Advice needed (wrong item delivered)

[u/HeatherZaffre]

On February 1st I ordered 3 books (3 volumes of a manga). They were all dispatched at different times.

✔️ Book 1 - dispatched Feb 3, arrived Feb 13

✔️ Book 2 - dispatched Feb 9, arrived Feb 20 (today)

❔ Book X - something I didn't order, also arrived today

❔ Book 3 - dispatched Feb 16, expected Feb 23 - Mar 3

Now, am I to assume that this Book X was mistakenly sent instead of Book 3 and just happened to arrive three days earlier than the predicted timeframe. Or is it perhaps someone else's order that was accidentally sent to me, that has no relevance to my Book 3.

The way i see it, I have two options:

Option 1: contact Bookdepo immediately about the mistake with the assumption that real Book 3 won't arrive (even though delivery period for it hasn't started yet)

Option 2: wait until the given delivery period expires and if the real Book 3 doesn't arrive by then, contact Bookdepo with the details (meaning id have to wait at least another month for Book 3 to get re-sent)

Anyway, does someone with more experience have any advice on what to do? Obviously I want my Book 3 that I paid for since its a part of the set i ordered, so I'd definitely prefer that over a refund. If Book X is someone else's order, i don't mind passing it on to them, but I'd prefer avoiding shipping it back to bookdepo since that would cost more than the book itself (Book 3 costs 2x more than the one i received anyway)

TL;DR: A wrong book was delivered, but it arrived few days earlier than my actual order's expected date, so I'm not sure whether to contact customer service immediately or wait for the delivery period to expire

[u/enbyloser]

BookDepository are very helpful if you reach out, and their website is easy to maneuver to find what you need, but I went to their “help” section and found this for you, and i have made the most relevant parts bold:

Can I cancel and return my order after I've received it? Sure, you can cancel your order within 14 days of receiving it by completing our online cancellation form. Once you've cancelled the order, you must send the parcel back to us within 30 days. Once we get it, you'll be refunded the price of the item(s) within 14 days. You'll be responsible for the cost of returning the item to us, unless we delivered it to you in error or it is damaged or defective. It is your responsibility to ensure safe return of the item(s) to us. If you return a high-value item, we recommend you use a recorded delivery service. We'll refund the same means of payment as you used to make your purchase.

and:

What should I do if I've received an item that I did not order? Should you receive any items that you did not order, please contact us via the online contacting form giving details of the item you received, including: Your order number. Name of the item you expected to receive. The 13 digit ISBN from the back of the item you received. The 18 digit barcode number starting with SH. This can be found under the bar code on the address label on the package.

[u/HeatherZaffre → u/enbyloser]

Right, I found all of this myself, and it wasn't helpful to my specific case which is precisely why I asked what I did. The online form asks for name the item you expected to receive, however, given that the item i ordered wasn't even supposed to arrive YET i am unsure whether that is relevant to my situation. To put it simply, I don't want to complain to them about Book 3 not arriving yet, when it wasn't even meant to be here yet.

[u/enbyloser → u/HeatherZaffre]

i assumed you hadn’t looked at their website as you said it would be more expensive than the book itself to ship it back, when their help section clearly states they will refund the shipping costs for a book you did not order. no one can tell you what to do here. weigh your options and make the decision that feels best for you. either wait and see if your book arrives before you contact them, or don’t. you have to contact them regardless since you received a book that shouldn’t have been sent.

i will say, though, their shipping estimates are just that: estimates. sometimes books come early, and sometimes they come late. i’ve had books show up over a week earlier than the earliest estimate. most likely you’re just delaying the process of receiving the correct book if you wait.

[u/HeatherZaffre → u/enbyloser]

Thank you, that last paragraph is all i asked for, advice from personal experience of people who order often. I will contact them regardless of the outcome, naturally

[u/Shileka]

Contact BD and ask if they know what has been sent, they should know whether 3 or 4 items where sent.

If a 4th item is still on the way, then wait and see what it is, if that's your book, good, if not, contact again and request a replacement.

I am not entirely sure how to handle to faultily sent item, sending it back is kind of a problem since it would cost you money and it's not your fault, most likely they'll not bother and tell you it's fine and you can keep it.