‘Amazon no help’ when drivers steal customer parcels
AN AMAZON customer has hit out at the company after he was forced to turn detective when a driver faked a delivery and stole goods worth hundreds of pounds.
Computer engineer Samir Sabbir, who lost expensive camera equipment in the scam, said: ‘Amazon is completely failing its responsibility to vet the drivers who are making its deliveries.
‘I was left to investigate what happened myself. Amazon was no help.’
Mr Sabbir became suspicious after capturing CCTV footage of an Amazon driver making a delivery to his home in Walthamstow, East London, when he was out. The courier was due to drop off two items, but he handed over one to a neighbour and returned another, containing £370 worth of camera equipment, to his van.
The driver then put a card through the door saying both parcels had been delivered to the neighbour.
Mr Sabbir, 35, went to the Amazon delivery hub in Enfield, north London, and established that the driver worked for Parcel Connect UK Logistics, which is contracted to deliver Amazon packages.
He convinced a member of staff to give him the driver’s address – a block of flats in Barnet, north London.
There, accompanied by managers from Parcel Connect, he found empty Amazon parcel boxes in the communal bins.
He contacted people whose names were on the boxes and they, like him, have reported the incident to the police.
Eventually, an associate of the driver handed over the missing camera equipment to Mr Sabbir outside the flats. He was asked to return the equipment to the parcel company as evidence and spent weeks trying to negotiate a refund and compensation.
When he complained to Amazon they told him – via email – that he should sort out the situation with Parcel Connect.
The email said: ‘As you are aware, the driver involved in this incident is engaged by a third-party delivery service provider Parcel Connect. I understand that they have... made an offer of £950 to compensate you for the items. Our view is that Parcel Connect has made a very reasonable offer... I am afraid that there is not any scope for a higher amount to be offered either by Parcel Connect or by Amazon.’
Mr Sabbir, who accepted the £950, said: ‘This company works for Amazon. I pay Amazon for its Prime delivery service and I expect them to make sure items arrive as promised.’
Asked how many parcels were stolen and whether it would continue to use Parcel Connect, Amazon refused to answer. Parcel Connect did not respond to questions on the number of parcels that were taken.