The Vermont Statutes Online

Title 9 : Commerce and Trade

Chapter 135 : Unsolicited Merchandise; Solicitation in the Guise of a Bill, Invoice, or Statement of Account

• § 4401. Rights of recipient of unsolicited goods or services; obligation of business recipient to notify seller

  (a) Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, if a seller delivers unsolicited goods to a recipient, the recipient may:

  (1) refuse the unsolicited goods; or

  (2) deem the unsolicited goods to be a gift and dispose of them in any manner without obligation to the seller; provided that, in the case of a recipient who is not a natural person, before disposing of the goods, the recipient shall make a reasonable effort to notify the seller that it has received the unsolicited goods.

  (b) If a seller delivers goods to a recipient in error and notifies the recipient of the error within 20 days, or before the recipient has used or disposed of the unsolicited goods, whichever is sooner, then:

  (1) The seller shall provide, within 20 days of the notification of error, for the pick-up or return shipment of any remaining portion of the unsolicited goods at the seller’s expense and risk, during which time the recipient shall take reasonable care of the remaining unsolicited goods. The recipient need not tender the remaining goods at any place other than the place of delivery or the location of the remaining goods at the time of the notification of error and shall have no further obligation to accommodate the seller’s schedule for pick-up or return shipment or otherwise to facilitate the recovery of the item beyond the requirements of this section. If the recipient refuses to relinquish any remaining portion of the unsolicited goods to the seller, or agrees to relinquish the remaining unsolicited goods to the seller and fails to do so, the recipient shall be liable for the cost of the unsolicited goods not relinquished to the seller.

  (2) The seller may discontinue services to the recipient. The recipient shall not be liable for any services delivered or used prior to the discontinuance of service.

  (c) In this section:

  (1) “Recipient” means a person who receives unsolicited goods, whether or not he or she was the intended recipient of them.

  (2) “Seller” means a person who delivers, renders, or causes to be delivered or rendered unsolicited goods to a recipient, whether or not the seller intends to charge the recipient for the unsolicited goods.

  (3) “Unsolicited goods” means any personal property or services delivered, rendered, or caused to be delivered or rendered by a seller to a recipient that are not requested by the recipient, whether or not the recipient and the seller have an existing business relationship. (Added 1969, No. 280 (Adj. Sess.); amended 1971, No. 235 (Adj. Sess.), § 4; 2011, No. 136 (Adj. Sess.), § 6, eff. May 18, 2012.)