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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To think that if you find someone's phone, you hand it in. Not keep it.

56 replies

MummytoMog · 10/03/2013 18:00

Pah. My own stupid fault, I must have dropped my iPhone in Tesco at the checkout, whilst juggling screaming toddlers and my purse, and I didn't realise until I got home that I didn't have it. Called it, it rang, nobody answered, not in the house, the car or the freezer (it's happened once). Called again, it rang. Called again, it went to voicemail. So I drove back to Tesco and nothing handed in. Called it again, still turned off, went to locate my iPhone, and it's not active. It had a full battery this morning, so someone has turned it off. Arsebiscuits. So basically someone has found my phone and decided it's their lucky day yes?

It's my own fault for not being more careful, and I'll only have to pay the excess on my insurance, not the full cost, so it's lucky in that sense. But I'm a bit narked about it. If I find a phone, or a wallet or a kid's shoe in a shop, I hand it in. So does everyone I know. Who the hell doesn't.

OP posts:

cookielove · 10/03/2013 18:03

I would hand it in too, but unfortunately that is the way of the world these days hopefully who ever has it grows a conscious and hands it in!!

Catchingmockingbirds · 10/03/2013 18:06

Findmyiphone works even if the phone is turned off though doesn't it? It doesn't work if the battery has run out though.

BubblegumPie · 10/03/2013 18:07

You can lock iphones so no one can use them can't you? You have to get in touch with service provider I think

Original poster

MummytoMog · 10/03/2013 18:11

I've no idea how the find thing works actually, it's telling me it's offline, but I've already called my service provider and had it locked. I've set it up anyway so that if it does connect, it will automatically wipe.

OP posts:

mum11970 · 10/03/2013 18:14

You can lock your phone remotely using the find my phone app. I found an iPhone in asda a while back and was just handing it in as a very panicky bloke came running up. Unfortunately some people have no conscience and would happy pocket an expensive phone and rub their hands in glee.

jjuice · 10/03/2013 18:15

Yes you can have the sim locked and also the iphone locked. .only the service provider can then unlock it. At least you can make it useless to them.
This happened with my dds phone stolen at school. .miraculously turned up on a playing field a week later after suspected thieves were told it was blocked..someone found it and took to the school rather than police station. Stunk to high heaven to me but then I am cynical in my old age.

Purple2012 · 10/03/2013 18:35

Ring the police. A lot of people will hand things in to them not a shop.

ReluctantBeing · 10/03/2013 18:44

I belong to a Facebook selling group and there are lots of iPhones for sale, suspiciously locked and with no charger.

makemineamalibuandpineapple · 10/03/2013 19:08

I once left my phone in a pub toilet in the middle of the day. I had literally got back to my seat when I realised it had gone so probably no more than 2-3 minutes had lapsed. I went back and it had gone. I called it and some bastard answered it saying "ha ha, we've got your phone" then hung up. I was so upset, they were probably still in the pub.

It was all so pointless as well as I immediately had the handset locked so the phone was useless to them so all it did was cause me a load of hassle. There are some truly mean spirited people out there. The one time I found a phone, I phoned "Home" on it and the mum of the boy it belonged to came and met me and was so grateful. Gave me a glow

Allthingspretty · 10/03/2013 19:48

I found a phone and handed it in to the place where i found it after contacting the phone company to let them know what i was doing. I wanted to post it to the company but it would have cost too much as there was no free post service etc.

SparkleSoiree · 10/03/2013 19:50

Yanbu.

Unfortunately there always has been and probably always will be thieves in our society.

ClippedPhoenix · 10/03/2013 19:55

Of course you do. Peoples lives are the things these days.

Just hand it in to the nearest police station.

BearFrills · 10/03/2013 19:56

YANBU. Some people have no morals.

I found a phone at Namco once and didn't want to hand it to the dodgy-looking guy at the counter in case it went 'missing'. I kept hold of it, carried it all round the shops with me and eventually back to the car, waiting for it to ring. My thinking was that if it was me I'd ring my phone to find it. It eventually rang as I was getting in the car, I explained how I'd found it and was waiting for their call. The lady was so relieved when I met her and handed it back, I had a lovely karmic grin for the rest of the day.

I do hope it comes back to you but I wouldn't hold your breath :(

candyandyoga · 10/03/2013 19:58

Of course people should hand phones in but there are some really horrid people out there! I sympathise with you totally as same thing happened to me x

chickenfactory · 10/03/2013 20:00

Makemine - I called 'mum and dad' on a phone I found years ago, judging from their response it wasn't the first time they've had that phone call.

Shoppinglist · 10/03/2013 20:02

You can contact the police. There was a picture in the paper this week trying to find a man who kept a wallet he found in McDonald's. the store should have CCTV.

mummytowillow · 10/03/2013 20:32

We've just come back from a weekend in Anglesey in a lovely house. My SIL found a top of the range Kindle down the back of the sofa!

We charged it, emailed an address on it saying we'd found it and left a number. Turns out its the house owners young daughters and they are made up

Unfortunately there are mean people who will keep things like that and I'm sorry its happened to you going

NeverWinsMNComps · 10/03/2013 21:20

Shitheaded bastards. They must know how shitty you'll be feeling about it, and still have decided to hang on to it. I hope karma catches up to them, or that they think better of their actions.

SplitHeadGirl · 10/03/2013 21:25

My husband found an iPhone in the carpark of Subway or somewhere, and he too kept hold of it and waited for it to ring. The woman who owned it had her husband call round to get it...he was trying to give my husband £50 as a reward, but of course he wouldn't take it as it was just the decent thing to do. Sadly, a lot of people re not decent. It is really pot luck who finds the valuable things we lose.

MrsRajeshKoothrappali · 10/03/2013 21:29

I'd probably look for a recently dialled number - 'mum' or something and ring/text that number explaining I'd found the phone and give my name and my number so they could collect it.

I wouldn't keep it.

VelvetSpoon · 10/03/2013 21:35

A work colleague of mine bought an Iphone 4s when they first came out (actually bought, not on contract or whatever). Not insured because he's stupid. Left it on a train the week after he got it. Never got it back.

Conversely, someone else I know left their v cheap and basic mobile on the train a few weeks back...never expected to see it again but got a call at home later that day from someone who had found it, who then offered to drop it round to their house too!

willesden · 10/03/2013 21:42

I don't know why people don't hand them in. They are impossible to sell on. When I left my last job, I was allowed to keep my handset but had to return the sim. It was unlocked and I was allowed to do what I liked with it. I sent it to mazooma and they said it was on their 'stolen' list. wtf? Took a lot of emails to sort it, and really not worth the hassle. And it was my phone! God knows what thieves do with stolen phones but they obviously don't try to sell them to mazooma.

difficultpickle · 10/03/2013 21:47

Findmyphone doesn't work when it is turned off but eventually whomever took it will turn it on and you can track it down. In the meantime you need to report the theft and ask Tesco to retain their CCTV footage.

Ds's phone was found in the car by the people who valeted my car last weekend. It had been missing for months!

Smooshy · 10/03/2013 21:48

I've found phones before and always phone "home" if I can.

My stepdaughter left hers in a changing room in a shop, remembered straight away but the person who went in after her denied it was there. Nothing she could do. I was so angry, such horrible dishonest people.

Yannah2006 · 10/03/2013 22:35

Have you asked tesco to look at their cameras?

I stupidly put my phone down on a desk in a bank when I was filling out a form about a year ago. Went home then suddenly realised and went back to the bank about an hour after leaving. The phone wasn't there, but I begged the manager to look at their cameras to see if they saw anyone take it. He was wonderful and found footage of a man and a woman using the desk after me and the phone disappearing. The absolute idiot then carried out a transaction at one of the kiosks, so they new exactly who it was too!

The manager couldn't release the details to me, but I went straight down to the police station to explain the situation and told them that the bank knew who had taken it. It took a few weeks, but I got it back (minus the sim!) and the people that took it got a caution.

People are scumbags. I couldn't hesitate to hand a phone or wallet in if I found one and have done so in the past.

Hope you find it.

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