5 ms·

I used to live for many years in a "bad" area of Berlin, where my packages were constantly disappearing, not arriving, taken by neighbors (who put an X as a sig

by neiman 5y ago

I used to live for many years in a "bad" area of Berlin, where my packages were constantly disappearing, not arriving, taken by neighbors (who put an X as a signature), or left by the delivery people outside our building door. After a few such accidents, each of it super tiring on its own to get things reshipped or reimbursed (and often I failed), I decided all this modernity is not for me. Nowadays I rather buy whatever I can physically in a store, even if it's a bit more expensive. But again, that's an experience from a "special" part of Berlin, not the standard one I guess.

detaro 5y ago
Amazon DE at least consistently allows to ship stuff to a package locker (which are now really common in Berlin). Much prefer that for things that are not extremely bulky/heavy.
konha 5y ago
Maybe give “Packstationen” a try? Most retailers in Germany reliably ship to these parcel boxes that can only be opened with a code that is sent to you via mail/text.
dalai 5y ago
In Germany you can also have them ship to a Packstation or directly to the post office - at least most of the time. This has worked well so far. The only problem I had was that sometimes they drop them off at a neighbor even when I am at home. At least nowadays the name of the neighbor is printed on the notice they leave in the mailbox (and is also included in the email notification) so X instead of signature doesn't work - at least for DHL and my area.
- toper-centage 5y ago
  In Berlin, if you live in the ground floor of a residential building, you're stuck being the building's personal packstation. No mail man will bother ring all the bells of the building.
  - heckerhut 5y ago
    Lol, so true.
- rkachowski 5y ago
  This doesn't work consistently (in Berlin at least), especially with Amazon and DHL. There is no guarantee over that the package will be shipped via DHL / Deutsche Post, and I am at this moment dealing with Hermes and DPD refusing to deliver Amazon packages to a DHL Packstation. On top of that, DHL refuses to deliver to their own Postfiliale locations at times, DHL express even explicitly say they cannot do this.
  - detaro 5y ago
    Have you explicitly selected delivery to a Packstation through their locker picker, not just put the Packstation address in as a normal shipping address?
- fooblat 5y ago
  This drove me crazy when I lived in Berlin. I did some research and you don't have to put up with it. Contact Amazon DE customer service and tell them to put a note on your account that you do not consent to any changes to the delivery address. Legally you don't even have to do this but it makes the next calls go easier. If DHL leaves your package someplace else, like with a neighbor, that is between DHL and Amazon has to sort out. When next package was left with at a nearby building, I immediately contacted Amazon and informed them my package was not delivered to the correct address. I refused any and all suggestions that I go look for the package. I just repeatedly asked when I can expect delivery to the correct order address. They ended up shipping a replacement. After standing my ground on this a few times with Amazon, DHL stopped leaving my packages with other people. DHL doesn't their best to push last mile delivery costs onto you but you don't have to accept it. edit: typos
colonwqbang 5y ago
When I order stuff online, 95% of the time it goes to my local supermarket. They have a little post office desk. Then I just collect it the next time I go grocery shopping. They make you show ID when you sign for it, so it's never happened that it got stolen. I find this super convenient and it has to be less expensive for the delivery service too. I just can't understand why door to door delivery is the norm in some countries. To me it's just annoying when I get sent a UPS package.
- carstenhag 5y ago
  You can register at ups (even in Germany) and also get email similar to dhl's where you can have the package rerouted
odiroot 5y ago
That's definitely a Berlin experience. I used to live in a shady corner of Mitte and it was common for the delivery notes to be stolen from the front doors (naturally for people to go and pickup the package from neighbours etc). I never ordered there, always to my employer's office. I had my neighbours ringing me multiple times, looking for their package (that naturally wasn't there).
wayoutthere 5y ago
I live in an “up and coming” neighborhood in a major US city and it’s the same. Amazon has package lockers within a half-mile (~1 km) walk for the small ones, and the big ones are usually expensive enough I’ll just WFH for the day. Part of the problem at least in the US is that retail stores don’t have the selection or availability that Amazon does, never mind the price. There are also some things that just aren’t sold in retail stores very often — I’m a competitive sport shooter and parts / supplies were hard to come by locally even before the pandemic.
- letitbeirie 5y ago
  > retail stores don’t have the selection or availability that Amazon does Largely the same situation in Germany, except stores in the US are much more likely to be open past 18:00.
letitbeirie 5y ago
> "special" part of Berlin A few years ago this could have described half of Mitte tbh

by neiman 5y ago

detaro 5y ago

Amazon DE at least consistently allows to ship stuff to a package locker (which are now really common in Berlin). Much prefer that for things that are not extremely bulky/heavy.

konha 5y ago

Maybe give “Packstationen” a try? Most retailers in Germany reliably ship to these parcel boxes that can only be opened with a code that is sent to you via mail/text.

dalai 5y ago

In Germany you can also have them ship to a Packstation or directly to the post office - at least most of the time. This has worked well so far. The only problem I had was that sometimes they drop them off at a neighbor even when I am at home. At least nowadays the name of the neighbor is printed on the notice they leave in the mailbox (and is also included in the email notification) so X instead of signature doesn't work - at least for DHL and my area.

toper-centage 5y ago
In Berlin, if you live in the ground floor of a residential building, you're stuck being the building's personal packstation. No mail man will bother ring all the bells of the building.
- heckerhut 5y ago
  Lol, so true.
rkachowski 5y ago
This doesn't work consistently (in Berlin at least), especially with Amazon and DHL. There is no guarantee over that the package will be shipped via DHL / Deutsche Post, and I am at this moment dealing with Hermes and DPD refusing to deliver Amazon packages to a DHL Packstation. On top of that, DHL refuses to deliver to their own Postfiliale locations at times, DHL express even explicitly say they cannot do this.
- detaro 5y ago
  Have you explicitly selected delivery to a Packstation through their locker picker, not just put the Packstation address in as a normal shipping address?
fooblat 5y ago
This drove me crazy when I lived in Berlin. I did some research and you don't have to put up with it. Contact Amazon DE customer service and tell them to put a note on your account that you do not consent to any changes to the delivery address. Legally you don't even have to do this but it makes the next calls go easier. If DHL leaves your package someplace else, like with a neighbor, that is between DHL and Amazon has to sort out. When next package was left with at a nearby building, I immediately contacted Amazon and informed them my package was not delivered to the correct address. I refused any and all suggestions that I go look for the package. I just repeatedly asked when I can expect delivery to the correct order address. They ended up shipping a replacement. After standing my ground on this a few times with Amazon, DHL stopped leaving my packages with other people. DHL doesn't their best to push last mile delivery costs onto you but you don't have to accept it. edit: typos

colonwqbang 5y ago

When I order stuff online, 95% of the time it goes to my local supermarket. They have a little post office desk. Then I just collect it the next time I go grocery shopping. They make you show ID when you sign for it, so it's never happened that it got stolen. I find this super convenient and it has to be less expensive for the delivery service too. I just can't understand why door to door delivery is the norm in some countries. To me it's just annoying when I get sent a UPS package.

carstenhag 5y ago
You can register at ups (even in Germany) and also get email similar to dhl's where you can have the package rerouted

odiroot 5y ago

That's definitely a Berlin experience. I used to live in a shady corner of Mitte and it was common for the delivery notes to be stolen from the front doors (naturally for people to go and pickup the package from neighbours etc). I never ordered there, always to my employer's office. I had my neighbours ringing me multiple times, looking for their package (that naturally wasn't there).

wayoutthere 5y ago

I live in an “up and coming” neighborhood in a major US city and it’s the same. Amazon has package lockers within a half-mile (~1 km) walk for the small ones, and the big ones are usually expensive enough I’ll just WFH for the day. Part of the problem at least in the US is that retail stores don’t have the selection or availability that Amazon does, never mind the price. There are also some things that just aren’t sold in retail stores very often — I’m a competitive sport shooter and parts / supplies were hard to come by locally even before the pandemic.

letitbeirie 5y ago
> retail stores don’t have the selection or availability that Amazon does Largely the same situation in Germany, except stores in the US are much more likely to be open past 18:00.

letitbeirie 5y ago

> "special" part of Berlin A few years ago this could have described half of Mitte tbh