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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To Wish I'd Never Asked

60 replies

Jemima232 · 01/06/2019 16:23

DH found a set of keys near our house today. The road (but not house number) was attached to them.

I posted on our local FB page that we'd got these keys and asked the owner to PM me.

Jeez. I got answers ranging from "take them back yourself" (how, as I didn't know the full address) and "the owner may not have FB so will never know you've got them" and "give them to the village shopkeeper and the owner can ask in there.)

I wish I hadn't bothered if I'm honest.

OP posts:

Bezalelle · 01/06/2019 16:40

No good deed goes unpunished, as the saying goes!

hellomellowyellow87 · 02/06/2019 12:43

Don’t worry OP, you still did the right thing

justeatasalad · 02/06/2019 12:58

You did a nice thing I'd be grateful if they were mine . Ignore silly comments.

DanielRicciardosSmile · 02/06/2019 13:02

how, as I didn't know the full address

Now come on, OP, it's obvious that what you're meant to do is walk along the road trying the keys in every front door until you find the one they open. Then you walk in, breezily announce "I found your keys!" and walk out again, being sure to help yourself to an apple from the fruit bowl, and possibly a couple of roast spuds if they're halfway through their Sunday Dinner.

Pinotjo · 02/06/2019 13:28

Same happened to me, found keys outside my house on a Sunday night, posted a pic of them on fb, on the fob was a garage phone, 20 messages of theres a number on the key fob, yeah it's a garage and its Sunday night ffs. Put them back where you found them, call police etc. Found the owner, same night but christ it was stressful, never again, the trolls do like to get involved

DuchessOfBallybrack · 02/06/2019 13:33

Oh those local fb groups!!
I once asked what time an older style of shop closed for lunch ( cobbler/key cutter kind of place) and I was shamed for asking such a stupid question! Couldnt believe it! I was just wondering if somebody knew. Id never post on it again even if I found a wallet.

Yabbers · 02/06/2019 13:38

I do wonder why people do this. Surely you find something, you hand it in to the police?

I found a wallet once. I said on FB that I’d found it and it was with the service desk in the shopping mall I’d been in. That way, if the person didn’t have FB there was still a chance they would be able to find it.

SpoonBlender · 02/06/2019 13:40

Doing anything on a local Facebook page seems to only ever attract the interest of the "dumb and nothing better to do than FB all day" set. They're as bad as mail online or youtube commenters.

Happens in real life as well - I found a phone, it had emergency contact details set up, I organised to give it back (safe place etc). The handover started off well but then her presumably-BF started to get all aggressive and "you didn't find it you stole it" so I just walked away past the policemen outside the cop shop we were outside, who gave him an interested look and he muttered off.

People are shit and shouldn't be allowed.

SpoonBlender · 02/06/2019 13:41

I'll definitely go with Yabbers 'hand it in somewhere' plan next time.

StillCoughingandLaughing · 02/06/2019 13:43

I do wonder why people do this. Surely you find something, you hand it in to the police?

All very well if you’re anywhere near the police station. Assuming it hasn’t been closed down or had its opening hours cut back due to council cuts.

The OP tried to get the keys back to their owner. After the responses she got I don’t blame her for wishing she hadn’t bothered.

StillCoughingandLaughing · 02/06/2019 13:46

People are shit and shouldn't be allowed.

This is my new philosophy of life

ChardonnaysPrettySister · 02/06/2019 13:53

I found a wallet once. Never again will I bother with trying to help with a lost/stolen item.

HollowTalk · 02/06/2019 13:57

It's not always like this, though. My son got into a taxi at Euston - the guy getting out left his phone behind. My son phoned the guys friends and got a phone call that night asking him to post it to him in Scotland. He sent him £30 through PayPal and was really grateful. Some people are decent, others aren't. There's a pack mentality on FB, same as on here at times.

TestingTestingWonTooFree · 02/06/2019 13:58

Most police forces aren’t interested in lost property. I picked up a hearing aid recently (and wished I hadn’t). Tried to give it to the police and unless it was guns or drugs they weren’t interested. Seemed like most forces have taken a policy decision not to use resources on lost property.

missbattenburg · 02/06/2019 14:00

I do wonder why people do this. Surely you find something, you hand it in to the police?

I did this with some keys I found. The owner saw the post and popped round a couple of hours later to collect them. No need to waste limited police time. Plus our local police station is only open for 2 hours on a Thursday. The next closest is 30 mins drive away.

MereDintofPandiculation · 02/06/2019 14:05

I do wonder why people do this. Surely you find something, you hand it in to the police? Our nearest police station is 6 miles away, or by public transport over an hour with two changes. And I'm in the city. I can't remember the last time I saw a police officer on the streets round us.

And of course, if something has been lost round here, handing it in to the police condemns the owner to the aforesaid 6 mile journey for retrieval.

StillCoughingandLaughing · 02/06/2019 14:08

I got answers ranging from "take them back yourself" (how, as I didn't know the full address)

These are probably the same sort of people who want you to deliver when you give things away on Freecycle.

myself2020 · 02/06/2019 14:10

Handing at police station: only if you fancy waiting there for a couple of hours or so. list key are understandably enough not on their priority list... never again (we had found a wallet plus passport - 2 hour wait to hand it in.

AJPTaylor · 02/06/2019 14:13

I moved to a small place recently (population 6000). Our local one is hilarious. "Anyone recognise this dog?" First post, "Yes it belongs to Mrs Miggins. I'll pop along and tell her"
Another "my little girl lost her swimming certificate on the way home from school" 2nd post "it's here safe at the shop, pop in on your way home from school".

Squirrelblanket · 02/06/2019 14:14

Not everyone is on Facebook though. If I'd lost my keys the first thing I'd do is retrace my steps. Leave stuff where you find it!

Sosayi · 02/06/2019 14:20

I found a wallet with a military ID in it on a airport bus at Gatwick I went to hand it in but the queues were massive and I would have missed my bus back home
The contact details were for the guys mother and sister I rang and told them I found his ID and I was happy to post it to him at the military base
He travelled 300 odd miles to collect it from me next day
Apparently losing official military ID is a massive problem and he would have been In deep shit with his bosses
He brought me a bottle of wine chocolates and flowers

Original poster

Jemima232 · 02/06/2019 14:21

Our nearest police station is fifteen miles away.

I did end up taking the keys to the local shop where the owner berated me for not bringing them to him sooner, as the owners had been in asking for the fucking keys.

OP posts:

BlueSkiesLies · 02/06/2019 14:22

I do wonder why people do this. Surely you find something, you hand it in to the police?

Lol. Says someone who hasn’t dealt with any lost property since 1972

grupple · 02/06/2019 14:22

I saw someone's keys in their street door, very obvious to anyone passing. I knocked a few times, then a woman opened the door and had a right go at me for disturbing her.

Hecateh · 02/06/2019 14:23

We do the right thing because of who we are not because of the idiots that don't care except to call other people names.

I really couldn't give a toss what some random stranger thinks of me or my actions,

Police no longer do (most) lost property (there are exceptions)

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