From Better Business Bureau serving Eastern North Carolina

 

RALEIGH —With the popularity and ease of online shopping, the United States Postal Service is forecasting that the agency will likely deliver more than 850 million packages to doorsteps and mailboxes this holiday season. With the abundance of doorstep deliveries, front porches become a gold mine for thieves who are combing neighborhoods to steal people’s packages. Better Business Bureau serving Eastern North Carolina is offering tips to help consumers stop porch pirates from ruining the holiday season.

“Ordering gifts online has become the norm and thieves are looking to take advantage this holiday season,” said Mallory Wojciechowski, president and CEO of BBB serving eastern NC. “We always stress buying from safe online sites, but consumers need to be careful throughout the entire shipping and delivery process to ensure they receive their product.”

BBB serving Eastern NC offers the following tips on receiving online deliveries:

Track your packages: Follow shipments from the seller to your front door with online, text message or phone call tracking offered through the delivery company. Sign up for alerts to be notified of delays or exceptions and when the package has been delivered.

Be available for delivery: Track packages and arrange to be available during estimated delivery times, have a trusted friend or neighbor pick up the packages in a timely manner after delivery or ship to your work address (pending company approval). Package delivery thieves have been known to follow delivery trucks around town, stealing packages immediately after delivery.

Request a signature: This package delivery feature will likely come with a fee, but without a recipient’s signature, the delivery service won’t be able to leave a package exposed on a doorstep.

Personalize delivery: Schedule a certain day and/or time for your package delivery, including evenings and weekends or provide specific instructions on where a package should be placed to keep the delivery hidden from public view. Consumers can also request a package be held at a delivery center or shipped to a retailer’s nearest store location for in-person pickup. Fees for personalization do vary by delivery service.

Use your credit card: When making purchases online, use your credit card rather than a debit card or another form of payment. Credit card companies are more likely to offer refunds in the event of theft.

Insure valuable items: Purchase delivery insurance to protect merchandise against loss or damage. Contact your local police department if you do become a victim of package theft.

For more information you can trust, visit bbb.org.

Better Business Bureau serving Eastern North Carolina is a 501(c)(6) not-for-profit corporation serving 33 counties in eastern North Carolina. The organization is funded primarily by BBB Accredited Business fees from over 3,700 local businesses and professional firms. BBB promotes integrity, consumer confidence and business ethics through business self-regulation in the local marketplace. Services provided by BBB include reports on companies and charitable organizations, general monitoring of advertising in the marketplace, consumer/business education programs and dispute resolution services. All services are provided at no cost to the public, with the occasional exception of mediation and arbitration. Visit bbb.org.