Dear Hudson Valley UPS and FedEx Drivers, Stop Being So Mean

Delivery drivers have an extremely tough job, but is that any excuse to take it out on your customers?

Each week we air a segment called "Ticked Off Tuesday" where listeners vent about the things that frustrate them. This week the topic of delivery drivers came up, and it turns out that the Hudson Valley has had enough of the poor treatment they've received when having their packages delivered.

I'd like to start off by personally saying that 95% of the time I have no issues with my deliveries at all. It turns out, however, that the rest of the Hudson Valley doesn't seem to share in my satisfaction.

Is the Box Too Heavy or Is the Driver Too Lazy?

It was an especially rainy afternoon in Poughkeepsie, New York when Robyn received a message that her order from Chewy had been delivered. After opening the front door to her covered porch, the package was nowhere to be found. Thinking there was an error, she called customer service who described a photo taken by the driver showing the package delivered in front of her garage.

Robyn found this curious since no one had ever just dumped a box in front of her garage before. It turns out the box contained 40 lbs of kitty litter and the driver didn't feel like carrying it all the way to the house. So instead of placing it under the covered porch, they just dumped it in the driveway to get soaking wet.

While it stinks that the driver had to carry a heavy package, Robyn received no warning from the store or the delivery company that it was too heavy to be properly delivered. Is this the fault of the customer for simply ordering something that was for sale or the driver for not doing their job properly?

Passive Aggressive Delivery Drivers in the Hudson Valley

One of the common complaints we received is a situation I've also experienced. Customers are complaining about drivers leaving packages in what seems like purposefully inconvenient places. While it's unreasonable to expect drivers to get it right every time, it appears that some of them know exactly what they're doing when they leave your package in the worst possible spot.

Several listeners shared their frustration with drivers who leave packages on the wrong side of their front door. Instead of being able to open the door and grab the delivery, the box is placed on the opposite side, which means it's blocked by the door when it's opened. Instead of simply bending down to grab the delivery the customer then has to put on shoes and go outside and around the open door to retrieve it.

Even worse, one listener claims that their driver puts all of their boxes directly in front of their door, making it impossible to open from the inside without knocking them over. Not only is this annoying, but it could be a fire hazard if the box is especially big and heavy.

Whose Fault Is It Really?

While blaming the delivery driver for poorly placed packages seems justified, they may not be the ones truly at fault. Corporate cutbacks and unreasonable expectations of workers have led to much of the bad service that the Hudson Valley has experienced. Many of these drivers would probably deliver packages the right way if they had the time to do it. But with tight deadlines and added routes, many of them tell us that they simply can't keep up.

We want to know what you think. Are you having similar problems getting your packages delivered or do you think drivers need to be cut a little more slack? You can share your opinion on our Facebook page or through our free mobile app.

Get our free mobile app