‘The whole yard was torn up’: Ontario couple says lawn damaged by courier after ordering package from Amazon

Amazon ships over 1 million packages in Canada daily, with most arriving without issue - but what if you have a delivery that goes off track? Pat Foran reports.

Shopping online and having packages delivered is part of our lives now, especially with Amazon shipping more than a million packages in Canada each day. Most items arrive at your door without any problems, but what if your delivery goes off track?

An Ontario couple is speaking out after a package they ordered off Amazon was shipped to their home, but the delivery van had missed their driveway and ended up on their front lawn.

“The whole yard was torn up,” said David Crory, who owns a home in Stoney Creek with his partner, Neil Thompson.

The incident happened in March. The delivery driver ended up getting stuck in their front yard, leaving massive ruts behind.

Photos shared with CTV News show the damage caused by the delivery van, which had to be towed off the front lawn.

“When we pulled into the driveway, it looked like there had been a monster truck rally on our property. We had an Amazon delivery gone wrong,” Crory said.

Thompson also told CTV News he was shocked by what he saw, especially since they put in a new driveway last year and had the entire area landscaped with fresh sod.

“It starts at the beginning of the driveway and goes for 100 feet, and it’s from eight to 12 feet wide,” Thompson said.

The delivery driver didn’t leave a note; however, the couple said a neighbour who saw what happened snapped a photo.

Even though they ordered from Amazon, their package was delivered by a different courier.

“One of my drivers did the damage, but he said, ’Don’t worry about it. We called Amazon, and they’ll take care of it,” Thompson said.

Amazon Canada responds

When CTV News reached out to Amazon Canada on the couple’s behalf, a spokesperson said in a statement, “We’ve apologized to the customer for this experience, and the driver’s employer is working directly with them to resolve the matter.”

The spokesperson pointed out that the driver is not an Amazon employee or independent contractor but a delivery associate employed by a Delivery Service Partner.

“Any reimbursements provided are based on a thorough independent assessment conducted by a professional appraiser who specializes in these types of damages,” the spokesperson said.

Crory and Thompson said they’ve had to deal with an insurance company in New Jersey. They got two estimates to repair the damage, with the lowest coming in at $3,900.

However, the insurance company countered with a repair offer of $1,200 and said that’s the most it’s willing to pay.

‘We want Amazon to pay full prize’

“I think the goal is they want customers to sit back and accept what they are giving us, and it’s just not right. We want Amazon to pay the full price,” Thompson said.

Both sides remain at a stalemate, and now Crory and Thompson have contacted their home insurance company.

They don’t want to make a claim but do want their property restored to the way it was before their delivery went wrong.

If a delivery driver damages your lawn or hits something on your property, it’s important to take photos and video of the damage and contact the company right away.

However, chances are you’ll be dealing with an insurance company that will decide how much compensation you’ll receive.