We move fairly frequently, due to spouse’s employment. We’ve had a couple of instances where we received items sent to previous occupants.
#1 - an executive lived in our place while building their house in the area. When Christmas came around, we started receiving packages addressed to him. I had a phone number and called the former occupant. He told me I could bring him the items. I did once, and it was really out of the way and inconvenient, then realized the packages he was receiving were not personal - he worked in the food industry, and they were from vendors. So we kept everything after that. Think jams and jellies, gourmet hot chocolate mixes, etc. He didn’t offer to pick up the items and was quite rude about it; just expected me to go out of my way to deliver them at his convenience.
#2 - received a beautiful delivery of flowers via FedEx. Wasn’t my birthday/anniversary and I realized it was addressed to a former occupant. I looked up online and found some contact information; could not leave a phone message (voice mail was full) but tried to send a message via Facebook. I called FedEx and told them the addressee was no longer at that address. FedEx told me I could re-package the flowers and leave them on the porch and they would pick them up. It was summer and really hot outside. I packaged them up as instructed and put them outside, but knew they would not last long. Also, due to time of day, I was doubtful if FedEx would return. After a couple of hours I removed the box from the porch and brought them back inside and put them in a vase. FedEx never came. I thought it was a waste to let them shrivel inside a box.
I did receive a message back a few weeks later from the intended recipient. She appreciated my attempts to contact her, and was glad I ended up enjoying the flowers!
I will make an effort to resolve a mix-up when an item I didn’t order is delivered to me, but when it crosses the line and becomes a big imposition on my time/resources, at some point I will just keep the item.