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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to keep this mistake?

209 replies

rootietootie · 18/12/2011 00:11

I am wrapping up presents at the moment, most of which we bought earlier today. Earlier we were in Halfords and bought a dvd player for the car for ds2. We picked it off from a picture on the wall and paid for it while the customer assistant retrieved item from stockroom and put it in bag for us. Did not really pay attention as had ds2 (11 months) with us and was faffing about with him. The model we picked was £99. Now am at home, take out of bag and see that the assistant has given us the wrong model, the much nicer, upgraded twin model that is worth £199. Would I be wrong to think that the gods have smiled down upon us and cast a bit of luck upon me. Or do I take it back because I was wittering on to the customer assistant how I really wanted the nicer, upgraded twin model but could justify spending any more on dc1, and having had to listen to me, he probably had this (wrong) model in his mind when he went to get it.

OP posts:
SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 18/12/2011 13:21

Like every other retailer, swingingcat, Halfords does not bear the cost of mistakes like this - they are loaded onto the prices in the store, and all the customers pay it.

But it seems I am swimming against the tide here, and everyone thinks it is OK to keep stuff they have obtained dishonestly.

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 18/12/2011 13:24

4madboys - everyone who shops at Halfords will be hurt by this mistake - in higher prices. Why is this so hard for people to understand? And yes, drug dealers is an extreme example, so let's try another one.

You are shopping on your local highstreet, and drop a £20. Someone sees you drop it and picks it up, but instead of following you and giving it back, they keep it and spend it, but pass on their good karma by helping out a friend or someone in need. Would you be happy about this, or would you think they should have returned your money to you?

Takeresponsibility · 18/12/2011 13:25

Pompous Arse here - you have taken something that legally belongs to someone else (Halfords) and intend to keep it permanently, that is theft, pure and simple.

How would you feel if someone else gave your son an item that you knew was stolen?

What message are you giving an 11 year old by allowing him to keep it?

MatLeaveForever · 18/12/2011 13:26

I'd keep it - it wasn't your mistake and the shop assistant won't get into trouble, it's just what happens sometimes in retail. If it was a tiny independent shop then I'd understand you feeling bad. But for a big retailer it's really just one of those things (I work for one).

To those do-gooders who think it's dishonest and 'stealing' and that other shoppers have to pay more because of it - does that mean you've never bought anything on offer, anything discounted, anything with a discount voucher? Because the retailer get less profit from those items and have to up the price of something else to cover it, which someone else will pay 'extra' for.

MatLeaveForever · 18/12/2011 13:28

SDTG - I'd expect that no one would give me my £20 back, I shouldn't have dropped it! If you found £20 in the street and didn't know who it belonged to, would you not pick it up? Would you really give it in to a police station (where the officers would keep it themselves?!)

EnjoyResponsiblyIfSleighFlying · 18/12/2011 13:29

Given the right item was rung up, but the wrong one handed over I'd be amazed if the customer assistant gets into trouble.

I would keep it ( and slip a fiver into the Carol singers box at the supermarket next time you go to balance the karma Xmas Grin

4madboys · 18/12/2011 13:32

if I SAW someone drop some money I would give it back to them, if however i found it and had no way of knowing whose it was i would keep it.

if i dropped some money and somoene picked it up it would be nice if they gave it back, but i wouldnt expect them do so, i would suck it up, these things happen, and if i wasnt aware i had dropped it then i wouldnt be aware that someone had seen me drop it and then kept it, so they only person i would be annoyed with would be myself for dropping it.

and the extra £100 that the op saved, spread over the thousands of people that shop in halfords amounts to next to nothing.

i would assume that a big retail chain like halfords factors in a certain amount of till errors etc into their budget tbh, these things happen, i am sure that they have probably made more money than they should on some sales if people havent checked their receipt properly and they make enough of a profit on the crappy bikes they sell anyway.

heronsfly · 18/12/2011 13:33

Keep it,as far as Karma, maybe you have done something really good this year and this is a extra for you .Grin

FabbyChic · 18/12/2011 13:34

Keep it and have a very merry christmas you have done nothing wrong.

4madboys · 18/12/2011 13:34

takeresponsibility the ops son will not know that his mum got the dvd at a cheaper price than she should have done?! unless she tells him? so it isnt teaching or not teaching him anything!

FabbyChic · 18/12/2011 13:35

She did not obtain it dishonestly though, the goods were paid for and handed to her, the fact a mistake was made in store is neither here or there. Its not her problem.

MollyTheMole · 18/12/2011 13:35

yep keep it. If you take it back it might be another staff member that deals with it and the first dude could get into trouble anyway.

Stuff like this never happerns to me. Sad

FlightRisk · 18/12/2011 13:36

Keep it, their mistake. It will be a tiny decimal of a percentage in their next audit.

Great customer service at Halfords I should perhaps shop there more often Xmas Grin

LydiaWickham · 18/12/2011 13:36

YABU to keep it without telling them - it's a lot of money and you don't know the shop assistant won't get in trouble, however, it's not your fault and therefore you shouldn't be rushing round to correct their error.

So, call them, explain that you asked for, have paid for and your reciept says item X, but got item Y. That you are happy to keep item Y, but if they would like to exchange it, would they send over someone with item X and you'll box up item Y to give the courier to take back. Make it clear you can't come back to the store, and won't queue up at a post office to send it back. They probably won't bother as it's a lot of hassle for £100, if they do, you're no worse off than you would be if they didn't make a mistake in the first place.

If you don't, you'll feel ever so guilty whenever you use it, and will never be able to set foot in that branch of Halfords again!

MamaMaiasaura · 18/12/2011 13:45

Keep it. Its halfords ffs not some all trader who would actually be affected greatly. It isn't stealing. You paid in all honesty for item which was bagged up for you. There was no deliberate deception here.

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 18/12/2011 13:53

Matleaveforever - yes, I would take the money to the police station. In fact that's exactly what we did when ds3 found a £20 note on the pavement near our house. The police logged it, praised him for his honesty, and after a period of time had passed (a month, I think), he was allowed to claim the money from them, and keep it with a clear conscience. And the reason you are probably right that the person who saw you drop the money would keep it anyway is because there are lots of people who think that it's OK to keep something they've come by dishonestly.

MatLeaveForever · 18/12/2011 13:55

Well what a great use of police time, which we are paying for with our taxes. Well done you. Xmas Confused

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 18/12/2011 13:57

For me, this comes down to my principles. I don't think it is right to keep something you haven't paid for, even if you find out the mistake after you've left the shop. And my principles don't change dependant on the size of the retailer No doubt most of the people on this thread think I am sanctimonious, pompous and stupid because of this - but their opinion of me isn't going to keep me awake at night, mine is - so I will live by my standards.

MamaMaiasaura · 18/12/2011 14:00

I think that is how u are viewed, but good for you to have your principles and live by them.

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 18/12/2011 14:01

The front desk at the police station was manned anyway, MatLeave - and the officer I spoke to wasn't busy doing anything else, so I fail to see how I cost the police any extra expenditure - apart from the cost of one sheet of paper in the book they used to register what was handed in.

And to argue that someone shouldn't do the right and honest thing in case it costs the taxpayer money, is frankly ridiculous, and is a sad symptom of attitudes in society today.

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 18/12/2011 14:04

I think I had better hide this thread now, then the 'keep it and celebrate' crowd can carry on congratulating eachother for keeping things that they haven't paid for, without some inconvenient person telling them that they are being dishonest and defrauding people.

MatLeaveForever · 18/12/2011 14:05

I like to think I also do the right and honest things in life - however sometimes a little perspective is needed. Life is too short to hand in £20 to the police, to only get it back a month later!

slovenlydotcom · 18/12/2011 14:08

SDTG - I am with you here; karma says it will break in January and the OP will not be able to have it replaced.

MamaMaiasaura · 18/12/2011 14:08

continues celebrating and reminding herself its honest mistakes like this that are the downfall of our society

ImperialBlether · 18/12/2011 14:10

I don't think a mistake has been made. The shop assistant scanned the item and you paid. The fact is you paid less than you thought it would cost, not necessarily less than it did cost.

He would have had to have had two items - the cheaper one you originally wanted and the more expensive one - in front of him and scanned the wrong one, otherwise. Realistically, that isn't what happened.

It's far more likely that the one you actually ended up with was in a sale.