What is my responsability

[jussi]

Recently I got a letter from Woodworkers Guild of America saying they sent me a woodworking DVD and if I liked it to send them payment, otherwise send the DVD back. Now I've never heard of this guild or the DVD they're talking about. I may have received it but thought it was junk mail at the time and tossed it. Regardless, I never asked them to send it to me in the first place. Is this a total phishing scam and am I right to assume I don't have any responsibility to send them the supposed DVD they sent or pay them for it?


EDIT: DOH!!! Ok I didn't read down far enough because at the bottom it says "Because you didn't ask for this DVD, you are under no obligation to do anything and can consider it a gift."

[twistsol]

And my experience with them is that you'll receive a similar letter from them every month for a year or more. Eventually they give up.

[Uncle Cracker]

Yeah, it's a marketing scam. The law protects you from having to pay for or return pretty much anything sent to you without your having asked for it. They figure that, if a few people pay up out of ignorance or just wanting to be done with the repetitive appeals for payment, then they make money. Don't worry about it...

[cwsmith]

I got the same thing a couple of years ago. I just ignored it, and never heard from them again.

Two or three decades ago (maybe longer), this used to be a standard practice, with all kinds of stuff being mailed and payments expected. I'm not sure if was a federal or state law at the time, but a law was passed that basically relieved the receiver of such products from any responsibility whatsoever. Basically it stated that anything that you received, unsolicited was yours! In other words, the receiving party had NO responsibility whatsoever to make payment, contact, or inquiry regarding such any unsolicited product that was received through the U.S. Postal Service. I'm not sure, but I also believe it pertained to any product received via UPS or other major carrier too.

That pretty much brought such practices to a complete halt!

I hope this helps,

CWS

[jussi]

I hope this helps,

CWS

It does. I seemed to recall that law you all are referring to but couldn't be certain. Thanks guys for confirming my initial thoughts.

[herb fellows]

I would reply and tell them you didn't get it, but please send it again so I can refuse to pay for it.

[jabe]

Right on Herb!!! I like your answer, that was GREAT!!!

[TB Roye]

Still have my DVD sitting on the shelf gathering dust. Never did look at it, might some day when I find while cleaning my den.

Tom

[LarryG]

Still have my DVD sitting on the shelf gathering dust. Never did look at it, might some day when I find while cleaning my den.

Like a couple of the other guys, I received one of these DVDs a couple years ago. Also like them, I kept it and ignored all the subsequent dunning letters asking for either a subscription or a return.

It's actually a good DVD. Well-produced, instructive, comprehensive. I don't know that I personally learned anything new, but it would be a good primer for a newbie; and I'll admit to being curious as to what some of their other DVDs might show me. Too bad they chose to use such reprehensible marketing tactics, as that was enough to kill my curiosity.

[woodturner]

but a law was passed that basically relieved the receiver of such products from any responsibility whatsoever.

It's a federal postal regulation. Any unsolicited item received through the US postal service is legally a "gift".

It's interesting, though, that these companies haven't tried (to my knowledge) using fedex, ups, etc. I suppose the higher cost of sending with those services and the difficulty of enforcing "pay or send it back" make it impractical.

[capncarl]

I watched one of these DVD's recently. It was well done and very informative. ... but .... I would never use it for reference like a book. If you are working on something and want to brush up on something or look for some shortcut hints, who is going to crank up the tv and watch 2 hours of some norm want to be. I want a good PAPER book with lots of pictures and tabs like they made before computers, something that I can write some of my own notes in. They can have their dvd back.

capncarl

[sweensdv]

I would reply and tell them you didn't get it, but please send it again so I can refuse to pay for it.

Careful with that.....it could be construed that your request was actually an act of placing an order. It could put you in a position where you do actually owe them money.