In the same week UPS made me sign for a set of $5 kitchen utensils I'd ordered off Amazon but left a Mac Mini on my doorstep no problem.

Been there. It's worse with condos too where they often refuse to deliver unless you're there, they won't even take a signed note. Really annoying when you have a textbook delivery and an upcoming assignment.

Even worse when you can't get your package because they give no delivery window and attempt to deliver it to you during class, make you pick it up somewhere, then say it's your fault for not being at home 24/7.

My apartment door buzzer calls my phone. Generally they don't even attempt to buzz me, and then make me pick it up on the other side of the city.

Very neat. I was hoping to unintrusively tinker with my buzzer in my condo, but I found that the wires coming out of the back of the device used some sort of signaling system, and I couldn't just use my own controller to switch on the door buzzer to let someone in from my phone.

I would suggest complaining to your local branch. You basically have proof that there was no genuine attempt at delivery. The driver will get in trouble.

Wow, cool. Where did you get that? Does it also have other features such as allowing you to talk to the person in front of the door?

There are interfaces for most common door buzzer systems. I have mine linked to my FritzBox, super nice if you're taking a bath and someone rings...

My landlord already had it installed when I moved in, but yes, I can talk to the person at the door and press 9 to buzz them in.

I've found that postal companies ignore the option to "Leave at Door" even when it's marked in their system. (Canada Post, sigh.) The only thing that consistently works for me is to make the first line of my address read: "(Leave at Door; Do Not Card; Buzz XXXX)"

So far, I've only had to go to the post office 1 out of ~10 times, and that because the postal company said they were contractually obligated to get my signature. (So I don't get Dell shipped to my unit any longer.) It's striking how that one line changed everything for me.

That said, re. startling's comment elsewhere in this thread, I don't think lack of buzzing means they didn't try -- they often have to drop off more than one person's package in my building, and I never see delivery folks waiting by the door buzzing every individual's number ;-)

With UPS, you can sign up for MyChoice(?) (it's free) and "presign" online.

Doesn't matter. They won't take any signatures at many condos here. They will only deliver if you are physically present to receive the box.

I just get everything delivered to the office.

This is why I get all my packages shipped to work. Since it's a business, they're guaranteed to get delivered and signed for.

Sometimes Amazon uses a courier service that delivers to my work address at 9pm. They decide the building is closed and I never see my package again.

It happened to me. A TV intended for someone else ended up at my front door, and I had to chase the delivery guy down. Not even the correct street. It was shipped from Walmart, no signature required.

You did the right thing morally. Legally you had no such obligation. https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0181-unordered-merchan...

If it's addressed to you - you can keep it. But if not - you'll commit mail fraud.

The law does not declare misdelivered merchandise to be a "free gift" like unordered merchandise.

In fact, the code states: "Whoever, without authority, opens, or destroys any mail or package of newspapers not directed to him, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both." 18 USC 1703

Does this apply only to USPS deliveries, or are private shippers like UPS, FedEx, etc. included?

That would depend entirely upon the legal definition of mail.

So you don't have to return it, but you can't open it?

That doesn't really cover misdirected mail though just companies sending out merchandise and trying to get paid for it.

hypothetically, what would happen if you kept the TV, leaving it unopened for a month or so (so you can be sure nobody wants it anymore), then used it yourself?

I don't know but people do it all the time when receiving large quantities of narcotics or merchandise paid for with stolen credit cards. You write "return to sender" on the parcel and leave it unopened by your front door. Sounds like a bad urban legend akin to "if you ask an undercover cop whether they're a cop, they have to tell you" but plenty of people still do it.

I don't remember if it was FedEx or UPS, but whichever it was left a top of the line Apple PowerBook at my front door, despite that shipment being very prominently marked as signature required. My apartment complex had a front office that could accept and sign for packages.

What made it even more annoying was that many times that company would leave packages at the front office when I was home. They would not even try to deliver to my apartment. They would just go straight to the front office.

That's the only way they do it at my place, UPS and FedEx. I've had an electric Yamaha piano and other instruments left leaning on my apartment door, in full view of the parking lot and the high school on the other side of the fence.

Anymore, if I get to choose then I choose FedEx, because it's very easy to have the delivery re-routed to a FedEx/Kinkos store, and pick it up there. UPS re-routing has been impossible for me.

I had a PS3 left on my front step (visible from the street) during launch week, and the shipping label indicated it was a PS3, so it wouldn't surprise me.