To pay for an item accidentally received for free

[surreymum89]

Would you inform a company if you received an item and were not charged for it or would you see it as a lucky freebie ?

I feel said item would be tainted with some guilt if I don't fess up , friend says they live for moments like this !

What would you do?

I would tell and pay. I wouldn't think you're a terrible person if you didn't though.

I'd just keep it, if they get in touch then offer to pay but otherwise just keep it moving. Reminds me of the woman who went blabbing about her accidental payout from HMRC. Turns out the error mightn't have even come to light had she not gone to the Guardian about it and their subsequent journos got in touch with HMRC.

I actually had another instance with M&S whereby I got one of their advent calendars for free. I think I paid and collected two but their records showed I'd only collect one so they sent an email inviting me to collect the other. Of course i didn't collect it so then they credited me the money. I called them and they had no means to take payment for it.

Of course you should pay

I don't think you should pay- you didn't complete the transaction, so you didn't buy it. What if you'd not completed the transaction because you'd changed your mind or because you were using a stolen card? They've sent you a product that you didn't actually order.

You surely contact the company to give them the opportunity to take it back

Sorry that was to @CatOfTheLand @notanothertakeaway

I would definitely offer to pay in that situation.

Businesses have had a really tough time over the last couple of years and if this was an item that you wanted then you should pay for it.

I would pay, I think it is wrong to keep quiet.

Op I ordered a very expensive bike from a very large company, many years ago. I bought it under finance and two months later they contacted me to say they had lost all my paperwork and would I go back and reapply for finance. I said not problem as I see it no different than if a shop had lost a cheque I paid with. Wrong maybe but not my problem 😆

@surreymum89

Just to be clear , I ordered the item , something just went wrong at the payment process wasn't charged but still received order, god knows how that error can happen.

It's £100 and a personalised item, which is why I would feel guilt as is something special.

OP Are you sure it hasn't been debited from your a/c ?

Seems odd

I ordered a scooter for DD when she was little. Two arrived in two separate deliveries. I phoned them and they asked me to donate the extra one to a charity or play group, so I gave it to the toy library at the local church.

I think in your position I would contact them and ask them to check whether the payment is going to go through or not. Then, if you are going to use it, I think you should pay but if you have ordered an alternative maybe offer to send it back

@Yogaandcocoa

You surely contact the company to give them the opportunity to take it back

Yes, I'd do that but I wouldn't offer to pay for it. I'd probably have gone on to buy it elsewhere or got something different if the payment failed

If its a big company, probs not.
Smaller one, yes.

I'd tell them, and if I still wanted it I'd offer to pay for it. Especially if it was from a small business or would be deducted from someone's wages - I've lost tips and money before due to someone's dishonesty and its not a nice feeling.

I had an expensive item stay in my pending transactions for about a month, then it disappeared altogether. Then the money came out. I suspect you will get charged OP

This has happened to me 3 times I have called every time. 2 companies told me to keep it and the 3rd said they would pick it up and never did.
I'd call and check the payment OP or I wouldn't be able to enjoy keeping it!

I had an extra box of stuff with a delivery last week. It was an utter pain because the delivery driver apparently failed to find our enormous office with parking right outside and attempted to deliver to a half built supermarket 200m away instead. The pic sent was hilarious- literally of a building site.

I then had to collect my 3 stupidly oversized boxes from a dpd centre instead, cart 2 of them half a mile back to the office as I couldn't manage the third at the same time and then realise one wasn't what I'd actually ordered before going back for the other.

No packing note inside, all clearly addressed to me on the outside. Very odd.

There's 2 things I really don't want inside the random box and one I really do. I will contact them as it's the right thing to do but it's bloody irritating. My friend has had this happen loads. The only thing they ever wanted back was the box of 50 brand new x box games (should have been one..!)

Yea I would, just return it

I make and sell personalised items, I have had a few items not paid a few total my fault as payment had not gone through and I had missed it, the cost of making and time I put in, as its all my own work, it is upsetting not receiving payment and not being offered payment, I would defo offer to pay

@carlywitch. 50 Xbox games?? I once ordered 10 boxes of 10 coffee pods and received 1 box. These freebies are wasted on you guilt ridden lot!

@NigellaSeed

I had an expensive item stay in my pending transactions for about a month, then it disappeared altogether. Then the money came out. I suspect you will get charged OP

I agree, so don't count your chickens yet...