We've all experienced it at one point or another: you've been waiting for an important package to be delivered, and while at work received the text or email indicating that it was left on your front porch. Excited, you return home as quickly as possible, and by the time you reach your house, the package is gone. This is a shockingly common problem, with about half of all townhome and apartment dwellers reporting having a package stolen at some point. While there are some forms of recourse to be found, many of them depend on where you bought from and who the package was delivered through. Many delivery services will only attempt to locate a package if was lost throughout their fault. Many merchants do not replace lost packages, and in some cases, they can't due to it being sold out or part of limited stock.
The best thing to do is prevent the problem from happening, or at least find a way to track down the culprit if it does occur. And the best way to do this is through having an apartment video intercom system installed, or moving into a building that has one when you're apartment shopping.
How Do Apartment Video Intercom Systems Work?
If you've ever used an older intercom system, you're probably used to the voice technology it uses to help people communicate with those outside their apartments. You may not even realize that these older systems can be outfitted with newer apartment video intercom systems as well. This allows you to not only hear the person on your front porch but see them as well.
How Does Video Intercom Technology Stop Theft?
The reason why video intercom technology is so useful is that you're actually able to screen people from within your apartment when packages are being delivered. Rather than leaving a package on your doorstep, the delivery person can press a button to alert you to their presence, and you can make sure that they are who they say they are before letting them into the building. Another benefit is that the camera is often visible, discouraging people from stealing while you're gone. Some cameras even record constantly, which means you can catch the thief if they do decide to steal.
Talk to your landlord about installing apartment video intercom systems. You'll be glad that you did.