Detailed within a popular post on Reddit recently, footage from an outdoor security camera captured a United States postal worker chucking a box containing a hard drive against a homeowner’s metal garage door on Monday. Posted by a Reddit user named alientity, the video shows the USPS driver in an unmarked minivan pulling up in the homeowner’s driveway and hurling the package from the passenger’s side window towards the garage door approximately 6 feet.
The package bounces off the hard driveway surface once, then bounces off the garage door before coming to rest on the driveway. Operating the vehicle from the passenger’s side, the driver appears to momentarily check to see if the package has any visible damage, then backs out of the driveway. Operating the vehicle from the passenger’s side is fairly common among USPS drivers since they can deliver mail into standing mailboxes without having to leave the automobile.
It’s possible that the driver simply didn’t want to exit the vehicle due to the cold weather conditions, however there was no snow impeding his path in the driveway. The homeowner also indicated that there was no snow blocking the path to the front door. Assuming the driver had gotten out of the vehicle, the package could have been placed in a less visible position rather than directly in front of the garage door.
According to alientity, this isn’t the first time that USPS has delivered a package in this manner due to the multiple dings in the garage door of the home. Previously, alientity attempted to file a complaint about the issue using the USPS online submission form and the USPS called to follow-up on the situation. Unfortunately, USPS deliveries are still occurring in this manner. The Reddit user plans on filing another official complaint with the postal service this week, but the USPS may end up reaching out first if the video starts trending on YouTube.
Regarding hardware used to capture the footage, alientity used a high definition Ubiquity AirCam as well as a standalone DVR to record and catalog the footage. Software used in the installation includes iSpy’s open source security software and Sighthound’s Vitamin D movement detection software.
Regarding the condition of the external hard drive in the package, alientity indicated that the appearance of the box was fine, but there are issues with formatting the drive. The Reddit user plans on continuing to test the hard drive in case user error is to blame. However, if the drive still doesn’t work, the DOA hardware will have to be sent back to the retailer. This package was originally shipped using FedEx SmartPost. Those deliveries are outsourced to the USPS at a lower cost.
Even after recording this footage, this experience hasn’t soured alientity on USPS workers. Within a comment on Reddit, alientity states “Most of the USPS folks I deal with are very friendly, and go out of their way to help their customers, I guess I’m dealing with someone who just has a bad bedside manner.”
