c4countdown

Yesterday I found a wallet, some 50 miles or so from my home, belonging to a pensioner from Scotland (some 400 miles from his home). It contained cash, cards, what looked like PINs written down (facepalm), and a photo travel ID and address ID card with phone number (hence how I knew he was from Scotland). I had to get back home promptly so didn't have time to hand it in to a nearby police station (I didn't actually know where the nearest one was), so I rang my local police station when I got home. They said they didn't take reports of lost property over the phone, and I should bring it into them, but it was actually unlikely they'd be able to reunite him with it as they'd only try and contact the home phone number on the ID card (which I'd obviously already done, but there was predictably no answer) and wouldn't send it to him by post, as they only return goods in person.

A little pissed off that "doing the right thing" of handing it into the police wouldn't actually reunite this guy with his wallet, I did a google search of all the B&Bs in the area that I found it, and rang each to see if they had a guy with the (luckily unusual) surname staying. This came up blank, and I also asked one to look in the local BT phonebook in case he was staying with relatives down here. Still no joy. I then called the number on his bank card to explain that I'd found it, and that if he rang to cancel his card they should give him my number. I then did a Facebook search and found a guy with the same surname on a Portsmouth network. I messaged him asking if he knew the name in the wallet, and a couple of hours later he replied with details of the guy's age, hometown etc. I told him to ring me as I'd found his wallet.

He did ring, but seemed a little bemused about it all, not recognising the location and being surprised I had found the wallet, so he obviously wasn't staying with him. He said he lived in Dorset but had just put Portsmouth as his network as it seemed the closest. From what I told him though, he said it sounded likely that he was staying with his daughter, and although he didn't have their number he would ring around family to find it. Half an hour later or so I got a call from the very pleased and grateful daughter - her dad had come down from Scotland for 2 weeks holiday and this was the first day. They'd realised hours later that he'd lost the wallet and had returned to the spot, searched the area (including in the sea) etc and he was gutted about losing it as it contained so much that was difficult to replace. It had basically put a downer on the whole holiday, and they were just stoked that he would get it back as it had seemed gone forever. She gave me her address and I sent it special delivery so it will be returned to him tomorrow morning.

Would you have done the same, or would you have taken the cash and tried to clear the accounts? Have you been in a similar position? Am I great?

I think I love you

Jon Corby wrote: Am I great?

Yes, indeed you are great.

Lovely story - my cockles are warmed. I think with it being the whole wallet, I'd have wanted to do the same - and I love a bit of detective work.

But....I did once see someone drop money out of his back pocket - £20. I ran after him and returned it but when I went back the way I'd come, I found another tenner. By now catching up with him would have involved a sizeable sprint - something not really in my vocab and would have required a sports bra. So I pocketed the tenner - I'd saved him £20 of his £30 and he should have kept his money in a wallet. So I'm Vermin and you're Top Banana.

Sue Sanders wrote:So I'm Vermin and you're Top Banana.

IMO I don't think you are. I think that it's Karma being nice to you! You saved him money, so it rewarded you. Whoop whoop

Thanks for sharing that, Jon. It's nice to read things like that from other forumites.
I had a similar experience when I was a newsagent, but I didn't go to all the trouble that you did, and now I have to ask myself if I would have done.
Because of the nature of the job, I was usually up before most other people. Walking to work one day, I found a handbag (a purse, Jason) in a shopping trolley (a cart, Jason), abandoned on the path (the sidewalk, Jason) (Okay, I'll stop that now). Inside was a purse, together with all the other things you normally find in a handbag, so I took the bag and carried it the rest of the way to work - not worrying about my reputation being in tatters for walking along the street with a handbag. I waited a few hours until it was daylight, and then I went and found the nearest police station. I told them what happened and gave it to them. Later, I rang the girl whose bag it was - I had found an indentity card saying she was a nurse with her phone number on it. She was overjoyed that I had handed the bag in, and said she couldn't believe that I had done it.
I have been kicking myself ever since for not getting her to come into the shop and giving it to her in person, and she looked rather attractive in the photo. So, if I ever meet any of you, you'll know why I'm limping.

One the other side of the coin, I was once on holiday and bought a load of shopping, and my bag split sending my stuff all over the path (the sidew... oh damn that!). A lady came up and actually gave me her canvas shopping bag that she had with her, knowing full well that there would be no way she could ever get it back.

Good on you.

Less so on the police (can't be bothered, too many forms to fill in, etc.), the bank (can't be bothered, data protection, whatever). And of course the chap you spoke to, had he followed the 'correct' line, would have assumed that you were trying to get a mother's maiden name to go with the cards and refused to speak to you.

Adam Dexter wrote:

Sue Sanders wrote:So I'm Vermin and you're Top Banana.

IMO I don't think you are. I think that it's Karma being nice to you! You saved him money, so it rewarded you. Whoop whoop

Ah ..Karma ...yes, I like that idea. Thank you. Adam, in your photo, what is that on your head? Is it a tricorn hat or a pigeon, or, more excitingly, a tricorn pigeon?

I would definitely have done the same, and indeed have done so in the past on occasions when the value of the misplaced property is considerably less than in Jon's experience. For example, if a wrongly addressed Christmas/birthday card comes through my letterbox, I always try and track down the intended recipient. On a couple of occasions this has involved some quite lengthy detective work, but - as Sue says - that's enjoyable in itself. When these situations arise, you find that you put yourself in the position of the item's owner, and their anticipated pleasure at getting their property returned to them becomes yours by proxy.

I think guilt is also a powerful force that prevents most of us from behaving selfishly. A strange thing happened last week on the first night of our holiday. We'd gone to a local pub for something to eat and, when the bill arrived, they'd only charged us for three main meals out of four. If the experience had been poor, I'd probably have thought "serve them right" and kept quiet; but the food and service had been good, and it wasn't expensive anyway, so I suggested that when the server came back we should point out the error. Predictably, I was outvoted 3-1 and we got away with it. The thing is, though, secretly I wanted to be outvoted. I wanted to save money: but I didn't want the moral responsibility (the guilt, in other words) of having decided to cheat the pub. Call me Pilate.

Phil Reynolds wrote:I think guilt is also a powerful force that prevents most of us from behaving selfishly. A strange thing happened last week on the first night of our holiday. We'd gone to a local pub for something to eat and, when the bill arrived, they'd only charged us for three main meals out of four. If the experience had been poor, I'd probably have thought "serve them right" and kept quiet; but the food and service had been good, and it wasn't expensive anyway, so I suggested that when the server came back we should point out the error. Predictably, I was outvoted 3-1 and we got away with it. The thing is, though, secretly I wanted to be outvoted. I wanted to save money: but I didn't want the moral responsibility (the guilt, in other words) of having decided to cheat the pub. Call me Pilate.

Know what you mean. One time in my youth I went Laser Questing with some buddies which I'd booked. We got there late so they hurried us into the Lazer Maze straight away as a large party had been booked after us. We had a riot and were just about to walk out when one of my friends asked how much they owed me assuming I'd prepaid for it. I realized they should have charged us beforehand and for a brief moment a little imp at my shoulder said this was an opportunity to extort a fiver from each of my friends, which at the time seemed mighty appealing as I was a young teenager with parents who were complete tight arses when it came to pocket money I'm pleased to say the temptation only lasted a moment before I said that they'd forgot to charge us and should probably say something or some poor sod at Lazer Zone might have lost his job. A couple of them said they'd rather keep quiet, but in the end agreed that should we ever return they might recognise us as those teenage punks that didn't pay up, so somewhat reluctantly did the right thing.

Also as a kid I also found a wallet at my local shopping centre whilst with my mum. It was around Christmas time and had around £600 in it! My mum was flat broke at the time and £600 was a shiiitload of money. But she insisted we hand it in to customer services. She left her name and number thinking "Who knows? Our honesty might be rewarded." A week later we came back to find the wallet had been collected, but the sod who lost it hadn't even called to say thanks. Being a very impressionable young child I remember that was the day I lost a bit of faith in the decency of others.

Phil Reynolds wrote: I always try and track down the intended recipient. On a couple of occasions this has involved some quite lengthy detective work, but - as Sue says - that's enjoyable in itself. When these situations arise, you find that you put yourself in the position of the item's owner, and their anticipated pleasure at getting their property returned to them becomes yours by proxy.

Oh, I've just remembered two things that I've found in the past, which having taken them on as a project, I came close to having to adopt, so difficult was it to pass them onto their rightful owners! One was a cockatiel I found in my garden, and one was a very old man who came into the council offices I worked in having come to visit a relative who address he had forgotten. Those directory enquiries women have their rules and she wouldn't even play a game of 20 questions to reveal the name of the road the bloke's great-niece lived in, under her 'ex-directory' number. It was just starting to get a bit perilous with the offices due to close when he sudden announced 'Princess Road' and off he pottered!

Well done Jon! Very tenacious, I think after a while you think, "I've started so I'll finish"

I tend to agree with Phil about correcting the waiter's error etc., if the service/food has been awful, they don't deserve the correction, but if it's been good or somewhere you go a lot, you point it out as you like them. My local newsagent once didn't have change for a £20 note, so said, "just pay for the magazine next time you're in" - if you deal with people like that, obviously you correct any errors.

The police don't seem interested in lost property - somebody abandoned a bicycle on my property a couple of years ago, so I rang the police and they asked me to take it to the police station, which wasn't feasible as it didn't fit in the car. "OK we'll send someone." The bike is now rusty; perhps I should have just wheeled it on to the road and left it there for someone to steal it.

That's brilliant John. My faith in human nature has been restored. I wonder if he'll contact his solicitors to re-write his will when he returns to Scotland.

I remember when I was in my late teens, I found a diary in a telephone kiosk. There was a name and address (about 5 miles away) inside and so I sent it back with a covering letter explaining where I found it. I know I shouldn't have done it, but I couldn't resist reading the diary before I posted it. I got the impression the young lady it belonged to would have been in her early 20's. The diary was quite revealing and explicit in parts. She seemed to have quite an active life, if you know what I mean.

Several days later there was a knock on my door. I opened it to be confronted by a staid looking woman in her late 40's. I nearly died of embarrassment when she explained she had come around to personally thank me for returning her diary. I think she was expecting someone older to answer the door.

Jon, I think that was a good deed you did, and I certainly would have done the same thing!

What confusing circumstances!

Then again, I thought that would be the right thing to do to save him money rather than just ignore him.

Sue Sanders wrote:

Adam Dexter wrote:

Sue Sanders wrote:So I'm Vermin and you're Top Banana.

IMO I don't think you are. I think that it's Karma being nice to you! You saved him money, so it rewarded you. Whoop whoop

Ah ..Karma ...yes, I like that idea. Thank you. Adam, in your photo, what is that on your head? Is it a tricorn hat or a pigeon, or, more excitingly, a tricorn pigeon?

OK Sue, it's a tricorn hat. Can you not tell, I am dressed as Capt. Jack Sparrow?

Adam Dexter wrote:it's a tricorn hat

All together now:

His hat it has three corners
Three corners has his hat
And had it not three corners
It would not be his hat

Jason Larsen wrote:Jon, I think that was a good deed you did, and I certainly would have done the same thing!

What confusing circumstances!

Then again, I thought that would be the right thing to do to save him money rather than just ignore him.

Well done Jon, you could have kept the wallet and nobody would have known. BUT YOU would know. In a similar situation involving honesty, I was playing in a golf tournament. I sent my ball into a sand trap. When we finished with that hole, I gave my marker my score. He disputed my score of five. He said it was a four. I told him that I took two shots to get out of the bunker which made it a five. He said that they didn't know that and I could have kept quiet about it. I said that the important thing to me was that I KNEW, and I can live with myself. In any case, If I'd won the tournament, it would have been theft.

Adam Dexter wrote:OK Sue, it's a tricorn hat. Can you not tell, I am dressed as Capt. Jack Sparrow?

Yeah, in truth, I could see what it was cos I've got a pirate's tricorn hat with attached hair in my dressing up box - but momentarily, I did see it as a pigeon, in much the same way as I used to have lots of George Harrisons in some floral curtain (from the Beatles' moptop period). Did your costume result in you either winning something or getting laid?

It's good to speak up, isn't it?

You are absolutely right, George!

I've never found a wallet or purse, but I have lost one and had it returned safe and sound - and all cash etc intact - so I know how grateful the man and his family must have been.

Good on you Jon, top bloke

George Jenkins wrote:I said that the important thing to me was that I KNEW, and I can live with myself. In any case, If I'd won the tournament, it would have been theft.

This reminds me of Jimmy White. In case anyone doesn't know, he's a pro snooker player who's never won a masters tournament. However, he could have, if he hadn't declared a foul he committed. That's true gentlemanliness.

Adam Dexter wrote:

George Jenkins wrote:I said that the important thing to me was that I KNEW, and I can live with myself. In any case, If I'd won the tournament, it would have been theft.

This reminds me of Jimmy White. In case anyone doesn't know, he's a pro snooker player who's never won a masters tournament. However, he could have, if he hadn't declared a foul he committed. That's true gentlemanliness.

Jimmy has won the Masters, albeit a very long time ago. Maybe you mean the World Championship? Though in that case I don't think it's down to any one foul. Still a legend though.

A 'Thank You' card arrived from the daughter this morning:

Dear Mr Corby,

Thank you for sending the wallet so promptly. My dad (in his seventies) was rather upset at losing it and was anxious about his cards. As this was at the start of his holiday it would have marred the experience.

He is very grateful at your efforts in finding him.

Please find enclosed a cheque reimbursing you for the postage and something to buy a bottle with.

Your sincerely,

Cheque is for £25.40

Postage was £5.40 (which I hadn't told them)

Everyone's happy

Phil Reynolds wrote:I would definitely have done the same, and indeed have done so in the past on occasions when the value of the misplaced property is considerably less than in Jon's experience. For example, if a wrongly addressed Christmas/birthday card comes through my letterbox, I always try and track down the intended recipient. On a couple of occasions this has involved some quite lengthy detective work, but - as Sue says - that's enjoyable in itself. When these situations arise, you find that you put yourself in the position of the item's owner, and their anticipated pleasure at getting their property returned to them becomes yours by proxy.

I think guilt is also a powerful force that prevents most of us from behaving selfishly. A strange thing happened last week on the first night of our holiday. We'd gone to a local pub for something to eat and, when the bill arrived, they'd only charged us for three main meals out of four. If the experience had been poor, I'd probably have thought "serve them right" and kept quiet; but the food and service had been good, and it wasn't expensive anyway, so I suggested that when the server came back we should point out the error. Predictably, I was outvoted 3-1 and we got away with it. The thing is, though, secretly I wanted to be outvoted. I wanted to save money: but I didn't want the moral responsibility (the guilt, in other words) of having decided to cheat the pub. Call me Pilate.

Ah, I've been to that pub recently. They had a "buy 3 meals get 1 free" deal on.

I'd throw away a Christmas card without a second thought unless it was obvious. But I'd point out a bill was wrong even if I was outvoted. Vote all you like, it's still stealing. (If the service was good, do you tip on the basis of what you pay, or what you should have paid?)

Probably I'm the odd one here.

David Williams wrote:(If the service was good, do you tip on the basis of what you pay, or what you should have paid?).

Except your bill isn't a tip. A waiter doesn't see any of the money that foots a bill.

David Williams wrote:I'd throw away a Christmas card without a second thought unless it was obvious.

When I moved into my current house in 1997, the people that sold it to me moved to another house down the road. I'm no. 62, they're now no. 43. For the next ten years, I got a Christmas card addressed to them at my address. I didn't know who it was from, but I got to recognise the handwriting. I always just took it down the road and gave it to them, or posted it through their letterbox.

But the year before last, I didn't bother taking it round, more because I'd not thought to do it, rather than anything else. Then a couple of days after Christmas Day, the insane matriarch of the family came round to ask if there was a Christmas card for her. I'd not chucked it out, so I gave it to her, and she then berated me because "it's from by best friend ever and I really needed to get it before Christmas I can't believe you've not given me it", etc. I said "Why didn't you tell your best friend that you'd moved house ten years ago?" There wasn't a card last year.

We kinda don't talk to each other anymore now. I still feel like a bit of a cunt about it, but I wasn't totally out of order, was I?

Do you know who this person is?

JimBentley wrote:I still feel like a bit of a cunt about it, but I wasn't totally out of order, was I?

I don't see how you were out of order at all, tbh.

Dinos Sfyris wrote:

David Williams wrote:(If the service was good, do you tip on the basis of what you pay, or what you should have paid?).

Except your bill isn't a tip. A waiter doesn't see any of the money that foots a bill.

Your bill is £30. It should be £40. Do you tip £3, £4 . . . or £10?

JimBentley wrote:I wasn't totally out of order, was I?

Not even slightly. What a strange woman.

David Williams wrote:

Dinos Sfyris wrote:

David Williams wrote:(If the service was good, do you tip on the basis of what you pay, or what you should have paid?).

Except your bill isn't a tip. A waiter doesn't see any of the money that foots a bill.

Your bill is £30. It should be £40. Do you tip £3, £4 . . . or £10?

Ah right I get you now. Well I'd tip based on the service, not the bill. If I went to Claridge's and received good service and then my local Indian restaurant and received good service I'd be in no way inclined to tip less just because bill was lower - that certainly shouldn't dictate my generosity. I normally find £2 or £3 does the job since I am but a student.

Dinos Sfyris wrote:

David Williams wrote:

Dinos Sfyris wrote: Except your bill isn't a tip. A waiter doesn't see any of the money that foots a bill.

Your bill is £30. It should be £40. Do you tip £3, £4 . . . or £10?

Ah right I get you now. Well I'd tip based on the service, not the bill. If I went to Claridge's and received good service and then my local Indian restaurant and received good service I'd be in no way inclined to tip less just because bill was lower - that certainly shouldn't dictate my generosity. I normally find £2 or £3 does the job since I am but a student.

I find the reverse, actually. I know the people in Pizza Hut deal with twats like me all day for a shitty wage and get fuck all tips, so I usually put in an extra fiver or something. I remember one time everyone chucked in a tenner and because of some thick people we had 20 quid extra, so I gave it to the waiter and he looked like his Christmas had come early. Probably wasted it, the greasy little cunt.

I'm with Dinos on this though. And it's not stealing.

I find the whole culture of tipping annoying. A lot of people seem to tip 10% as a matter of course, but I don't see why that makes any sense. If you're tipping on the service, why should more expensive food that takes no more time to bring to the table be worthy of more of a tip to the waiter?

I know they generally get shitty wages, and in fact I do tip but it's the whole culture of it, so if I took a stand and decided not to tip, then it wouldn't solve anything, just make them wonder why I was such a cunt. Tipping to me is something you do if someone goes above and beyond the call of duty. And why should people in jobs where they happen to be involved in direct customer interaction be the only people deserving of money over and above their wage? But if they're paid on the basis of a tip being expected then the problem continues.

You don't have to do it if you don't want to, Gavin!

Gavin Chipper wrote:I find the whole culture of tipping annoying. A lot of people seem to tip 10% as a matter of course, but I don't see why that makes any sense. If you're tipping on the service, why should more expensive food that takes no more time to bring to the table be worthy of more of a tip to the waiter?

I know they generally get shitty wages, and in fact I do tip but it's the whole culture of it, so if I took a stand and decided not to tip, then it wouldn't solve anything, just make them wonder why I was such a cunt. Tipping to me is something you do if someone goes above and beyond the call of duty. And why should people in jobs where they happen to be involved in direct customer interaction be the only people deserving of money over and above their wage? But if they're paid on the basis of a tip being expected then the problem continues.

Have you seen Reservoir Dogs?

Gavin Chipper wrote:I find the whole culture of tipping annoying. A lot of people seem to tip 10% as a matter of course, but I don't see why that makes any sense. If you're tipping on the service, why should more expensive food that takes no more time to bring to the table be worthy of more of a tip to the waiter?

So one person pays £1,000 for a meal, and the other pays £10. They both tip £1.

"This meal was worth £1,000 to me and the service was worth £1 to me."
"This meal was worth £10 to me and the service was worth £1 to me."

Charlie Reams wrote:

Gavin Chipper wrote:I find the whole culture of tipping annoying. A lot of people seem to tip 10% as a matter of course, but I don't see why that makes any sense. If you're tipping on the service, why should more expensive food that takes no more time to bring to the table be worthy of more of a tip to the waiter?

I know they generally get shitty wages, and in fact I do tip but it's the whole culture of it, so if I took a stand and decided not to tip, then it wouldn't solve anything, just make them wonder why I was such a cunt. Tipping to me is something you do if someone goes above and beyond the call of duty. And why should people in jobs where they happen to be involved in direct customer interaction be the only people deserving of money over and above their wage? But if they're paid on the basis of a tip being expected then the problem continues.

Have you seen Reservoir Dogs?

Probably* - ages ago

*I know I should know, but I've definitely seen random bits of it, but can't remember if I've actually sat and watched it. Can't remember about tipping though.

Michael Wallace wrote:

Gavin Chipper wrote:I find the whole culture of tipping annoying. A lot of people seem to tip 10% as a matter of course, but I don't see why that makes any sense. If you're tipping on the service, why should more expensive food that takes no more time to bring to the table be worthy of more of a tip to the waiter?

So one person pays £1,000 for a meal, and the other pays £10. They both tip £1.

"This meal was worth £1,000 to me and the service was worth £1 to me."
"This meal was worth £10 to me and the service was worth £1 to me."

I worked 47 years on the railway, 40 of them as a Driver. One day while working a train from Orpington to Victoria, I stopped at Petts Wood station. Coming down the steps was a cripple, (no political correctness in those days) so I called out to him "don't hurry mate, there's plenty of time". There wasn't really, and it cost me about 3minutes lost time, but I wasn't going to force him to wait 30 minutes for the next train. Arriving at Victoria he came up to my cab and thanked me for waiting, and offered me a tip of half a crown. I thanked him and told him that I won't take the money, and it was my pleasure to help him. He got a bit upset and said that he really wanted me to accept it, so I did just to please him. So 40 years driving trains earned me a reluctant 2/6d. I got paid for my job and I don't expect money from the passengers as well. I think it obscene that Employers in service industries can get away with paying low wages, and expect the customers to subsidise them with tips for the workers, and that's assuming that the workers get all of it. Also! service charges added to the bill. I don't pay it. I pay for the dinner, and I don't expect to pay them again to dump the food on my plate. If the service charge is another name for tips, there is no guarantee that staff will get all of it. When I tip, I give it to the staff seperate from the bill.

I agree, George. I feel if a restaurateur relies on his customers' tips to suppliment his staff's wages, then can he be considered fit to run a business?