Suburban Chicago family keeps getting package after package they never ordered from Temu
OAKBROOK TERRACE, Ill. (CBS) -- Trucks have been delivering a nonstop stream of packages from Temu to a home in the western suburbs lately, but the family is not ordering anything.
The family asked CBS 2 for help after they found themselves stuck with random stuff and boxes filling their space—and nowhere else left to turn.
Tim Wood showed off all the items that have been cluttering his Oakbrook Terrace condo. Among other things, he has received 20 different military hats, cameras, knives, a crawfish trap, a belt with a golden buckle shaped like a car, and about 30 fishing vests for which he never asked.
Wood said the items came in a stream of package deliveries that started shortly after his family purchased the condo. Again, he did not order any of them.
But the stream has turned into more of a metaphorical whitewater rapids.
"In the last month, it's been one or two packages a day," Wood said.
He admits was kind of entertaining at first, calling it "like Christmas every day."
Not so much anymore.
"It's just too much stuff now," he said.
Wood said the source of some of the items is not clear.
"It's all Chinese," he said.
But he said it is clear some of it is from Temu.
"None of it has a return address of Temu on it," Wood said.
Wood said he and his family has tried everything to make it stop. First, they reached the family from which they bought the home from.
"I reached out to my real estate agent, who reached out to their real estate agent," he said.
There was no response from their real estate agent or attorney. Wood said he has learned the family who used to live in the condo moved out of the country.
There was no response from Temu or delivery companies, either.
"I feel like I've done as much as I can do," Wood said.
CBS 2 reached Temu. Their media team suggested Wood reach them with tracking numbers:
"As we said in our previous email, it would be much appreciated If Mr Wood can provide the logistics tracking number or package number, so that we can work with our logistics partners to investigate this matter."
Meanwhile, keeping the living room clean is becoming harder and harder for Wood.
Wood said he has asked about the legal implications—if Temu is liable for all of this. He said he has been told he should try to reach the person for whom the packages are meant.
He has done just that, and CBS 2 asked too.
"This case is really about whether there's a contract between the shipper of the merchandise and the receiver of the merchandise," said attorney Katherine Baker, who she teaches contract law at Chicago-Kent College of Law.
Baker said stories like Wood's are "as old as mail-order anything." She said the situation is tricky in more ways than one.
"There's a limited amount you can do," Baker said. "It is not the responsibility of the receiver to figure out where this came from. It's definitely not their responsibility to load up their car and bring all of this stuff to FedEx or UPS."
Since the family has made some effort to reach the person to whom the packages are supposed to be going, Baker said, "at some point, they can just discard it."
Wood said he would rather donate all the items he has received than discard them. But standing in a home that is looking more and more like a knickknack store, Wood's hope is to "just figure out a way to get it to stop."
A Temu spokesperson followed up with another statement on Friday:
"Unsolicited packages can arrive at an address for various reasons, with common reasons including incorrect address entry by the sender, packages intended for a previous resident, or gifts from friends or family. In the case of brushing, Temu strictly prohibits this practice and will take action against violators. If you receive a Temu package you did not order, please contact our customer service team. They will assist you in reporting the issue to our investigations team."
The Wood family is hoping speaking out makes the difference for them, and anyone else dealing with such a problem.