Must someone who receives unsolicited goods or services pay?
Someone who receives unsolicited goods or services does not have to pay for those goods or services. They also do not have to pay for any loss or damage to the goods, or due to supply of the service. However, they may have to pay compensation if they wilfully and unlawfully damage unsolicited goods within three months of receiving them. This three-month period is called the recovery period. The supplier can recover the goods within this time. The recovery period reduces to one month when the recipient gives written notice to the supplier. This notice must state: > the recipient’s name and address > that the goods are unsolicited and the recipient does not want them, and > where the supplier should collect the items. The recipient can keep unsolicited goods not collected within the recovery period, without any obligation to pay. The supplier cannot take action to recover the uncollected goods. However, the recipient cannot: > keep goods they knew were not intended for them – for instance, if the package was clearly addressed to another person > unreasonably refuse to allow the supplier to collect the goods during the recovery period.
