The Case of the Missing Wine

[MadBurgerMaker]

Personally I measure the time for that kind of stuff in years. If he'd kept the wine around for a few years, six months minimum, then yeah okay (and it's not like the wine would go bad). But a couple of weeks? Not cool. As evidenced by the fact that the guy whose wine it was came to pick it up within that timeframe.

Even then it could've been rectified by 'fessing up.

As it it stands, it's straight up theft.

That doesn't mean that FedEx isn't a bunch of useless idiots in this case, of course.

Why would you allow yourself to be a storage service for someone else's stuff for months or years when they, or their delivery service, has been told it's going to be gone in a specified amount of time?  When it's gone after that period of time, regardless of how it's gone (yes, just drinking it/taking it is more "gray"), they don't get to bitch. 

And that guy shouldn't have gone to Otto's house.  That guy should have gone to FedEx. 

[Jacob]

Why would you allow yourself to be a storage service for someone else's stuff for months or years when they, or their delivery service, has been told it's going to be gone in a specified amount of time?

Leave it out front. Turn it in to the police as lost and found. Just because something gets mis-delivered to you doesn't mean you get to keep it.

And that guy shouldn't have gone to Otto's house.  That guy should have gone to FedEx.

He was probably getting the same shitty service and runaround from FedEx as Otto was when Otto was trying to do the right thing, and he was probably hoping that Otto had done the decent thing and would give him his wine... which I expect Otto would have, if he hadn't decided to start drinking it by then.

[MadBurgerMaker]

Leave it out front. Turn it in to the police as lost and found. Just because something gets mis-delivered to you doesn't mean you get to keep it.

It was left out front.  It was left out front for as long as he told them it would be left out front.  The drinking it piece of this is the more problematic part of it, but again:  Otto's front porch is not a combo FedEx warehouse and loading dock.   After they didn't come back to get it in the time period they said they would, he doesn't have any obligation to just leave it there and hope maybe they come get it someday.  Would the cops give a shit if he turned it in to them?

He was probably getting the same shitty service and runaround from FedEx as Otto was when Otto was trying to do the right thing, and he was probably hoping that Otto had done the decent thing and would give him his wine... which I expect Otto would have, if he hadn't decided to start drinking it by then.

Regardless, that's between the guy and FedEx.  As far as the dude who ordered it is concerned, FedEx took it to the wrong place and it's gone.  Whether Otto is drinking it, or some hobo wandered up and took it and is slamming it back while hanging out next to a nice trashcan fire, or it all broke and a dog licked it up, the wine is gone and it's FedEx's fault.   

[Jacob]

It was left out front.  It was left out front for as long as he told them it would be left out front.  The drinking it piece of this is the more problematic part of it, but again:  Otto's front porch is not a combo FedEx warehouse and loading dock.   After they didn't come back to get it in the time period they said they would, he doesn't have any obligation to just leave it there and hope maybe they come get it someday.  Would the cops give a shit if he turned it in to them?

Yeah, Otto doesn't have any kind of obligations to anybody with that, but it's still not his wine to drink.

Regardless, that's between the guy and FedEx.  As far as the dude who ordered it is concerned, FedEx took it to the wrong place and it's gone.  Whether Otto is drinking it, or some hobo wandered up and took it and is slamming it back while hanging out next to a nice trashcan fire, or it all broke and a dog licked it up, the wine is gone and it's FedEx's fault.

Yeah, it's between him and FedEx. He was being a bit too optimistic there.

[DGuller]

Only because I've actually had FedEx mis-deliver a package of mine before, I know that on their online package tracking it actually shows when they drop the package off the address they left it at. That's how when it happened to me I knew I just needed to walk one street over to my neighbor's house and pick it up. So that may be how the old man got my address, or maybe FedEx really did tell him where it was sent who knows. The whole thing felt weird because FedEx is a Fortune 500, ultra-established company and it felt like I was dealing with Bob's Discount Shipping Service, nothing felt professional about the whole thing.

If only FedEx had a way to cross-check the recipient address and the actual delivery address.

[MadBurgerMaker]

Yeah, Otto doesn't have any kind of obligations to anybody with that, but it's still not his wine to drink.

And, I mean, I do agree with you there, but then again, at that point the choice is really between tossing it or drinking it (as he said he would throw it away), sooooo.....why waste it if it's any good? 

Yeah, it's between him and FedEx. He was being a bit too optimistic there.

It seems weird that FedEx wouldn't come get it in a timely fashion.  Surely they have trucks in that area all the time and can just put it on a driver's schedule to pick it up real fast on the way to somewhere else.  They probably have "special" trucks or something for that though, I guess.

[DGuller]

It's not your wine to drink.  You were fine up to that point.

The fact you lied about it means you know this is true.

FedEx were utter dicks, but that doesn't transfer over property rights.

[dps]

It's not your wine to drink.  You were fine up to that point.

The fact you lied about it means you know this is true.

Technically, he didn't lie.  He said that he had left it sitting out front for the period of time he said he'd leave it, and now it's gone.  And that was all true.  He just left out the fact that it had gone into his wine racks (or his gullet).

[11B4V]

So where do my actions fall here? Right, wrong, gray area?

You're kidding right. 

[grumbler]

It was Otto's wine from the moment they delivered it.  He tried to return his own wine as a good Samaritan, and FedEx dropped the ball on it.  After that, Otto was free to dispose of his own wine as he saw fit, including drinking it.

I don't even see a moral dilemma here.  FedEx fucked up and made a gift of wine.  That happens.  FedEx charges rates that include the loss of materials they give away for free.  Its a part of the way they do business, and doesn't involve Otto at all, except as the lucky recipient of an unintended gift.

[dps]

You're kidding right. 

Who was that directed at?  Me, or someone else?

[Caliga]

I pretty much agree with grumbler, but because I'm an excellent person I wouldn't have drunk the wine myself.  I would have just left it on the front porch indefinitely.

[11B4V]

You're kidding right. 

Who was that directed at?  Me, or someone else?

OvB

[dps]

I pretty much agree with grumbler, but because I'm an excellent person I wouldn't have drunk the wine myself.  I would have just left it on the front porch indefinitely.

I'm not sure that he's legally correct, though.  Legally, if a business ships something to you that you didn't order, you're entitled to consider it a gift and keep it without any obligation to pay for it.  But in this case, the wine wasn't shipped to him, but rather to the person that ordered it, and was simply misdelivered.  I'm not sure that's the same thing legally--in fact, I'm fairly sure it's not.

[11B4V]

You're kidding right. 

Who was that directed at?  Me, or someone else?

OvB

IAW he was too cheap to go buy his own wine and sharped an old man's booze.

I'm w/ BB on this.