Few things are less frustrating than waiting for a package to be delivered.
While most online retailers offer a sizeable general window for deliveries, accuracy is what consumers want.
There is no online store bigger and more notorious than Amazon. So, how do Amazon’s delivery times and dates stack up regarding being reliable?
Here is what we learned:
Here’s How Amazon Generally Ships Orders:
Amazon uses the marketplace to process and ship orders. The delivery time will completely depend on the seller you purchase from. Most orders get processed within hours, depending on where the closest Amazon warehouse is to you, and you can expect your order within 2-10 days.
How Reliable Is The Amazon Delivery Tracker?
Since Amazon is a billion-dollar corporation, they have been able to invest some serious money into developing a fairly accurate delivery tracker as well as top-notch customer service.
While Amazon does have contracts with other shipping companies like FedEx and UPS, they mostly rely on their shipping services to deliver packages. This is one reason why Amazon can offer a very accurate delivery window for your packages.
So, you get updates straight from the source instead of going through a third-party service.
Generally, you will receive a “deliver by time” message with each order you place on amazon. This will likely happen between 6 am and 8 pm, depending on how many deliveries that specific driver has during the day. However, you should expect your delivery by that 8 pm closing time.
While the time of day may change, the date you should receive your package is pretty spot on with Amazon’s delivery tracker.
The secret to having such a reliable tracking system is that Amazon keeps open communication between the seller, the warehouse, and the delivery driver. This means that each department will know exactly where your package is at any given time.
Lastly, like most delivery services, Amazon relies on barcodes that will be check-in at every stop so there will never be a lapse in communication. However, while Amazon has seemed to crack the code regarding having a reliable tracking system, you can expect some human error.
Check out our article regarding Amazon’s Reliable Shipping!
What Factors Affect the Accuracy of The Amazon Delivery Tracker?
If your Amazon package had not arrived when it was supposed to or the delivery tracker is not accurate for you, a few factors may be at play.
The first thing to consider is the weather. While Amazon does its best to deliver great service and on-time deliveries, no amount of money in the world can change the weather.
Severe weather changes like snowstorms, flash flooding, or a heatwave can slow your delivery time. After all, you can’t expect delivery to be seamless when there are factors outside the corporation’s control.
While it can be frustrating not to get what you need on time, it is understandable that the weather can slow things down.
Next, you have human error. Amazon relies on analytics and robotics to offer such a specific delivery time. While this route isn’t much unknown, humans find themselves getting in the way, despite their best efforts.
Something as simple as a misplaced digit in an address or a single incorrect line of code can reduce your delivery time. More than that, incorrect inputted information can make it difficult to accurately track your package.
The Amazon delivery driver is arguably the last line of defense in getting your package to you on time. However, we don’t think about how much they must deliver.
We’ve all seen those navy blue Amazon trucks flying down the street, stopping at almost every corner to make a delivery, but did you know that they have to make deliveries by a certain time?
This pressure can lead to some errors when it comes to getting your package delivered on time. However, you usually don’t have to wait more than an extra day if the driver is too overwhelmed.
What Are Common Complaints About the Amazon Delivery Tracker?
There are a lot of complaints that can occur with any company, and Amazon is no different.
Here are a few common ones:
Delayed Delivery Time
The first complaint that is most common among consumers is a delay in delivery times.
Most commonly, you will see this reflected in the Amazon delivery tracker. The delivery time on the tracker will change to show that your package is delayed.
As mentioned, there are many factors for a delivery delay, and the tracker reflects this so that you don’t waste your time waiting for a package that will be late.
Missing Packages
Another big complaint with the Amazon tracking system is when your package says delivered when it simply was not. There are a few different reasons for this.
First, it could be possible that the Amazon delivery driver marked the package as delivered when it wasn’t. This could be because the driver was trying to meet a certain goal and incorrectly labeled your shipment.
However, most commonly, the package was just delivered to the wrong address. Luckily, the Amazon tracking system has put certain things in place to ease your mind.
More specifically, Amazon drivers must take a picture of your package on your porch or mailbox to show that the package has arrived.
So, check the delivery app to see if there is a picture attached. This will give you a better understanding of where your package may have ended.
Where Are Amazon Packages Shipping From? Check out our article to find out!
Tracking System Errors
The last common complaint with the Amazon tracking system is that it may not update.
Most commonly, this will be seen as a “TBD” date on time on a package that has already been shipped.
Not knowing where your package is or even when you can expect it to arrive can be super frustrating. This problem has more to do with the tracking system itself and not necessarily your package.
How Can I Troubleshoot Issues with the Amazon Delivery Tracker?
The first way to troubleshoot your Amazon delivery tracker is to restart your Amazon app or wait a couple of hours to see if the information will change. This is because, most commonly, the problem will fix itself without you having to contact customer service.
Contact customer service if you are still having a problem with the tracker or don’t know where or when your package will arrive.
Amazon prides itself in having excellent customer service that is easy to contact and can help with any tracking issue you have.
However, Amazon will prompt you to first go through a series of questions and “self troubleshooting” before you can start to chat with customer service. While this can be frustrating, Amazon’s customer service FAQ platform is very helpful in figuring out what is going wrong.
There are hundreds of subsections and questions you can scroll through, and chances are, you will be able to find the answer to your problem by using this feature.
You must contact customer service if you are looking for more specific information on your package. While Amazon does have a customer service phone number, using the chat feature on the website is the best way to get fast answers.
Using your tracking number and your order code, customer service representatives can use their database to find your package and hopefully answer your questions. However, there is one thing many Amazon shoppers don’t know: you can be reimbursed for your lost time.
Depending on how long your package is delayed, if the information does not match what the tracker displays, Amazon will offer you credits to use towards your next purpose. So, no matter the issue, always contact customer service to help relieve some of the stress.
Is There a Way to Manually Track My Amazon Order?
As mentioned, Amazon mainly delivers its orders but sometimes relies on other shipping companies depending on the seller.
If Amazon is shipping your order and you don’t think the Amazon tracking system is working properly, you can manually track the package yourself.
First, you must go to your Amazon profile and find your order number, where you can see the exact method used to ship your order. You will have a tracking number depending on which shipping service is being used.
From there, you can enter that tracking number into Google or the delivery company’s website, where you will get a detailed readout of all the tracking information.
You should be able to view shipping times and where your package has been processed on its way to you. While this should be the same information reflected on your Amazon tracker, it can be helpful to do this manually if you find that the tracking isn’t working properly.
Lastly, if you still don’t see any updates and your package is processed through USPS, you can contact your local post office directly. From there, they should be able to find your package and let you know if it has arrived at that location.