SNAPARCEL DOESN’T GIVE PORCH THIEVES A CHANCE TO SNAG THE GOODS

Two Dallas brothers started their own company to change the way Amazon packages are delivered.

It was born out of the very real concern with so-called porch pirates, thieves who steal packages off the porch. Some crafty pirates even follow Amazon couriers from house-to-house to snatch up the loot.

Marc and Andrew Pimentel wanted to find a creative solution to this very real problem. The result is Snaparcel, a Dallas company that’s quickly growing its delivery radius to include several suburbs. 

“We make it more personalized and customized where people actually receive their package when they’re home,” Andrew Pimentel said. “Even if you have an Amazon return, we’ll come and pick it up and ship it out for you. You don’t have to go to the post office and stand in line.”

“We make it more personalized and customized where people actually receive their package when they’re home.”

The brothers got a warehouse, a team of drivers and their own package tracking system so Amazon customers in the Dallas area could have their packages delivered to Snaparcel.

When the package arrives, the customer is notified via text or email. The customer responds when they will be home and the Snaparcel driver makes the delivery within an hour window.

Launched in October, the Snaparcel’s primary purpose was to thwart thieves but the brothers quickly found another very eager customer: Apartment complexes.

Camden Property Trust famously made headlines last year when it announced it would no longer accept packages on behalf of residents. Other apartment communities haven’t gone that far but they all struggle with what to do, especially at Christmas time, the brothers said.

“They get overwhelmed and overloaded with the amount of packages they receive in a day,” Andrew Pimentel said. “They just don’t have the storage for it. They don’t have the manpower for it.”

There’s also the problem of packages being held at the rental office, which is closed by the time the resident gets home from work.

“We really want to do well here in Dallas before we expand anywhere else.”

Snaparcel solves that problem by scheduling the delivery when the resident is home so the package never goes to the front office. They have talked to several apartment complexes who welcome the solution.

Customers log in to Snaparcel through their website and click on the Amazon link and go shopping as they normally would. Instead of selecting your home address, you click on Snaparcel’s address on Amazon’s website.

The cost is $3.99 for a single package but the company offers monthly and 12-month memberships with unlimited deliveries.

The service is also handy if you have a gift that you want delivered at a certain time or when someone isn’t home so you can surprise them later.

The company has two drivers working most evenings and a few more on standby. One driver can make up to 80 deliveries in a night.

It’s a concept that could work in any major city and the brothers have already had inquiries from San Antonio and Austin.

“We really want to do well here in Dallas before we expand anywhere else,” Andrew Pimentel said.

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