Do I have to return a duplicate delivery?

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About seven weeks ago I ordered some new kitchenware online from a well-known high street retailer. The delivery did not arrive and after a week I chased the retailer and was told that the parcel was stuck in transit. They gave me a £7 voucher towards placing the order again and free delivery. The second parcel arrived with no problems. Then this week I came home to find the first parcel had been delivered outside our front door — the box was battered and looking worse for wear but the items inside were undamaged.
Can I keep the duplicate order or do I need to tell the retailer that both deliveries have arrived? If so, who is responsible for making sure the items get back to the retailer? I don’t really want to incur extra expense and hassle because of their problem. Name and address supplied
The problems I address in this column usually relate to errors made by businesses. But this letter also poses a moral conundrum.
At this time of year millions of parcels will be making their way around the UK thanks to Black Friday and the run up to Christmas. Inevitably this comes with an increase in delivery problems and many have tales of frustration and disappointment: parcels left in recycling bins, fragile items chucked over fences and claims that items have been delivered when they clearly have not. Then begins the seemingly impossible task of contacting a parcel delivery company to complain.
Let’s begin with your rights when it comes to having a package delivered. The retailer that sold you the goods is responsible for getting them into your hands. This includes refunding you in full, in cash, if the parcel or its contents are damaged.
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I hear from so many readers who tell me that their parcel has gone missing somewhere in the delivery process. You are entitled to a full refund if the parcel has been left somewhere without your authorisation, in a communal or unsecured area, with a neighbour you did not agree for it to be left with, or outside your door.
A full refund means just that. A business is not displaying largesse if it offers you a voucher or a credit note. The law (in this case the Consumer Rights Act 2015) is clear. If the parcel has not been delivered to where you specified it should be, you are entitled to your money back. I am unsure as to why they offered you a voucher but if that was not to the full value of the order, it’s not compliant with the law.
The retail industry doesn’t often like to talk about this, but because of the sheer volume of parcels that go missing or are the subject of disputes, many of the larger retailers “write off” items that are relatively low value.
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So even if you contact them and say that the delivery has finally turned up then they may tell you that you can keep it. Alternatively, they could equally ask you to faff about taking the parcel back to a drop-off point too. This isn’t really your problem — you can ask them to collect the item from your home at a time that is convenient for you.
If you keep it, chances are they won’t find out, but you are stealing if you have been given a full refund. Alternatively, you can contact the business, roll the dice and see if they let you keep it anyway. Here at The Times we advocate for honesty being the best policy.