Am I legally allowed to keep “unsolicited” goods

mr58wry

Hi all I placed an online order with a large retail chain for 3 items. The order turned up and I received 19 of the same. Can the company make me give them back? Or am I legally allowed to keep them under the unsolicited goods act? 

Thank you 😊 

noitsnotme

If they only sent you 1 of the 3 you items you paid for would you be happy to accept that?

MalMonroe

It's obviously a mistake. Why not just contact the seller, tell them what's happened and ask them to collect the surplus items. 

naedanger

mr58wry said:

Hi all I placed an online order with a large retail chain for 3 items. The order turned up and I received 19 of the same. Can the company make me give them back? Or am I legally allowed to keep them under the unsolicited goods act? 

Thank you 😊 

No. Goods sent by mistake don't qualify as "unsolicited goods" under legislation.
You can only keep hold of an item if it is addressed to you, there has been no previous contact with the company, and it arrives out of the blue. This is a genuine unsolicited item and is usually used as a marketing tactic, explains Citizens Advice.
Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-37048351

MoneySeeker1

In that situation at the moment.

Been sent a pair of footwear I didn't order - by Amazon. Think it's probably a mix-up of "Oh that's why I never got my own footwear I ordered/had to have a refund/order a different pair instead" - and maybe some other person wondered why they got my shoes. I'm certainly wondering why I got their shoes - addressed to me by my name.

I just know that to get them back to Amazon seller - I'd be put through hassle contacting Amazon/Amazon would tell me they'd send me a label to print off/I'd tell them that's not possible (because I don't have a printer - as I indeed don't).....and then we'd go round and round in circles ad infinitum, as I kept asking them for a realistic way to get those shoes back to them (ie that didn't involve me having that non-existent printer or me having to wait to get reimbursed postage money I'd spent for their sake).

There is a law allowing people to keep unsolicited goods after 3 months has expired.

So I'm rather thinking "Keep them for 3 months and then at 3 months 1 day - give them to charity" as the quickest/easiest way to resolve the situation - without them causing me all sorts of hassle.

Many years ago a prankster had me sent unsolicited goods - and I found that "3 months law" thing and it was all easier back in that day and I was able to tell the firm the order wasn't really from me, but they never did arrange to collect their goods. So, at 3 months 1 day I gave them to charity.

noitsnotme

What “3 month law thing”?  Can you link to a source of said “thing”?!

MoneySeeker1

noitsnotme said:

What “3 month law thing”?  Can you link to a source of said “thing”?!

I'd have to google to try and find it - so I doubt my Google search would be any quicker than yours would be.

Should we have a Google race? #joke

elsien

Aside from the excuses about why you won’t send the shoes back, you are not in the same situation as the OP as the OP did place an order (although for a different amount)  so they are not unsolicited under the meaning of the act. 

naedanger

MoneySeeker1 said:

noitsnotme said:

What “3 month law thing”?  Can you link to a source of said “thing”?!

I'd have to google to try and find it - so I doubt my Google search would be any quicker than yours would be.

Should we have a Google race? #joke

I think you were being asked because noitsnotme suspects (or knows) what you have said is wrong. By asking you to source your beliefs they were possibly hoping you would realise this for yourself.

I too think you are wrong and cannot find anything authoritative to support your view. I have found quite authoritative sources that suggest you are wrong e.g. see the link from the bbc above. 

ToxicWomble

They aren’t unsolicited- they are a mistake/error
Unsolicited would only apply if you received items having had zero contact or expectation to receive ANY item from someone

noitsnotme

MoneySeeker1 said:

noitsnotme said:

What “3 month law thing”?  Can you link to a source of said “thing”?!

I'd have to google to try and find it - so I doubt my Google search would be any quicker than yours would be.

Should we have a Google race? #joke

I’m not wasting my time looking for something that I don’t believe exists.  I would be happy to be proved wrong though.

In theory, the statute of limitations is likely to give Amazon 6 years to try and claim back anything they feel you owe them, which presumably would be any difference between the amount you paid for the shoes you ordered and value of the shoes they actually sent you (assuming the pair you received were higher value than the ones ordered).  Knowing Amazon they’re more likely to charge you the difference which you’d have to fight and/or just close your account.