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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Aibu to ask if you lost a solid gold bracelet in Selfridges last week?

134 replies

Lostandfoundwoman · 27/12/2017 16:31

On 19 December, I found a solid gold bracelet (hallmarked) in one of the concesssions of Selfridges on Oxford Street. I took it to the concession's till where staff said they would take it to Lost Property on the fourth floor. When I wrote down my details so I could have confirmation it had made it there, they decided they were too busy to go to the fourth floor after all. So I was going to take it up myself.

A name-badged member of the concession's staff then approached me and said she would take the bracelet straight to the 4th floor. I gave her my details so that I could have confirmation of safe receipt by LP.

The next day, having heard nothing, I emailed Selfridges with a photograph of the bracelet to check it had found its way to Lost Property. They replied 2 days later at 10pm saying the store was closed so they couldn’t tell me.

I emailed again a few days later, and this time they emailed back saying they couldn’t tell me about the bracelet because of data protection.

I pointed out I was not asking for personal information, just whether the bracelet had safely made it to Lost Property and whether it had been claimed. I also said that if it was not claimed, then I expected it back as I was the next rightful owner. Actually, I am not very interested in having it but I do want to ensure it has not disappeared along the way.

This afternoon, Selfridges wrote back one line: “We would not be looking to release the item to yourself.”

Would it not be easy for them to tell me if the bracelet is in Lost Property and/or whether it has been claimed? Is there any good reason I haven’t thought of for them to be so evasive? AIBU to find their communications strange? What do stores usually do with valuable unclaimed Lost Property?

Anyway, if any MNer lost a solid gold bracelet in Selfridges last week, I can match your description with my photo and let you know where it should be!

OP posts:
LavenderDoll · 29/12/2017 16:14

I'm with you WashingMatilda

itsbetterthanabox · 29/12/2017 16:19

It will be difficult for customer services to get in contact with that particular store and find out. They are busy and to them this isn’t urgent or anything to do with you.
Customer services will be busy and it will be a struggle to get this information from a particular store.
Having worked in customer services I would have been told to get rid of you as it’s not your property and a waste of my time.

DeepanKrispanEven · 29/12/2017 16:39

But what are customer services there for if not to deal with inquiries from customers? I doubt that they're so massively busy that they can't spend a couple of minutes sending an email to the relevant store and making a note to follow up on it. If anything, that's quicker than drafting silly messages to OP quoting an irrelevant Act.

thornyhousewife · 29/12/2017 16:44

Leave them alone! Surely lost property is one of the perks of the job.

I say that as someone who lost a necklace in a hotel which was stolen by staff before it reached lost property. My fault for losing it in the first place.

Call the police? My God.

misscheery · 29/12/2017 16:46

I also think their behaviour is dodgy. I mean you could've put it in your pocket and that would've been the end of the story, but you handed it in so I don't quite get their reaction. You did the right thing, OP.

LurkingHusband · 29/12/2017 16:59

Leave them alone! Surely lost property is one of the perks of the job.

Interesting POV. Theft as a perk of the job.

thornyhousewife · 29/12/2017 17:02

@lurkinghusband

Absolutely.

MrMeSeeks · 29/12/2017 17:02

Leave them alone! Surely lost property is one of the perks of the job.
I've never known a place give lost property to its staff.

Batmanwearspants · 29/12/2017 17:04

I used to work in Selfridges. They have their own store detectives who investigate things like employee fraud, abuse of discount and the handling of lost property. The employee will have handed it in but if they haven't Selfridges will almost definitely have noticed.

You involvement stops the moment you hand it in to a member of staff. Let it go.

PistFump · 29/12/2017 17:07

I agree with pps - I would contact the store and say I have lost a gold bracelet and give a description of it and give it to police instead.

KhalliWali · 29/12/2017 17:15

Is it possible that the owner has already claimed it? Then I guess they would be protected by ‘data protection’.

ItMadeMyEyesWater · 29/12/2017 17:21

Very suspicious, I bet it never had a whiff of lost property. Wouldn't be surprised if a member of staff gave it away as a Christmas present. I would ring pretending to be owner, just to test reaction, as to it's whereabouts.

IncyWincyGrownUp · 29/12/2017 17:35

BrewCake

I handed in a wedge of cash to Tesco once. I asked a few weeks later if it had been collected, and they said yes. Without checking my name, the book, dates and amounts etc. Pretty sure it never made it to the cupboard.

wineandcheeseplease · 29/12/2017 17:41

What did the police say

DGRossetti · 29/12/2017 17:50

Be curious to know the chapter and verse on lost property law, here.

Just losing something doesn't transfer ownership to the finder. It also doesn't transfer ownership to the premises the item was found in either (no matter what signs may say).

I am pretty certain that it places an obligation on the finder to keep it for a "reasonable" period of time, in case it's claimed.

The words "involuntary baillee" sound familiar.

Is it not also the case that some items (i.e. passports, bank cards) never belong to the "owner" but remain the property of someone else ? So a "lost" bank card is actually the banks property ?

(It's a testament to how good TV is this Xmas, I'm pondering the above Smile)

MargeryB · 29/12/2017 18:12

My dd found money in Sainsburys and they gave it to her after it wasn't claimed within a set period of time.

PatricianOfAnkhMorpork · 29/12/2017 19:08

If you decide to contact the Selfridges UK MD then it’s Anne Pritcher you are looking for

AHintOfStyle · 29/12/2017 19:21

So I can see on twitter that they asked for details on a DM and then they have tweeted that they have now responded to your DM - did you get a satisfactory answer?

haveacupofteaandamincepie · 29/12/2017 19:30

You could put in a freedom of information request for their lost property policy if your heart so desired.

Youcanstayundermyumbrella · 29/12/2017 19:35

I know Selfridges is posh but I don't think it's actually owned by the Queen, which is the only way it would be subject to FOI.

RJnomore1 · 29/12/2017 19:35

I don't think selfridges as a private company are covered by FOI?

SandyDenny · 29/12/2017 19:38

Data protection sounds like a made up excuse because they know something dodgy is going on. What data could there be in this situation?

Ask them how long they keep their CCTV for, they might still be able to see you handing it over

RatRolyPoly · 29/12/2017 19:44

What I've learnt from this thread: if you ever find anything valuable in a shop do not hand it to lost property. Instead take it to the police and inform the shop's lost property that that's where anyone presenting as the owner should look for it. Then if noone claims it... it's mine!

kaytee87 · 29/12/2017 19:46

They can't tell you their lost property policy due to data protection GrinGrinGrin
Person doesn't have a clue what they're talking about.

itsbetterthanabox · 29/12/2017 19:46

Deepan
You’ve not worked in customer services no?
Most customer services is outsourced so they will be massively busy as they most likely represent many companies.
Customer services is for enquiries for customers- op isn’t a customer. I’m not saying it’s right I’m saying how it is.
They most likely don’t have a contact for the individual store except maybe the store manager and would not be contacting them over this.
If they do contact them they are unlikely to receive a reply and it won’t be high priority for anyone.
The op isn’t the person who lost the item. The person who lost it can go into the store and ask.
Other large stores are very strict on theft so I imagine they are the same. I would very much doubt this is dodgy it’s just none of the ops business.