Sometimes, shipping mishaps can lead customers to receive far more than they ordered—a lot more.
One BestBuy customer has taken to Reddit to share that their purchase of a wall mount for a TV was not what they received.
In a post that has drawn 1,000 upvotes on Reddit, user u/JackyFlashlight says they received a 50-inch high-definition 4K Toshiba Fire TV instead of the simple mount they had ordered—and can’t fit it in their car to take it back to the store.
Free TV?
“Best Buy sent me a 50-inch Toshiba instead of the wall mount I ordered,” the post reads. “I tried calling customer service but the stupid ass ai they have answering phones won’t transfer me to a rep.”
The poster elaborates that they live in a rural area and had the item shipped because their nearest store is 30 minutes away.
“I live in a rural country town and ordered it shipped because I didn’t want to drive the 30 miles to my nearest BB store. Although keeping the TV would be a nice bonus I don’t actually care for it and prefer to get my wall mount to use with my lg oled. What can I do? Taking the TV back to the store myself is not an option because I drive a small car and it wouldn’t fit.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to u/JackyFlashlight via Reddit message regarding the post, as well as to Best Buy via email.
What is Best Buy’s policy for returning something you didn’t order?
Best Buy has a tiered return policy, with special extensions on return windows and other considerations for members of its rewards programs.
Per the retailer’s return policy for damaged, defective, or incorrect items, customers who receive something they did not order can return the item during their return and exchange window—15 days for non-members, 30 days for rewards program members—and Best Buy will arrange to have the product replaced.
For customers who, like the original poster, do not want to have to travel to a store for a return, the retailer does offer a return option through the mail, but you’ll have to call a hotline.
Can you keep merchandise that was sent to you in error?
Per the Federal Trade Commission, you can technically keep things that were sent to you, even if you did not order them.
By FTC law, companies can’t send you merchandise—on purpose or on accident—and then demand payment.
However, these laws are about unsolicited orders—because this person did place an order and was simply sent the wrong item, there is likely an obligation to return the merchandise.
Viewers weigh in
Some Redditors were firmly in the camp of keeping the TV and simply ordering the mount again.
“Sell it and use the profits for another wall mount. Doesnt seem like a hard decision to me,” u/Vorshayla wrote.
“They sent it,” u/_coffee_n_cream_ wrote. “Once it’s delivered under your name, it’s your property.”
“Buy another wall mount to place your free new tv,” u/gaming-ninja wrote.
I ordered a TV wall mount but was sent a TV instead…
byu/JackyFlashlight inBestbuy
What did they end up doing?
In an update on the original post, u/JackyFlashlight says they ended up keeping the TV after working with Best Buy to get the mount they originally ordered replaced.
“I’m keeping the TV and BB is sending me a replacement wall mount,” they wrote. “There are caveats to this but for now that’s as far as I’m willing to share after my post explaining everything was deleted.”
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