Melissa Jenna’s Neighborhood

Here is a scenario to think about...

You buy some gadget on-line. You check your account the next day, and see your account has been charged the appropriate amount for the item. Two weeks later the gadget arrives, but you check your account again and the money that was charged earlier has now been returned to your account. Is it wrong not to say anything to the company about the mistake?

Well... recently I purchased some Bose headphones on-line, and the company correctly charged about $270 dollars to my account after I used a gift card to reduce the price. A few days later, the charge was removed and my money returned. I figured they cancelled my order, so I replied to the e-mail that confirmed my order with the following:

The purchase no longer appears on my bank statement. Has my order been cancelled?

Darien Hirotsu

This was the company's response:

Dear Darien,

Thank you for your inquiry.

The item you ordered ships directly from the manufacturer and takes approximately 1-2 weeks for delivery. We are sorry if this was not clear when your order was placed.

If you have not received your order within this timeframe, please let us know and we will be happy to contact the manufacturer for a status update.

Please let us know if we may be of further assistance.

Sincerely,
Customer Support Person I Don't Want to Name

A week later or so, I still hadn't received my head phones. I figured they would charge me when I received my item, so I sent them the following message:

It's been a little over two weeks, and I haven't received the product I ordered. May I have an update on the status of my order?

Thanks,
Darien Hirotsu

Their response was this:

Dear Customer,

Thank you for your inquiry.

The item you ordered ships directly from the manufacturer and takes approximately 2-3 weeks for delivery. We are sorry if this was not clear when your order was placed.

I figured they must have cancelled my order, but a few days later, I received my head phones. Hmmmm.... I don't know what to do now. I'm guessing they had some error with their payment collection system. I feel kind of weird not paying for such an expensive item. What does a guy gotta do to pay for the stuff he buys????
 
Dear Crappy Company,

Your crappy payment system didn't charge me for my $350 head phones which totally rock. Your lousy customer support neglected my e-mails about this error. Frick on a stick!!!!!!! What do I have to do to pay you guys the money you are owed???? If you don't charge me the $270 dollars that is rightfully yours, I just may knee someone in the face....

Hugs and Kisses,
Darien Hirotsu

Maybe that would be too rude, but I bet someone would read it at least. In all seriousness though, is it immoral to just keep the money? I feel like I gave the company enough notice that an error was made, but maybe I'm missing something here. Any comments?