# Let's debate the wisdom of allowing Amazon and others to access your home while you are not present **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [July 22, 2021, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-debate-the-wisdom-of-allowing-amazon-and-others-to-access-your-home-while-you-are-not-present/947064 "2021-07-22T16:52:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2021, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-debate-the-wisdom-of-allowing-amazon-and-others-to-access-your-home-while-you-are-not-present/947064/1 "2021-07-22T16:52:47Z")
This doesn’t seem like a good idea to me: > **[Amazon's mission: Getting a 'key' to your apartment building](https://apnews.com/article/business-amazoncom-inc-a322a1aa0b29a58b0cb2a287ba0bac6f)** > > NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon is tired of ringing doorbells. The online shopping giant is pushing landlords around the country — sometimes with financial incentives — to give its drivers the ability to unlock apartment-building doors themselves with a... I suppose if I had a full surveillance setup _inside_ my house so that I could review the footage every time I received a package in order to ensure that nothing was stolen, it might be workable, but I don’t think I’d use that service personally for that and other reasons. Like the fact that now the front door is connected to the internet. No freaking way I’m doing that. Yes, I realize that some of the places talked about are apartment buildings and not the actual dwellings, but the article is clear that there are plenty of residences that are accessed. I just don’t think this is a good idea, for the customers or for society at large. What say y’all? ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2021, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-debate-the-wisdom-of-allowing-amazon-and-others-to-access-your-home-while-you-are-not-present/947064/2 "2021-07-22T17:58:15Z")
On the plus side if this service is abused or cracked its easier to sue Amazon than Schlage. I probably wouldn’t get it but there is no chance of my packages getting stolen if they are in front of my house. If I lived somewhere with porch pirates it would make more sense to expose myself to risks to an entity I could get renumeration from rather than random thiefs. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2021, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-debate-the-wisdom-of-allowing-amazon-and-others-to-access-your-home-while-you-are-not-present/947064/3 "2021-07-22T18:14:24Z")
A while back, when they first started offering in home deliveries, we discussed it here. Someone made the point, and they’re likely correct, that by giving them key access like this, they’ve go their foot in the door (pun intended) to push other services like dog walking or housecleaning or anything else they can come up with (tech support, dry cleaning drop off etc). ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2021, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-debate-the-wisdom-of-allowing-amazon-and-others-to-access-your-home-while-you-are-not-present/947064/4 "2021-07-22T18:29:36Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > This doesn’t seem like a good idea to me: > > [Amazon's mission: Getting a 'key' to your apartment building | AP News](https://apnews.com/article/business-amazoncom-inc-a322a1aa0b29a58b0cb2a287ba0bac6f) This is giving them access to the apartment building lobby, _not_ individual apartments. BTW, my building has an Amazon parcel locker, which can be used by Amazon and other delivery services to secure packages. I think some of these delivery people have a key or perhaps a code to open the front door. ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2021, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-debate-the-wisdom-of-allowing-amazon-and-others-to-access-your-home-while-you-are-not-present/947064/5 "2021-07-22T18:35:45Z")
I would much rather they leave my deliveries in the lobby, than outside the building like they do now. But to let them into my residence? ABSOLUTELY NOT. I do not care how many cameras are on them to make sure they don’t take my stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2021, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-debate-the-wisdom-of-allowing-amazon-and-others-to-access-your-home-while-you-are-not-present/947064/6 "2021-07-22T19:09:52Z")
> [@Keeve](#): > > But to let them into my residence? ABSOLUTELY NOT. I do not care how many cameras are on them to make sure they don’t take my stuff. Again, the idea is to let them into the apartment _building_, not the apartments themselves. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2021, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-debate-the-wisdom-of-allowing-amazon-and-others-to-access-your-home-while-you-are-not-present/947064/7 "2021-07-22T19:15:01Z")
Oh hell no! I don’t trust the drivers! Those vans get hijacked and stolen with alarming frequency and one incident locally the driver was an accomplice. I avoid Amazon completely, and I see their vans in the neighborhood every day. Circling aimlessly it seems. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2021, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-debate-the-wisdom-of-allowing-amazon-and-others-to-access-your-home-while-you-are-not-present/947064/8 "2021-07-22T19:18:07Z")
Amazon already has a “deliver inside” program for homes. [https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=G9E4GHCAL7BXKCN3](https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=G9E4GHCAL7BXKCN3) > On delivery day, you receive a notification with a 4-hour delivery window. > The driver sends an Arriving Now notification upon arrival, along with an option to watch the delivery live. > The driver knocks on the door, and then requests to unlock the door via their Amazon handheld scanner. > Amazon verifies that the driver is near your door, and that the package belongs to your address. > Once confirmed, if available, the security camera is turned on and then the door is unlocked. > The driver places the package just inside your door and requests to lock the door. > Once the delivery is complete and your door locked, the driver sends a final notification. Though in this case, _you_ unlock the door and watch the delivery. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2021, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-debate-the-wisdom-of-allowing-amazon-and-others-to-access-your-home-while-you-are-not-present/947064/9 "2021-07-22T19:21:09Z")
> [@chela](#): > > Oh hell no! I don’t trust the drivers! Those vans get hijacked and stolen with alarming frequency and one incident locally the driver was an accomplice. I avoid Amazon completely, and I see their vans in the neighborhood every day. Circling aimlessly it seems. Regarding the “circling aimlessly”, there was a proposal that they would just send certain items to your town or neighborhood, on the expectation that _someone_ would order those items in the next few hours or days. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2021, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-debate-the-wisdom-of-allowing-amazon-and-others-to-access-your-home-while-you-are-not-present/947064/10 "2021-07-22T19:27:20Z")
I don’t see a big problem with letting them into the lobby of the building. It’s not like it’s hard for someone to get some resident or another to let them in, anyway. My previous apartment didn’t even lock the building door. My own personal residence? Yeah, if you want to do that, go ahead, but I won’t. I don’t think that Bezos has any nefarious plans for me or anything, but right now, they’re hiring anyone and everyone they can get their hands on. You’re effectively giving access to your home to some random schmuck whose only qualifications are a drivers’ license and the ability to fill out a job application. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2021, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-debate-the-wisdom-of-allowing-amazon-and-others-to-access-your-home-while-you-are-not-present/947064/11 "2021-07-22T19:41:03Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > > [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > > > This doesn’t seem like a good idea to me: > > > > [Amazon's mission: Getting a 'key' to your apartment building | AP News](https://apnews.com/article/business-amazoncom-inc-a322a1aa0b29a58b0cb2a287ba0bac6f) > > This is giving them access to the apartment building lobby, _not_ individual apartments. > [@Czarcasm](#): > > Again, the idea is to let them into the apartment _building_, not the apartments themselves. Did y’all read the OP and the article linked therein? > [@](#): > > Amazon has wanted to walk through people’s front doors for years. In 2017, it launched a way for shoppers to let delivery people come in their home when they’re not there and leave packages in the foyer. Walmart did the same shortly after, but its delivery people also stocked the fridge with groceries. Amazon and Walmart don’t say how many people are using those services, but both have expanded them to more cities recently. So, yes, this is _also_ about giving the companies access to your dwelling. I can see a scenario where one person in an apartment building gives Amazon access to their dwelling and now all the other residents have to know that Amazon has access to their building. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2021, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-debate-the-wisdom-of-allowing-amazon-and-others-to-access-your-home-while-you-are-not-present/947064/12 "2021-07-22T19:43:34Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > So, yes, this is _also_ about giving the companies access to your dwelling Totally different, as in those cases the customers voluntarily signed up for the service-access wasn’t given against their will. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2021, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-debate-the-wisdom-of-allowing-amazon-and-others-to-access-your-home-while-you-are-not-present/947064/13 "2021-07-22T19:46:54Z")
And in that case, the system only unlocks the door when the driver is right there with a package for you. They’re not getting a key to your building. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2021, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-debate-the-wisdom-of-allowing-amazon-and-others-to-access-your-home-while-you-are-not-present/947064/14 "2021-07-22T19:47:17Z")
Who said they were exactly alike? ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2021, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-debate-the-wisdom-of-allowing-amazon-and-others-to-access-your-home-while-you-are-not-present/947064/15 "2021-07-22T19:51:32Z")
> [@chela](#): > > and I see their vans in the neighborhood every day. Circling aimlessly it seems. Jeff Bezos wouldn’t be the richest guy in the world if his vans were just circling aimlessly. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2021, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-debate-the-wisdom-of-allowing-amazon-and-others-to-access-your-home-while-you-are-not-present/947064/16 "2021-07-22T19:59:15Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Again, the idea is to let them into the apartment _building_ , not the apartments themselves. The OP is titled “Let’s debate the wisdom of allowing Amazon and others to access your home while you are not present”. I don’t think it’s too hard to stick to that. Regardless, my WiFi-connected garage door goes through the MyQ app, which Amazon has an agreement with to connect with customers who want to grant access to Amazon so they can drop packages off inside your garage: > **[Amazon Key | myQ](https://www.myq.com/solutions/amazon-key)** > > Link your Amazon Key to your myQ account. MyQ's In-Garage Delivery is free for Prime members and makes it easy to securely receive your packages. The wisdom of that is, in my opinion, poor. There’s no way I’m allowing delivery drivers to open my garage door. Porch pirates aren’t an issue in my neighborhood (yet). I guess when they are, I’ll come up with a better idea. Maybe that is giving Amazon access, and just being diligent about dead locking the inside garage door. Maybe it’s getting a lockbox for outside the door. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2021, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-debate-the-wisdom-of-allowing-amazon-and-others-to-access-your-home-while-you-are-not-present/947064/17 "2021-07-22T20:05:47Z")
One possibility, and we may very well see more homes designed with this in mind in the future, is a specific delivery room. You’ve got the front door, which leads into a small entryway, beyond which is a second door. You let Amazon (or other delivery services) in through the outer door, but not the inner one. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2021, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-debate-the-wisdom-of-allowing-amazon-and-others-to-access-your-home-while-you-are-not-present/947064/18 "2021-07-22T20:19:54Z")
Aye; that’s what I envision as well, **Babale**. We all like having stuff brought to us and I can see how a “package foyer” could become a standard addition to a domicile. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2021, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-debate-the-wisdom-of-allowing-amazon-and-others-to-access-your-home-while-you-are-not-present/947064/19 "2021-07-22T20:20:37Z")
No, you sound like you’re bab a ling now because destroying perfectly fine product has no impact on Bezo’s personal wealth so what makes you think an Amazon drivers behavior is gonna impact it in any way? [https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/06/23/amazon-uk-warehouses-destroy-items/%3FoutputType=amp](https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/06/23/amazon-uk-warehouses-destroy-items/%3foutputType=amp) ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2021, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-debate-the-wisdom-of-allowing-amazon-and-others-to-access-your-home-while-you-are-not-present/947064/20 "2021-07-22T20:28:52Z")
Before my apartment building got a parcel locker, I would have the packages delivered to an Amazon Locker location nearby. It was a slight detour on the way home, but I liked that the packages were secure until I got there. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-debate-the-wisdom-of-allowing-amazon-and-others-to-access-your-home-while-you-are-not-present/947064.md?page=2)