For keeping an order that I’ve received a refund for?

[Phallicfriday]

Long story short. Ordered DH a fairly expensive tech item for his birthday from large retailer. Item didn’t arrive and when I chased the retailer it was presumed lost and they sent a replacement. It was supposed to be on next day delivery but this didn’t materialize either. Week later I call again to be told the item was detained by customs and it would be returned to the retailer. They point blank refused to send another item and instead only offered me a refund. Feeling very frustrated as I still had no birthday gift, I reluctantly accepted and ordered a replacement on Amazon (which I haven’t received yet either). Since receiving the refund, both the ‘missing’ orders have turned up. I am overseas and so I imagine it would be a hassle/expense for them to arrange a courier to collect them for return? AIBU for just keeping quiet and keeping both? Appreciate that this is morally ambiguous and I am quite sure I will get lots of mumsnetters up in arms at my morally bankrupt thought processes but they are a large company and surely will have insurance to cover such losses? And who really gives a flying fuck if the insurance company are out of pocket a few hundred quid when they rob the living daylights out of us all? My only concern is if they can track / trace that they have been delivered and force me to return / repay? What would you do?

I would tell them. They will probably tell you to keep it.

even if each item is in the multiple hundreds?

Do you've been refunded for one item & received two ?

Contact them

Especially then.

Just contact them and explain. They made the mistake and they can have expense of a courier if they wish to arrange this.

I guess I’m more concerned with whether or
not I’ll get found out? I’m close to making my peace with keeping them but I don’t want to get in trouble. Obviously my response would be very different if it concerned a small business / retailer or someone who couldn’t afford the loss / didn’t have insurance to cover such things.

I’d tell them and see if they want you to return it. But if they do, it needs to be fully at their expense and your convenience. I wouldn’t be walking to the post office for them, they could send a courier to collect it during a one hour window when I would be home anyway. That I would facilitate. No more.

Where are you? Is the company in the UK? What laws apply?

If the contract is under UK law, then you’d be silly to keep them and not get written permission - they can pursue you for the money for both for six years. The legislation around unsolicited parcels wouldn’t apply, as you did order. They’d easily win; and it’d be worth their while for two items in the multiple hundreds, especially as any big firm will either have an in-house legal team or a legal retainer so won’t even pay to start proceedings.

It’s unfortunate how it’s played out; but contact them. If it really is too much of a pain for them to collect them, they’ll tell you to keep them, and you can do it knowing you’ve got evidence if it’s ever needed.

My friend did this with a Dyson air wrap and they never contacted her 😬

Just be honest and tell them. It is stealing not to do so.

I'd probably leave them in the packaging for a month or so and if I'd not heard anything, keep them tbh.

Keep it if that's what you want to do, but don't justify it to strangers on the Internet.

I'd tell the company. 99% of the time they will tell you to keep the item, even expensive things. If this is Amazon, think of the value of the company compared to you £2k laptop or whatever.

It's not "morally ambiguous" at all. You have received goods you have not paid for, and you need to inform the supplier of such. If they tell you to keep items because return postage is so expensive, then all's good and you're in the clear, but you would be unreasonable to assume this.

As regards insurance, the reason we all pay such high premiums is because people like you are happy to defraud them.

You admit yourself that your only concern is getting caught out in some way, so yes, YABU and should should at least attempt to do the right thing.

I'd keep it.

I’m not justifying it. As I said, I’ve made my peace with it, and don’t really care if anyone thinks I’m morally bankrupt. I’m more concerned if I’m likely to get caught 🤷‍♀️

Did you sign for the items or did the delivering courier take pics of the items on your doorstep?

It's not morally ambiguous. You are only diminishing yourself if you do something that is plainly wrong. As for whether you are likely to get caught. Who knows? It all depends on whether the company is likely to look into it.

Cancel Amazon order and tell original company it has arrived and pay for it again. Not that complicated.

It is human nature to consider keeping it btw. I was in an almost identical situation a few weeks ago and wrestled for a while. But I knew I couldn't live with myself if I just kept the item so I called the company and re-paid for it.

No didn’t sign for anything, they dumped the boxes in my garage. No idea if they took pics as the orders show as refunded and therefore no delivery updates etc available

But why when I can keep it for free?

Because letting them know is the honest and right thing to do but clearly that doesn't bother you. Not even sure why you started the thread since you clearly plan on keeping the item.

None of us can tell you if you'll get caught. Hopefully you will

Definitely, 100% keep it - see it as compensation 😆
It's happened a few times in various forms to me, and we've always kept it...I too am morally bankrupt

Id tell them.
Closest Ive got to this is not telling a company when they sent me 10 times the amount of pet food I'd ordered. But the order clearly stated the original amount so nothing documented to prove the error.
If something has been shown to be paid for and delivered then it's probably better to own up rather then be chased up later.