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Porch pirates will take risks for the opportunity to steal your package. This sounds like a bold statement, but it’s true. A customer, and her husband recently reported pulling into their driveway, and saw a package sitting on their front porch. They pulled their car into their garage, went inside their home to turn off their alarm, and to also use the restroom, and proceeded to come outside to retrieve their package, and just that fast their package was gone. Someone was watching, and they saw the opportunity to steal a package that they thought had value. This is happening around the country, not only in the United States, but around the world. Logistics companies have to be responsible when delivering items at homes, if there is somewhere on the porch, such as a big flowerpot that can shield a package, then try to hide the package behind it, or if the porch has a pillar, hide the package so that it can’t be seen from the street. If a porch pirate can see a package from the street, then they will simply walk up to your porch to steal your package, but having a security camera such as a Goggle Nest, Ring security camera, and etc., can aid you in preventing a porch pirate from attempting to steal your packages, which might contain Christmas gifts that you plan on wrapping, and gifting during the holiday season.
Some neighborhoods have neighborhood watch associations, but here’s what you should pay attention to, cars following, or trailing USPS, UPS, FedEx, Amazon, DHL, or any logistics vehicles that deliver packages to your homes. If you’re going to be out of town for an extended period of time, try to wait until you’re going to be home to have the item delivered, because if you order something, and you’re not going to be home for 5 more days, and the item is scheduled to be delivered in 3 days, then you risk having your package being stolen by a porch pirate. They often check to see if packages stay at the same house in the same location for days, this is a clue that you might be out of town, and it makes their porch piracy that much easier. If you have a relative, or neighbor, or a friend that you can trust, have them to pickup the packages for you. Happy Holidays! Porch pirates will take risks for the opportunity to steal your package. www.iwantmymail.com More than just a blog!

A camera can help to deter package theft. What exactly does this mean? Well having a camera at your home can help deter package theft because when a porch pirate walks up to your house, one of the first things that they will do upon walking up to your porch is to look for a camera that is recording, some security cameras will say, “camera recording,” or a whistle sound is made to indicate that the camera is recording, normally if a porch pirate hears this activity, and sees that the Ring camera, or Google Nest camera is spinning then they very well could be caught on camera trying to steal a package, and normally upon seeing the warning signs that they could be possibly be on camera, they will normally not even attempt to grab a package for the simple fact of being caught on camera, but with the pandemic being in place some are bold enough to steal a package even while being filmed because they have on a mask that they feel can cover up their identity.
With Christmas being around the corner, a lot of delivery merchants are beginning to hire Christmas help, so some workers will have on a safety jacket that will identify who they might be working for, and normally they’ll have a badge that is visible so that you can also identify who they might be working for in the event that they’re using their personally owned vehicle to deliver packages during the holiday season.
What can delivery merchants do to provide a better service to their customers? If there is a pillar that you can hide the package behind, hide the package so that it can’t be seen from the street, if the delivery merchant sees the same car following their delivery truck, stay alert because it could be a porch pirate waiting for an opportunity to steal packages that your company is delivering to customers. Walk all the way to the customers door, don’t leave the package in sight where it can be seen from the street because packages attract porch pirates that are visible, place the package to where it can be seen from the camera, normally this will deter a thief from attempting to steal a package. Different cameras cost different prices, do your research, and find one that works best for you, and remember, a camera can help to deter package theft. www.iwantmymail.com More than just a blog!

Always ask for a receipt, when using your debt, bank, or credit card. The reader might ask the question why should I ask for a receipt, when I have already been told what the charges are? It’s simple integrity, everyone isn’t always honest when it comes to their business being cashless, so by the customer not asking for a receipt it could be a chance for you to be deceived by the person ringing up your order of food that should cost you $12.65, when the cashier asks the question do you want a receipt for your order, and you say no. Two days later after using your bank card you receive an alert on your email that you fail to check from your bank that states that your bank account was charged $12012.65 at the Chicken Shack, and that you left a tip for $12,000 to the cashier, but the problem is that you were on vacation in Miami, Florida, and you live in Los Angeles, California, so now you have to call your bank to dispute the fraudulent charge, when they ask you if you requested a receipt, and on the digital receipt that was sent to your bank, the copy states that all sales are final, so now your bank will have to contact the Chicken Shack to get the fraudulent charges removed from your bank card, and also they’ll have to stop checks that you might have written from bouncing into your checking account so now you might have to possibly wait until your account has been unfrozen so that you will be able to live, and make further transactions in the world that is becoming more cashless than it has ever been. The next time that you, or someone in your family is shopping, and you make a transaction that requires you to use your debt, bank, or credit card, always ask for a receipt, so that you can catch the error before your account is overcharged, or someone behind the cash register chooses to give themselves a $20.00 tip on your card hoping that you will not ask for a receipt. Remember, always ask for a receipt, when using your debt, bank, or credit card. www.iwantmymail.com More than just a blog!

Credit card statements that look like bank statements, beware! Normally when we order items online, we can track our items from the moment that you place your order to the day that you receive the shipping credentials for the package that you’re about to receive in less than 3 business days, and if you use Paypal as a merchant you have the option of linking your bank account to have the ability to pay for your item when you purchase it, or you can pay with your credit card if you have it linked to your Paypal account as well. Some people don’t like having their banking information on websites that can be hacked, or compromised, so they’ll often choose to pay for items that they purchase with their credit card, because in the event that your credit card is stolen, you can call, and have your account cancelled, and a new credit card will often be sent to you within 3 business days of when the incident occurred. Normally where you bank most businesses will offer clients the ability to have a credit card, and some of their credit card statements that they send out, look exactly like banking statements, some people lay their mail to the side, and forget to look at it, and before you know it, one month has passed by, and another credit card statement has arrived at your home, and a $40 late fee has been accessed to your account, so you call the bank and argue that you only received a bank statement, and they ask you did you receive mail from them the previous month, and you open up the mail that has Bank of America on it, and you see credit card statement for 1 June – 30 June, so you’re now stuck with an APR that could increase to 29.99%, because you missed a credit card payment. How do you fix this problem? Some people receive paperless statements, but if you ignore your emails, you’re still in the same boat, it would be wise to open up your mail, and verify to see if it’s a bank account statement, or a credit card statement, and if it’s a credit card statement write the date that it’s due on the outside of the envelope so that you don’t miss the due date, and you will not have to worry about paying late fees. Credit card statements that look like bank statements, beware! www.iwantmymail.com More than just a blog!

Moving to Mars, in 2030, can we receive our mail, and packages once we move? That’s a very good question, the jury is still out on that one! The plan that Space X has is for Mars to be colonized with about 80,000 citizens, and I’m sure that mail, and packages are going to be a very big topic once, and if people actually start to colonize Mars. What will be the currency? Will it be bitcoin, or any other electronic currency that are now hot commodities to own right now, or will a currency be developed on Mars? I guess that we’ll have to wait, and see, but I’m sure that someone is working on plans as we speak, on how Mars will be established, and ran, once humans have the ability to safely live on Mars. Will there be a Post Office on Mars, and how will the new residents be able to receive their mail, and packages? Blue Origin, which is founded by Jeff Bezos, who also is the founder of Amazon will more than likely be delivering Amazon products to Mars, and also bringing mail as well, if his company can successfully travel to, and land on Mars on a consistent, and safe basis. The list of products that people will order will be enormous, but then the question is asked, how will residents make money to purchase these items, unless everyone on planet Mars is wealthy, but then how will work get accomplished, as far as hard labor jobs if everyone is wealthy? I’m sure that brilliant minds are working on these solutions, but in the event that you decide to make the move to Mars, you can use the special instructions tab on www.iwantmymail.com to inform your family, and friends that you have decided to leave planet Earth, and in the event you need to make changes, and you have a change of heart, and you want to return to Earth, you can update your information no matter where you might be in this world, as long as you have an internet connection. Earth to Mars, we’re here for you at www.iwantmymail.com More than just a blog!”
Photo credit: www.phys.org

Having a change of heart sometimes happens in relationships, a couple will sometimes decide that enough is enough, and it’s time to move on. So if there’s a joint agreement on the lease of a house, or an apartment, one party will decide to move out of the residence, and normally they will put in a change of address to have their mail, and packages forwarded to their new address, but sometimes less than one week after moving out, there will sometimes be a reconciliation, and the party who moved out of the house, or apartment will move back into the former residence. When this happens it’s important your information is updated, because your mail will go to the address that you forwarded your mail to, when you made the decision to move out if you don’t update it. So you will need to cancel your forwarding order through the Postal Service, and indicate on the form where you want your mail to be sent to. In the event that you decide to return to your former address, it’s recommended that you update your Amazon, Ebay accounts, as well as your credit card accounts, because your bills will go to the last address that you submitted your change of address form to, and your Amazon credentials will also indicate where you want your items delivered to in the event that you place an order on their website. This website, www.iwantmymail.com can serve as a backup in the event that you have family, and friends, who might not know that you have moved, and if they’re also a member, or subscriber, they can locate you, and connect with you, and also send you an email on the website as well. There are some facilities that provide mail, and package services for UPS, FedEx, DHL, that offer mailbox services that you need to be careful of when you sign an agreement to have your mail sent to their location, because a customer complained that his mail wasn’t being forwarded, because the business said that the customer owed money for their box rental, and in this case the Postal Service can’t be blamed for your dispute. Having a change of heart can be good for all parties sometimes, but please be careful, and choose wisely! www.iwantmymail.com More than just a blog!

Time is going to change soon, delivery of packages, and the importance of the porch light! As we all know time is going to change across the United States, and the importance of light for delivery drivers, door dash drivers, who deliver your food, and other personnel who make deliveries to your house during the night is going to increase, as long as this pandemic continues. This is the time of year that package delivery picks up with the Christmas holiday, as well as online stores that will offer special sales to increase revenue during the peak season, or 100 days before Christmas. With the pandemic continuing to appear like it’s not going to disappear anytime soon, people will continue to order items online from the comfort of their homes, as well as their smartphones to avoid long lines, as well as having to wear a mask for an extended period of time.
The porch light can make a difference when delivery personnel are working late to deliver your packages, as well as personnel who bring food to your homes at night, or whenever you decide that it’s convenient for you to place an order online to have food delivered from your favorite fast food restaurant. If you don’t have your address painted on your curb, or a number on your house, this could cause problems for your household, especially with food, because if a driver misdelivers food, it’s going to get cold, and customers will demand a refund, or the company better hope that your next door neighbor is honest, and will return your food to you. Having a porch light on helps to increase the safety of the delivery driver to be able to see in your yard to avoid stepping into a pothole, that could possibly twist their ankle, or even could result in an even worse injury. Sometimes when customers see a light shining on top of a delivery drivers hat, they might think that someone is attempting to break into their home, so having a porch light on will help the customer be able to see who is walking up to their door in the event that you don’t have a Ring alarm, or Google Nest camera, or some other type of home monitoring system, that could aid your family in deterring a porch pirate from attempting to steal your packages, or your food that you’re having delivered to your home. Time is going to change soon, delivery of packages, and the importance of the porch light! www.iwantmymail.com More than just a blog!

Leaving packages in front of an apartment mailbox is a recipe for theft. As we get closer to the holiday season customers, and merchants will be buying, and sending out packages around the world, instead of going into a brick, and mortar to shop, and with the social distancing protocol in effect around the world, customers would rather order items from their smartphone, or their laptop, iPad, or personal computer in the comfort of their home. While everyone doesn’t necessarily always owns a home, when they first move out of their parents home, some people choose to live in an apartment to save up money, until they’re ready to purchase a home. Every apartment complex is different, some allow the delivery personnel to leave packages in the office, so that residents can pickup their item before the office closes, or if they get off from work late, they can stop by the office in the morning to retrieve their item. Some apartment complexes have found this to be inconvenient, and time wasting so many have began to install Luxer One parcel lockers as a solution to fix this problem, so that no matter what time of the day, the resident can go to the Luxer One parcel locker to retrieve their item once they receive a ping on their smartphone indicating which locker that their package is located, and once the resident enters the proper credentials the locker will pop open so that they can retrieve their package, or packages depending if more than one locker is needed to put your packages into the locker, but the thing to remember is that more than one delivery merchant can deliver to the Luxer One parcel locker on any given day.
What should never happen when delivering packages to an apartment complex that doesn’t have a Luxer One locker is leaving packages in front of the mailboxes where customers retrieve their mail, because their is no security to stop a porch pirate from stealing packages left out in the open, most apartment buildings are numbered so if the item doesn’t fit in the mailbox, as a courtesy the package should be delivered to the customers front door, that way if the customer has a Ring doorbell, a Nest, or any other type of security doorbell, the customer has a better chance to catch a porch pirate attempting to steal their package, or packages.
What can the customer do to help the delivery merchant? When the customer orders packages, always make sure to include your first name, and last name, as well as your apartment number, and if the resident can enter a telephone number that would be helpful as well in the event that the customer forgets to put their apartment number on the form when ordering an item online, this will help the resident in being able to receive their package instead of having the package be returned to the sender for an insufficient address. Delivery merchants are appreciated, but remember that leaving packages in front of an apartment mailbox can be a recipe for theft. www.iwantmymail.com More than just a blog!

Going on vacation, mail, and packages. Sometimes we all need a break, and although the travel industry has taken a serious hit during the pandemic, families are still planning vacations, as well as couples, who want to get away for the weekend, or several weeks at a time. Las Vegas, a college football game at your alma mater, the NFL, NHL, you name it being around entertainment excites a lot of people, but one thing that we have to take care of when we leave home is our mail, and packages. Planning ahead is key, if you, and your family are going to be traveling for an extended period of time, and if you have a good neighbor, the buddy system works, let them know that if any mail, or packages are left at your home while you’re gone on vacation, to retrieve it, and hold it until your family returns from being on vacation. It’s important to note that your Mail carrier isn’t a mind reader, so they don’t always know when you go out of town, if you can request a PS Form 8076, which is an authorization to hold mail form, and fill out the form in detail, and leave it on your mailbox for the carrier to retrieve, or take it to your local Post Office so that they can give the form to the Mail carrier, who delivers your mail to notify them to hold your mail, and packages, because you, and your family will be out of town during the week of October 1-18, 2020, and your families mail, and packages will be held during that time frame. There are two options that the customer has, you can request that all accumulated mail, and packages be delivered to your home upon your return, or you can request that you will go to your local Post Office to retrieve all accumulated mail, and packages upon your return.
The 1-800-ASK-USPS option allows you to electronically hold your mail, but the thing to note is that your Letter Carrier doesn’t have access to print out the PS Form 8076, a Manager, or Supervisor, must print out the form to give to a Mail Carrier, so if the Mail Carrier doesn’t receive the PS Form 8076, they will assume that you’re still at home, and will leave mail, and packages at your home, so one of the best things to do is to ask your Letter Carrier for some of the PS Form 8076’s to have on hand whenever you decide to go on vacation. Communicate with your neighbor, let them know that you will be out of town, and offer to retrieve their mail, and packages, as well in the event that items are being piled up on their porch as well in the event that they’re on vacation. Porch Pirates look for clues that you might be out of town, and mail, and packages piling up on your porch could give them clues that your family might be out of town on vacation, so this is why communication is so important, while your out of town, you can sleep better knowing that your mail, and packages are being held by your Letter Carrier, and your backup plan with your neighbor is in effect if your Letter Carrier doesn’t receive the PS Form 8076. Going on vacation, mail, and packages. www.iwantmymail.com More than just a blog!

Unplugging machines, medicine, packages, and mail. Sounds like a crazy title, but this is the world that we now live in, and unplugging machines to stop citizens from having the ability to use mail-in ballots to effectively practice social distancing, and vote during the 2020 Presidential election has become a topic around the world, but an even more dangerous game from unplugging machines is that mail is taking longer to get to its destination, and customers are being effected around the country. A customer reported that they mailed a birthday card to a relative in California from Texas that normally takes 3 days to reach, or 4 days max, with a first class stamp on the card, or whatever the appropriate postage is depending on the size of the envelope, and the card took 3 weeks for it to arrive in Los Angeles, California. If it takes a letter that normally should take 3-4 days max to reach the location to where it’s destined to go 3 weeks, then people will begin to use alternate solutions to get their mail sent to the appropriate locations in a faster manner, by using FedEx, UPS, DHL, and other competitors, who will charge more for their service, but will deliver items in a more rapid period of time.
Unplugging machines also has an effect on medicine, veterans depend on getting their medicine on a timely manner, and now that the unplugging of machines has happened around the country, a Pharmacist stated that the VA was having to go to other delivery merchants because the medicine that they were shipping was taking to long to get to the Veteran’s, and sometimes a couple of days can make a difference between life, and death. Some customers are complaining that driver’s license are taking 45-60 days to receive, when in the past the turnaround was less than two weeks, and normally, a permit is only good for 30 days, when most individuals who apply for new driver’s license after going to the Department of Motor Vehicles should receive their new license in less than two weeks after completing all of the required paperwork within the Department of Motor Vehicles. The dangerous thing about driver’s license is that some police officer’s will want to write tickets for an expired driver’s license, when the customer is still waiting to receive their new driver’s license, they will look at the driver’s permit, and say,”30 days have expired, I don’t want to hear it, you’re getting a ticket!”
What is the solution regarding unplugging machines around the country? It’s simple if they’re old, and need to be replaced, replace them, but if they’re functional, plug them back in, people need to be able to vote safely during this pandemic, people need their medicine on time, as well as their packages, and mail. If a label is placed on a package, and a delivery date is promised, it’s up to the delivery service to deliver the item in a timely manner, because with smartphones customers are able to track their shipment from when it leaves the respective merchants facility to when the driver delivers the item to their front door. Unplugging machines, medicine, packages, and mail. www.iwantmymail.com More than just a blog!
Photo credit: azcentral.com