Amazon delivery drivers put me off making high value purchases from Amazon

[threeunrelatedwords]

I’m planning to buy a MacBook. It’s 10% cheaper if I buy it from Amazon. It would be a pain to have to travel to the nearest Apple Store or to John Lewis.

But Amazon don’t employ their own drivers and the white van guys that make the deliveries seem sketchy. I appreciate it’s a terrible job for them too, maybe that’s another reason why the company shouldn’t be supported.

They also often leave items outside the house where anyone can see them. Some Amazon items don’t come packaged either which makes theft more likely.

There have been stories of delivery drivers stealing high value items or replacing them with printer paper etc. Amazon or the credit card company will eventually refund but it can take weeks.

It might also increase your chance of being burgled as these sketchy randoms will now know what you’ve purchased.

AIBU for this to put me off Amazon for high value items? Am I better off paying the extra £150 and buying in person from John Lewis or the Apple Store?

It looks like John Lewis’s headline price now matches Amazon anywayI don’t think it did a few days ago.

The price match is very recent but they have also dropped their price drop refund for 30 days now which I also used, though they will price match themselves for 7 days

I would never buy a MacBook off Amazon just because it's 10% cheaper

I buy all things like that from JL especially because they offer longer guarantees and I trust them

I’ve never had any problem with Amazon, but Argos, Curry's, and JL all deliver with time slots, so you can make sure you’re in.

I have found this too , although I tend to use the lockers when possible as then delivery is always free.

I find even Evri are more reliable than Royal Mail these days, sad to say.

I'm amazed you know how long everyone delivering your parcels has been employed by Amazon.

If they treated their employees well and paid them a decent salary keeping the job would be the incentive not to steal. Amazon are massive tax dodgers too. I’m not condoning stealing of course but it would happen far less if people were treated better.

There have been cases where the householder has given the code, the driver has then "discovered" an "irregularity" and gone off with the parcel, and the refund has been refused because the driver typing in the code is "proof" of delivery.

I’m pretty sure they’ll be self employed anyway?

I bought some GHD’s from Amazon, gave the driver my code & he handed over the package. It was very light, so I opened it quickly and it was empty - he’d scarpered. Very upsetting but I got a replacement from Amazon - but I NEVER give the code anymore without first opening the package in front of them - even to Royal Mail signed for if it’s a costlyish item, If they refuse I don’t accept the parcel.
I probably wouldn’t risk it OP. Have you looked at Back Market? I buy all my Apple goods from them and they’ve e always been pristine if I choose ‘excellent’ condition.

Here’s an article about the issue. Not saying all delivery drivers are unscrupulous or that the OP should be concerned they know she has an expensive laptop, but this personally puts me off ordering expensive items from Amazon

Excellent article, and yes most delivery drivers are excellent, but unless someone's prepared to unpackage the item in store I'm not sure buying from a shop's necessarily any safer

An ex-colleague got stiffed that way when she got home to find the item had been replaced by a fake, though at what point it happened is impossible to say. Worse still they tried to claim that she'd substituted the fake and it took a threat of legal action/publicity to sort it out

I’m a sucker for the latest version, so I’d rather buy new.

Apple’s AI product is being launched soon which might be another reason.

Though the heavy processing will be done on their side I’m sure, just as it is with other AI apps.

@threeunrelatedwords another couple of things - check the warranty as JL often give longer and also, search for a JL voucher code that might be available. And also some employers let you buy giftcards at a slightly reduced rate eg 2-4% saving. Also check on Apple in case you can do a trade-in or something.

The issue is about who they get to make the deliveries the last 10 miles or so from the final distribution centre

Not necessarily, OP; there are so many links in the chain and these "substitutions" can happen at any of them if someone's sufficiently determined - and if items are valuable enough they'll always attract those who are

Happily most people are honest, but I see nothing wrong with going with your gut about this particular driver. On most threads you'd be encouraged to do exactly that, but as usual AIBU brings out the contrariness

I bought a “new” iPhone from Amazon for £100 less and realised it had marks on the screen to show it had been replaced before.
I have bought new items and realised they are return items.
I still use Amazon but I don’t want to use them for that kind of thing anymore

My brother had this with expensive Lego he bought from Amazon. It was full of old dirty Lego bricks but not the set he’d paid for.

Amazon are by far the best company to have deliveries from in my opinion. I have never had a problem. I have had problems with Evri, Yodel and Royal Mail though.

People out there just trying to earn a living from what I’ve seen of Amazon drivers

Quite. Ditto Amazon's tax avoidance. I read somewhere recently that it was 0.5 billion in the UK alone.

All I’ve seen is people trying to earn a living. Fair play to you doing it on top of a career you already have!

Judgy and ignorant comments by the OP on this thread.

I hate amazon as a company but the delivery is far better than any other company in the UK. DHL, hermes, Evri, they are all quite shit with useless drivers. Either go somewhere and buy yourself or use Amazon, those are our options usually.