Discussion
A crate of wine was delivered to my house incorrectly about a month or so ago. It was left out the front with nothing through the door so I only discovered it after who knows how many days sat outside. It was for the previous house owner who moved out over 2 years ago. I contacted the sellers and they arranged, eventually, to pick it up. They have yet to do so and claim its because I've not been in. (Err yes, I work you know) I've just got off the the phone to them now. They are keen to get their wine back so I suggested I leave it where they delivered it. The front garden. They say that if it went missing they could chase me for the cost of the wine. So we agreed that they will pick it up on Saturday (Still a good chance I won't be in but not really my problem). I've had this wine in my house sitting there for over a month and I'm a little fed up with the company mentality especially the threat of charging me if the wine goes missing. Could they do this? Half tempted to charge them storage costs for keeping them in the house all this time.
sherman said:
They had probably written the wine off until you got in touch with them and now know that the wine is in your possession so can bill you if it now goes missing again.
If you have arranged for it to be picked up on a day convenient day for you, why would you be an arse and happen to be out when they are coming to pick the wine up when you want?
Basically if you had said nothing you could of had a free case of wine as there is no receipt of delivery. You should have just enjoyed the wine and stayed quiet.
Also it may be worth contacting the previous home owner if you have their address and tell them to change their delivery address with the wine company.
I'm not going to be an arse and go out just to spite them. I just don't know my Saturday plans. If you have arranged for it to be picked up on a day convenient day for you, why would you be an arse and happen to be out when they are coming to pick the wine up when you want?
Basically if you had said nothing you could of had a free case of wine as there is no receipt of delivery. You should have just enjoyed the wine and stayed quiet.
Also it may be worth contacting the previous home owner if you have their address and tell them to change their delivery address with the wine company.
Edited by sherman on Monday 29th June 14:40
Edited by Ruttager on Monday 29th June 15:31
Thanks for all the info. As it stands, I've contacted the company telling them that I'll definitely be in Saturday before midday but there is a good chance that I will be out in the afternoon (beer festival up the road). I've told them to give the courier my number then if they don't arrive in the morning I can leave the wine somewhere safe and tell them were it is when they call. I think that's pretty fair?
Breadvan72 said:
An involuntary bailee may have a claim for reasonable charges, based on the law of restitution, rather than the law of contract. Having said that, we are talking here about a case of what I assume to be rather ordinary wine, not a dozen magnums of Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 1964, or similar, so all this brainy stuff about bailment is perhaps a tad academic.
The wine is nothing special. Most PH powerfully built director types wouldn't even use it to cook with. 
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