Package theft is virtually unavoidable at a time when so many people do so much online shopping. Despite our best efforts at preventing porch pirates from plying their trade, people are still victimized. The question for so many consumers is how to respond when a package is stolen. More specifically, how does a victim address the financial loss?
A package theft victim can do one of two things:
- Forget about it, eat the lost, and replace the stolen item on his own; or
- File a police report and then seek a means of replacement or refund.
According to data from the Chamber of Commerce, some 26% of American consumers have had a package stolen within the last year. Only 25% got a refund. It is unclear whether refunds were not obtained because retailers and shippers refused or because consumers did not request them.
This still leaves us with the question of how a consumer should respond to package theft. The first thing is to not make any assumptions. There could be any number of reasons a package might appear to be missing.
Check the Entire Property
Vivint Smart Home, a home security and smart home provider, suggests that the first course of action is to check around the entire property before assuming a package has been stolen. Homeowners should check their porches, garages, trash cans, mailboxes, and any other possible locations a package may have been left for safe keeping.
Consumers living in apartment complexes and subdivided houses should check with other residents. They should also check with the rental office. A package could have been left with someone else for security reasons.
Although we expect our packages to be left at the front door, there are circumstances that call for delivery drivers to be a bit more creative. In an attempt to keep packages safe, some will look for better drop-off locations. Therefore, consumers should thoroughly search their properties before assuming theft.
Contact Seller or Delivery Provider
If you suspect package theft after searching your entire property, it is time to contact the seller or shipping provider. I would recommend the seller first. Why? Because sellers often insure their packages prior to shipping. They have insurance specifically for this reason. Most sellers will be gracious enough to either replace the item or offer a refund.
In the event a seller does not respond positively, the next step is contacting the shipper. You may not have much luck with the shipper, but you will not know if you don’t try. Note that some shippers manage insurance on behalf of retailers. If there is an insurance claim to make, it goes through the shipper.
In the event that your package came from a friend or relative rather than a retailer, check with that person to make sure the package was actually sent. Hopefully your friend or family member has a tracking number you can check. It would be the sender’s responsibility to reach out for a refund if the package were insured with the shipper.
Contact Your Credit Card Company
You have checked the entire property and found nothing. None of your neighbors have the package in question. Unfortunately, the seller and shipper are not much help, either. Are you out of luck? Not yet. Assuming you paid for your purchase with a credit card, your next avenue of recourse is to contact the issuer.
Although there are some credit card companies that do not offer customers any perks at all, most do. And a popular perk these days is package protection. Your credit card company might have a package protection benefit in place. If you report a stolen package and have a police report to back it up, your credit card company might refund the charges.
As a side note, some credit card companies offer purchase protection as an added benefit you can pay for. So if the perk isn’t free, it might be worth a slight monthly charge to have it added to your account.
In the event your credit card company cannot refund the charges, they might still be willing to talk to the retailer or shipper on your behalf. Credit card companies can be very persuasive about these sorts of things. They might be able to convince one of the other parties to give you a refund.
Contact Your Insurance Company
If all else fails, contact your insurance company. Most homeowner’s and renter’s policies cover property theft to some degree. Note that an insurance company is likely going to require a police report at minimum. You might have to furnish additional documentation proving that you paid for the item but never received it.
Getting payment from an insurance company can be challenging. That’s why this option is last on the list. If all else fails and your financial losses look to be significant, it is worth jumping through hoops to file an insurance claim.
Prevention Is Better Than Responding
There are ways to cover financial losses in the event a package is stolen. However, let us not forget about prevention. It’s far better to prevent package theft than try to respond to it after the fact. Prevention mitigates all your financial losses from the get-go.
So how do you prevent package theft? By making it as difficult as possible to pull off. If we know anything at all about thieves, it is that they go after the easiest targets first. Packages left on front porches in open view are prime targets. And no, video doorbells are not a failsafe means of protection. Some package thieves ignore them entirely.
Your best bet is to have packages left with a neighbor or delivered to a package locker. If you would still prefer to receive packages directly at home, work with shippers to arrange delivery on a day you know you will be there.
Package theft results in combined losses in the tens of millions of dollars every year. If you are ever victimized, you may have recourse through the means described in this post.
