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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

I found some money...

205 replies

cooksomeeggs · 09/04/2019 07:32

We are currently on holiday, arrived yesterday. Had to make up the beds and when I pulled the mattress up, I found an envelope with £175 in it. On the front of the envelope it had a woman's name on it.
Obviously someone has left this behind and I would have been devastated if I had lost that amount of money. My husband and I agree that if we handed it in (to the complex/police), it probably wouldn't reach the owner. Would I be unreasonable to give the money to my friend who is raising money to support a charity?

OP posts:
storminabuttercup · 10/04/2019 19:01

It could very well be that the money was lost and some poor cleaner has been accused of taking it (though not a thorough cleaner if it was in the bed) I had a friend who was always saying things must had been taken on holiday when in reality she’d just lost them. By handing it in you’ve got someone off the hook. If I lost something I’d phone where I thought I’d lost it not the police

0rachel0 · 10/04/2019 19:07

If there is a facebook site of the hotel I would probably post that someone had left something in your room and you have handed it in. I wouldn't imply it's money or that there was a name on the envelope but the person who lost it may read the comments and know it had been handed in and it may also push the staff to return it instead of keeping it.
I found £20 in ASDA one time and handed it in, the man in front of me then found me to ask if I had found the money he had left so I took him to the person I handed it in to and they denied me doing it so it looked like I had stolen it. But that was a one off and I have handed many things in which have always got back to the owner and my own things have been handed in before so I always do it but I can definitely see why you would think twice about it at first.

nuxe1984 · 10/04/2019 19:17

Hand it in to the police, not the complex. But let the complex know you've done this in case the person who's left the money asks about it.
If it's not collected within a certain time it legally becomes yours and you can then give it to charity.

SchoolOfLife2 · 10/04/2019 19:20

Which county is it? Can you announce on the Facebook page of the hotel you are staying in that you found money and for the person looking for it to reach out to police ?

SchoolOfLife2 · 10/04/2019 19:25

If it was somewhere like Egypt or South America, I won’t be handing it to police. I really don’t trust it will reach anyone but the pocket I gave it to.

JinglingHellsBells · 10/04/2019 19:41

Does nobody read the thread?

The OP said pages back she has handed it in.

Unless there are updates.

JinglingHellsBells · 10/04/2019 19:43

In the UK.
We've just handed it in. Had to fill out a form

OP posted this early yesterday.

Sophiesdog11 · 10/04/2019 19:48

If it was somewhere like Egypt or South America

Op said about 4 pages ago that it was the Uk, wish people would read the thread!

Op, you said it is a ‘complex’, I am wondering if the previous occupant has paid for a group of family/friends on a credit card, then someone has handed over their share in cash. It would explain why it was in a basic envelope which just had a first name on it. It’s what we would have done when going away with friends in the past, these days we just pay the organiser by bank transfer.

onegiftedgal · 10/04/2019 19:54

I would not hand it in because you are quite right in that it would probably never reach the owner.
Say to the reception that you have a lost item of the previous resident and could they contact them to see if they are missing anything. Then I would liase directly with that person once they have proved to you what the lost item is. Then arrange together how to get it back to them.
You sound as though you believe that the police/ reception would not 'pass' on the money and I get that. I mean, the chances of the cash finding the owner through si many slippery hands are slim.
So, sit on it, report that you have found an item, wait for the real owner to contact you and if no one gets back to you then giving it to charity is a lovely idea op.

onegiftedgal · 10/04/2019 19:55

Just seen that op has handed it in and no I don't read tft because I am giving my opinion to ops original question - that's the point of posting isn't it?

SirGawain · 10/04/2019 19:56

The OP has done the right thing and the fact that she had to fill in a form hardly suggests the the hotel staff intend to pocket the cash.

spongedog · 10/04/2019 19:59

I am just reading the thread and wondering if OP has cancelled the cheque yet!

FoxSquadKitten · 10/04/2019 20:05

Does nobody read the thread?

The OP said pages back she has handed it in.

This, people, this ^ 🤬
Gah, RTFT!!!!

FoxSquadKitten · 10/04/2019 20:06

and no I don't read tft because I am giving my opinion to ops original question - that's the point of posting isn't it?

Ha ha ha, yeah ok then 😆

blueskiesrule · 10/04/2019 20:07

My mum once had this problem when she didnt trust that the found money would find its way to the real owner (and she thought if it wasnt claimed she ought to have it rather than some random hotel person Smile. In the end she left her name and number and said that it was a "sum" of money found and for the person to contact her with the details and she would return it if they matched. That way she could check that they had the right amount of money and the kind of envelope it was in (in her case it was a pay packet) etc etc. It did get back to the owner safely and everyone was happy.

SchoolOfLife2 · 10/04/2019 20:07

I don’t think a post about lost property is exciting enough to go through the boring updates.

blueskiesrule · 10/04/2019 20:09

Smile In my effort to help quickly didnt read the thread...Blush...might help someone else though I guess!

Starlight456 · 10/04/2019 20:13

not read all 7 pages.. is there a fb group for hotel might be worth posting on there.

DontCallMeShitley · 10/04/2019 20:38

I have taken my spending money away in cash, for the entire holiday. Had a friend who was happy to change it for me due to the exchange rate, it may well have been in an envelope and would have had a name on if it had been retrieved from the hotel deposit box. If kept in the room safe it would not have had a name on.

However, it is a very normal thing for an escort to be paid by a 'discreet' punter with cash in an envelope and name written on it. Maybe an escort on tour renting the room, or a businessman hiding it there to give to his escort.

Jenasaurus · 10/04/2019 20:45

My late mum would do something like this
When we changed her sheets we would find envelopes with cash in and her name on them. This was when she had early stage dementia. The money may belong to someone who struggles with keeping tabs on their money and hides it under the mattress but forgot it was there. As I say something my mum would do and forget about so there would often be more than one envelope under her mattress. Please try and reunite it with it’s owner it is a substantial amount and they are probably fretting about it.

LouJJersey · 10/04/2019 20:46

The person who left it might have early onset dementia. Anyone who has experienced this will know it’s quite usual, sadly for people to misplace things of great value .

Original poster
cooksomeeggs · 10/04/2019 20:53

Thanks to those who suggested posting on fb. I didn't think of that and have now done so.
Just to confirm, I handed in the money yesterday morning and had to fill in a form with the complex.
I had briefly thought that giving the lost money to charity might be a nice thing to do (not to make myself look good, either!) I didn't want the money for myself. I never saw it as mine.
My husband said that if he was paying an escort for their services then he would not write their name on the front of an envelope. The cleaners are employed on site (big complex, in house staff) so I doubt they are paid cash in hand.
The envelope was red. Just looked like birthday/holiday money collated in an envelope.
Off to have a chat with DH about why he knows so much about escort services Grin

OP posts:
Original poster
cooksomeeggs · 10/04/2019 21:04

@onegiftedgal I think in the settings there is a way to highlight updates from the original poster. Someone more knowledgeable than me might come along and explain how to do it (mine show up as green.) might be useful for the future.

OP posts:
DesertSky · 10/04/2019 21:06

I’ve taken money that I’ve been given for a birthday or as a gift in an envelope away with me before, nothing strange about that!
Hopefully it’s reunited with its rightful owner!

DontCallMeShitley · 10/04/2019 21:58

My husband said that if he was paying an escort for their services then he would not write their name on the front of an envelope.

He may not but others do. (not saying he has experience of such things). Some also buy a nice card and put it inside that. It lessens the feeling of it being a business transaction and is more of a 'girlfriend experience'. It may also come with a gift, a scarf, small piece of jewellery etc.

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