The Amazon driver could not get into my building

· 4 min read

By the BuzzMeBro team, Toronto · Facts checked October 6, 2026 · How we write these guides

BuzzMeBro sells a paid fix for buzzer problems. This guide covers the free options too.

An Amazon driver who cannot get into your building usually tries again later. Amazon says a parcel becomes undeliverable when the carrier makes multiple attempts and cannot deliver, and an undeliverable parcel is returned and refunded, not resent. The retry is the trap: nothing about a failed attempt changes the number stored in your lobby panel, so test the buzzer before the next attempt.

Live with others? BuzzMeBro puts more than one of you on the buzzer. First month free. Start free

The tracking says delivery attempted. Then it says it again. By the third one you are reading the help pages about returns.

Why a parcel behaves differently from food

A courier holding a box has options a driver holding hot food does not. They can try a concierge, a mailroom or a neighbour, or take it away and come back.

That flexibility is why parcels feel less urgent and end up worse. Food fails once and you know immediately. A parcel can fail quietly, several times, over a week.

The retry is the trap

Every attempt starts from the same data. The driver has your unit, enters your code at the panel, and the panel dials the one phone number programmed for you.

  • A different driver does not help. The obstacle is not the person.
  • A different time of day only helps if a different person is home.
  • Rescheduling in Your Orders changes the date, not the entry.
  • Amazon says it cannot resend an order a carrier returns as undeliverable. You would have to order again.

What to check before the next attempt

  1. Press your own code at the panel Stand at the lobby panel and enter your buzzer code. A phone should ring within a few seconds.
  2. Notice what happens A stranger answering means the panel holds an old tenant. Silence can mean the stored number is wrong, or cannot be reached from the building line.
  3. Ask what number is stored Property management can read the entry for your unit. How to find that number.
  4. Save one line in your Amazon address In Manage Address Book, Amazon has a field for an intercom number. Put your buzzer code there, labelled. Where it goes, app by app.

A panel that still calls a previous tenant is invisible until somebody tests it. Why that happens.

The change that survives the retry

The attempt only succeeds if somebody answers, so the useful change is making sure somebody can. A number that rings one handset cannot do that on a weekday afternoon, or while you are away travelling.

BuzzMeBro gives the apartment its own local number that rings up to 4 phones at once for $9.99 a month. A partner working from home, or a housemate on a day off, can let the driver in without being the nominated person. Start free.

From our own door

  • BuzzMeBro has run on our founder’s own Toronto apartment door since August 2026.
  • A buzz on BuzzMeBro rings the people on the apartment who are set to ring, up to 4 phones at the same time, and whoever answers first lets the driver in.
  • If one phone is off, its voicemail never takes the buzz. The other phones keep ringing and can still open the door.
  • When nobody answers, everyone on the apartment gets a text that someone buzzed, with a number to call back.

Questions people ask

Why does Amazon keep trying instead of returning it straight away?

A parcel only becomes undeliverable after the carrier has made multiple attempts. That is meant to be helpful, and it is what turns a one day problem into a week of identical failures.

Will an Amazon locker fix this?

For parcels that fit, often yes, and it is worth setting up. It does nothing for groceries, anything oversized, or a courier who is not delivering for Amazon.

Can I leave a note for the driver?

Yes. Amazon says delivery instructions are visible only to partners delivering with Amazon Logistics, so another carrier will not see them. Keep the note to the one fact that gets somebody through the door.

My building has a concierge. Why is this still happening?

A desk that is not staffed all day can be empty when weekday deliveries arrive, and some buildings limit what the desk will accept. Ask what yours takes.

What actually stops the next attempt failing?

Somebody being reachable when the panel rings. BuzzMeBro rings up to 4 phones together, so the attempt reaches whoever is home rather than one nominated number.

Sources

  1. Amazon.ca, Undeliverable Packages
  2. Amazon.ca, Deliveries from Amazon Logistics
  3. Mircom, TX3 Telephone Access System User Guide: Keypad Configuration
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