Company mailed extra product - what do I do?

[Kate CA]

I ordered an item from a company in the UK and they mailed it to me here in the US. They also accidentally mailed a second copy of the answer book. I emailed them and they told me to write "Return to Sender" and put it back in the mail. However, in the US, if the package was opened you cannot legally do that without paying for postage. It has to be unopened for them to take it.

So the company will not send me a return postage label and I would have to pay it myself - to the UK.

What, in your opinion, is my responsibility here? I did not order more than one book and its inclusion was not done intentionally.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Thank you!
Kate

[JudoMom]

I don't think you're required to pay out of pocket for their mistake.

If they want it back, they can pay the postage. If not, it's yours to do with as you wish.

[ChristyB in AL]

nt

[BamaTanya]

Me, too. Once we ordered custom shutters. There was a LONG delay and we complained, and suddenly we had TWO sets.

We donated the extra to charity.

[Myrtle]

I ordered some books and was unintentionally mailed someone else's order. The company told me that it wasn't worth it for them to pay for return shipping since the value of the item that they accidentally shipped me was to low. They told me to keep it.

Had they wanted their item back I would have gladly shipped it back at their expense. They can offer to pay the bill to FedEx for you, and in fact, if they do any amount of shipping at all they will have an account set up in advance for the purposes of returns, you show up to mail the shipment and that code is placed on the item by the clerk and you walk away without paying a thing. In some instances I've known of companies who send a courier to pick up the item (if it has a high enough value) so that you don't even have to leave your house.

Ultimately, it doesn't matter if their mistake was intentional or not, it's their mistake, not yours. Contact the company, explain the return postage situation and ask them what other arrangements they can make. They may offer to pick up the cost in some other way, or they may decide that it's not worth the item. What they can not do is require you to pay for an item for which you did not request, and no reputable business would! If you'd feel better talk to your postmaster. There is a whole body of law about these very issues.

[GVA]

I once got three copies of a book instead of the one I ordered. It took awhile emailing them back and forth, but finally a supervisor emailed me to just keep the books and not worry about it. Their system wasn't set up for that type of thing. I gave the extras as Christmas gifts that year to family members!

[Adrianne]

It sounds like it will cost the company more to ship the book back than the book actually costs.

I say keep it if they do not pay for the shipping back.

Adrianne