A lockable delivery box at my house for couriers

deandean

I know about parcel motel etc but still there are deliveries to my door when no one is at home.

I heard tell of a box secured to the wall of the bouse but I don't know if it is reality? A courier sees the box, puts in the parcel, scans a batcode on the lid as delivery confirmation, and then pushes down the lid to lock the box. And all the delivery companies can use it. When I get home I unlock the box, get my stuff, and leave it ready for the next delivery.

Was that a good dream I had, or is there such a thing?

McLoughlin

deandean wrote: »

I know about parcel motel etc but still there are deliveries to my door when no one is at home.

I heard tell of a box secured to the wall of the bouse but I don't know if it is reality? A courier sees the box, puts in the parcel, scans a batcode on the lid as delivery confirmation, and then pushes down the lid to lock the box. And all the delivery companies can use it. When I get home I unlock the box, get my stuff, and leave it ready for the next delivery.

Was that a good dream I had, or is there such a thing?

Yeah An Post have them

Cortina_MK_IV

Like this?

helimachoptor

An Post are installing one for me, will post back once its done

Spocker

McLoughlin wrote: »

Yeah An Post have them

But only An Post can use them, couriers won't have access

foggy_lad

Also they are very small only big enough for a box the size of 2.5 reams of A4 paper

helimachoptor

getting mine installed tuesday, so will report back with before/after pictures

robnet77

what is the price for having one of these installed please?

nava

robnet77 wrote: »

what is the price for having one of these installed please?

Price is €69.99 but you install it yourself.

More info here

deandean

nava wrote: »

Price is €69.99 but you install it yourself.

More info here

Excellent! Thanks Nava. I'm gonna order one, too. Pity it's for An Post only.
I might end up with a second box like the Hippo above (BIG money!) for all the other couriers.

rubadub

You can buy them on amazon, in different sizes. I was posting about them a few years back so they might be in hardware shops here by now.

argos has one, €176 though and no photo
http://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/3655816/Trail/searchtext%3EPARCEL.htm

also
http://www.letterboxes.ie/-parcel-boxes
https://parcelsecure.ie/

helimachoptor

Got mine today. 15 min install and looks pretty robust.

Postman must have a key as there's no slot for letters, box has to be opened

helimachoptor

Got mine today. 15 min install and looks pretty robust.

Postman must have a key as there's no slot for letters, box has to be opened

nava

helimachoptor wrote: »

Got mine today. 15 min install and looks pretty robust.

Postman must have a key as there's no slot for letters, box has to be opened

I wonder if all the postman keys will be the same for all the area, Bit risky if 1 key goes missing.

helimachoptor

Pictures won't upload so ill add them later

rubadub

nava wrote: »

I wonder if all the postman keys will be the same for all the area, Bit risky if 1 key goes missing.

that was my worry, but if it was some skeleton key and a scumbag got it they would still have to go checking all the boxes daily.

I thought the box would be left open and "on the latch" and the postman would lock it.

I would have though letters will still go in the door.

the_syco

McLoughlin wrote: »

Yeah An Post have them

Accessible only by AnPost. So completely f**king useless for the OP.

deandean

OK si I took delivery of my An Post Deliverybox today! First impressions:
It is a heavy and well made box.
There's a decent locking mechanism.
It's big enough for most parcels I receive.
I am disappointed there's no little pop-up flag like on the U.S. mailboxes to show you the postman has made a delivery. There's no viewing window. Do I have to check the box daily? ---aha, apparently I am emailed whenever there's a delivery.
I am not zure if ALL mail including letters goes into the box; or is it just parcels.

stronglikebull

One other thing about these boxes is that registered items will not be delivered to it. Still looks like a handy service, and would save me quite a lot of trips to the collection depot as the majority of stuff I get (Amazon and eBay) would not be registered.

Something like this for courier deliveries would be nice, but again since they require signatures for delivery I'd say such a thing doesn't exist.

VincePP

deandean wrote: »

OK si I took delivery of my An Post Deliverybox today! First impressions:
It is a heavy and well made box.
There's a decent locking mechanism.
It's big enough for most parcels I receive.
I am disappointed there's no little pop-up flag like on the U.S. mailboxes to show you the postman has made a delivery. There's no viewing window. Do I have to check the box daily? ---aha, apparently I am emailed whenever there's a delivery.
I am not zure if ALL mail including letters goes into the box; or is it just parcels.

Only items requiring a signature goes into the box, so registered mail & parcels.
As you know, notification is by instant email. If you have email set up on your phone in a certain way, you get instant notification of delivery.

I'd hate a flag - would be shouting to all passer-bys that there is something in the box and no-one at home. Even in the USA most of these are gone except in very rural areas and the flags are to show that there is mail to collect by the Post service rather than that there is mail in the box for you.

_Whimsical_

deandean wrote: »

OK si I took delivery of my An Post Deliverybox today! First impressions:
It is a heavy and well made box.
There's a decent locking mechanism.
It's big enough for most parcels I receive.
I am disappointed there's no little pop-up flag like on the U.S. mailboxes to show you the postman has made a delivery. There's no viewing window. Do I have to check the box daily? ---aha, apparently I am emailed whenever there's a delivery.
I am not zure if ALL mail including letters goes into the box; or is it just parcels.

Do you find the box big enough? I have considered it but I think I'd be worried it would be too small for most parcels, Amazon for example sometimes send really big boxes even if your order is small enough.

SparklesBlood

_Whimsical_ wrote: »

Do you find the box big enough? I have considered it but I think I'd be worried it would be too small for most parcels, Amazon for example sometimes send really big boxes even if your order is small enough.

That would be my worry too, I had a back pack delivered recently and the box was so big I could get in it. I love the idea of not having to chase my parcels across the county though.

deandean

OK so I am up and running with my An Post Deliverybox. The barcode is in place. My postman has his key (mine is the first box he has seen installed).

I have a couple of parcels on the way from farawayland they should be here next few days.

I was talking with the postman. He is far more likely to bring parcels to my address on his bike when he knows 100 per cent he can deliver them.

deandean

Yeaaa I got my first delivery today, a couple of books in those delivery cartons that are slightly larger than A4 and would not fit thru the letterbox. I was at home for once, thought I heard the postman, then a few minutes later I got an email to say there is a delivery.
So it all works!
Good Job, An Post.

Water John

Great Dean, hope you can keep all your parcels to size.
I genuinely think, their idea is already out of date, but it is a small step in the right direction.

runswithascript

As others have said, I feel the fact that only An Post can access it is, rather than all couriers, is a major drawback.

There is a mountable box called a PinPod but even the small version still looks very large, the design is somewhere between space age and Fisher Price, and it would not look right mounted outside our home.

We are looking for something similar to the An Post Delivery Box but accessible by all couriers, perhaps with a changeable PIN or combination. From looking through the thread I see the Hippo box stays open and is locked after delivery is made. That is something I would consider although I would much rather something that would allow an option for multiple deliveries.

Hippo do mention a 'key safe' product which shows a combination lock but I have not see much more about it yet.

Those of you after a box for all couriers, what option did you go with or do you intend to go with?

Cabaal

Pinpod assumes you can provide delivery instructions to the carrier...which you can't always do

gerard2210

What is the postman supposed to do with a parcel if a courier already has a parcel in the box?
Nothing stopping people from leaving the key somewhere for the courier as long as they aren't expecting another packet from Anpost.

The box has 2 locks one lock will open with the customers key, other lock has a different key that will open all box's.
The postman key is kept in a safe at the mail centre and has to be returned every evening.
The postman can leave all items requiring a signature except actual registered items ( the blue label).
Scanning the barcode on the box is accepted as your signature.

gerard2210

If you buy the box at a post office you get 10 euro off. You might have to pay a bill or do some other transaction to avail of the offer.

runswithascript

Cabaal wrote: »

Pinpod assumes you can provide delivery instructions to the carrier...which you can't always do

How about PIN XXXX as a line in the address?

To be honest I think most websites I order from have an option for extra detail for the courier, where not a phone call could be placed, and if still it is not possible having a box for all of the rest would still be worth it.

gerard2210 wrote: »

What is the postman supposed to do with a parcel if a courier already has a parcel in the box?

This is solved with either a larger delivery box and/or some foresight when ordering.

Brady

This one looks cool:

http://www.ucella.com/

rubadub

I was saying the boxes could be left "on the latch", so the courier/postman just opens and closes it. If it did have a pin code or combination lock then this would allow for 2 deliveries, you could possibly have a phone number on the box saying "if postbox is locked please dial 0874444444 for code".

So this should only happen on the hopefully rare days that you get 2 deliveries.

Of course they could nick the first parcel. I expect some boxes have 2 areas with 2 different locks, or just get 2.

ishotjr2

I think it is fairly unlikely that the second courier would nick the first parcel, firstly it would not take Sherlock Holmes to create the list of suspects (motive, means & opportunity).

I agree 100% phone number on front of box, "Call me for combination..." most couriers who deliver to me have no problem phoning or texting.

Door to Door sales with a man in van!

rubadub

ishotjr2 wrote: »

I think it is fairly unlikely that the second courier would nick the first parcel, firstly it would not take Sherlock Holmes to create the list of suspects (motive, means & opportunity)

They would know for sure, but could not prove it. There were posts before about post being nicked at christmas, empty boxes found in bushes so they would have been able to track them.

I think my idea is flawed, since if it got popular some scumbag could go around checking if the boxes are locked, this would show there is likely to be a parcel in it. So now they could ring the number and claim to be a courier and get your pin.

GarIT

Something similar to how secure internet communications works could solve the locking problem.

If a website wants to establish secure communications, first the website must obtain a certificate of authenticity from a certification authority, when a user tries to connect securely the website sends the user it's certificate and the user's browser will check the certificate against a database of certificates it should accept.

What I am proposing for these boxes is a box that can be unlocked by any access card that is verified as valid via a trusted 3rd party over the internet (e.g. the boxes manufacturer decides who can unlock all boxes). The courier arrives at the box, presents his access card, the box uses an internet connection to check that the access card is valid (belongs to a courier and has not been stolen). If a access card is stolen, it just gets deactivated. The box can keep a log of everyone that accessed it. The owner has a unique key which will only open their box.

ishotjr2

rubadub wrote: »

They would know for sure, but could not prove it. There were posts before about post being nicked at christmas, empty boxes found in bushes so they would have been able to track them.

I think my idea is flawed, since if it got popular some scumbag could go around checking if the boxes are locked, this would show there is likely to be a parcel in it. So now they could ring the number and claim to be a courier and get your pin.

Because they would know for sure as you say that would be enough of a deterrent i.e. "dear courier company who delivered to me today? Because I do not think they should be on the employee of the month list."

If you get a call from a number asking for pin and the number is blocked, do not give them the pin.
If some person of poor moral fiber chooses to ring you up to ask for the PIN. Then 1. Are you expecting another delivery? 2. If you are expecting a delivery ask the name of the company and the vehicle registration? (You could check this with the courier company). Or you could ask for the tracking number which should tally with your own records.

I bet I can come up with some more ways to validate the person before giving them the PIN e.g. assume they have a smartphone and can install an app which does stuff

ED E

ishotjr2 wrote: »

Because they would know for sure as you say that would be enough of a deterrent i.e. "dear courier company who delivered to me today? Because I do not think they should be on the employee of the month list."

If you get a call from a number asking for pin and the number is blocked, do not give them the pin.
If some person of poor moral fiber chooses to ring you up to ask for the PIN. Then 1. Are you expecting another delivery? 2. If you are expecting a delivery ask the name of the company and the vehicle registration? (You could check this with the courier company). Or you could ask for the tracking number which should tally with your own records.

I bet I can come up with some more ways to validate the person before giving them the PIN e.g. assume they have a smartphone and can install an app which does stuff

You need something you can use with An Post, DPD, Fastway, UPS, DHL...etc etc. Unless its a unilateral system adopted by all you won't have them installing an app on their (work) phone.

Code on the label + a small but visible IP Camera facing the box solves everything IMO. If the second driver has sticky fingers you have him dead to rights.

rubadub

I was saying about getting 2 of them, I searched mutliple and found they have ones like an post use for businesses where they give you a key. And similar to those night safe things where you can open it but not stick you hand into the bottom.