Tradesman left item behind

[Teancake1]

I'd a tradesman working in my house for a week. On the last day I'd an appointment so left him to it. When I returned, I saw he'd forgotten a tool. I looked it up and it's valued about £250. I texted him straight away, he read it but no reply still after 12 days. We got on very well, chatted a lot, he volunteered a lot about his life and asked about mine, so no issues there. The job is also paid for and finished. It was sitting on the kitchen table. I'm not going to text again, I've done it once, but I'll keep it safe. AIBU not to contact again?

YANBU not to contact him again, he knows where is if he wants to collect it.

if it was something small enough, I would just put it away somewhere and forget about it, I wouldn't leave it in the kitchen on the bench as it would keep annoying me.

I would msg once more just saying are you coming to get this tool

I wouldn't do anymore. After a month I would get rid of it. Not my responsibility if he doesn't collect it.

Very strange that you looked up its value, what on earth did you do that for?! It’s not yours

Because I was curious if it was something cheap that he didn't mind misplacing. I'll never sell it even if it's years, I'm just store it away, so not intending to sell... if he comes back in 3 years he'll still get it

That's the problem which tool is it

Did you fancy him a bit?

I don't get the point of your post?
I think you fancy him and are secretly hoping he left it on purpose to come back ?
🤔

Then why is there a problem with messaging him again? Can't understand why you wouldn't send him another text.

Don’t message again, you’ll look desperate, even if you aren’t.

If he wants the tool he will come and get it.

We had a delivery person once leave a heavy duty sack truck behind, and despite calling the company to inform them we were keeping it safely, it's never been picked up. So we do use it and share it out with neighbours as well. I suspect they felt making the extra journey back to retrieve it wasn't worth it for some reason.

Just leave op, put it in your shed or garage and if he hadn’t come back in a year it’s yours lol

I'd message once more. Hi Steve, I need to know if you're coming to collect your hammer or if you're happy for me to dispose of it. if I haven't heard off you by the 5th I'll assume it's the latter.

Desperate he's not a first date hes a trademan who's potentially had a busy week and its completely slipped his mind. Another message shouldn't take this much thought or energy

Just message
”Hi Steve, just a reminder again as ive been thinking a lot about your tool. I’ve been looking up pictures of similar tools online but yours seems to be one of the most capable. If you come back you can prove it to me with a demonstration, or perhaps you will let
me handle it and you can show me
how to get the most out of it.”

This. Honestly I do wonder how people dress themselves in the morning. This site really highlights how many adults are just incapable of really basic things.

Don't text him in case you look desperate? What the what now?

'Steve - can you shift your hammer drill or its going on ebay/in my tool kit - get it collected by friday or it's mine'.

I 'won' a really nice spirit level this way once, the chap didn't care, tools were supplied by his employers, not personal kit.

Perhaps he left it as an excuse to come back. Is his name Garry with two r's?

OP:

if he comes back in 3 years he'll still get it

To see if it's worth it to be bothering him with.

If it turns out to be a plastic screwdriver he got in a Christmas cracker, she might as well just throw it in the bin as he's unlikely to miss it.

If its a DeWalt drill worth £100+, he's going to want it back.

Seems reasonable

😂

Oo-er.

We got on very well, chatted a lot, he volunteered a lot about his life and asked about mine 😕

And the relevance of this conversation is what exactly? You think he left his 'tool' so he could meet you again? I just hope neither of you are married/in a relationships because its sounds very odd. No, I wouldn't message him again about his 'tool'.

I had a tradesman forget a tool a few years back, I contacted the agency to say he could pop anytime in the next couple of days to pick it up, the woman on the line sniggered and said I'll let him know. Tradesman turned up next day, scrubbed, aftershaved and smartly dressed. There was some awkwardness when I did actually handover the screwdriver or whatever it was and said bye. I've often wondered if leaving a tool or saying they could pop and collect it was some kind of code for are you up for it lol 🙂.......

surely people can easily read a text and forget to reply/action the text especially tradesmen who will I assume get a lot of messages for jobs etc etc.even threatening to dispose of it is too soon I would say!
just messsge “hi just checking you got my last text about the tool you left behind. When do you want to collect it”
if that message goes unanswered I would send a third a long time after saying you will dispose of it by x date.
none of this is desperate 😳😳