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AIBU?

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Original poster

Does nobody hand in lost property any more?

60 replies

EduCated · 24/04/2017 07:48

I've seen three 'lost property' posts on Facebook and it's not even 8am. All things found out and about, and asking people to share to 'reunite' the items with their owners.

The last is a child's wallet with money in it, found in a shop. Try bloody leaving it in the shop! Far more likely to find it there than from some person on FB. Others were items found at a park near a visitors centre, and on a train.

Seem to be seeing it more and more lately, and just don't understand why you wouldn't hand it in (maybe, maybe if you are in the middle of nowhere and there's nowhere sensible to hand it in I can understand).

AIBU to find this mildly irritating?

OP posts:
treaclesoda · 24/04/2017 07:50

Because people don't trust other people. If you hand it in to the shop you don't know what happens to it. If you take control of it yourself, you know.

treaclesoda · 24/04/2017 07:51

Sorry, you didn't ask 'why' so I answered the wrong question.

But I think that's why people do it. People often assume that other people are dishonest.

MongerTruffle · 24/04/2017 07:51

YANBU

It must be easier to hand it in to the shop rather than writing out a Facebook post.

Ifailed · 24/04/2017 07:52

probably so they can boast about how trustworthy they are on FB.

Original poster
EduCated · 24/04/2017 07:52

I find that pretty sad. I still think there's far more chance of a child/parent going back to a shop they were in to see if it was there than spotting a post on Facebook that's had a couple of shares from friends of the person who found it.

OP posts:
Boynamedsue · 24/04/2017 07:53

YANBU. I don't understand this at all. There was one on my Facebook feed recently where they'd found a 'clearly much loved' childs toy in Ikea. Please share so we can reunite. Just hand it in to sodding Ikea! They're far more likely to go back once they realise it's lost than to randomly come across it on Facebook.

RainbowPastel · 24/04/2017 07:53

I think in most cases you are right but in London it costs a lot to get Lost Property back from Transport for London. I am on Lostbox in Facebook that is brilliant for getting things back. Cameras especially from all over the world.

Original poster
EduCated · 24/04/2017 07:55

Rainbow That still kind of relies on you knowing that though, I visit London every few months or so, but if I lost something would go to lost property, I wouldn't realise there's a dedicated group. Guess it works better for locals!

OP posts:
xyzandabc · 24/04/2017 07:57

I agree, why not hand it in to the place, then, if you really want to, put a post on Facebook saying where it is.

We get quite a lot of these on a local selling page which is fine if the owner of lost item is a local, as chances are even if they are not on the site themselves one of their friends will be. But if the owner is just a visitor, they've no hope of finding it.

CatEatCatWorld · 24/04/2017 08:00

There was one on mine the other day "Found £10 and B and Ms in x town, handed in to the shop". I'll bet there was a fair few people went down to get "their" tenner.

CatEatCatWorld · 24/04/2017 08:01

At* not and. Blush

Rinoachicken · 24/04/2017 08:03

I found an kids iPhone at a bus station recently. There was a school ID card so I knew I would be able to reunite the phone with the owner. So I took t home, left a message with the school (it was a weekend).

I didn't hand it to the bus station lost property because I (rightly as it turned out) guessed the kid had caught a bus and would have little idea where he'd actually lost it.

Hours later the kids dad called the phone and he and his son came I've rto collect it later. They were very grateful. And sure enough the kid had no idea where he'd lost it so wouldn't have known which lost property to contact.

Notso · 24/04/2017 08:04

YANBU unless it's been found in the middle of nowhere just hand it in.

Original poster
EduCated · 24/04/2017 08:07

I can see that makes sense, when there was a more obvious way to get it back to its owner Rino

OP posts:
minisoksmakehardwork · 24/04/2017 08:07

I do think some of it is the 'look what a good citizen I am' and an ego boost for the finder. But in reality it would depend on what was found and where. I'd be more likely to post to say 'found x in y, have left with customer service' if in a shop. Phones I'd keep as in all likelihood the owner would try phoning it and in reality, leaving it in a shop might mean it wouldn't be answered before the battery went flat.

frasersmummy · 24/04/2017 08:11

I once suggested on a Facebook post that a found wallet complete with cash cc etc in a town centre park should be handed into local police station...

The no of people saying...Why would you do that???? Apparently the police would destroy the cc...🙄

Fluffyears · 24/04/2017 08:21

I found a train pass, it was quite a wee bit away from the local station. I looked up the ladies name and she was on a Facebook group with me so I managed to tag her on the group to say I had it and woukd hand it into the station the next day. She was lovely and appreciative. I also found a phone once and called the number listed under 'mum' to tell her I'd found the phone. This was years ago and it was a Nokia with no passcode.

TempusEedjit · 24/04/2017 08:24

If an item I'd found had monetary rather than just sentimental value I'd probably ask to take a selfie of me handing in the whatever-it-was to the shop/police etc so there's proof of it. Not that the person reclaiming it would know about it but maybe it might discourage unscrupulous staff if they thought I might be phoning the manager for an update later (not saying that most staff are unscrupulous, just a minority).

FairytalesAreBullshit · 24/04/2017 08:27

I personally would, even a stray £5. A £ coin is be tempted to put it in a charity box. There was a case that caused uproar on Loose Women, when they spoke of someone I believe to have been prosecuted for finding say £20 and thinking the God's are in my favour today. I think they were found guilty of theft, being tracked on CCTV as picking it up.

I'm always wary that £5 even can be a lot of money to someone. It goes without saying that phones / jewellery has sentimental value.

To a degree I think so many are affected by shit wages and high living costs, they may consider trading in a lost phone for cash. So it can be dog eat dog. I believe in karma and good deeds though too. So for me it's unquestionable about what to do if you find something. You hand it in.

BadKnee · 24/04/2017 08:28

Because as must be obvious, there is less cohesion in society, less trust, fewer shared values and a higher level of entitlement/individualism over the common good.

You see it everywhere.

Lost property can now be sold on ebay or FB easily and with no questions asked. "Nice respectable" people who wouldn't have been seen down the pub or on a market stall selling off stuff can list it on ebay without notice.

It's a shame. Everything I have lost in the last ten - fifteen years has not been "found"

Chattymummyhere · 24/04/2017 08:29

Our local police ask us to keep things and locate the owner or just leave it on the floor or wherever they won't take in lost property.

Phones I always try to find a contact to call if not I had it in at the nearest place and post on fb that I found (make of phone) in location X couldn't access contacts so handed into Y place. Once a phone had a text for a medical appointment on the screen so I rang the medical practise from my phone so they could take a note that person whoever had misplaced their phone and that if they still made their appointment could they let them know it had been handed into Y place.

FairytalesAreBullshit · 24/04/2017 08:29

I would look for security, or say if in a pub that's where they'd look for it, failing that the police, but take a photo and say 'Found at this place, handed in to police' Then hopefully it's shared so it reaches its rightful owner.

Badbadbunny · 24/04/2017 08:31

My son lost a favourite soft toy after leaving it in a Vue cinema. He realised literally just a few minutes after leaving the cinema. We went straight back there. Staff couldn't give a shit. I asked if one had been handed in and the stroppy girl behind the counter could barely look away from her iphone to glibly say no. I asked if she could check lost property - lots of signing and she started to pretend to look under the counter and then said no. I asked if she could ask the cleaners if they'd seen it - she stroppily rang someone and just said "no answer". I asked if I could go back into the cinema to look for it. She said no. Eventually I left my name and number and she promised someone would ring me later that day once she'd spoken to the cleaners. Not surprised in the slightest not to hear from her. Next day, I rang and insisted on speaking to the manager. Another disinterested clone who had no record of anything being handed in nor any record of my details, so the stroppy mare hadn't even noted it down! After that, I'll simply not hand in anything I found if the person behind the counter has that kind of couldn't care less attitude.

iseenodust · 24/04/2017 08:31

DS lost his phone at a night time outdoors event at an English Heritage property. I dragged him to the back to the entrance to ask if they would call my phone if it got handed in. The phone had got there before we did !

BlooBagoo · 24/04/2017 08:31

Most of the time when I see posts like that it's before the person has had a chance to hand it in somewhere and they're posting on the off-chance someone knows the owner so it would save them a trip to the police station. Plus due to cutbacks our police station is hardly ever open for stuff like that, and since everyone knows everyone else around here anyway it's a much faster way to reunite keys/wallet/card/toy/phone/dog with their owner.