Have you received a package that you did not order from someone you've never heard of?

AprilSun

AprilSun

Senior Member
Yesterday, I received a package that I did not order from Sears.com. But, it states to deliver to AprilSun but it is billed to a man I do not know and have never heard of. I called Sears and told them I did not order this but they told me to keep it if I can't take it to a local store. But, I have no use for 24 month old little girls clothes now so keeping it won't help me any. Can I keep it without causing problems since I didn't order it? I may not be able to take it back because of lack of transportation is why I'm asking. Does anyone know?
 

I have no legal expertise, but I can't imagine that you would be considered responsible for keeping something that was sent to you without your asking for it. Maybe instead of calling Sears, you should have contacted the sender and notified him. Could be a bit risky, but anyone sending toddler size clothes is probably OK.

Or maybe you could repackage it and just give it to your mailman, with "WRONG ADDRESS" written on the outside?
 
If Sears told you to keep it, you shouldn't have any problems....the original purchaser will probably be contacting Sears...looking for his order...and they will probably just send him another item, and consider what you received as "lost in the mail". It would probably cost you and Sears more time and money than these items are worth, for you to return them to a store, etc. Hang on to them for a few weeks, and if you don't hear anything from anyone, just donate them to a local charity, or give them to someone who has a child.
 

I believe she is saying that Sears is the sender, and she went to them. If they are indifferent to the situation, you can do whatever you want with the order. YOU didn't do anything wrong.

I had issues this week with an order from Chewy (pet supplies). It was supposed to arrive on Monday. I checked their tracking information, and found the box was damaged in transit by FedEx. It went back to the warehouse, and a new box resent out the next day...
only problem is they addressed the new box to another Chewy warehouse in another state. ????
I followed all the tracking information and called.
The customer service looked it all over, and said, yes, that's where it went. And that was it! Love the total indifference. They just don't want to be bothered.
 
I would file away the information that identifies the sender and you as the recipient in case a question comes up in the future but I think that you are in the clear as far as keeping the items, no matter what happens you are not the one that made the error and you did make an honest effort to correct it.

I would give the clothing to someone that could use it or donate the items to a charity shop.

Good luck!
 
A man's name that I've never heard of is the one that ordered it and it is supposed to be billed to. Then it says to ship to my name with my address. Sears is the one that shipped it. I just wondered if it was a mistake or if it was some sort of scam. I will keep the papers or anything that I might need later if something comes up about it. I had told them last night that I would take it back if I could get transportation but as of right now, I can't so I may just keep it since the manager had told me earlier to "keep it". I don't know how to reach this person nor do I want to.
 
Aunt Bea said:
I would file away the information that identifies the sender and you as the recipient in case a question comes up in the future but I think that you are in the clear as far as keeping the items, no matter what happens you are not the one that made the error and you did make an honest effort to correct it.

I would give the clothing to someone that could use it or donate the items to a charity shop.

Good luck!
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I agree..If they said keep it they fixed it on their end and probably will resend it. I've had the wrong part sent before and been told to just keep it and they sent the correct part.
 
With the way things are now a days I wouldn't have touched the package with a ten foot pole let alone opened it.....I'd have called the cops or the fire dept. and let them handle it.

There's just too many wackos out there.......remember Ted Kacynski (the Unabomber) and the sort of packages he sent ?

220px-Theodore_Kaczynski_2.jpg
 
I believe any "unsolicited merchandise" a person receives from a merchant is legally theirs to keep - they don't even need to contact the shipper (although it may be a courtesy to do so).
 
A billion dollar business like Sears is totally uninterested in one tiny bit of merchandise like this (tiny in more than one sense). It would cost them more time and effort to track it down. If the guy who sent it notifies them that his intended recipient never got the package, they would just send out another one. They "could care less" what you do with it. Don't bother getting transportation and running down to the store with it. Sears doesn't care.

I suspect that you got it due to a computer glitch.
 
This is a strange situation April and a bit
worrying I would think.

I would give to charity or a church, don't
keep it.

Mike.
 
IKE said:
With the way things are now a days I wouldn't have touched the package with a ten foot pole let alone opened it.....I'd have called the cops or the fire dept. and let them handle it.
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If I hadn't been expecting several packages from Amazon and Ebay, that do sell for other companies, I wouldn't have. I didn't know who it was billed to, etc. until after I had opened it and saw the papers that came with it.

Tommy said:
I believe any "unsolicited merchandise" a person receives from a merchant is legally theirs to keep - they don't even need to contact the shipper (although it may be a courtesy to do so).
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I was hoping that it works this way. It's like a gift really when I'm not the one that it shows they billed it to.

Sunny said:
I suspect that you got it due to a computer glitch.
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I hope it's just a computer glitch or that someone that was taking the order, hit the wrong key.

Laurie said:
Beware! It's a widespread scam in the UK, or was a few years ago. Someone calls to pick it up and then you get billed for it.
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If won't do them any good to call me because if their area code isn't blocked on my phone, it will be. I don't answer calls I don't recognize. I just block them so they can't call back.

Thanks everyone! I appreciate all of your comments!
 
Exactly what I would do.
Aunt Bea said:
I would file away the information that identifies the sender and you as the recipient in case a question comes up in the future but I think that you are in the clear as far as keeping the items, no matter what happens you are not the one that made the error and you did make an honest effort to correct it.

I would give the clothing to someone that could use it or donate the items to a charity shop.

Good luck!
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You are not responsible for a package delivered to your home and you can keep it and don't have to pay for it.

That's the law in Canada anyway but I don't know the law in the U.S.

Think about it. If you were responsible and had to pay for it, you would be getting scammed every day.
 
Camper6 said:
You are not responsible for a package delivered to your home and you can keep it and don't have to pay for it.

That's the law in Canada anyway but I don't know the law in the U.S.

Think about it. If you were responsible and had to pay for it, you would be getting scammed every day.
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Exactly what does that mean? That if someone wanted to scam you, they'd send a bunch of packages to your house for you to pay for?
 
Yes, I think that's what Camper means, and it's a good point. How can we be responsible for something we never asked for, which was sent to us by mistake?

I also feel free to toss in the trash any advertising, requests for donations, etc. that come to me in the mail, and most of those do have my correct name and address. Why on earth would I be responsible
for those things, or obligated to make a donation? Anything sent to you should be regarded as a gift.
 
Sunny said:
Yes, I think that's what Camper means, and it's a good point. How can we be responsible for something we never asked for, which was sent to us by mistake?

I also feel free to toss in the trash any advertising, requests for donations, etc. that come to me in the mail, and most of those do have my correct name and address. Why on earth would I be responsible
for those things, or obligated to make a donation? Anything sent to you should be regarded as a gift.
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Exactly ... just common sense.
 
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