon is the 4th most valuable public company in the world and also the largest Internet company by revenue in the world. In 2017 it had 541,900 employees.

Previously published in Digital Journal