You Are Allowed to Leave Items Randomly Sent by Retailers
If a company makes the mistake of shipping an additional item that you did not order, you have an ethical obligation to return it, but by law you do not need to send it back. That is yours.
As Consumerist points out, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is pretty clear about the rules. According to the FTC website:
What do you do when you receive an item that you did not order? You don’t have to pay for this, according to the FTC. Federal laws prohibit sending out-of-order items to consumers and then demanding payment … If you receive an item that you did not order, you have the legal right to keep it as a free gift. While you have no legal obligation to notify the seller, you can write to the seller and offer to return the item, provided that the seller pays for shipping and handling.
So let’s go. Yes, there is an ethical side to consider (and we recommend notifying the company of a bug that may actually work in your favor), but as far as the law is concerned, you are allowed to keep whatever is sent to you. even if you didn’t order it. To read the rules, follow the links below.
Disordered goods | FTC via Consumerist
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