Finding things People Lost?

[ultrarunner]

Finding/Returning Lost Items...

I tend to come across things people have lost... some as part of my job at the Hospital and some by being observant or happenstance.

I will exhaust all avenues to return lost items... but surprised many don't

Last week I found a key ring with an expensive car key, house keys, etc... it had a Gym Membership tag... called the Gym and asked if they would contact the owner and let them know I found their keys... and it worked.

Reunited a lot of owners with lost cell phones too.

Is it that people are just too busy to be bothered or really not wanting to get involved?

My thought is I would hope someone would go to the trouble if I had lost something.

I can understand the part about not wanting to get involved...

A couple years back I found a cell phone that the entire State of California Law Enforcement was looking for... it had been stolen during the car-jacking of a highly placed elected official... finding he phone meant I had to appear in court to testify as to how it came into my procession...

Even having to go to court I would still have turned it in because it is the right thing to do...

 

[2LaneCruzer]

Finding/Returning Lost Items...

I tend to come across things people have lost... some as part of my job at the Hospital and some by being observant or happenstance.

I will exhaust all avenues to return lost items... but surprised many don't

Last week I found a key ring with an expensive car key, house keys, etc... it had a Gym Membership tag... called the Gym and asked if they would contact the owner and let them know I found their keys... and it worked.

Reunited a lot of owners with lost cell phones too.

Is it that people are just too busy to be bothered or really not wanting to get involved?

My thought is I would hope someone would go to the trouble if I had lost something.

I can understand the part about not wanting to get involved...

A couple years back I found a cell phone that the entire State of California Law Enforcement was looking for... it had been stolen during the car-jacking of a highly placed elected official... finding he phone meant I had to appear in court to testify as to how it came into my procession...

Even having to go to court I would still have turned it in because it is the right thing to do...

I don't see how you could go wrong. I try to do the same.

 

[ultrarunner]

A friends wife lost her purse in SF... it cost $1200 to re-key two cars and the house...

Turns out it was sitting at the parking garage attendant booth for several weeks...

A new employee was cleaning out the booth and was going to toss it and found the ID... everything was there including cash... apparently no one had attempted to call except the new guy cleaning up.

Last time I was away from work... when I came back there were several keys and a phone... I asked had anyone tried to find the owners... was told they knew I would when I got back.

More than a few times I have taken the address and stopped by to return a purse or ID...

Cars are more challenging... often takes more detective work... finding a receipt or something else to indicate ownership... be surprised how many cars end up in Hospital Parking lots... Towing is easy but costly plus the risk of damage.

 

[Wagtail]

One time, whilst living in Sydney, I went to use a banks ATM and discovered a debit card still in the slot. I called the 1-800 number (on the back of the card) to report that I'd found it so that when the owner called to cancel their 'lost card' to have them call me.

Sure enough, later that day I received a call from the son of the elderly lady who'd forgot her card. He swung by my place, with a box of chocolates, to retrieve it that evening. All's well.

 

[oosik]

I think once I found something lost - set of car keys - turned them over to a Mall Cop. My biggest problems over the 35 years living out here is loosing stuff I drop when working on equipment, vehicles, etc. And darned if it isn't normally "one of a kind" stuff - so you have to make a trip all the way in to the dealership to get a replacement.

You know what I mean - a nut, a bolt, a special retaining ring, a washer or O-ring. Once dropped in the grass, they seem to be lost forever. Well, about five years ago I purchased a cheap metal detector. By golly, now if its metal - I stand a whole lot better chance of finding it.

 

[Birdhunter1]

I saw something odd looking on a highway once, it caught my interest enough to stop and walk back to see what it was.
Turns out it was a wallet on a Friday afternoon, the guys paycheck was in it as well as about $200. I didn't know the guy but knew the address and had a good idea that missing it would be very detrimental to their household. I stopped by and the guy was beside himself near his truck trying to figure out where his wallet was, it was his first check from a new job. That guy greeted me and shook my hand every time we came across each other after that.

Phones, wallets, keys.... I've been apart of reconnecting alot of them with their owners, what surprises me are the ungrateful ones that are mean and snoody about it. They wanted me to bring their phone to them and were mad when I gave them directions to the office. Finally just gave it to the cops.

 

[ultrarunner]

^^^ I had that with a cell phone once...

It rang and I answered it and it was the boyfriend and he became unglued that man was answering his "Lady's" phone...

He insisted on coming to the Hospital with her to check things out... very strange.

I had found the phone in the nearby park and brought it to work with me.

99% are most grateful...

Found a dog... well a neighbor found it and had called animal control...

Friendly enough and it had a phone number... called it the guy was nearly in tears... said he had been looking 3 days and he owned a prominent SF Bay Area company... rushed over and what a reunion...

Refused a reward and he gave me his card and said if I ever needed anything from his company to call... too bad because I had recently finished a project... but I still have the card...

They were out hiking the trails about 2 miles away and got separated...

Figure what goes around comes around.

 

[two_bit_score]

Have you ever been hesitant to turn something in to the management of the location it was found because you didn’t think it would ever get back to the proper owner?

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Found an Iphone in my yard, along the road, was able to track owner down.
Found debit card in ATM outside a bank, took it inside.
Had a person stop by looking for a lost dog, had a reward, saw the dog in field across the road later as i was mowing my yard, stopped, went in house and called them. Dog was gone when i went back out. They came and looked. Dont know if they found it.

 

[4get gto]

Have you ever been hesitant to turn something in to the management of the location it was found because you didn’t think it would ever get back to the proper owner?

Stayed at a motel in Virginia last year and talking to the manager in the parking lot. Said he made out better with the stuff that gets lose or left behind than he gets paid. Hard to look at the guy after that. How the topic came up is after I found a 5 dollar bill laying in the parking lot. He took it ,put it in his pocket. His face didn't even turn red. Didn't know what to say! Wasn't expecting that.