On Dec. 16, there was a picture and story in The Madera Tribune of a woman who stole a package, that had been delivered by UPS, from the front door of a home. I’m surprised we don’t read more news of packages stolen from front doors of homes.
Years back when delivery companies delivered packages to homes they would require a signature and if no one signed for it, they would take the package back to the company. Now when they deliver packages to homes, they run to the front porch, knock on the door or ring the doorbell once, leave the package, run and jump in their truck and they are gone.
One time one company delivered a package with my personal blank checks to my home. I found the package torn, with one of the boxes of checks open, exposing the checks. I assume they threw the package over a three-foot tall, unlocked gate, and it landed on a chair, damaged.
Another time I came home and found a large envelope delivered by another company lying on the floor of my porch. It contained two of our credit cards.
But I understand why the drivers do a lousy, fast job. They are stressed out and running because they have as many as 70 to more than 100 stops a day that they have to make. Their union and company contract specify that.
How do I know that?
I was a union driver, but from a different industry. I knew many package delivery drivers, and we talked about our issues, and they had many problems. We belonged to the same union and they were always complaining at the union meetings to the union about being overloaded with stops on their routes.
Let’s face it. Service is not the same as it used to be, and it’s not going to get any better.
Paul Belluomini,
Madera