Lost my ring, handed in, pub denying so.

Placemarking for update!

In that case if the item is recovered and the insurance has paid out then technically the item belongs to the company. Of course you would want the ring back so you could repay whatever the insurance has paid to you.

I would see what the pub say but let them know you will be reporting it to the police as theft and provide them with the crime reference number to pass on to the member of staff who was given the ring.

This.

I recently left a piece of jewellery at a well known budget hotel, I called them about half an hour later and they said it wasn't there. I debated going back later that day, the receptionist insisted it wasn't in the safe and had not been handed in, she told me she had spoken to housekeeping but they didn’t have it, she became really defensive. I told her I knew I left it there and I wasn't leaving until it was found, again she said it wasn't there so I told her its fine, I'm calling the police. The receptionist and the housekeeping supervisor was gone for no more than 2 minutes and guess what.....they miraculously found it in the laundry! Which was of course very strange as I had left it on tge dressing table! Given the hotel has over 100 rooms, I was surprised it was found so quickly and amongst all that dirty laundry...... I complained to Head Office but they were not interested.

This happened to my step daughter’s diamond tennis bracelet. But the lovely woman who found it took a photo of the person she handed it in to without them knowing as well as a photo of the bracelet.

When my stepdaughter and her husband went in to get it back they didn’t mention the photo of the individual, just the photo of the bracelet and the chap in charge was quite adamant that none of his staff had seen the bracelet and was quite sniffy about it until he was confronted by the photo of himself and crumbled!

He tried to bluster his way out of it by saying he had forgotten and then it was extremely painful for him to admit that he had taken it home for safe keeping but would have it the next day.

Clearly he had given it to his wife or girlfriend and that must have been an awkward conversation having to take it back from them!

He had it the next day and was exceedingly smarmy offering them a bottle of plonk!

Report to the police even if they do nothing.

Hopefully the person who found it has just put it somewhere and not told anyone, it's quite common. If they have pocketed it they may get a scare if you talk about the police and make it clear you have a description of the staff member. Theft by finding is indeed a criminal offence.

I thought ‘theft by finding’ was a thing?. The police may take it up.

It could well have been stolen but also could be that like so many places they don't have a specific place or system of logging and storing found items. You are depending on there being one central place it could have been put when handed in, and even if there is one someone chucks it in a random drawer meaning to bring it up to that office or wherever later but forgets, or if they realise it's a very expensive item they put it somewhere 'safer' but not everyone answering the phone or at the bar knows they did that.
I dropped my bank card in Primark and on checking for it the next day they had recorded in their lost/found log, I'd imagine a lot of things get accidentally left there from kids comforter to bank cards or jewellery, so they have a good system for nothing a description of what was found/by who/time of day and some identifying details eg the name on the card, but it wasn't where it should have been kept. After 2 more visits they then rang me to say it had turned up somewhere random in payroll office, I don't think anyone was trying to steal it, it just was mislaid.
Definitely go back and mention about police being involved, that ll wake them up enough to at least messege all staff about it so if it's been a mistake it can be cleared up and if not they can deal with police.

I won't be at all surprised if, when you show the Facebook post and explain that your next stop is the police, the ring will quickly be "found"? Especially when you tell them the lady who handed it in knows who she have it to

101 for non emergency police lovely 111 is for NHS, it's easy to get them mixed up

Slightly different, but I lost a pair of glasses in a restaurant. I KNEW I'd left them there, as I had worn them to read the menu, and the restaurant was literally next door to hotel. I had to go back three times before the staff showed much interest in looking for them, but on the 3rd occasion a staff member piped up "oh yes, I saw those, they are in a drawer over there" ... so I would suggest you persist, and make sure plenty of staff at the pub see you and hear you, because it's possible they don't have much of a system for lost property. Good luck!

I don’t think 111 will be much help

It's also possible that the good Samaritan who posted it on FB actually kept it, and put it on FB as verisimilitude because she was seen finding it.

I was thinking this was a possibility. Worth asking to check CCTV.

Definitely go back to the pub with the evidence you have and if they still cannot turn it up then tell them you'll be going to the police with the information you have.

Wouldn't necessarily know though.

Person hands ring in to person A on day 1.

Someone sees it on FB and goes and claims it from person B on day 2.

Person C is asked who wasn't at work day 1 and 2 and says they haven't seen it.

Or the person put it in the till, when it should have gone in the safe and when Op came they only looked in the safe etc.
My mil when she had dementia lost her handbag. She went and asked at Customer Services who had the whole lost property out, and the lost property safe emptied - I was with her. No sign.
I asked if there was another safe for money - and there it was. I'm confident that was an error rather than wanting to keep it - it was a cheap bag and her purse wasn't in it.

It's also possible that the good Samaritan who posted it on FB actually kept it, and put it on FB as verisimilitude because she was seen finding it.