Amazon deliveries stopped for this small Arizona town — until the police chief stepped in
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Many residents of Jerome, a small hillside town in Yavapai County, depend on delivery services. But in recent months, Amazon — or at least their trucks — stopped delivering as normal. That is, until their chief of police sounded the alarm.
There are fewer than 500 residents in Jerome. Its winding and sometimes skinny roads situated in the Black Hills make it a frequent tourist destination.
But Police Chief Allen Muma says in recent months and without notice, Amazon trucks stopped delivering most packages, claiming they had no access, despite success from other services.
“So, Jerome sits up here, we’ve been here since 1899. FedEx delivers here, UPS delivers here, we have a post office downtown on Main Street," Muma said.
Some residents started canceling subscriptions. Muma says he was told by the local distribution center that Amazon has third-party partners working its delivery services. After speaking with them, he struck a deal for packages to be dropped off at the police station, where residents would pick them up. But that still didn’t sit well with Muma.
“When these people pay for Prime membership for Prime delivery to their home, and then when you look into their delivery, and it says, ‘Not delivered, not able to access the front door.’ Well, guess what? Those people were there at that house, and they have cameras on their front door. So that’s a lie, that's fraud," Muma said.
Muma has now spoken with Amazon officials, who have apologized.
In a statement, Amazon spokesperson Montana MacLachlan said: "We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused for our customers in Jerome. We’re working closely with the police chief and our delivery partners to address this issue quickly" and have now resumed home deliveries.
