Receiving merchandise that has not been paid for

[jbarber2]

I purchased a ring online from a jeweler. I paid for the ring, and the amount was listed as 'pending' from my bank. The jeweler sent a confirmation e-mail stating that they received payment, and a follow up e-mail with my FEDEX tracking number. At some point, the charge was dropped, and the full amount for the ring was returned into my bank account. My bank is unsure of why this happened. Now that the ring is here, am I legally obligated to attempt payment of the ring again? The jeweler has not contacted me, but I wish to make sure that I will not be liable in a court hearing.

I'm in Georgia (United States) if that helps out at all.

 

[sandyclaus]

I purchased a ring online from a jeweler. I paid for the ring, and the amount was listed as 'pending' from my bank. The jeweler sent a confirmation e-mail stating that they received payment, and a follow up e-mail with my FEDEX tracking number. At some point, the charge was dropped, and the full amount for the ring was returned into my bank account. My bank is unsure of why this happened. Now that the ring is here, am I legally obligated to attempt payment of the ring again? The jeweler has not contacted me, but I wish to make sure that I will not be liable in a court hearing.

I'm in Georgia (United States) if that helps out at all.

Are you asking us to advocate you stealing the merchandise instead of paying for it? Sorry, we don't do that. Yes, you are legally obligated to pay for merchandise you received.

Either attempt to pay again now, or face a surprise charge to your account later when they realize that the charge never cleared the first time.

It's entirely possible that your order could have been charged to someone else's account by mistake. How would YOU feel if you had that happened to you?

 

[OHRoadwarrior]

Yes, you are liable. You have a contract you have failed to complete your part of.

 

[FlyingRon]

What you may be hoping for is the law that bars you having to pay for unsolicited merchandise your received.
That's not what happened here. You ordered it, you have to pay for it (unless you can convince the seller to take the merchandise back).
You better leave sufficient money in that account to cover the amount. Even without your cooperation they may manage to get the transaction reissued.
While I believe you don't have to be proactive in contacting the jeweler to figure out what went wrong with the payment, you will owe the money
and it might be a good idea to call them and ask what is going on.