WWYD, Item Mis Shipped

[Phoenix84]

Back on black Friday, I ordered a new laptop.  As part of the black Friday deal, it game with a freep laptop backpack.  I already have a really nice laptop backpack that I use for work, so I didn't really care about it.  

When I go to the Apartment office to pick it my package after it arrives, I get handed two packages.  I assume one is the backpack and the other is the laptop.  I put the lighter package in the corner and forget about it while I play with my new laptop.

Yesterday, I was cleaning up after the holidays, and notice the old package.  I open it up and find out it contains a playstation 4. 

I look at the name, and it goes to a woman who lives somewhere in my apartment complex who has a similar last name to mine.  My guess is the apartment staff read the name off and gave me her package by mistake.

So you can see my dilemma.  A playstation 4 is something I would like to have, but I never bought it, and the right thing to do would be return it to the front office to return to the proper owner.  It's one of those things I could afford if I wanted, but never wanted it bad enough to pony up the $400.

I already made my decision, I returned it.  But I wanted to see what you would do, if a item you liked was shipped to you by accident, and you had a means to return it?

[chiver78]

if I had a means to return it, I would return it.

[ArchietheDragon]

Returning it is the correct thing to do.

This is different than if you get a package from a retailer and it has something you did not order in it (probably along with things you did order.)    In these cases, the retailer often will tell you to just keep the item because it costs them more to process the return than the value of the item. 

[wvugurl26]

I would return it to the office. You know where it should go, easy enough to remedy.

Now when Amazon sent me a Kindle I didn't order and made it impossible to return I kept it. I tried to return it but it kept linking me to a page with my orders to process a return. I didn't order it!! That however showed up addressed to me.

[midjd]

I always make an attempt to return something I've gotten without paying for -- whether a misdelivery or forgetting to have them scan the cat food on the bottom of the cart. Probably happens 3-4x per year, and I'd say at least half the time the seller just tells me to keep it.

In some cases (like the Amazon recliner debacle), my efforts to return something are met with confusion or demands. I no longer have the time or desire to jump through multiple hoops to correct a mistake that someone else made. (If it's my own mistake, I'll go a bit farther to fix it.) E.g. if a package is delivered to my house by mistake, I'll print off the return label they send me and drop it off at the post office. I won't pay return shipping or take a day off work so someone can pick it up. 

In the situation described in the OP, I would consider keeping the item without any effort to return it to be stealing. Glad it wasn't really a question of whether or not you should return it.  

[973beachbum]

I was on the other side of this type of situation this Christmas.  I got my mom a present and had it shipped to her in Phoenix.  She lives in a pretty large apt complex.  Well it was addressed fine and according to the USPS it arrived and was signed for at the office.  The only problem is my mom never got it. 

I told her it was coming so she kept going to the office to see if it had arrived every day for a week.  She was so disappointed when it never did.  The USPS just kept saying it had been delivered. My point to them was but not to the right person.  That didn't seem to matter much to them which was surprising coming from a company that's sole mission to to deliver things.   The company that shipped it apoligized and offered to reship it free.  I said thanks very much but please don't.  It just didn't seem right knowing it wasn't their fault.

I just hope who ever picked up my mom's gift and never returned it enjoyed it.

[Green Eyed Lady]

You did the right thing, Phoenix. Anything else would have been dishonest.

[obelisk]

I would definitely do as you did.

[Phoenix84]

Well, I figured it was the right thing to do, though it did pain me to do so.  

But, as I see it, my honor and integrity aren't for sale.

I never did get the backpack, but oh well, as I said, I never cared about it.

The apartment manager was pretty upset about it, and grilled me on who had made the mistake.  I knew who it was, but I didn't want to get anyone in trouble, so I said I didn't remember.

[Peace77]

I would have tried to return it to the rightful owner.
if no answer at the door, I'd bring it back to the office.

Did you ever get the laptop bag?

[Cookies Galore]

Jan 4, 2016 13:19:25 GMT -5 Phoenix84 said:

Well, I figured it was the right thing to do, though it did pain me to do so.  

But, as I see it, my honor and integrity aren't for sale.

I never did get the backpack, but oh well, as I said, I never cared about it.

The apartment manager was pretty upset about it, and grilled me on who had made the mistake.  I knew who it was, but I didn't want to get anyone in trouble, so I said I didn't remember.

It's not just the right thing, it's the only logical thing to do. I live in a little complex of two buildings with 11 apartments in each. For the past few months, whoever is doing to FedEx/UPS deliveries has been extremely lazy and leaving all packages in my building, even though both entrance doors have notes saying to put packages for apartments number 12 through 23 in the other building (we're taking a couple of extra steps, not far at all). So since I'm usually home earlier than most of my neighbors, i bring whatever packages that are in my building to the proper one. I'd be pretty damn pissed if someone kept my mail for over a month. It wasn't mis-shipped or mis-labeled, it was given to you accidentally and you didn't look at the shipping label.

[quince]

Return it. No question, not even for a moment...not even when I was poor. 

[Deleted]

In this case I would have returned it to the office.  It was a high value item and it was easy to fix.  I am pretty bad about small things that are a PITA to fix, and are the fault of a company.  I wouldn't keep anything that was not addressed to me.  However if Amazon were to inadvertently put an additional low value item in my box, I am not going to go through the hassle of mailing it back. 

[steph08]

The item wasn't mistakenly shipped to you. It was shipped to the correct person, however your apartment complex gave it to you by mistake. Yes you should, and I see did, return it to the complex office and have them give it to the correct person.

[whoami]

When I got back from vacation in the middle of December I had a whole pile of boxes waiting for me to open. I was expecting stuff so I just grabbed a life and started opening.

In one box there was a couple of watches from Amazon that I definitely did not purchase. I looked at the address and it was a mis delivery by UPS. I have no idea how long it sat in my house while I was gone so I decided to return it to UPS and let them handle it as it could have been there for 2 weeks at that point. They wouldn't take it. The guy told me I had to arrange for pickup and if they took it at the store it would most likely end up back at my house. I said really, you would deliver to the exact same wrong address twice?  Ridiculous.

There were no less than 30 people in line so I gave up trying to understand their logic. I wasn't calling because I've had bad experiences before with their pickup (which is why I took it to the office) so I delivered it to the house myself.

I left it on the porch which was hidden from the street. I would assume that they already called and had the items reship (I would have as Christmas was rapidly approaching) so I guess they got a bonus.  Not my problem. 

[tloonya]

Returned? Fine. Done deal.

I have ordered 4 bottles of the perfume (same one) on ebay trough perfume emporium and got just one. Still can't resolve it. They said it was 4 in the box (which thrown away) and there was just 1.
Box was the size of the bottle, not like a lot of packaging materials were in it so...

[TheOtherMe]

I would do what you did. 

I purchased an air mattress to sleep on at my parent's house.  It's now in my garage since I bought it, but that isn't the point.  Mom kept telling me it didn't come.  I called the company and they said it had been delivered.  Then somebody knocked on their door and gave it to them.  It had been delivered across town to an address not even close to their address.  I was about to insist another one get shipped.

I used to sell on eBay a lot.  If an item was over a certain $ amount when it sold, I put insurance on it.  One item showed it was delivered but the buyer said she didn't get it.  I got the paperwork from the USPS to send her to fill out and was about to refund her money.  We had waited about 3 or 4 weeks before she decided to have me start the claim process.  She decides to check with her neighbors.  Yes, it had been delivered to her next door neighbor.  Neighbor sheepishly gave it to her and insurance claim with USPS was stopped.

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

When our mail carrier or the UPS/FedEx guys accidentally deliver someone else's stuff to us ....  if it is close by, we just deliver it where it goes. Once, I drove to their house and explained that their giant and heavy box was on my front porch ... and did they want to come get it? (They did) This seemed simpler than getting the delivery people re-involved.

[cronewitch]

Jan 5, 2016 21:22:06 GMT -5 ❤ mollymouser ❤ said:

When our mail carrier or the UPS/FedEx guys accidentally deliver someone else's stuff to us ....  if it is close by, we just deliver it where it goes. Once, I drove to their house and explained that their giant and heavy box was on my front porch ... and did they want to come get it? (They did) This seemed simpler than getting the delivery people re-involved.

I got medical supplies that belonged a few blocks away,  I couldn't find the house so called the medical company and they took care of the return.  I got one package for the neighbor across the street my house end in 2 and theirs 5 so I left it on the porch.

[lexxy703]

I got a laptop in the mail that I had not ordered.  I looked closely at the address & realized it was 60 not 80 so I walked it down the street to it's rightful owner who was overjoyed to get it since her daughter needed it for college & was leaving in a few days.