What would you do?

There is a strange thing going on.
So a few days ago we found a large package on our front porch.
I noticed it was from a company that I had ordered once from a few months back,
but nothing recently....so I couldn't figure out why they would be sending me something.



I took it inside and opened it up. A bedspread, 2 pillow shams and a blanket.
Nothing I would have ordered. Then inside as I looked further
I found an order slip for a woman in Greenview, Calif.
I've never even heard of that city.
So okay, somehow the company mailed it to me on mistake
when it was suppose to go to Sheryl F in Greenview.
And somehow my address got slapped on the outside of this box.
(And I do mean slapped. It was crooked, in a far corner of the box, and partially torn.)

So I call the company right away and explain. They are as baffled as I am.
They tell me I will need to take it to the Post Office and pay for delivery back to them. 
Then they said I should call them back and tell them how much it cost me,
and then they will send me a check in the mail.
I ask if they could just send a UPS truck to my house to pick it up.
They said, no, they can't do that.

So okay, I tape it all back together and make a new label for it,
and then give it to Den to take to the PO.....just because he does that sort of thing.
He thinks about it for a few seconds and then says it's crazy.
He says that company should just send us a postpaid label for it in the mail.
So he suggests I call them back and request that.

So today I call again and request a postpaid label, and the girl says,
"No we don't do that here. You need to take it to the PO and pay for it 
and then we will mail you a check for the amount."

That's when I say to her, "Does this not sound ridiculous to you? 
This package lands on our porch accidentally from an error your company obviously made, 
and yet you want us to spend our money to send it back to you."

She responds almost robotically, "We will send you a check for the cost of postage."

Me: "I know. But like I said, my husband wants you to send us a postpaid label first."

She: "We don't do that here."

Me: "Even if you aren't set up to do it, you can just go to a PO and pick one up and send it to us."

She: "No. You need to send the package first and then we will send you a check."

I think we went through the same conversation about 3 times and then I'd had enough.
"I will keep the package another few days and then I'm getting rid of it. 
So if someone wants to call me back about it and send me a post paid label I will take their phone call.

"You need to send the package first and then we will send you a check."

Me: "Thank you.....and I'm going now." 

Silence and pause.

Me: "Bye."

Silence and no response.

So I hang up the phone, and as I do I hear her saying in a sort of whiny bratty voice, something like,
"Well goodbye then." I couldn't make out for sure what she said, but I did hear the attitude.

Are we just being stubborn here? Even though I told them I'm going to get rid of their merchandise, when it comes right down to it, I know I can't.
So what do I do with it?
We figure it will cost about $30. to return it to them.
They would probably eventually reimberse us the money,
but I think it's the principle of it all that bothers me.
They are treating me like a unsatisfied customer that just wants the easy way out.
They don't seem to acknowledge that I am not their customer.

So really, I'm curious, what would you do? Anybody have an opinion?



24 comments:

Rebecca said...

NO WAY should you have to take the package to the post office and pay to get it shipped. You may never even get a check from them! Is it UPS? You can call and tell them there was a package delivered by mistake, or I did this once. Just take the address label off with your name on it, write RETURN TO SENDER and drop it at the post office. Or just give the whole thing to goowill! It is not your problem to deal with. The nerve of them!!!!!

Richard said...

I would give them a week or so to recognize their error and then take the box to Goodwill, DI, or wherever...

Logan and Amy said...

I agree with you a 100 percent!! I would not pay to return the box. Especially since it was an error on their part. Makes me question their ability on delivering packages to the wrong places and how they handle it. Then let alone their policy and your not even the customer! What bad customer service. I don't even know if you are understanding me, writing is not my best suit. Anyway, I say stick your ground. I would just keep it for awhile and eventually they will get it or the company this woman ordered from will send her a new one.
Amy

Scrapally said...

I would not pay for their mistake. I can't afford it and I'm not that nice. lol. i would donate it to charity and when the original customer calls that she never got her box, they will have to send her a new one.

Kris said...

That sounds very fishy to me. They seem to not have their act together. I've never heard of a company doing that. Whenever we have things sent to us incorrectly, I just call the company and they send a "call tag" via email that I just stick on and give to the UPS driver. I never have to pay a thing. I would probably ask to speak to their upper management. I would definitely NOT send it back on your own dime.

Lynn Campbell said...

It is their mistake, and they need to fix it. Legally, if you are sent something you did not order, you may keep it and not pay. Ethically might be another story. However, you've tried to make it right. If they don't send a UPS truck to YOU to pick it up, donate it to missionaries.

Heidi Garvin said...

What terrible customer service!

You should not have to pay to help THEM recover incorrectly shipped merchandise. You are doing them a favor, for Pete's sake.

Ridiculous.

nrozier said...

That is insanity. There is no way I would pay return shipping for an item I didn't order and wait for a reimbursement check. If they don't send a prepaid label to your house I'd give the comforter set to someone who needed it.

Anonymous said...

I agree. Wait a few days for them to fix their mistake, then donate it to charity.
darlene

Anonymous said...

it is weird.. i would refer to your post the other day.. "be kinder than necessary" and watch the blessings flow into your life. mail it back and hope for the best.. if you mail it 4th class it is not that expensive. Jay

grandmapeg said...

I just looked up Greenview, CA. It's population is less than 200 and is located in Northern CA., so maybe there is a person by that name that ordered it, but still I would not pay to send it back. It's not your responsibility. If the company won't cooperate with you then I'd donate it to some charitable organization.

Grandma Honey said...

Thank you for all your comments. I really appreciate you taking the time! Like Jay's idea, I've gone back and forth wondering if I just need to be kinder than necessary. I'm also concerned about the many older women (older than me!) who order from this company and how they are possibly treated. So this morning I sent a copy of this blog post to the company. They sent me back a form letter stating that they would get back to me within 24 hours. Perhaps they don't even quite know how their customer service is functioning. So we'll see.

Several years ago I waited in line at a small post office store and could hardly believe how the people ahead of me were being treated. I just made a mental note not to go back there again, blaming it all on the store. Weeks later I was walking by that store and saw a sign posted in their window asking if anyone had visited their store between these certain dates as they stated they wanted to know how a particular employee was treating the customers on those days while the "manager had been in the hospital." Looking back, I wish I had contacted the store manager and told him/her about the incident I saw....I would have been helping the store's reputation since obviously the manager had no idea...until later.

the Rich girl said...

I agree with the comments that you shouldn't be paying for the company's mistake. I mean, with how they treated you, how trustworthy are they really?

My concern is more for Sheryl F. How long will it take her to realize that the company isn't going to send her the order? Especially if she calls and they say, "Oh, our records show it was shipped and delivered." What if she thinks it was delivered and then stolen? I guess that would be the extreme case, and most likely she will realize that her package hasn't come, etc. and it will all work out.

You could always mail Sheryl a letter? Or see if you can find her contact info? just to let her know what's going on.

Crazy, crazy.

Hope it all works out soon!

Heidi Garvin said...

I keep thinking about this.

How did you receive the package? Was it via USPS? UPS? FedEx? Can you try contacting their customer service and explaining? Maybe the shipping company will allow you to "return to sender" for free?

It's possible someone at the shipping company mistyped the label with your information. If there's any chance they are at fault, they will usually pick up the item free of charge so that they can redeliver it correctly.

(It happened with a pair of shoes I ordered once. UPS had put Suite 1700 on the label, instead of Suite 300. The kind receptionist on the 17th floor let them know there was no one in their office by my name. UPS took the package back, double checked their info, realized their error, printed a new label, put it on over the old one, and finally delivered my shoes correctly to me.)

I may be grasping at straws, but I'm just trying so hard to think of a way for you to be nice, without having to spend money. :)

Grandma Honey said...

Karen- I think I will know more once the company contacts me tomorrow. I told them over the phone yesterday that I was worried about Sheryl F. They said the pkg was mailed out on Jan 2nd and Sheryl has not contacted them about it missing. So of course my question is where the heck has this pkg been for the past nearly 2 months! I love your idea about writing to her. Depending on what the company tells me tomorrow I may just do that. She needs to be a concern of mine because when this is all said and done, she will be the one who pays the price (literally)
I just thought of something....since Greenview is such a small town, I'm going to try to Facebook Sheryl F right now.

Heidi- It was sent by regular USPS. I already peeled my label off and threw it away. I really don't think it's the POs fault. The company is the one who packed it and had Sheryl's receipt inside and put mine on the outside. If it had been Fed Ex or UPS I think the story may be different. It is so like you to be concerned Heidi....thank you!

Mar~ said...

This is really something! I have never heard of a company that would put the burden of return and cost on someone in your position.
I read through your comments and it sounds like you are trying to track down Sheryl. Who knows, maybe you will make another new friend?
I believe the company will make it right in the end. They certainly should...for you and for Sheryl.
It sounds like you are doing the right thing in alerting the management. I am interested to find out what happens with this story.
It sounds to me like you have already been kind in how you have handled it thus far; so, I don't really think you need to worry about that. :) Have a happy day. :)

Grandma Honey said...

Mar- I did find her on Facebook tonight. I read all about her life and her family, but Den does not feel good about me contacting her so I probably won't. He says it could be an invasion of her buying privacy. I don't wish to intrude on anyone, but I think it would have been fun to connect with her.

Anonymous said...

It's very odd that she hasn't contacted them and complained about her package in two months! Or maybe she has and they keep saying they sent it? I do lots of online shopping, and I've never had service like this. You can bet I would be hounding the company.
I have a feeling your sending your blog post to the company will get some action.
I appreciate Jay's comment.
darlene

Grandma Honey said...

Darlene---You are thinking just like me. Den and I talked about this last night and we have both decided that it's best I contact Sheryl F after all. She needs to know what is going on because we have no idea what the company is telling her about her package. I want her to know it's at my house!

I could just send that package back and be done with it, but I want to think I'm trying to make it all right, especially for Sheryl.

Heidi Garvin said...

Jill, you are so the sweetest. I'm so glad someone is looking out for Sheryl!

My fiance, Jim, had another suggestion: is it possible to send it C.O.D. so that the company has to pay to receive the package, but you don't have to pay to ship it?

I am sure you and Dennis will figure it all out and it will be a happy ending!!

Grandma Honey said...

I've heard there is no more COD....but I could have heard wrong. I will check into it. That would solve this whole thing. Tell Jim thank you :)

Richard said...

On second thought, if it were something more valuable, I would just give it to an older sibling.

threelittlebackseatdrivers.blogspot.com said...

I've dropped stuff off at the post office that wasn't ours. Just taking off the label that has my name so they have no choice but to "return to sender". If it were me and I ordered it and had not received it, I would want someone to contact me if they received my package. Maybe it's important enough to her that she will come get it. But if it's been 2m and the company didn't seem phased by it, maybe she has already complained and gotten it again and they just assumed the package you got was lost. Let us know, now I'm curious. :)

Susan Anderson said...

Unreal.

They should have to send you a prepaid label. It's ridiculous for your to pay ahead not even knowing if you'll be reimbursed. And for THEIR mistake.

I agree that you should just call Sheryl F. Maybe you can work it out between you and leave the store out of it.

"/

Look what happened last night

  Just a little pre-graduating gathering for our DIL Amy.... Not everyday a Mom of 7 and a Grandma of 7, graduates from college. It was not ...