Posted wrong item. Rights to getting it back?

marliepanda

misssarahleigh wrote: »

Would it not be easier to, having seen the contents to be incorrect, tape the envolope back up and write "RETURN TO SENDER" rather then sending it to the black hole of wrong items.

So you're in some sort of returns warehouse, opening items and processing them. You get a wrong item, so you get out your tape, write return to sender and post it where? Put it where?

How many warehouses have post office functions? The returns warehouse and the warehouse that sends things out may be entirely different. Who is going to take it to the post office? Do they just stop sorting out returns to nip out and post yours?

There is a set list of jobs for people who works sorting out returns, posting out items to customers will not be one of them. That is the job of the 'black hole of wrong items' department.

naedanger

marliepanda wrote: »

People on here have been told many times they can refuse to go 'out of their way' or be 'inconvenienced' when returning items sent by mistake, so yes.

Wow. You think if a retailer sends an item by mistake and asks for the customer to post it back (having paid the postage) the customer can refuse and instead demand a courier is sent at a time convenent to the customer, say after 9pm, to collect it.

Personally I think you are wrong, but look forward to you giving this view in future.

marliepanda

naedanger wrote: »

Wow. You think if a retailer sends an item by mistake and asks for the customer to post it back (having paid the postage) the customer can refuse and instead demand a courier is sent at a time convenent to the customer, say after 9pm, to collect it.

Personally I think you are wrong, but look forward to you giving this view in future.

I said that a customer should not be reasonably inconvenienced nor 'go out of their way.'

If indeed they are only home from work after 9pm and have no days off work for the foreseeable future, then yes.

In reality, nobody works like that, so being around earlier or going to a post office on a weekend would not be 'inconveniencing' anyone.

I did not say be utterly unreasonable and lie to be awkward.

tomtontom

naedanger wrote: »

Wow. You think if a retailer sends an item by mistake and asks for the customer to post it back (having paid the postage) the customer can refuse and instead demand a courier is sent at a time convenent to the customer, say after 9pm, to collect it.

Personally I think you are wrong, but look forward to you giving this view in future.

But that viewpoint is posted on here almost every day - you need to make the goods available for collection at your convenience. Why would the same principle not apply here?

misssarahleigh

marliepanda wrote: »

So you're in some sort of returns warehouse, opening items and processing them. You get a wrong item, so you get out your tape, write return to sender and post it where? Put it where?

How many warehouses have post office functions? The returns warehouse and the warehouse that sends things out may be entirely different. Who is going to take it to the post office? Do they just stop sorting out returns to nip out and post yours?

There is a set list of jobs for people who works sorting out returns, posting out items to customers will not be one of them. That is the job of the 'black hole of wrong items' department.

You seem to be a little confused. I'm not insisting that a very specific warehouse employee perform this task specifically for me against the procedure.

I'm saying, as a procedure within a company this would be a speedier and more effective way of dealing with the situation.

I'm quite sure warehouse employee's have access to tape and a pen. I'm also quite sure there can be 'two black hole boxes'. One box for items without a return address, one ready to post back return to sender. Both emptied once a week/month.

On a business model this would actually reduce the man hours for the 'black whole department', deal with it in a speedier manner, and provide better customer care.

I'm also fairy confident workers wouldn't have to down tools to post these items. To be dropped off once a week/month at a postbox by nominated member of staff in the black hole department.

I don't think as a company that type of model is an unrealistic one. Nor do I think it as unreasonable as you seem to be making it out.

naedanger

tomtontom wrote: »

But that viewpoint is posted on here almost every day - you need to make the goods available for collection at your convenience.

I don't think we are talking about a cooker or some large item that was sent by courier. I think we are talking about a package that can be carried without difficulty.

I don't think I have often (if ever) seen the view expressed before that the recipient of such a package (sent in error) has a general right to demand a courier be sent to collect it.

powerful_Rogue

misssarahleigh wrote: »

The answer is, Incorrect items are sent to customer care once in a blue moon who may be able to return it to me, but they are unable to give any timescale or guarantee.

misssarahleigh wrote: »

The exact answer I got was:

We can advise that incorrect items are sent in batches from the warehouse to customer care and once we receive these we send them back to you. However, this does not happen very often so we'd be unable to advise of the timescale it would take for the item to be received back or confirm if the item has arrive.

The exact answer you posted was totally different to your interpretation you gave in the first post.

misssarahleigh

powerful_Rogue wrote: »

The exact answer you posted was totally different to your interpretation you gave in the first post.

How on earth is it different.

They don't sort these items out often (hence I said once in a blue moon).

They are unable to give a timescale

They cannot confirm it has arrived and therefore cannot guarantee it will be sent back.

I fail to see how my interpretation was different.

powerful_Rogue

misssarahleigh wrote: »

How on earth is it different.

They don't sort these items out often (hence I said once in a blue moon).

They are unable to give a timescale

They cannot confirm it has arrived and therefore cannot guarantee it will be sent back.

I fail to see how my interpretation was different.

Why didnt you post the exact response to start with? I found their exact response to be polite and courteous, whereas your "headline grabbing response" seemed to make the company sound cold and callous.

naedanger

marliepanda wrote: »

I said that a customer should not be reasonably inconvenienced nor 'go out of their way.'

If indeed they are only home from work after 9pm and have no days off work for the foreseeable future, then yes.

In reality, nobody works like that, so being around earlier or going to a post office on a weekend would not be 'inconveniencing' anyone.

I did not say be utterly unreasonable and lie to be awkward.

The company's response is equivalent to a customer who is sent an item in error responding "I don't know when I will have time to return the item - I have work, children, family life, social life etc, but I will return it at some point, but I cannot give any indication of when that might be".

I don't think the above response, or the equivalent from a company (which is what the op got), is reasonable.

They should give some indication of when the op can expect the item to be returned at the latest.