Not sure if this should be in this forum or IMHO, but here it is. Yesterday a smallish (but too heavy for just seeds) Amazon Prime package was delivered to my doorstep, the address is mine but not the name, plus I don’t have an account with them and have only ordered a single item through plain Amazon about 8 years ago.
I found an Amazon Prime Canada contact phone number, and gave the representative the details. She told me that the intended recipient would be compensated and that I was free to do whatever I wanted with the package, open it and keep the contents or throw it away. I explained that what I’d prefer to do is have them come pick the package up and deliver it to the rightful owner, but apparently that’s not an option.
My question is, should I try to pursue this? Searching the name on the package gives me a potential link that I could try to reach them through.
Why bother? The intended recipient will get their item, Amazon has told you they don’t care a lick what you do with the package, it costs them more to send out a truck to pick it up than the item is worth, obviously, so if you don’t want to open it to see what it is then go put it out on the street with a “free” sign on it and the porch pirates will take it off your hands. Or throw it in the trash, whatever. Don’t go trying to sleuth out the correct recipient, that’s just creepy and stalkery. Let sleeping dogs lie.
I have had this happen a few times from the other side of it. Once, I ordered 2 things to be delivered to someone else, and I accidentally put the wrong address on my order. I think I was compensated for both, even though I only realized my mistake after seeing the picture of where the first one was left. (I contacted Amazon before the second one was delivered to correct the address, but it didn’t work.)
I’ve had things addressed to me get delivered to someone else (but with my correct address.) I’ve had the recipient drop it off for me, or return it to Amazon and Amazon compensated me. When it was a friend/across-the-street neighbor, I appreciated them just texting and walking it over to me. I think in the current circumstances, for anyone I did not know, I might be inclined to prefer the Amazon credit. If you don’t want it, you can always just donate it.
You would prefer that they waste money on retrieving the package? They have clearly made a calculation that it’s not worth the expense. (On the other hand, if the package contained something valuable enough, they would retrieve it or make arrangements to get it back.)
No. They’ll refund the buyer and/or ship them a new package*. Your job is done. The box and it’s contents are yours to keep. Throw the entire thing out or open it up an decide if you want to keep it, it really doesn’t matter.
This is fairly common for something getting misdelivered to your house. It’s happened to a lot of us over the years. I, for one, don’t even bother calling them anymore. It’s just not worth spending a half hour on the phone just so they can tell you to do whatever you want with it.
*Of course, if everything is legit, there’s a very real chance the next package that person sends will also end up at your house.
Definitely track the person down. Make them open the package in front of you, while you record it. Send the video to the Amazon rep you spoke to and show them that’s how you do it.
I’ve been on both sides of this, with a slight twist. The thing that was delivered to me in error was a take-out lunch. There was a plate of food sitting outside for me, but I didn’t know when it arrived. It had no identifying marks. I called Door Dash to see if they would pick it up. They wouldn’t. It was a huge hassle to dispose of it, but that was my only choice.
On the other side, I had a package that I ordered disappear. I called the shipper. It appeared a couple days later without any notice. They called 6 days later to tell me they reshipped it. Duh. I got it 4 days earlier. But I felt a sense of relief that someone else wasn’t getting my stuff. I didn’t like the thought of people going through my stuff.
In your case, I’m torn. Only Amazon knows the real recipient’s address and they’re not giving it to you. Having the box magically show up later with someone else’s address on it might not give me any comfort. But it might solve the mystery for me. I’m in the middle on this one.
Okay, while I’d probably enjoy doing this, it’s more work than I’m willing to undertake. I’ve decided to wait for a few days and if nothing more happens, open the package and then decide what to do with the contents. It could be a book, or a book-sized piece of electronics, the package label gives a weight if 1.5 pounds.
Meanwhile it sits in my enclosed porch tantalizing me…
BTW, I’m not a Prime member so I don’t know; are packages sent to Amazon Prime members distinct from those sent to everyone else? Because the ones I receive from them promote Prime all over them (including on the packing tape) and I’m wondering if the OP is confusing that with something actually sent via the Prime service.
The name is not known to me or my wife, my cat isn’t offering an opinion. The one hit I have on the name has an address associated that’s about 4 kilometers away from me, but in the same general part of the city. There’s one LinkedIn account in the city with same name, if I decide to proceed I’d try contacting the company and see what happens.
It’s a white bubble-wrap envelope with the blue Prime with swooping arrow logo all over it, and a top banner advertising their various streaming and ad free services, so yes it’s Amazon Prime, plus the customer support representative I spoke with confirmed that the tracking number was legitimate, so presumably the intended recipient is a prime member. That’s sort of irrelevant to my question of should I make any further effort to get it to the proper recipient since Amazon Prime isn’t going to do it.
I think you’ve already gone above and beyond in trying to make things right. As others suggest, this is not uncommon. I personally would still contact Amazon if this happened to me even knowing they’ll probably tell me I can keep it, but I’d probably pick a low effort mechanism (online chat if they have it?).
I haven’t had Amazon deliver something to me with the wrong recipient but right address. I’d tell Amazon about it but wouldn’t try to find the person. That’s a little too personal, especially since Amazon is going to make them whole anyway. I have had FedEx envelopes arrive that were clearly for a previous owner and for that I’ve made the trip to the local FedEx store to drop them off. I figure there is a reasonable chance that they’re important to the intended recipient or sender.
But I’ve certainly had mis-delivered Amazon packages where the address was elsewhere on our street. I’ve typically just wandered over to the house in question and dropped it off. That seems reasonable. I’ve had neighbors do the same for me.
I will update this in a couple of days, either I’ll open the package and decide what to do with the contents, or less likely hear anything back from Amazon Prime.
They already told you what you can do with the package, they’re not going to call you back.
Also “Amazon Prime” isn’t a business, the place is Amazon and Prime or Amazon Prime is just one of their subscription services.
The people who sent it to you told you that you can do whatever you want with it. End of story. Do whatever you want with it. Leave the intended recipient alone.
Mystery solved, it was meant for the newly (about a year ago) moved in neighbors across the street. Turns out I had misheard his name when we first met back then and since our greetings tend to be casual there hadn’t been occasion to be corrected. It was a birthday present for him from friends, his partner had given them the wrong address. Their next door neighbors had seen the package get delivered yesterday so when the partner realized her mistake it was a short journey to get it straightened out.
I often hear it said that this city, despite being the largest in Canada, is really just a collection of small villages if you don’t live right downtown, experiences like this bear this out.
It was the people who mis-delivered it to me that said I should do what I want, the people who sent it used the address they were given, the partner across the street made the mistake in the address. All is well now.
Well, your OP says, “I found an Amazon Prime Canada contact phone number, and gave the representative the details. She told me that the intended recipient would be compensated and that I was free to do whatever I wanted with the package, open it and keep the contents or throw it away.” So, yes, the people who sent it to you said to do whatever you want with it.
Semantics, if I had sent a letter to someone but put the wrong address, and it was properly delivered to that wrong address, was it the post office that sent the letter, or me?