Receipt of Unsolicited Mail/Merchandise

[bestmickey]

I'm writing this in response to the topic re: "Reader's Digest Billing Scam", but thought it would deserve its own heading.

If you receive unsolicited mail and/or merchandise, you can deem it as a gift. It is illegal for a vendor to bill you for unsolicited items. Over the years, I have received a few items which I never ordered. I deemed them as gifts. For example, one item was a woman's suit from a shop in Chicago (whose name now escapes me). I wrote a letter advising them that since I never ordered the item, per Title 39, United States Code, Section 3009, I deem the item as a gift and advised them that it is illegal for them to bill me for the item.

For info directly from the US Postal Service Investigations Unit, see:

http://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/investigations/MailFraud/fraudschemes/othertypes/UnsolicitedFraud.aspx

[Sidney Lanier]

Yes, this is absolutely accurate. If you didn't ask for it and 'they' send it, it's a gift--and yours if you want it--otherwise you can throw it out or give it away.

[pm10]

Good information! Thanks. Now, if only someone would only send me a Wii, by mistake...............

[Taltarzac]

Check the fine print though with things like magazine subscriptions, book clubs, contests, and the like.

Funny story. I have been receiving DVDs and movie posters for a few years from British Columbia, Canada and could not figure out where they were coming from and thought maybe I had a secret admirer. Nope. I have been entering predict the movie weekend box office take on The-Numbers.com for a few years and I guess they do not alert you have won. I guess I won a lot more than the two times I was actually aware of from checking The-Numbers.com news. http://www.the-numbers.com/interactive/newsStory.php?newsID=2520

They must not have very many people entering these contests.

[rjsjr]

Now, when they send a cross or other religious object, has it been previously blessed, or do I have to attend to that matter myself?