Apartment leasing office no longer accepting packages (apartments, home)

[fieldm]

Originally Posted by ElleKaye

Even though I would prefer a package had never gone to the leasing office, let's just examine what the heck else they are doing during the day. It's not like they are maintenance and out trying to fix something. It seems like their duties are answering the phone, showing apartments, and printing leases for whoever signs up. How much additional effort could it take to let a third party haul a package in there? It's not like they have to unload the truck.

Say an apartment complex has 250 units. Im sure for Christmas with the residents ordering gifts and having gifts sent to them from family and friends is a little too much. Plusthe average office probably only has 3-5 people working there. Plus if they hire help that means they will increase the rent

[IntentionsRGood]

Originally Posted by PKCorey

Are UPS and Fedex unable to deliver to your front door?

Originally Posted by ElleKaye

I am with this comment. What is the reason they can't? I suppose obviously there could be some concern about theft, but it really seems the delivery people are not willing to make the rounds.

Because they are lazy. They don't want to take the extra 30 minutes to deliver packages to each door. They don't even attempt to knock on my door. They just drive past. But after I complained, UPS and FedEx delivered my packages to my door. The postal service still delivers my packages to the front office.

Another thing I noticed when I first moved here: all of my boxes were opened in the 1st few months I lived here. It didn't matter who the carrier was. Every box was opened. Sometimes the tape had been removed from the boxes. I read somewhere that the Department of Justice requires carriers to open and inspect random boxes to check for illegal contraband.

[IntentionsRGood]

Originally Posted by CCATL

Are you in a Camden complex? I heard that all Camden complexes, nationwide, are instating this policy. I agree that it is ridiculous, I would definitely be annoyed. The point of shopping online is so that it gets delivered to your door. It's 2015, complexes should be building storage rooms big enough to hold their residents packages. I've lived in multiple complexes around Atlanta, and none have had such a policy.

I live in a Camden complex. They have not put the policy into effect here. I wish they would.

[IntentionsRGood]

Originally Posted by fieldm

Say an apartment complex has 250 units. Im sure for Christmas with the residents ordering gifts and having gifts sent to them from family and friends is a little too much. Plusthe average office probably only has 3-5 people working there. Plus if they hire help that means they will increase the rent

It's their job to deliver packages. Not to dump the packages on the leasing staff and lie that the residents aren't at home.

[Tarzanman]

This is a natural consequence of the prolific nature of buying stuff online.
Either:
1. Move
2. Get a P.O. Box
3. Have things shipped to work
4. Arrange items for store pickup

I can understand that most apartment complexes are not set up to handle dozens of packages every day for hundreds or thousands of people. You'd need hundreds of sq. foot of storage space (warehouse), a team of full time staff to manage it and equipment to move heavy packages.

Basically, the same function that a post office for a small town serves.

[ElleKaye]

Originally Posted by CSD610

Why don't you go and get this oh so easy in your opinion job then ask what they do all day, obviously you can do it better so go and prove it.

I never said the job was easy, but I also didn't sign up to do it. Had I signed up to do it, then I would. That's how it works.

Originally Posted by fieldm

Say an apartment complex has 250 units. Im sure for Christmas with the residents ordering gifts and having gifts sent to them from family and friends is a little too much. Plusthe average office probably only has 3-5 people working there. Plus if they hire help that means they will increase the rent

Again, I am mostly anti-dump at the leasing office. I think the process should work as it does in other residential neighborhoods. It could not possibly be a surprise that more packages will arrive during Christmas and Mother's Day so staff up if need be and have the companies deliver the packages directly to their locations.

Originally Posted by IntentionsRGood

Because they are lazy. They don't want to take the extra 30 minutes to deliver packages to each door. They don't even attempt to knock on my door. They just drive past. But after I complained, UPS and FedEx delivered my packages to my door. The postal service still delivers my packages to the front office.

Another thing I noticed when I first moved here: all of my boxes were opened in the 1st few months I lived here. It didn't matter who the carrier was. Every box was opened. Sometimes the tape had been removed from the boxes. I read somewhere that the Department of Justice requires carriers to open and inspect random boxes to check for illegal contraband.

It is pretty clear there is often an oh I can't be bothered attitude about delivering packages to the actual door, but isn't that the job? I'm sure it feels like an inconvenience to the person delivering it, but that's what is being paid for.

[LeaderOCola]

Originally Posted by Tarzanman

I can understand that most apartment complexes are not set up to handle dozens of packages every day for hundreds or thousands of people.

From 2006 to 2012 I lived in 2 complexes

the first was in a 12 story, ~180 unit tower that was built approximately 1960.
Their office somehow managed this "difficult" task with 2 full time office employees and a doorman. Packages could be picked up until 7 or (maybe?) 8 pm when the doorman left.

the second was in a 400-420 unit complex that was built approximately 2000.
Their office somehow managed this "difficult" task with 2.5 full time office employees. Packages could be picked up until 6pm when the employees left.
this complex probably had a median age of 26-28 ignoring children. Certainly by 2010 e-commerce was a regular way of life for most residents.

In both cases, they had this amazing intellectual breakthrough to put giant pre-printed stickers on the package with the recipients last name, and they sorted last letter into groups. It took about 10 seconds at most to discover one's package.

Yes anecdotes, yada yada.

[LeaderOCola]

Originally Posted by ElleKaye

It is pretty clear there is often an oh I can't be bothered attitude about delivering packages to the actual door, but isn't that the job? I'm sure it feels like an inconvenience to the person delivering it, but that's what is being paid for.

When I was living in apartments, I sought out and paid a premium for places where delivery men (mail, ups, food, whatever) could NOT gain physical entrance to the building without -- at minimum-- an intercom buzz in. Even then, in one location the intercom only got them into the foyer. I enjoyed that some random person isn't coming up to my door; rather that I controlled their access. I can't imagine I'm alone in wanting that level of security.

[samiwas1]

Originally Posted by IntentionsRGood

Another thing I noticed when I first moved here: all of my boxes were opened in the 1st few months I lived here. It didn't matter who the carrier was. Every box was opened. Sometimes the tape had been removed from the boxes. I read somewhere that the Department of Justice requires carriers to open and inspect random boxes to check for illegal contraband.

Uh, no. This was probably a neighbor snooping in your boxes to see if anything was worth stealing. We had this problem last year in our complex. Numerous people had heir boxes either opened or removed for a period of a few weeks. Then it just suddenly stopped.

Originally Posted by LeaderOCola

From 2006 to 2012 I lived in 2 complexes

the first was in a 12 story, ~180 unit tower that was built approximately 1960.
Their office somehow managed this "difficult" task with 2 full time office employees and a doorman. Packages could be picked up until 7 or (maybe?) 8 pm when the doorman left.

the second was in a 400-420 unit complex that was built approximately 2000.
Their office somehow managed this "difficult" task with 2.5 full time office employees. Packages could be picked up until 6pm when the employees left.
this complex probably had a median age of 26-28 ignoring children. Certainly by 2010 e-commerce was a regular way of life for most residents.

In both cases, they had this amazing intellectual breakthrough to put giant pre-printed stickers on the package with the recipients last name, and they sorted last letter into groups. It took about 10 seconds at most to discover one's package.

Yes anecdotes, yada yada.

Doorman = guy who does little else but sit at the door. Easy to have him deal with packages. That's why I said this apartment building could hire someone to deal with it and just pass the cost onto the residents.

And yes, since 2010, online ordering has exploded. At least according to this link, and there are more, online retail sales have gone up almost 40% just since 2012, and are expected to rise almost 10% this year. That would mean that since you lived in an apartment, there's probably been a 65-75% increase in packages. That's a lot to deal with.

[travbo]

Interesting dilemma for both apartment management and apartment residents.

The reality is that apartment complex design will have to adapt and so will the management companies. Management and offices that are flat out telling people to find their own solution are taking a very poor approach.

There are alternative measures that can be taken without declaring war on the residents.