When I first arrived in Germany, accepting a parcel meant signing for it on a piece of paper.
It might sound old-fashioned and not very environmentally friendly now, but at the time it had one big advantage: you could write ANYTHING you wanted to on it.
Such as “package damaged”.
Not that I received many damaged packages back then, in fact did not receive many packages at all at home, but I often signed for them in the office and I was aware of the fact that the carrier would only accept liability for damage to the contents if I wrote it next to my signature.
This, however, is not possible with the electronic terminals that I have to sign on these days, and being self-employed I received quite a few parcels each week.
When this first started happening, I told the courier that I wanted the damage noted. Surely there is an option for that on the terminal? “No, there isn’t” was the reply. Apparently I would have to sign for the parcel, and then call the depot immediately to inform them of the damage.
Does that sound just a tiny bit fishy to you too? I did call the depot, and asked if this was correct.
“No” was the answer – the courier can note it on the terminal and if he or she is not prepared to do so, then I should just refuse to accept the parcel and inform the sender so that they can make a claim.
I can only assume that there are people delivering parcels out there, who either do not know how to note the damage, or who just do not want the hassle of doing it and taking the parcel back. Mind you, they are not very happy when I refuse to accept the parcel either!
Parcels with damage like this, where it is not just a dent, but a whole corner ripped open:
In an even newer trend, I have noticed that some parcel services do not even require a signature any more. They just hand over the parcel and go again!
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