What Is the Ruling on Finding Extra Pack from My Shopping?

Answered by Shaykh Yusuf Weltch

Question 

If somebody orders a bag of sweets that states it has only 9 packs inside but when they get home, it seems that there were 10 of them inside – which is more than what they paid for…what should they do? The sweets are sold by an international company in a local market.

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate

More Than I Paid For

If you purchased something and you are certain that you were given more than what you paid for, you are required to return the extra. You can call the company’s customer service department and tell them what has happened. If they permit you to use the extra product, it is permissible to do so. [Maydani, al-Lubab fi Sharh al-Kitab]

If not, you can annul the sale and return the product entirely. If you already consumed some or all of the product, then you would return the value of what was consumed. If this entails a hardship upon you, you may demand that they facilitate your returning of the product; however, you are not obligated to take on that burden; you may also request that you give the value instead of the product, if returning the product entails hardship for you. [Ibid.]

Hope this helps
Allah knows best
[Shaykh] Yusuf Weltch
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Yusuf Weltch is a teacher of Arabic, Islamic law, and spirituality. After accepting Islam in 2008, he then completed four years at the Darul Uloom seminary in New York where he studied Arabic and the traditional sciences. He then traveled to Tarim, Yemen, where he stayed for three years studying in Dar Al-Mustafa under some of the greatest scholars of our time, including Habib Umar Bin Hafiz, Habib Kadhim al-Saqqaf, and Shaykh Umar al-Khatib. In Tarim, Shaykh Yusuf completed the memorization of the Qur’an and studied beliefs, legal methodology, hadith methodology, Qur’anic exegesis, Islamic history, and a number of texts on spirituality. He joined the SeekersGuidance faculty in the summer of 2019.