Happy New Year! I hope you’ve had a wonderful Christmas and New Year and managed to be with family and friends.

And now we have started 2022! Coming back to the office, you may have received a message from a person who says they received their parcel (with correct name and address etc) but saying they never ordered it and wants to know who did?

Who knows…

• Someone may have sent something as a Secret Santa gift; OR
• They may have wanted to send it to someone as a pick me up or to brighten their day or just because; OR
• They may have forgotten to request adding a note or card!

And with Christmas past, this may have occurred and your business has now been approached by the recipient wanting to know who was the wonderful person that sent them their gift.

It is likely that the recipient may have been initially surprised to received something and worried it could be a mistake!

In the first instance, go back and check against orders to ensure nothing was missed on that particular order. And if you find that nothing was missed, the next step is to review what your Privacy Policy states in relation to giving out information?

Is this event even included in your Privacy Policy? If not then most definitely ensure you add something to cover this should it happen again.

But right now, how do you manage this situation?

Even if not covered in your Privacy Policy, I would err on the side of caution and not release this information to the recipient. Instead try one of these responses instead:

Dear X

Thank you for reaching out and we are thrilled that you like X. Unfortunately we can’t provide the details of the purchaser, for privacy reasons, however we will be sure to let the sender know that you have contacted us.

Dear X

Your parcel was gifted in secret and we cannot provide you with the information you would like. However we will let the purchaser know, in case they wish to reveal themselves.

Dear X

Thanks so much for getting in touch!

In order to protect the privacy of our customers, I’m afraid we don’t give out this information, however I have gotten in touch with the sender of the item to let them know you wish to thank them, and to get in touch if they would like you to know the gift is from them 

Then of course, ensure you email the gift giver to let them know that you have been contacted and should they wish to reveal themselves, the recipient would like to know. That is up to the gift giver to do this.

Have you ever been gifted something with no name?

Until next time!
Jo