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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:

Original poster

MummytoMog · 11/03/2013 00:07

I hadn't thought about it, but actually I know exactly when it happened, somewhere between the checkout and the car, so I could ask them to look. Will email their customer services tomorrow. I keep thinking of stuff that's on it and trying to work out if they can do anything with it :( I don't think so but...

Well, they will have an awful lot of information about my menstrual cycle if nothing else. Sigh.

OP posts:

midastouch · 11/03/2013 00:13

YANBU whoever found it should have handed it in to tesco. I dont see the point in keeping it, the majority of people will get it blocked so its not useable or sellable some people are just arseholes

tethersend · 11/03/2013 00:24

My friend and I found a phone outside our tent at a festival- rather than hand it in, she kept it and rang its owner once we got home.

They are now married with a child

McNewPants2013 · 11/03/2013 00:27

I would hand it in, my phone is my life.

IneedAsockamnesty · 11/03/2013 00:39

I would either hand it in or if not pass coded ring mum home or work depending on what numbers were in contacts.

Many moons ago some woman who found my engagement ring and tried to sell it on got arrested and had to go to court for 'theft by finding' shame really as if she had taken it to the police station I had notified them that should anybody had it in that person would get a 5k reward for there honesty,as her dishonesty cost her money.

GreenEggsAndNichts · 11/03/2013 00:45

I remember finding a rather expensive phone a couple of years back, with a bright pink case on it. I tried to ring 'dad' on it but there was no money on it. I kept it myself (because I know I am honest, whereas I have no idea if the next person who walks past the bus stop will be) and about 20 minutes later the owner's older sister rang up. I could tell by the tone of her voice she wasn't sure if she'd be speaking to a phone thief or what but I just explained I'd found it and where she could find me etc.

They were very relieved.

Sorry about your phone, OP. You should ring Apple to get it shut off. At least the bastards won't make money off you.

SashaSashays · 11/03/2013 00:47

Having lost 3 phones in the past few years, 2 of which were evidently then used by someone else I'm not surprised. One actually had the cheek to change the BBM picture and status to their own, my dc who are pretty much my main contacts on BBM were so confused. I sent them a message explaining what I thought of them and then had it blacklisted. Second time they sent 'you have the wrong number' to all my texts I received, it was only people calling me at home that made me realised I'd lost it.

I've now put passwords, use dropbox and have find my iphone and blackberry protect.

People are grabby cunts.

xMinerva · 11/03/2013 01:09

Dp found a phone in a car park a while ago. The police actually weren't that interested, so I tried to find a number for home or mum & dad or similar, the phone was password locked though so couldn't do it, took it to the vodafone shop but they said there was nothing they could do and handed it back to us (knowing it wasn't ours) it's now sat in my kitchen, battery dead and I've no idea what to do with it.

Can't say we didn't try to get it back to it's owner though.

I've lost a fair few phones in my time (before the age of about 20) and never got them back.

sashh · 11/03/2013 05:36

xMinerva

Try putting the sim in another phone - I did that when I found a phone in my car and although I couldn't call I could get to the address book and cal 'dad'.

BakeSaleBarbie · 11/03/2013 07:01

I tracked my stolen phone on Latitude once...still the police said they had no evidence to search the house it was showing as residing in!

I made the mistake of leaving my HTC on the counter of the post office and whoever went in after me nabbed it - the post office denied they'd seen it too.

It's a sad fact of life these days that save for a few people, most would happily pocket someone else's belongings with no qualms.

livinginwonderland · 11/03/2013 08:07

if i find a phone, i'll keep it and call the home number and say i've found their phone, or keep it and wait for the panicked owner to call it. the only reason i don't hand them in is because many people don't realise where they've lost them!

lollilou · 11/03/2013 08:15

I found a phone a few weeks ago on a bench underneath a notice board so I left a note to say I'd handed it in to the pub nearby.
When I went in a while later the barman said someone had picked it up but they hadn't said to say thankyou. Thought that was a bit off, it was an expensive phone too.

Original poster

MummytoMog · 11/03/2013 13:13

So my new phone arrived less than 24 hours after I called the insurers - great news you would think. Except that DH inexplicably got into an argument with the delivery driver (he was leaving to drop DD off at nursery and apparently couldn't wait a couple of minutes to take delivery of my new phone) and now the f*cker has gone off and not left a card.

Breathe. Breathe. It's a first world problem.

OP posts:

Asheth · 11/03/2013 13:23

This happened to me once. And it wasn't even and expensive phone. it was as about as old and basic as they come! The person who kept it would probably have had to pay more than the phone was worth to buy a charger and a new sim! I really want to believe in karma and hope that every phone they ever own mysteriously falls down the toilet after a couple of weeks!

BlessedDespair · 11/03/2013 13:31

If I was able to scroll through the contacts and find something like home/mum/dad etc then I'd ring one of those numbers to let them know that the phone had been found and to arrange to return it.

If the phone was locked then I'd had it in :)

GregBishopsBottomBitch · 11/03/2013 13:35

I'd hand it in, i would never keep it, if i want one i'll pay for one.

kerala · 11/03/2013 13:36

Bastards. Hope karma bites them on the bum.

I dropped mine on the tube before Id even realised it was gone DH got a call from a bloke saying he had it if we wanted it he would be in x pub for the next hour or so so DH went and collected it.

My friend dropped hers outside our house last week and her parents got a call in the middle of the night from a guy who had found it. His friend said to keep it he had wrestled with his conscience and done the right thing. So many people are decent.

atthewelles · 11/03/2013 14:02

YANBU but its surprising how many people think finding something and keeping it is not the same as actually stealing. An awful lot of people admit that if they found money dropped somewhere they would keep it instead of going to the police.
My mum dropped a ?50 note in the shop recently. She realised when she was at the checkout and the staff had a look and no sign. Later when they were looking at their security camera they saw her dropping it and a young woman immediately behind her just picking it up and putting it in her pocket. I bet that toerag woman wouldn't dream of shoplifting or putting her hand into someone's bag, but she obviously thought what she did was different .

Mother2many · 12/03/2013 15:50

My DIL got a call, "found this phone and your name was on the contact"... If you want it back meet me with $20. She called my sister, and informed her. My sister had cancelled the phone to prevent unwanted calls. Then couldn't locate the person who had her phone!!!

HOWEVER

Ironically...this person who found the phone recognized someone else's name on the contact list (who was our youngest sister!!)...and called them. They knew them! WOW...small world.

cost... ZERO...

ComposHat · 12/03/2013 15:57

I found a mobile in the streets in York (way before smart phones) phoned the last number which was the owner's partner. Told her tht I'd found ir and took it to her work and handed it over to her.

She dnatched the thing out of my hands and didn't even get a mumbled thank you for my troubles.

ComposHat · 12/03/2013 16:00

Money I dunno, if it was a twenty quid note and couldn't find who'd dropped it. I'd be disinclined to take it to the cop shop. I imgaine if I did it would find its way into the desk sergeant's back pocket.

If I am lucky enough to find a twenty quid note, I'd be tempted to stick it into a charity tin.

Poledra · 12/03/2013 16:02

DH lost his phone on the train (some years ago) and got a call from the man who found it - we were able to collect it the next day (and yes, DH did say thank you!).

A few months later, we were coming home on the late train, with a bunch of very pissed teenagers near us. After they got off, DH noticed a phone lying on the seat, went to pick it up and also found two bank cards too! We were just looking through the contact list when the phone rang, so we arranged to leave the phone and cards with the station master at the next station for the young lad to collect the next day. He was very grateful to DH, but did say 'My dad is going to kill me' in such a woebegone voice that DH could only laugh!

Sorry, your phone was found by a dickhead - my mother once left a ring lying on the washhand basin in M&S, went running back in and the only person in there denied they had seen it

Catchingmockingbirds · 12/03/2013 16:02

I found a phone outside lying in the grass outside my house once, I looked through the phonebook until I found 'mum' and texted the number explaining that I had found the phone and they could come and pick it up if they wanted. I heard nothing for about an hour so started doing some hoovering. In the space of about 10 minutes (when the Hoover was on so I couldn't hear the phone) I had about 6 calls and loads of texts along the lines of 'this is my young daughters phone, she's devastated that she's lost it and won't stop crying, give the phone back...'

Fgs I just wanted to hoover , I wouldn't have text saying I found it and they could come get it if I wanted to keep it.

Mintyy · 12/03/2013 16:04

Tethersend - that's luvverly that is.

PeachActiviaMinge · 12/03/2013 16:09

YANBU I left my Blackberry in the local shop on the counter once after getting home and realizing it was missing I went back to the shop where they viewed the CCTV with me and saw a woman put her handbag over the phone and slide it off the counter into her hand. I was absolutely horrified and broken I actually haven't owned a mobile phone since. Can't afford a replacement and my Nan brought that one for me.

Some people just don't care she was a well dressed middle class looking lady but maybe she needed a phone who knows it was my stupid fault for leaving it.

Love Tethers story though shows how well honesty can pay off!

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