Amazon broke my gate and refused to pay. This device would have saved me $500
When I was at home and working upstairs in my office, what could only be described as a big Cronk in my backyard surprised me and my terrier, Freddie. I thought it was an enthusiastically deleted package, but I couldn’t imagine the full extent of the incident that caused the noise.
I went downstairs to investigate and found that Double Chain Link Gate was being forced into an Amazon delivery person. The brute force entrance destroys the wooden frame of the gate, making it unusable, and requires repairs that require carpentry beyond my skill level.
How did an Amazon driver find my gate after passing through it.
Two terrible evidence – my Amazon package – was dropped a few yards into the gate.
Worse, the driver left both gates wide open, making my yard more susceptible to dog escapes.
Naturally, I reported the incident through the retailer’s online Inciment portal and contacted Amazon Customer Service by phone. A polite woman instructed me to submit the claim. I did so within a day. This includes estimates of $500 repair costs secured from a local handyman, Amazon package delivery timestamps, and several photos of the busted gate.
Incredibly, the delivery driver didn’t even bother closing the gate they had.
It was said that a decision would be made within a few days. In a week and one follow-up email, Amazon responded, informing me that if there was no visual evidence of the incident, they should not refund me the damage.
I pinned the broken frame myself, as there was no video evidence that Amazon drivers would crush my gates and deliver the package.
After a healthy match that cursed this decision from a $2.37 trillion company, I equipped every entry point in the garden and home to every entry point on a security camera with video storage so I can pull out the footage if something like this happens again –
For me, this was easy. Security cameras are available It’s only $45 For base units, storage costs less than $5 per month. These affordable smart home devices may save headaches in any scenario from enthusiastic delivery workers who have not touched fallen trees planted in their neighbor’s garden, beyond the safety of themselves, their families, pets and packaging.
I grew up in a No Rock home, but to this day do not fear violent destruction and entrances. However, the experience of an overworked delivery person, who was (probably) intentional but not likely to cause any serious damage to a home under one year old, was reason enough to cover my base. Since then I have ordered a video camera and ordered it to point to the side gate entry in addition to the Roku video doorbell, which is firmly attached to the front door (which was not useful in this situation).
So where can you find the best home protection at a price? Our home security expert Tyler Lakoma tested all the top video doorbells and home security cameras available in 2025. Arlo Pro 5s Overall, as the best, I ordered it straight away.
Best Buy gently dropped on my step a few days later.