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Signature-upon-delivery in the US
Yesterday I was checking tracking numbers of December orders and noticed that one of the them (shipped to an US address) hadn't been delivered yet. A notice on the USPS Tracking page said:
"We attempted to deliver your item at 3:51 pm on January 9, 2020 in XXXXXXX and a notice was left because an authorized recipient was not available. You may arrange redelivery by using the Schedule a Redelivery feature on this page or may pick up the item at the Post Office indicated on the notice beginning January 10, 2020. If this item is unclaimed by January 24, 2020 then it will be returned to sender.
I immediately informed the client that his action was needed, and a few hours later I received a short reply:
"Why was this sent with a required signature feature? ". The tone of the message indicated the client was not happy. And I was totally flabbergasted...
All our international orders are shipped as International Registered Mail with tracking number included. It gives both parties a peace of mind as it allows tracking a shipment as it moves through the postal network. Also, we are required by Paypal to provide door-to-door tracking to be eligible for protection in those rare cases when a shipment gets lost.
I've never thought a signature-upon-delivery could be a problem. A signature feature is a part of the service by default and serves as a proof of a successful delivery. Is this an US specific thing, that people prefer parcels being left unsecured on their porches? What happens when someone steals it? Am I still responsible for the undelivered order?
Your thoughts?
"We attempted to deliver your item at 3:51 pm on January 9, 2020 in XXXXXXX and a notice was left because an authorized recipient was not available. You may arrange redelivery by using the Schedule a Redelivery feature on this page or may pick up the item at the Post Office indicated on the notice beginning January 10, 2020. If this item is unclaimed by January 24, 2020 then it will be returned to sender.
I immediately informed the client that his action was needed, and a few hours later I received a short reply:
"Why was this sent with a required signature feature? ". The tone of the message indicated the client was not happy. And I was totally flabbergasted...
All our international orders are shipped as International Registered Mail with tracking number included. It gives both parties a peace of mind as it allows tracking a shipment as it moves through the postal network. Also, we are required by Paypal to provide door-to-door tracking to be eligible for protection in those rare cases when a shipment gets lost.
I've never thought a signature-upon-delivery could be a problem. A signature feature is a part of the service by default and serves as a proof of a successful delivery. Is this an US specific thing, that people prefer parcels being left unsecured on their porches? What happens when someone steals it? Am I still responsible for the undelivered order?
Your thoughts?
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Comments
If its stolen from the porch then you are and you aren't liable. Your delivery agent will say they completed the contract (there'll be a clause saying they're allowed to do this) and you could argue so have you. But PayPal may think otherwise if it there's no tracking.
Signature tracked is absolutely the safest way to go - if this is the only service you offer you should make that clear on the shipping method so they know what to expect.
I offer just three decently priced shipping methods: Domestic, European Union and International – all three are Registered, which means (in these quarters, at least) Signature Tracked. I will add notes to further clarify what I thought was obvious.
You probably shouldn't change how you do business though to retain PayPal protections - I would just consider maybe adding a note to your shipping terms/store terms that US orders ship signature required in order to ensure buyers receive appropriate [PayPal, credit card] payment protections (make it about "what's in it for them"). :-)
For this buyer in particular, if it were me, I'd just tell them what you posted here - you apologize, but this has been you've shipped overseas for years and you were unaware this could be issue - this approach ensures their payment protections are in place, but you will be clarifying text on your web site to make this clearer for US buyers. If they don't want to trek to the USPS, they can call the number USPS left them to arrange a different delivery date when an adult will be present to sign for it.
Name: Worldwide (Czech Post Registered Mail)
Note: Proof of posting / Fully trackable service / Signature for delivery required
We have also seen that our international stores, like our trusted domestic stores, provide feedback for us, the buyer. Wish we could see the same from other domestic, not mentioned here, who do not seem to value that system...