Would you keep or return??

Kimbot

Ok so you are out shopping/walking around and you find a mobile phone on the ground.

What would you do??
Would you keep it or would you try to find the owner??

find the owner or a lostandfound, of course
why on earth would you keep it

Kimbot

bluewolf wrote:

find the owner or a lostandfound, of course
why on earth would you keep it

Just asking the question because I know there are people that would keep it if it was an expensive phone etc!!

My bro found a phone a few weeks ago and he couldn't access it to find the owner but we got into it the other night and returned the phone to a very releived owner!!

Sad Professor

tbh I'd probably not even pick it up but if I did I'd try and find the owner. Which wouldn't be that difficult with a phone.

sunzz

Just hand it into the customer service desk, I lost my phone before and someone was nice enough to had it into lost/found/customer service etc..So I'd like to think I'd do the same.

6th

Check the pictures on it first!

seamus

It's a phone.

1. I have no interest in someone else's phone.
2. I'd like someone to attempt to get my phone back to me.

I found a phone at a gig in the RDS one time. Due to the pain of 50,000 people in one cell at the same time, the standard of call quality made it impossible to co-ordinate and arrange to get the phone back to the owner straight away. He was a Nordie who was getting a bus home straight afterwards, so he had to go home phoneless.

I posted the phone on, all nicely wrapped up a few days later. Never did find out if he'd received it.

dame

Most people would have someone called "Mum" or "Dad" on their phone. Should be easy enough to return it to them. I've never found a phone though.

Kimbot

Also take into account that you could be walking down the road when you find this phone and there is not always a way to hand it in to places!!

markk06

Whatever about the whole moral issue there is also the whole law issue. Correct me if i'm wrong but isnt there a "larceny by finding" law in ireland??

The Law wrote:

the intent permanently to deprive the owner at the time of the taking must be present in all cases. For the purposes of the Convention, however, the mere retention of the object, regardless of intent, together with the existence of an owner whose consent was not given to the taking, are the only relevant factors in deciding whether they constitute stolen objects.

Sad Professor

I'm very careful with my phone and always make sure I have it when getting out of cars, etc, but I wouldn't want to lose it in a taxi as I have a relative who's a taxi driver and any time he finds a phone in the backseat he keeps it. I suspect he even checks when people get out :rolleyes:

On the other hand, I have a friend who lost hers in a taxi and the driver called her house the next day and drove over to return it to her.

olaola

Try to contact the owner and give it back.
Did this once - he sent a courier over with a cash reward

Hagar

I left my phone on the table in a restaurant last Wednesday, went back to find that some kind soul had handed it in. Result.
Do the right thing try to get it bac to the owner.

cold_filter

sunzz wrote:

Just hand it into the customer service desk, I lost my phone before and someone was nice enough to had it into lost/found/customer service etc..So I'd like to think I'd do the same.

Was it a furniture store in sandyford by any chance??

I'd hand it into shop where i found it or ring someone on the phone to get them to let owner know i found it

dbnavan

9 times out of ten, I'd look for the mam or dad, entry in the phone book, must admit I found a phone few years back and kept it because I had my brand new phone nicked on me the night before and I was annoyed over it, however I had very little luck with it, it broke down few weeks later, I could hardly bring it in to be fixed....

Miguel_Sanchez

Sad Professor wrote:

I'm very careful with my phone and always make sure I have it when getting out of cars, etc, but I wouldn't want to lose it in a taxi as I have a relative who's a taxi driver and any time he finds a phone in the backseat he keeps it.

What if one of his passengers forgot to get out one time? :eek:

stovelid

Has happened and I contacted the owner. Wouldn't ever keep it especially since I've lost them myself and know what it's like.

JohnCleary

I'd keep it and keep it switched on, awaiting a phone-call from the owner and i'd meet them.

I found a bag on the ground before, with a wallet etc. in it. Phoned the last dialled and told them to tell the person that i'd left it at the local Garda station. I could have snatched 200'ish euro (in the wallet) and the phone that night but for the sake of a quick few bucks, you're fcuked when Karma decides to bite you in the ass

Riesen_Meal

Situations like this I have to believe in Karma, I found a phone recently outside a pub in Dublin, it was lying in a puddle and switched off, so I couldnt turn it on, my phone is sim free so I was able to put in the sim into my phone (no pin) and retrieve the persons mothers number to tell them.... go their phone back, happy days.....

Couple of weeks later I left my phone on the bus on my way home from college, not a great phone or anything but the numbers were obviously important, so in a frenzy trying to contact Dublin bus (not a hope) we eventually got through on my number to the soundest bus driver (having a smoke on his break!) ever who kindly agreed to meet my father and give him the phone at his last stop, made sure that he gave him €20 just to say thanks....

Karma I tells ya, karma!

DonJose

I found a spanky Motorola Razr in Dundrum SC in House of Frazier, handed it in to the nearest checkout, the phone contained photos and the rest, I know the wife would be depressed just for losing the photos.

petes

Aura wrote:

Try and contact the owner. Have been known to drop many's the phone/wallet/you name it in my time and on most occasions some do-gooder came to the rescue and returned the phone/....

Such a relief not to lose your entire address book whatever about the phone itself!

Not everyone will leave it back though, which is were a backup of eveything is handy.

Aura

Try and contact the owner. Have been known to drop many's the phone/wallet/you name it in my time and on most occasions some do-gooder came to the rescue and returned the phone/....

Such a relief not to lose your entire address book whatever about the phone itself!

Ruu_Old

dame wrote:

Most people would have someone called "Mum" or "Dad" on their phone. Should be easy enough to return it to them. I've never found a phone though.

Yep, pretty much what happened before.

stovelid

OP, I'm glad you posted this before IPhones are available in Ireland

Kimbot

stovelid wrote:

OP, I'm glad you posted this before IPhones are available in Ireland

Why would that be??

stovelid

jonny24ie wrote:

Why would that be??

Don't ever make a man explain his crap jokes. *slinks off*

Kimbot

stovelid wrote:

Don't ever make a man explain his crap jokes. *slinks off*

Ah sorry brain is a bit slow today!!

lezizi

a friend of mine recently found a wallet, she tracked down the owner and returned it, later on that day she found a phone in a hotel again she tracked down the owner and returned the phone.
2 days later on her way to college her purse was stolen, as she said herself, so much for damn karma

Tar.Aldarion

Ring a number in it, return it.

cacio

karma could exist.
I was on holidays in LA last year and on my 3rd night or so found a phone outside a bar. rang the last dialed on it and the owner met up with me and got his phone back. he was quite happy.
A few days later we were in Six Flags. Boyfriend realised after about 2 hours he had lost the keys of our rental car. try looking for a set of keys in a huge theme park!!! went to the lost and found but no luck. two of us stayed by the car for an hour cuz the keys had the number plate written on a keyring so could quite easily be stolen. after a few phone calls to the rental company we found out it would cost us $300 to get a new set of keys sent down. we tried everything, even tried to have security open the car so we could get our stuff (didnt work). went back to lost and found to use their phone again and one of the staff asked what we lost again. We told her and she went off for a minute. Lo and behold she came back dangling the keys. never been so relieved!
kinda like to think that because I had returned the phone to its owner that karma came back to us.

FX Meister

Found a Nokia 8310 when they just came out. Got the owners address, swapped the sims with my 8210 and sent him that. Wrong, I know.

biko

Poll

Ring mum/dad and let them pick it up at the cop shop

5starpool

FX Meister wrote:

Found a Nokia 8310 when they just came out. Got the owners address, swapped the sims with my 8210 and sent him that. Wrong, I know.

I can't tell you on a public forum what I think of that.

ekevosu

if you are anyway decent you'd try and find the owner where possible, i.e. phone turned on, near a shop / restaurant etc where you could hand it in. Otherwise the thread should be would you steal someones phone.

petes

5starpool wrote:

I can't tell you on a public forum what I think of that.

Despicable.

super_furry

FX Meister wrote:

Found a Nokia 8310 when they just came out. Got the owners address, swapped the sims with my 8210 and sent him that. Wrong, I know.

That's just slimey.

peveril13

I recently found €40 in a cash machine and gave it into the bank to be returned to the owner.
did think of keeping it, but €40 returned is so much more valuable than €40 in ur pocket, what goes round comes around

Dave!

Look through the phonebook for "home" or somethin like that, and ring and tell them I found their phone. Unless it was an iPhone (when they come out). Then it's mine.

emeraldstar

sure it's so easy to return a phone, just ring "Home"....anyone who wouldn't return it would be soooooooo bold
lol well i've had mine returned to me on two occasions so I appreciate the nice peoples who do!!

stovelid

super_furry wrote:

That's just slimey.

Slimey ++ for boasting about it on a public forum as well.

TBH...

emeraldstar

FX Meister wrote:

Found a Nokia 8310 when they just came out. Got the owners address, swapped the sims with my 8210 and sent him that. Wrong, I know.

you absolute fecker!!! :eek:

i shun you and your felonous ways

cson

Left my (at the time new) Motorola V3x on Bus Eireann Galway - Dublin, rang bus eireann, they more or less told me to fcuk off, rang the phone, after about the 5th ring the call (to my phone) was cancelled and that was that.

if i found it in a bar/restraunt/cinema i'd hand it in, if i found it say in a park, on the road AND it was turned off so i cudnt see any of numbers..i'd keep it it since it would be nearly impossible to return.

You couldn't turn it on? And if you were to keep it, wouldn't you have to charge it up anyway, meaning you'd be able to see the numbers? And even if you couldn't, why not give it in to the guards?
Having had a brand new phone stolen myself (pickpocketed) after saving up forever, being abroad alone at the time and having no way of contacting anyone, I have no tolerance for people who steal or even play finders keepers which is essentially the same thing. You don't know what situation the owner is in. Losing a phone is a pain in the arse at the best of times with replacing the SIM and all that.

thelordofcheese

I've found and returned at least 3 phones at this point, i can't see the point in holding onto someone elses, aside from the sheer wankery of it, why would i want someone elses phone?
I've got one already.

bikini

I found two phones at seperate times one got me free drinks for a night because it belonged to the glass collector and the second time it was in a bag containing a flight ticket the following week! giving it back was worth it to make soemone else a little happier plus it was a cheap bag so she was probably poor!

Cos88

I've found 2 phones and have returned both of them.

One belonged to a really sound Dub who gave me 20 quid. The other belonged to a Polish fella.

Kimbot

Hmmm... its nice to see that alot of people would do the right thing when it comes to it!!
I asked this question because the trouble we had contacting the owner was unreal!!
Put an o2 chip in the phone but it seemed locked up. Then tried another and it started to access it!! When I went through the contacts there was Home, Mum and Dad and when I rang them all the mobiles were off and the landlines were coming back as not in use! I decided to see if there were any texts on the phone and luckily the first or second one there was the chaps GF and when I rang she thought I was extracting the urine when I said I was trying to return the phone!! The chap met up with me the next night to get his phone and gave me €30 for my troubles which I tried to return but he refused!!

kdouglas

thought i saw someone leave a phone behind them on a table one time, chased after him and told him he left his phone on the table, he said it wasnt his, it was there when he sat down?!?

thought it was a bit strange he just left it there, guess he wasnt sure whether to keep it or hand it in so decided to do nothing


anyway, OT, i would hand it in, or try find the owner, losing a phone can be a pain in the ass