Last week, we received an interesting call regarding unsolicited goods and services so in this blog post, we are going to explain what happened and consumers’ rights and responsibilities.
What happened:
A consumer in BC received a cell phone in the mail that she had never ordered and was charged for. She was concerned as she had no intentions of keeping the phone. She called us to find out if she had obligations to pay for it. We advised her that she received an unsolicited good. Within the Business Practices and Consumer Protection Act, it says that consumers have no legal obligation around unsolicited goods or services unless or until they let the supplier know in writing that they intend to accept the goods or services.
Another thing to know about unsolicited goods or services – if you live in British Columbia and pay for an item or service that you don’t actually want, you can ask for a refund as long as you didn’t let the supplier know in writing that you were keeping it. Consumers have 2 years from the day they receive the goods or services to demand a refund, in writing, from the supplier.
If you have a question or you want to share your own experience, please post in the comment section below.