Problem:

LaserShip is an unreliable last mile service solution currently in contract with Amazon.com. Dealing with LaserShip is like dealing with a lying child. To clarify, LaserShip is responsible for last-mile delivery solutions for Amazon ie same-day delivery etc. However, the issue is that LaserShip does not deliver on the same day, nor the second day...holding my breath for today, day three. At any rate, this has been going on for quite some time. LaserShip hires out to independent contractors who then deliver to each address. The issue is that these are all lowest-cost contractors with absolutely no responsibility to Amazon and the only repercussion from LaserShip is that the contractor in question may not receive another job from LaserShip; emphasis on the "may not", as there is no evidence one way or the other. The underlying issue however, that of LaserShip not delivering and not assuring quality, still remains. LaserShip has grown over 44% in the past two years, much of its business is dependent on Amazon, likewise, its business model is crucial to Amazon being able to provide low-cost/no-cost shipping for its Amazon Prime and Gold members. Because the relationship between LaserShip and Amazon is a for-profit business relationship, it is imperative that LaserShip meet it's SLA's and obligations under their existing contract structure. However, because the onus of trust and verification falls on the independent contractor delivering, with little to no input/feedback from the customer, there is a gap in the QA process. This gap must be remedied, and the only way to remedy this gap is by addressing the issue with Amazon in hopes that the contract with LaserShip will be reviewed.

Solution:

The solutions to delivery issues with LaserShip is quite simple. Amazon must enforce a last mile QA policy. Amazon is a billion-dollar company interacting with a cornucopia of vendors on a daily basis. In order to effectively remedy QA issues with last-mile delivery service Amazon must provide the customer an opportunity to respond to delivery exceptions. In instances where last-mile companies, such as LaserShip, are allowed to provide simple responses for delivery exception such as ”Delivery Attempted: We were unable to delivery your Amazon package…” there should be proof of the actual attempt. Companies such as FedEx, UPS, and organizations such as USPS all leave a paper slip reminder slip at the front door if an attempt at delivery has been made. Without question this allows the customer the opportunity to visually realize that a physical attempt had been made; likewise, it provides the customer with a number that links to the attempted delivery, the route, as well as the employment identification of the individual courier in charge of the delivery. Utilizing the reminder slip also allows the customer to contact the delivery company and address any delivery concerns directly with the carrier. Amazon must incorporate the same type of QA methodology with LaserShip if it intends to continue offering and expanding same day service in the United States.

Consequences:

On a consumer level I propose a one strike policy. If LaserShip misses their promised delivery date even once then the customer must contact Amazon to ask for a refund. Dissatisfaction with LaserShip’s last-mile delivery service is universal. A brief scour of GOOGLE will reveal that LaserShip is ranked extremely low across all major review sites and has its own dedicated customer complaint board on Amazon.com. Because Amazon charges Prime members for their yearly membership one can only assume that the cost of membership is one partial way Amazon pays for “free” shipping. In a sense, the same customer experiencing issues with “free” shipping, specifically as it relates to last-mile from LaserShip, is in fact the same customer paying for shipping indirectly through their membership. If Amazon does not look into implementing better QA standards with LaserShip then customers will have no choice but to support this petition and further make public the issues being experienced with LaserShip. Likewise, if Amazon is unable to address these issues at their current scale, then expanding more service offerings will prove significantly troubling which will, with time, lead to a lower bottom line and potentially a profit loss.