wefoundit.ie - Legal?

jimi_t2

In relation to this thread
http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?threadid=2056093932

Article from the Sunday Business Post

http://www.wefoundit.ie/sunday%20business%20post%20web.jpg

Has anyone had any experience of this site? I lost my student diary in the library a few weeks ago (90% sure it was the library anyway) and checked all the lost and found boxes etc etc.

Then today I get a Facebook message saying

"wefoundit help reunite UCD students with their lost stuff. We found a Student Planner Diary belonging to you. If you'd like to retrieve it, log onto our website and register under 'lost something'!
Thanks
The wefoundit team"

How they knew it was me I don't know.

So I registered onto the site to get it back, and get an email asking me to come to their offices in Finglas and pay a 5er to get it back.

MagicSean

If they are withholding your property I'd consider that theft.

hession.law

theft is defined by s4 of the Criminal Justice Theft and Fraud offences Act 2001, the offender must dishonestly appropriate the property without consent and with the intention of depriving the owner of it, also Art 43 of the Constitution protects our property rights. the fact that he is charging a fee (for a service so he says) sounds unconstitutional to me and borderline theft. if this person is interested in reuniting people with lost property i would suggest handing it into the nearest lost and found where they found it or just leave it alone...

Paulw

Would it not be Extortion? Them holding on to your property until you pay a fee?

Raphael

What's not made clear from the initial post is that wefoundit.ie are partnered with UCD Building and Services, who pass all lost and found material retrieved to them after it's been unclaimed for 2 weeks. Which probably effects the legality.

DMCSCH10

is this for accommodation in UCD? There may be a contract allowing them do this.

MagicSean

Property found should be notified to the gardai.

jahalpin

Dublin Bus also charge a levy of €2 per item for the "management" of lost property.

It costs companies money to manage lost property so it is only reasonable that this charge is passed onto the person who is reunited with their lost property

Aggatha

I accadentally left my bag in a night club, when i went down the next morning to collect it I was told they had sent everything that was left behind to a warehouse called "we foundit". I looked up "wefoundit.ie" and rang a day or two later. They still hadn't receved the property from the club. When my bag arrived in the warehouse they went throught it and are now charging me for each item that was in the bag. That can't be legal :mad:

MagicSean

You never agreed any contract with them. Inform them if they do not return it you will be reporting them for theft.

johnnyskeleton

The terms and conditions from their website:

The wefoundit team are proud partners of many leading companies and take the job of managing their customers lost property very seriously. We collect, sort and securely store each and every item and our Seekers work tirelessely to try to reunite each item with it’s rightful owner.

Of course providing this service costs money and we have to charge a small fee to property owners when they are collecting their found items. We make full use of up-to-the minute technology to ensure that our costs are kept low - which means that we’re always working to reduce the fees that we charge customers. Our retrieval fees are listed here Fee Schedule Page.

Every item is stored for 8 weeks from time of collection, after which some items may be sold to cover the costs of collection/storage. We commit to the following:

- We will securely dispose of any personal information held on laptops, phones or other digital devices to ensure the privacy of every customer – even those unlucky enough to not get their item back
- Support the work of Oxfam in Ireland by donating useful items to support their charitable works worldwide
- Ensure that all unwanted items are disposed of in the greenest, most eco-friendly manner possible.

So after 8 weeks if someone doesn't claim the property they sell it on for their own profit? That is a very dodgy practice.

Aggatha, I'd suggest you contact the gardai and inform them of this scenario, if not just for yourself, but for the people who might go to these people and actually pay their fees. You should tell the gardai as well that they sell the property after 8 weeks without any title to the property, which is an important part of the problem.

littlemac1980

Sounds to me that wefoundit.ie, apart from the obvious previously pointed out problems with their business model, have also confused who ultimately is their customer.

If they claim to be entitled to charge for their services, it should be the night-clubs and/or other venues/institutions that are paying them for the service, should they choose to avail of such.

I agree, your property is your property, end of.