I know it’s stealing….but…..

[VidalSass]

Im going to be Annihilated here……

i took out a store card to pay for a large tech purchase, interest free, over 36months. This was four months ago

I set up a direct debit straight away for the monthly payment and then cut up the card.

I checked my account and noted direct debit not come out, so I logged on to the store card account and the charge is still ‘pending’ - therefore minimum payment is 0 as the charge has not been processed by the merchant.

would I be unreasonable to just ignore it and therefore avoid the repayments? Surely it would eventually just be cancelled? Although it’s already sat there for four months….

i don’t want to call the merchant as obviously they will then just process the charge…..

im worries that eventually it would just be charged but a part of me is excited at the thought that an error may have occurred resulting in me getting free stuff. I know it’s technically stealing but it’s a huge company (probably not paying corporation tax in the uk) and I’m not exactly rolling in it

AIBU - should call the merchant to process the charge and start paying it back

NBU - technically it’s stealing but fuck the man and ride the freebie wave

Hmmm, habitat were better. Somehow got two lights sent, told them, could keep both . Have a nice matching pair 😊

I would contact them yes with a view to paying, but would be prepared that it might be a hassle. No good deed goes unpunished and you may find that it's actually a bit of a job to get them to sort it.
I once had two large items instead of one - worth about £100 each - delivered by mistake by a major retailer. Because it was a duplicate I had a bit of trouble actually getting them to take the extra one back as it wasn't on their system or paperwork. I did feel morally good after though!

Nonplayercharacter above is probably correct - it will probably show up in some sort of audit - it sounds like quite a high value item, not just an extra bag of chips on your supermarket delivery. 😁

At some point over the 6 years (?) they are bound to get in touch with you. Whether that's to recoup all the payments or not, unsure. But you signed an agreement with them, even though they haven't fulfilled their side.

It's not stealing, you've held up your part of the deal. It's not your fault if they make a fuck up. I wouldn't be pointing it out but like other posters have said, I'd make sure I was keeping the cash to one side to pay it if it ever does come to light.

decent morals....

Big company, i wouldnt chase, but would be putting the amount away each month

Little company - I would chase

Are you sure it isn't an interest free purchase with no payments and you pay the full amount at the end of the 36mths?

I agree that this is on the retailer but taking aside the moral issue I’d probably pay up for practical reasons.

If I wasn’t going to follow up with them I’d feel like I’d need that money ring-fenced in case they ever came asking, and if I can’t spend it anyway then tbh I may as well just pay it and not have the niggle of unfinished business.

Mn is mean , nasty , vindictive, yet everyone is a moral saviour according to these threads ! Makes me laugh

Like fuck would everyone own up to this . Sanctimonious shite
Anyone who works in retail would because they know that it’s this sort of thing that, big picture, gives a chance of layoffs due to losses caused by fraud and theft. I hate the ‘fuck the man’ attitude- op, the man is a person who started a business to earn a living, employs people and provides a service. At what point in this process does it mean they’re fine to be stolen from?

It's a purchase on a store card not one of those interest free deals similar to what DFS do, the store card is interest free for 36 months not just the item

it’s not the recipient’s responsibility to return unsolicited goods. So you weren’t under any obligation to chase or arrange a return

@Snowdogsmitten
Jesus. These self righteous posters are hilarious. Must be exhausting being them. 😂

The OP is on AIBU and is asking opinions so people are giving their opinions. 🤷🏻‍♀️
I think it a bit pathetic to be trying to justify keeping something when you know you shouldn't. It's the scrabbling around looking for reasons why it's ok that's the most pathetic. I've almost more respect for people that don't give a shit and are happy to be dishonest.

As for it being 'exhausting' being honest I disagree. I think it's the easiest option. It's not something I give any thought to.

Big company, i wouldnt chase, but would be putting the amount away each month

Little company - I would chase
Why? We had two branches of the shop I work for closed down because of losses, that’s loads of jobs gone, loads of local businesses losing out too, all the while we STILL hear ‘oh they’re a big company, they can take the hit’ when people want money off.

If you kept money that was wrong deposited in your account, it would be theft. Lawyer here

How is this even a question? You either know it’s not ok to steal or you don’t. You clearly do know but want to justify it.

If you’re “not exactly rolling in it”, the smart thing to do would be to not make large, expensive tech purchases in the first place rather than tying yourself in knots trying to justify stealing it.

Pretty sure under contract law that it will be deemed that you have taken goods and not provided consideration (payment) for them, having contracted to do so. That there is a vendor admin error is unlikely to be deemed sufficient excuse as the legal responsibility for monitoring the outgoings of your bank account or that you have met the terms of your financial agreement (ie made the payments) is yours alone.

Ie, when it is noted (and it very likely will be) that you have not paid, the merchant may simply write advising you of the error and request immediate settlement; but if the debt is actually held by a 3rd party finance company (ie the company through which you have set up the DD/finance agreement, such as Klarna etc), their credit controllers may not take the same view and seek a county court judgment for the arrears, plus interest and costs. At the very list it will have a significant impact upon your credit rating and take years to clear.

You’ve not stated what your job is - or that of any live-in partner - but a CCJ would impact your ability to get future finance, a mortgage and impact employment - my husband, for instance, works in finance, so any CCJ that I get would have to be declared to his employer. The fall-out can be immense.

You need to contact the company you have set the DD with and query this now. Better to pay this than risk the fall-out.

"Anyone who works in retail would because they know that it’s this sort of thing that, big picture, gives a chance of layoffs due to losses caused by fraud and theft"

Most business fraud and theft is commited by employees.

It's OK. When you endup in court just explain to the judge that folk on MumsNet said it was fine to ignore it. I'm sure that he'll take a lenient view.

You might think you can keep it but at any time they can come after you for it.

And if you've spent any of it it's theft.

And in this case it would be theft. You are knowingly keeping something you haven't paid for.

But you think that's ok, so crack on

And the more people steal, the more prices go up...

What's 'self-righteous' about being honest?

Put the instalments into an interest-bearing (instant access) savings account. I think they will catch up with you at some point.

I’d put the money you would have paid by direct debit away in an account, hopefully one where you can get a wee bit of interest (if such thing exists nowadays) and wait it out personally…

I once had some joules wellingtons set to me in error and could have kept them, I don't think anyone would have ever realised.

I rang the company and they organised pick up.

Also, I once ordered a low value item to be delivered to work, it arrived whilst I was out and along with another item that was higher value item - a marquee tent (seriously)

We rang the company right away.

Anyway, it is stealing, most people wouldn't say anything and would take the freebie. I personally wouldn't.

Just sit tight and see what happens, if they come after you, pay it, if not, happy days. I can’t believe people are using phrases like ‘could you live with this hanging over you?’ Bloody hell, she’s got a free telly because the sales person fucked up the sale. She hasn’t killed puppies!

@VidalSass I know somebody (my late SIL) who was given 6 months in prison after £550k was accidentally deposited into her account and she spent £71k of it before the bank realised, tried to contact her to no success and then got authorities involved. She served 4 months in prison in total.
So yeah, your example of 'a million dollars' along with other people on this thread giving incorrect info saying that it's their fault etc, is not helping as it's nonsense. Just like with HMRC, regardless of whether it's 'their fault' or not, if they incorrectly pay you any amount then you legally have to pay it back.

I once, many years ago, before online banking, I tried to purchase a three piece suite from George.com. I thought a cheque had cleared but it hadn't so the transaction declined. This was a Saturday so I had to wait until at least Monday before trying again. The cheque didn't clear Monday either as it happens but just as I was about to try again on Tuesday morning, my doorbell went. It was a delivery guy with the sofas!
I let them in obviously and presumed that they must've made a mistake and that the money had cleared after all 🤷🏼‍♀️ Wrong. Their system failed and dispatched the sofas anyway, despite payment failing. I'm ashamed to say I didn't contact them to make payment and they took 3 months to realise. I was threatened with legal action and long story short, after getting legal advice it became very clear that despite it being my mistake, if I didn't pay them then I could be criminally prosecuted and/or receive a CCJ through the county courts. Which they could then even escalate to the high court for a Writ of Execution which nobody wants as that permits High Court Sheriffs to forcibly gain access to your home (not bailiffs as they're not permitted to access your home but High Court Sheriffs with a Writ ARE!) However it's unlikely they would take it to the high court given the value of the claim but I wasn't taking that risk so I paid them and felt ashamed of myself