Ice-T Has A Tip For Amazon's Flex Delivery Service After He Claims He Almost Shot Someone
There has been a significant amount of criticism of the way Amazon gets packages delivered to customers, but a recent tweet from Ice-T brings a new problem to light.
The multi-talented performer tweeted last night about a recent package delivery that used Amazon's Flex delivery service.
The service utilizes the work of independent contractors to deliver packages.
Unfortunately, Amazon does not provide any sort of uniform or other identifying items for these contractors.
This leads to what seems like a random stranger approaching someone's house. If the package is a small one, it may not even be visible to the home's resident.
If the package is larger, that still doesn't necessarily prevent misunderstandings. Given how common package theft is, it isn't unlikely that someone may mistake a delivery driver for a package thief.
Ice-T cites the recent delivery as an example of the problem with not identifying delivery drivers.
@FINALLEVEL I called @Amazon about this general concern too! Thanks for tweeting this.— IrritatedWoman (@IrritatedWoman) 1558538818.0
@AmazonHelp responded to Ice-T's tweet with what seems very much like an automated response.
@FINALLEVEL Thanks for reaching out with your feedback! I'd like to escalate this to our Logistics Team for review;… https://t.co/nJQWPPRMhB— Amazon Help (@Amazon Help) 1558461180.0
People were... less than satisfied with the communication, and with the efforts made toward driver safety.
@AmazonHelp @FINALLEVEL Amazon has hired robots for social media and people off the streets for deliveries. Shouldn… https://t.co/6AxxoTEmXc— Steve Hughes (@Steve Hughes) 1558545041.0
@AmazonHelp @edgarwright @FINALLEVEL Lol. Can't get a much more generic reply then that. I think I've heard this xe… https://t.co/QPoANdQZ0k— Jacob Sawyer (@Jacob Sawyer) 1558592631.0
@CarrieLGarner @AmazonHelp @FINALLEVEL I see that you're trying, but clearly @AmazonHelp lacks common sense in ensu… https://t.co/DUcgCiCmlU— Nahla (Like the movie) (@Nahla (Like the movie)) 1558476652.0
There were those who said people should just track their packages with the app (including the Senior Vice President of Operations at Amazon).
Aside from some people being too busy to do this, one user made a good point.
@AmazonHelp @FINALLEVEL When you order a package, yes you can track it. But when receiving a gift, not so much. M… https://t.co/C4OAdNJ5Xq— Patricia Frey (@Patricia Frey) 1558553276.0
Several people offered solutions as well.
@AmazonHelp @FINALLEVEL @JeffBezos gig economy keeps profit w/company but places the risk attaining it elsewhere.… https://t.co/ZCcGFNEEop— grabandgoKit (@grabandgoKit) 1558585665.0
@farnorthsider @davehclark @FINALLEVEL The vest could say “Independent Contract Driver for Amazon” that would clear… https://t.co/VI0zRqfzfe— Tabitha Odell (@Tabitha Odell) 1558590654.0
@FINALLEVEL Not for exactly the same reason, but I agree - a shirt, vest, ID badge... something to indicate they ar… https://t.co/2BOhxnjJaz— /grego (@/grego) 1558614986.0
While not everyone is armed, possibly being shot is not the only potential problem facing delivery drivers. Much of the problem does stem from customers not feeling safe, though.
Most folks would be a little creeped out by a random person approaching their house with no sort of identification.
The drivers are independent contractors, but that doesn't mean that there is no way to identify them as delivering for Amazon. Even a decal or magnet for a vehicle, and a hat for the driver themselves, would go a long way toward preventing misunderstandings.