I found a guy’s paycheck on the ground once late Friday night. It was for like $1000. I tried searching his name online to find his phone number, but he was unlisted. I ended up just putting it in the mail on Monday with a “return to sender” note, but I had wanted to call him to give him peace of mind over the weekend that he hadn’t just lost $1000.
I walk pretty much everywhere. I find cell phones all the time. After reading this I walked over to my box and counted. I have 27 dead cell phones sitting in a box. None are fancy like iPhones. I usually find them and then by the time I get home the battery is dead.
I wonder if you can do anything with these?
I wouldn’t be asking for anything; asking for a reward is gauche. I probably wouldn’t accept a monetary reward anyway. Person B can buy me a cup of coffee if he wishes, but otherwise I want the favor paid forward, not back.
I found a cell phone and called the people in it until i found the owner. Then my wife dropped it off at their house. It belonged to a teenage girl ,who was probably in withdrawal. No reward.
If I ever found a cell phone and were offered a reward, I would refuse. God, are we so self-interested now that we expect payment for simple kindness?
You can donate them to a women’s shelter – any charged cell phone can call 911, so they give them to women who feel they may be in danger. In a box of 27, a shelter will find at least a few that match chargers they already have.
You can also donate them to various charitable organizations who are collecting them; they can resell them in bulk and keep the cash.
google “donate a cell phone” for lots of choices.
Bingo. I was just thinking how cool it would be to find a missing cell phone. It’s one of those rare opportunities where you get to be a hero. It’s the same reason I pick up stranded motorists and change their tire in the rain. It’s why I donate to charities. It’s why I’m a couch surfer. It’s awesome when you get the opportunity for a righteous (literally) adventure.
I think you’re overthinking it. A little cash would be nice in just about any situation. Just got a new job? A little cash would be nice. Finished washing the car? A little cash would be nice. Dog just died? A little cash would be nice.
Yanno?
Judging by the lopsidedness of this poll, no, “we” are not so self-interested. Just that guy.
When I worked Armored and we dealt with downtown parking ramp machines and ATMs, we’d find about one a month. Every single one, we’d make a few calls on it to find someone who knew the owner, ask them to call the person’s place of work and then have them call us so we could meet up and return it to them. We never asked for or even considered any idea of a “reward”, and did not accept it the one time it was offered.
I was going to mention the lopsidedness of the poll too. Given my general theory that you can find at least 2-3% who will agree with any crackpot idea, and we’re currently at 99.17% NO, the whole thing is pretty clear.
We needn’t assume that the person who voted option 2 would TAKE a reward.
If I lost my cell phone and someone found it, I think the polite thing for me to do is to offer the returner a reward for his trouble, even if it’s as little as a cup of coffee. I wouldn’t take a reward if offered one, but declining the reward is up to the person who returns the lost item.
Person A is kind of a jackass. I didn’t answer the poll because the lead-in is “If you were Person A.” Well, I wouldn’t be Person A.
So what did he say after you kicked him in the balls? (You did kick him in the balls at this point, right?)
Yeah, that I know. I just don’t see the connection, and I think at least a tenuous one is being suggested in this thread. Yes, it would be nice if my mailman handed me a twenty the next time we pass on my street. Or that guy whose name I can’t remember at work who nods in the hallway. I just don’t expect that they will, and I don’t see any reason they might. But, yeah, it would be nice! 
Bahh.
You forget that some people are so HAPPY to get back their special toy (or whatever you helped them with) that they actually enjoy giving you a few bucks for your trouble. You made them very happy and they would like to make you very happy.
I had a car part I NEEDED for my old car. It was undriveable without it. Couldnt find it anywhere for any price. Finally tracked it down at junkyard. Guy shows me where it is, and we pull it. I asked him how much. Twenty dollars. I was so happy to get the damn thing I insisted he take 40.
I always get worried about tippling like that, as I’m afraid I’ll create another tipping situation like waiters have.
Dude A was a jerk. I once found a wallet with cash, cards, etc. It obviously belonged to a young college student who was not local to the area. I dropped it off at the police station and they asked me to leave my name and info.
A few weeks later I got a lovely postcard from the young lady thanking me profusely. Apparently she was on spring break vacation and on a limited budget at that. Without the return of the wallet she would have had to cancel the vacation. She said the world was a better place because of people like me, so sweet. that was all the reward i needed. I still have the postcard.
Person A was a douche.
You did nothing wrong OP - I’ve found cell phones before and phoned a few numbers to find the owners and I would never dream of accepting a reward.
I always find rewards for lost pets a bit odd too - like what kind of douche finds someone’s lost dog and just decides to keep it? (Assuming the owner can be identified).
To demand a reward is gauche. However, I’d have offered to pay for a beer at least given that it would have cost me far more to replace it. Of course, when he mentioned being annoyed that I was still 20 minutes away, I’d have asked if he’d rather just leave it with the bartender and let him make the call as to whether to stick around and hope for a reward.
I’ve found 3 cell phones in my life and I’ve always called one of the contacts in their phone book. 2 times I arranged to leave it somewhere (e.g. the front desk of the library) and didn’t stick around to personally deliver it.
The exception was the phone I found in my front yard. Turns out it belonged to a kid who was trying to sell magazines in our subdivision. He missed two appointments to come and retrieve it, which I admit was annoying. Finally, I told him that I was going to put it in a plastic bag in my mailbox and I didn’t really care if he picked it up or not. I didn’t honestly expect a reward from him, but I did expect him to not jerk me around.
If I find someone’s cell phone and return it to them, what I hope is that, when I lose mine, someone will be nice enough to return it to me. I find the idea that one needs some sort of reward for behaving like a decent and considerate human being to be thoroughly depressing.
Waiters did not create their situation. Restaurant owners who wanted to get away with paying their staff next to nothing did.