Williams-Sonoma Corporation Got My UPS Package By Mistake--And Didn't Return It Memphis, Tennessee

On January 7, 2010, UPS mistakenly delivered a package I had shipped to a UPS store to the Williams-Sonoma distribution center at 4300 Concorde Road in Memphis, Tennessee. The package was clearly marked with the name of the friend I was mailing the package to, as well as the UPS box number and complete address of the UPS Store. All of the items shipped were books, so there was nothing in the package that might be confused with merchandise sold by Williams-Sonoma. However, this package was not returned to UPS at any time on January 7 nor the following business day, Friday, January 8.

When my friend went to pick up the package on Saturday, January 9, the delivery mistake was discovered and a lost package tracer was placed on the package by UPS. Since the package contained autographed books of both monetary and sentimental value, I called the distribution center and got a recording informing me of their Monday thru Friday hours. I then called the Williams-Sonoma customer service line to see if I might be able to get another number other than the public listing, knowing that crews often work weekend hours and hoping there might be someone there to answer a line which went directly to the docks or the receiving office.

After being on hold for thirty minutes, a customer service representative spoke to her supervisor and told me other than filling out a customer service request, she would be unable to help me. She said her supervisor had told her that packages which end up in Williams-Sonoma distribution centers by mistake enter what the supervisor termed a "black hole." She was told these items were sometimes returned to the shipper and sometimes destroyed. The reasoning behind this, according to her supervisor, is because Williams-Sonoma receives so many packages each day, they cannot be held responsible for any items which reach them in error. She did take all my contact information, as well as all the information about the package and its contents, for a customer service request and promised me she would forward it to the distribution center. 

I realize UPS is responsible for the initial delivery error and I am indeed holding their feet to the fire. But why didn't the Williams-Sonoma employees in the distribution center return my package to UPS once the delivery error was realized? As I said previously, my package was clearly marked with the name and address of the intended recipient and it would be clear after a quick look inside the package that none of the items were sold by Williams-Sonoma. Why wasn't my package simply handed back to the driver that day or the next? 

On the "Corporate Values" page of the Williams-Sonoma web site, it states, "Williams-Sonoma, Inc., and all of our brands are committed to maintaining the highest level of integrity and honesty throughout all aspects of our business." Does this integrity and honesty stop at the doors of the distribution centers? Are the employees at these centers not expected to have the integrity and honesty to return items that are clearly not the property of Williams-Sonoma or anyone associated with the company?

If this company and its employees are willing to make such little effort to return a small package delivered to them in error, will they really make all that much of an effort for customers that actually order merchandise from them?