Is it ethical..?

...if you have been given too much change when paying and not return it? Or is taking the money theft?

I ordered some stuff online the other day. I was already waiting for the delivery the last couple of days when the package then finally arrived yesterday. My flatmate signed for it and it was lying on the table when I got home last night. Nothing notable so far. I picked it up to take it into my room and spotted that there was another one underneath. I wondered why they would split the order and send two packages??? I picked them up to take them to my room and unpack them and realized they both had exactly the same size, weight and packing.... My suspicion got confirmed when I opened them, they accidentally sent everything twice....
So what to do now??? Shall I be honest and send it back and tell them about their fault??? Shall I return one of them and pretend I just want to return everything, keep the second mistaken delivery and be happy to have saved a couple of quid? Or would that be theft?

Do what your conscience deems the right thing to do.

What was it?

and/or

What's the value?

i ordered some new pedals from chain reaction a while back and had a similar experience. basically i ended up with more expensive pedals than the ones i ordered, but the wrong tool, i ordered a pedal spanner and got a spoke wrench? needless to say i felt like i had won. online retailers are obliged to check on their products and orders going out of their despatch areas. needless to say this does not bode well for their business practices when u receive either the wrong items or indeed too many items. ask your self this, if you paid too much for an item would they be tripping over themselves to get your money back to you as fast as possible....

I've gone for both options in the past. If I'm in Tescos and they give me change for a twenty when I gave them a ten, I'll keep schtumm. If it was my local corner shop, I wouldn't.

Similarly, if I'd been sent two expensive doohickies from Wiggle, I'd probably STFU about it, but if it was someone like Charlie the Bikemonger, of course I'd send one back.

Does that make me bad?

Depending on who you ordered the goods from and how much they are worth, it might cost them more in admin fees to back out the order if you do send it back.

I'd phone them up and tell them that they have made a mistake and ask what you should do. If they want you to send it back, ask them to send stamps and a label for postage.

I'm more shocked that they made your flatmate sing for it.

dibs

I'm more shocked that they made your flatmate sing for it.

Was it a simple 'My old man's a dustman' or a more challenging 'Nessun Dorma!' ?

I think thats a misread scott, actually they slightly burnt the flatmate.
now that's just harsh

Ha @ coppiThat. What if it's girls underwear?

What I want to know is: What's a doohickey and do I need one?

i think you`ll find the flamate actually singed for it.. as in burning something lightly...

What I want to know is: What's a doohickey and do I need one?

You mean you don't have one already? I'm shocked.

Ha @ coppiThat. What if it's girls underwear?

thats what i'm hoping! ............ sport ones though.

i think let them know that they sent you an extra item in error. if they want to send you money to have it returned to them perfect. it might be less bother for them to just let you keep it but at least then you will be keeping it with a clear chocolate bunny running conscience. imagine an impressionable child half your age asked you the same question.

....or send one back and ask for a refund

i ordered some new pedals from chain reaction a while back and had a similar experience. basically i ended up with more expensive pedals than the ones i ordered, but the wrong tool, i ordered a pedal spanner and got a spoke wrench? needless to say i felt like i had won. online retailers are obliged to check on their products and orders going out of their despatch areas. needless to say this does not bode well for their business practices when u receive either the wrong items or indeed too many items. ask your self this, if you paid too much for an item would they be tripping over themselves to get your money back to you as fast as possible....

I've gone for both options in the past. If I'm in Tescos and they give me change for a twenty when I gave them a ten, I'll keep schtumm. If it was my local corner shop, I wouldn't.

Similarly, if I'd been sent two expensive doohickies from Wiggle, I'd probably STFU about it, but if it was someone like Charlie the Bikemonger, of course I'd send one back.

Does that make me bad?

....or send one back and ask for a refund

Its good to know that people feel that its up to them to decide who really needs money and who has enough. I'm glad I don't have that responsiblility.

In the States if you receive something in the mail you didn't order it's yours.

Since you've ordered one and received two that's a grey area.

If you send one back asking for a refund that's fraud.

Really depends on the value of the item.

So what to do now??? Shall I be honest and send it back and tell them about their fault??? Shall I return one of them and pretend I just want to return everything, keep the second mistaken delivery and be happy to have saved a couple of quid? Or would that be theft?

It all depends on how you feel about the company. Personally, I would be inclined to accept the benefit of someone's mistake if it isn't going to seriously affect their business. However, I would be strongly disinclined to be actively greedy and dishonest and take the second option. That is just plain wrong. Besides there is the risk that if you send one back they may realise their mistake and your attempt to defraud them and in theory they could take action against you. A rather ignominious way to get a criminal record if they were feeling a bit TfL.

I think on a technical legal level at the moment you are theoretically guilty of theft. You are aware that you have received good from a company for which you haven't paid and it is entirely within your capacity to notify them of this mistake. If you then try to obtain a refund for one set of those goods you are then guilty of fraud.

My advice would be to keep one set of the goods in pristine condition for a period of at least three month in case they ask for them back or elect to charge you for them at a later date (they are still entitled to do this). At this point you can still at least claim a legitimate refund. Should they get heavy handed you can at least claim that you intended to let them know and were just lazy and procrastinating.

Anecdotally, when a budget airline bent my girlfriends bike, they accidentally paid out the claim twice. My girlfriend resisted the impulse to go on a spending spree (spending all the cash is never a defence to not repay the overpayment) and chucked in the ISA. If they ever asked for the cash back, at least she got the interest. They never asked for it back and a year later we took a free holiday (no budget airlines involved this time).

Its good to know that people feel that its up to them to decide who really needs money and who has enough. I'm glad I don't have that responsiblility.

If the law doesn't compel a course of action then it is for people to decide what to do, and on what basis - that's the nature of ethical decision-making.

Whats in the box??? Whats in the box???

value of the items v. cost of additional staff time sorting out the mix-up + cost of return postage to them if you are expecting them to reimburse you

If it was me I would probably intend to return the stuff for several months, never get around to it and be crippled by guilt for the next few years.*

*slight exaggeration but I'd feel a bit bad.

in my opinion the value of the item and the company from whence it came have nothing to do with it. you yourself described it as an ethical issue.

i know i'd want to keep it but i'd probably ring them and explain, in your most inconvenienced tone, and see what they say. if it's a big company that shifts loads of stuff then they might let it slide but if it's a small outfit then they'll probably want it back (and rightly so).

if you kept it i'd fully understand, but don't be confused as to whether it's right or wrong... it's definitely dishonest. sending it back to get a refund would be even worse and would surely make it a provable fraud should they later notice their mistake.*

*just noticed that a lot of this has already been said.

@ Seldom: I'm no legal expert but I don't see how I can be technically guilty of theft for being in receipt of goods that I didn't order. Maybe if I decided I would never return them, but not if not - and in any case, how could that be demonstrated?

As Superprecise has said, whatever the legal niceties, hanging on to the package and doing nothing is dishonest.

Gina, let them know.

@Charlotte re the Tesco change. What if Tesco deducted the mistake from the person's salary? Or accuse them of stealing the money etc...