Cellphones...the new lost.

[mudpuppy]

There is a post about cellphones up on the Beach hunter thread. Never gave it much thought until today...but boy howdy do those folks that lose their cell phones really appreciate the return! We get a lot of fresh drops up here in the summer on the beaches, so I'm out there early before sunup a sweeping away. When I find a phone, its usually from the night before, and still has power on it. I take them home (4 last year) and hand it to my daughter, she figures out how to work the dang thing, and gets a hold of the owner somehow, and BOOM! They drive clear out to the house and pick it up by noon! Man! they sure are happy! I guess its just a sign of the technological times and what matters to folks now a days...one guy last year had all his business numbers on his phone, he was a contractor, and needed that thing bad! Shaking and sweating like a dog pooping peach pits! All wild eyed and crazy like... Its sort of neat to meet the people of a lost item, you already have a pretty good idea what was going on where and when it was lost. I think our kids (and others) are watching us too, and its important for them to see the dialog and return, without any acceptance of money...not that thats a bad thing, just that its the way we were brought up, ...return the lost item, refuse the offer, and Pay It Forward! Full disclosure: I'd sure like to see more happy people not accept my refusal, and MAKE me take the cash!
Mud

 

[Larry (IL)]

I'm sure you get your reward John, rewards don't always come in the form of money.

 

[JB(MS)]

About 400 yards down the street from my house is a sports complex that has four baseball fields, seven soccer fields of various size, a fairly big tot lot, part of a frisbee golf course and acres of graveled parking areas. From mid February to mid November it has soccer games, baseball games three nights a week from the end of March until mid September, the fields are full of kids on weekends and several tournaments are held there every year.. Sometimes the parking areas are full of cars and people park in the elementary school parking lot across from the sports complex and along the street. Since I retired four years ago I check it out almost daily and it's very rare not to find at least one lost object. Lots of coins are lost, and also lots of cellphones. Some, in the parking areas, have been run over and smushed and some are ruined by rain, but most are okay. I returned a few, but for the last three plus years I've turned them in at the Park and Rec office and let them do it. In addition to a lot of coins and an occasional jewelry item I also find car keys, an occasional wallet and numerous sweaters, jackets, caps and shoes. I took the first wallet I found there to the Police station, but even though everyone there has known me for years I was grilled like a criminal. I was there almost an hour being questioned, so since that first one I also turn wallets in at the Park and Rec office.

 

[mudpuppy]

way back in the early 80's I lived in St Cloud MN. At the time, there was a large population of Hmong refugees moving in there for some reason...it caused a lot of local problems, since St Cloud also had a VA hospital, high unemployment, and the economy was in the crapper. I was fishing below the 10th street dam one evening, and stayed until after dark, there was this little boy Hmong kid hanging around, didn't speak any english, when I got ready to leave well after dark, he was crying and evidently lost. I had him hop up in my truck, and drove over to the area of town where the Hmong lived, figuring he would recognize the area. Well sir, I drove down this one street, and there were cops and people everywhere! The kid got real animated and jumped out of my truck, and ran up to his folks! Oh Damn! Then it hit me...I could be in one heap of trouble! I calmly explained to the police what transpired, and of course the kids folks came up and thanked me for bringing their boy home...for a minute there my life flashed in front of my eyes...I would not attempt this type of return now a days, thats where cell phones come in handy!
Mud

 

[Nancy-IL]

Larry said that one right. You'll get your reward. Probably when you're not expecting it. HH, Nancy

 

[Woodchuck]

YUP ! a cell phone was first thing i ever returned to its owner while metal detecting. What surprised me was that it survived a soaking in wet grass overnight.It had enough juice in it to contact the owner.It turned out to be a to be a girl who lived in our area. The person I called was a sister to the sister that lost the phone..Needless to say I got the third degree as to how I got her number and what was I doing with the sisters phone LOL. PS I found phone in a local park that I detect.

 

[edjcox]

A woodchuck - would chuck - as much wood - as a woodchuck - could chuck - if a woodchuck could chuck wood. But unfortunately, woodchucks do not chuck wood.



but but but i sen it on TV.......

 

[RobertD]

I see a lot of people posting on CL they lost they're phone on the beach. I tried to find one for someone but had no luck.