Reimbursed order but I’ve found it. Wrong to keep money?

[Amibeingdaft81]

I received notification that a package had been delivered. It hadn’t and I had proof (they’d taken a picture of a different front door to mine!).

I rang shop (a big international online trailer if that makes a difference) and they are refunding me the order (£175).

However yesterday evening, set out for little stroll and a few doors down - there’s my parcel!

Would you ring to update of keep? I know what the right thing to do is. I know what I would urge my children to do. I know this. But there is this slither of me that wants to keep the money.

I’m almost certain I’ll ring to update. Almost

@Pinkyyy

You think it's fine that the delivery could lose their job for a small mistake?

They will be delivering hundreds of parcels each week for a pittance. They're often/usually self employed and have to pay for their vehicle, special insurance, fuel, etc, all out of the meagre amount they're paid per parcel.

Anyone can make a tiny error in their work but few people would potentially be £175 worse off for that small mistake.

I would contact them without even thinking about it tbh.

Waitresses are not very well paid, would you be okay if they just plonked your food somewhere and sent you to go and look for it?

If she did it by accident because she was rushed off her feet, I wouldn't go and get the £175 worth of food from where she'd accidentally left it, claim a refund, then keep quiet about it knowing she would probably have to pay for it or lose her job.

I take it you would.

What would you do if you knew all your friends and family would find out?
Having morals is acting how you would with an audience, even if you are alone.
The true test of a person's character is how they act when no one is watching.
Do the right thing.
The buzz of doing the right thing is always better than the buzz of theft.

It isn't a small mistake though, is it? Your job is to leave a parcel at an address and you deliver it to a different address. It's a huge mistake.

Our Amazon Hermes delivery driver is still paying off the price of an iPhone fraudulently claimed as not delivered. It'll take her months. She gets pennies per parcel. Don't be a dick. Of course it has an impact.

… In the context of your responsibilities, that is.

There are some real thieves on this thread and so defensive too. There is no defence, no excuse, none whatsoever. It's shocking really the justifications that some people make to steal.

I can't see why you are even thinking of this - its fraud. Ring them and they may say keep it which is fine but it's dishonest to ignore it whatever size the company is.

I always report things like this when they happen to me. It wouldn’t cross my mind not too.

I’ve no respect for people who are willing to take things that aren’t theirs and I’ve even less respect for people who try to ‘justify’ it. I find it particularly pathetic when people say they would return something if it was a small independent but wouldn’t if it was Tesco or Amazon. If you are happy to shop at those stores then you obviously don’t object to them that much.

I’ve often been told to keep things when I’ve told a retailer that I’ve received something by mistake.

I'm totally confused as to why you even post this.

But you obviously don't want the item any longer, otherwise you'd have asked the retailer to resend rather than refund?
So do the right thing and return either the £ or item.

We had £360 deposited into our bank account by our pet insurance company. It wasn’t ours, we hadn’t made a claim.

Phoned the company and then sent the money back.

To keep the money would have been theft. If you keep the item/money it’s theft.

I don't quite get the distinction people have between independent stores and big corporations? I mean I know independents have less buffer and will feel the pinch more but in terms of where the profit goes it's not quite so simple that big corporations are bad.

70% of Amazon is owned by institutions ie pension funds. If you have a work pension you own a (very tiny) bit of Amazon. Even the uk government pensions (ie NHS) invests in shares.

And John Lewis is employee owned so you are stealing from store staff.

It is totally unethical to keep the refund if you've found the parcel. I can't believe that anyone would consider keeping the money and the item.

I would just keep it and not say anything. But maybe I'm just a horrible person or a lot more honest than some other mumsnetters .

Clearly not more honest at all.

I'd get in touch and tell them. You know what the right thing to do is. You just need to do it.

Such a difficult one

No it's not! £10.75 would be a difficult one but it would still be theft.

OP if you keep it, you are a thief and could lose someone their job in a worst case scenario. You know it's wrong, why are you even asking?

I once had £414 deposited in my bank account. Obviously a mistake so I went into bank who couldn't have been more unhelpful. Said that it had been an over the counter deposit. They said they had no way of finding where it had come from! I decided that I wouldn't touch it, it wasn't mine, so when someone realised I would have it there for them to take! I'm still waiting 20 years later for someone to claim it!
In OP case I would say something but they will probably say to keep it.

Of course you need to let them know the package has been found and you now have it. Basic human decency and honesty.

Why would you let someone else potentially be blamed/lose their job/ be out of pocket for something that was sorted so easily? YOu have the package. It works. You're keeping it. Tell them!

@BigcatLittlecat I refuse to believe that after 20 years you've still got £414 just sat there, refusing to touch it. Might as well throw it in the bin.

BigLittleCat I think you can spend the money now!

OP I would tell them. Just because it’s the right thing to do.

@pinkyyy obviously I haven't actually got the money any more! But if they did want it luckily I'm financial more secure so I could pay it! If I remember rightly it was very helpful at Christmas that year!

Its theft by finding. The moment the company refunded you the money you no longer had title to the item. It belonged to the company.

You then found it on the doorstep. The moment you dishonestly decide to keep it, is the moment the theft has occurred.

So whatever way MN's dress it up to justify keeping it doesnt take away the fact that its stealing and you are a thief.

@BigcatLittlecat ohhh I honestly thought you meant it was still in there 😂 when can someone do this to my bank too?!