Consumer thought experiment: if Home Depot delivers some appliances to you, but never bills you for them, are they free? If that were true, a California grandmother got one heck of a Cyber Monday deal on more than $2,500 worth of kitchen appliances from Home Depot. That’s not what she wanted. She’d rather just pay the hardware mega-chain already, but they won’t accept her money. A computer glitch makes it look like she already paid for the appliances, and Home Depot won’t accept her money.

Ace consumer reporter Kurtis Ming in Sacramento looked into the situation for her, and learned that even though it’s been six months, California contract law dictates that Home Depot has another three and a half years to notice their mistake. As a consumer attorney Ming consulted explains it, “Somewhere along the line, Home Depot is going to figure out they’re either missing a refrigerator or they’re missing $2,500.”

Indeed, there is no such thing as a free appliance.

Call Kurtis: Home Depot Didn’t Bill Me; Are My $2,500 Worth Of Appliances Free? [CBS Sacramento]

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