New Amazon Delivery Service Hits a Nerve With Some Homeowners

In its official press release issued Oct. 25, Amazon announced the introduction of its Amazon Key, a new service offered exclusively to Prime members that “radically improves the convenience of receiving deliveries. Amazon Key, which hits the market Nov. 8th and retails for $249.00, enables in-home delivery and secure home access for guests and service appointments.” The bottom line is that it allows Amazon’s delivery drivers to enter your home.

The news was an attention-getter, grabbing headlines across myriad media outlets from newswires, consumer pubs and trade journals. The details of this new interactive home delivery service offering were immediately covered here on Electronic House.

The Amazon Key In-Home Kit comes with an Amazon Cloud Cam (Key Edition) and an Amazon Key-compatible smart lock. As Amazon referenced in its statement, “Each time a delivery driver requests access to a customer’s home, Amazon verifies that the correct driver is at the right address, at the intended time, through an encrypted authentication process. Once this process is successfully completed, Amazon Cloud Cam starts recording and the door is then unlocked. No access codes or keys are ever provided to delivery drivers.” Sounds safe enough, right? Well, maybe not to everyone.

Reactions on social media sites were swift and many were quite skeptical. One Twitter post referenced in The Daily Dot read: “The new season of Dateline is brought to you by Amazon Key – bringing stalkers and victims together in a hip new way.” Another outraged poster wrote: “I’m excited to watch the 2030 Netflix docudrama about the Amazon Key murders.” Another simply stated: “Amazon Key wants a key to your front door NO THANK YOU!”

 

Other posts, as reported by US Magazine, included: “When you order via Amazon Key and come home to a delivered package and an empty house.” . . . “My dog would kill the first Amazon delivery driver that used an Amazon key to freely walk into our house. Just saying it’s a terrible idea.” . . .  and, “Introducing Amazon Key a new and simple way to make your house even less secure!”

 

In Amazon’s defense, the company emphasizes that the packages will be delivered securely and all in-home deliveries are backed by the Amazon Key Happiness Guarantee. Some consumers will likely love the convenience. Others, apparently, not so much.

 

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