Parcel theft from home: many problems!

Steve Pepin was home last July, and he looked out the living room window from time to time. His brand new iPad, obtained through a points program from his employer, must be delivered by FedEx between 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. He is patient.

At 1:23 p.m., Ding! He receives a notification of the long-awaited delivery, with a photo of the package at his door. Strangely, the delivery man did not ring the bell. Steve Pepin opens the door: Nothing. No trace of the package. How come the notification disappeared within a minute?

I immediately called FedEx. […] File closed as I have photo proof that my iPad was delivered. So they are [les employés de FedEx] They said that they have no responsibilityAs for Steve Pepin, he has the burden of proof to bear.

We hear of people who say, “I was robbed.” I didn't want to look like that.

Then, Mr. Pepin went to knock on his neighbor's door. He said I don't have a camera. The neighbor across the street has one. The next door neighbor, the third neighbor, he has cameras.

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Viewing footage from five different angles covering his entire street, he found all the makings of a carefully planned robbery.

A scheduled flight?

The footage shows a black car pulled up near his residence minutes before the delivery truck arrived. A man came out and walked past his house, taking a brief look at it.

The FedEx truck arrived a few minutes later and stopped behind, but normally, Mr. According to Pepin, the trucks stop in front of the delivery location. The delivery man tossed the package aside, returned to his truck, and walked back. Do not seeSteve Pepin opined.

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Moments later, the man turned around, grabbed the package and left. A delivery notification was sent to Steve Pepin only after the thief had left.

If I didn't have those cameras, I wouldn't have been able to prove that someone had stolen them.

FedEx confirms that it received the images sent by Steve Pepin and investigated the incident, but without disclosing the conclusions to us.

Crimes are increasing

Because the popularity of online commerce is relatively recent, little research has been done on it. Flight of steps. But there is general agreement that this crime is on the rise.

Package theft is a crime of opportunity. The more packages are sitting on the porch, the more likely they are to be stolenAmerican criminologist Ben Stickle predicted.

In 2019, he signed one of the first studies on this type of crime. Among other things, he noted, fences, cameras and guards have little effect on thieves.

Package theft is not only a problematic crime because of the cost and frustration it causes to consumers, but it is also a concern for retailers because of the crime resulting from current delivery methods.We will study in this study.

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According to a survey by the Angus Reid firm commissioned by FedEx, 28% of Canadians who shop online in 2023 say they have experienced package theft. In 2021 this ratio will be 20%.

In the delivery area, the choice of security level depends on the sender of the package. And delivery with signature costs more.

However, FedEx requires a signature from the recipient (at its expense) when the value of the package is $500 or more. But shippers are still required to disclose this rule, which they don't always do. This could explain why a signature was not requested from Steve Pepin, although the package is worth nearly $1,000.

The merchant who sent him the package preferred not to answer our questions.

Consumers pay the bill

Steve Pepin was quickly repaid by the merchant. He immediately ordered a second iPad. Surprise… this same merchant doesn't need to deliver the package personally, with a supporting signature. It's an extra step, but one that protects everyone, the delivery company, the shipper, and the customer.He believes.

That's no surprise to Jean Carrier, an e-commerce logistics consultant at the firm eMission. What are the costs? The delivery person should come to the door. It should ring. Let him wait until someone comes and answers him. If no one is there, he leaves with the package and has to make another delivery the next day. So there will be additional costsHe explains.

Hence the sender calculates based on costs and benefits. How many iPads are stolen each year? Then he determined that out of the 100 or 200 iPads he sent a year, there were X numbers that were stolen. It may not be worth it; Signature costs moreHe explains.

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But the millions of packages stolen from people's tables represent an economic loss that inevitably affects product prices. According to a report from the American company Safewise, in 2022, in the United States, 119 million packages left on stoops will be stolen, with an estimated value of more than 8 billion Canadian dollars, which merchants must realize.

It's hard to have exact figures on what's going on in terms of stolen volumes each year, but we know there are some. There is fraud, then there are organized schemes to steal packages from the doorJean Carrier, who worked for Canada Post for many years, vouches.

For Steve Pepin, Any company needs recovery somewhere if theft happens. And it's always the consumer, at the end of the day, who pays for it.

What to do with these images?

Faced with a flurry of images from his neighbors, Steve Pepin would have liked the police to investigate. He was a bit disappointed. They said they don't have time to investigate petty thefts and I am wasting my timeHe says.

This comes as no surprise to Michael Gillette, director of investigations and intelligence at the Commissaires du Québec, an agency specializing in security and investigations. Proving complicity between the thief and the delivery man was no easy task, he maintained.

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In criminal terms, it is beyond reasonable doubt. Is there complexity at the distribution level? Or is it somewhere in the company? This is enough to leave a reasonable doubt for the defenseHe explains.

Expansion is needed to verify several hypotheses that are highly demanding on human resources for a petty theft.

The police rarely gave information

However, Michael Gillett believes that it is important to report thefts so that the police can take action when thefts occur in a particular area.

Police are usually not in the loop, confirms Jean Carrier of the firm eMission. The first instinct that everyone has: communicate with the sender, most of the time, to ensure that a new box is returned.

The Office of Consumer Protection also recommends it. By law, a consumer seeking reimbursement must contact the merchant when a good order is not received online or by telephone.

According to a survey commissioned by FedEx, only 7% of theft victims surveyed said they had made a report to the police in the past year.

In Laval, where Steve Pepin lives, police counted 374 package thefts in its territory again last year. If the reporting rate remains the same, the number of thefts will exceed 5,000 in 2023.

Secure your package

When a customer is expecting a high-value package and the online merchant does not offer signature delivery, the best solution is to ask the delivery company to keep the package in a safe place and collect it at the nearest counter.

Although it is not complicated, the customer should know the package delivery procedure. It is the consumer who must take this action with the carrierJean Carrier finished.

Strangely, this option is not available to send Mr. Pepin's second package. But a package redirection test was performed the bill He was crowned with victory.

According to an e-commerce logistics specialist, the pinnacle of secure delivery Smart Locker – from the English expression Smart Locker –, that is, lockers of all sizes installed near homes, such as Canada Post mailboxes, where all delivery people can drop off packages.

Smart lockers have the benefits of reducing truck congestion in residential neighborhoods, eliminating theft, and reducing delivery times. However, except in very dense urban areas, the installation of such lockers can be complicated in terms of financing, operation and location, advises Jean Carrier.

However, Steve Pepin's adventure brought him good: From this episode, when we receive packages, if we are not there, the neighbor will pick up the package, note to us: “We have your package!” Everyone is worried, because everyone receives them, the deliveries.

In collaboration with Isabelle Roberge