I found a cellular phone in our meeting room today....what do i do with it?

@chiyosan (30184)

Philippines

December 11, 2012 11:40pm CST

And yes, i do not know who owns this phone as everyone in the company comes in and out of meeting rooms. i found this phone in the chair i was supposed to sit on. Then i told the one in front of me because it seemed "reserved". I have quite a lot of options... The phone is samsung smartphone which is same as mine, and i do think our chargers would fit. so first option is to charge it, turn it on and wait for someone to ask for the phone.... second, i can bring this phone to our facilities management so they can take care of it instead. third, give it to my boss to take of it - but then i know she is too busy to take care of it then... last option is to post it in our community board so that someone can then claim the phone from me... If it was you, what would you do? Should I let them know the type of phone i got, or just generic and let the supposed owner describe it to prove that it is his? Your thoughts please! =)

7 people like this

26 responses

@franseman (516)

• Philippines

12 Dec 12

Just send a txt with it to someone in the 'phonebook'. They should know!

3 people like this

@chiyosan (30184)

• Philippines

13 Dec 12

i have not searched the phone yet, actually it was open and was on. i tried to browse it but found contacts named "mom" but i did not dare send a text message. he he

@franseman (516)

• Philippines

13 Dec 12

Well, then I don't see why you don't leave it at the frontdesk. Why didn't you dare? Afraid the boogie monster might come out and eat you? Shees!

@chiyosan (30184)

• Philippines

8 Jan 13

haha not really, was more of not comfortable in seeing someone's phone which i think is really private(though i know it is a bit off now that the phone was lost and left lying around for me to see.

Show more comments

@SIMPLYD (90722)

• Philippines

12 Dec 12

You are right in posting it in the community board. But you should not announce what type of phone it is. Instead, you let the owner describe it.

2 people like this

@chiyosan (30184)

• Philippines

13 Dec 12

Thank you for taking time to respond to the discussion. Its been quite an experience to find something valuable and it takes responsibility to hold on to this and keep it until the owner claims it. :D I have surrendered it to a team leader though so they can take care of it now. I'm going to be away on holiday vacation soon and might not be able to attend to it anymore.

@chiyosan (30184)

• Philippines

14 Dec 12

thank you simplyd. :D i sure hope the owner have gotten his phone already before the holiday starts... its going to take a load off his mind wondering what has happened to his phone. =) have a good vacation too! Best regards to you.

@SIMPLYD (90722)

• Philippines

13 Dec 12

I hope that it will really be given to the rightful owner, chiyosan. Have a nice holiday vacation, friend.

1 person likes this

Show more comments

@Blondie2222 (28611)

• United States

12 Dec 12

Well we find cell phones alot where I work that people forget and leave behind. What i do is open the phone go into the contacts and look to see if they have a home phone number listed and if they do I call it and let whoever know that their cell phone was found. Or look for a spouse number in the phone. Other than that we just leave the phone and when someone comes and claims it we ask them to describe their phone before we give it to them.

2 people like this

@chiyosan (30184)

• Philippines

14 Dec 12

Ah yeah, i got the chance to open the phonebook after i created this discussion. i sae some numbers that belonged to the phone owner's mother... but i did not already went ahead and tried to call the person. :D

@namiya (1713)

• Philippines

12 Dec 12

referring to the comments of franseman and betty, you could refer to the contacts on his phone for most probably they will know who the owner of the phone is.

2 people like this

@riyauro (6421)

• India

12 Dec 12

yea of course it will be of great help. The best option.

@chiyosan (30184)

• Philippines

13 Dec 12

I did, and i tried but the phone had no load. he he any call did not push through to the mother on the contact list. oh when our meeting was done, i just asked someone from the group i was meeting with to care for it, as he might know who the cellphone belonged to, because it was their meeting room, afterall.

@fearlessgara (1113)

• Philippines

12 Dec 12

well as what i usually do. I look if there is a contact number on how to contact the owner. well for sure he/she have list of friend there where you can contact and let them know or you should always turn it on because for sure the owner of this cellphone will contacted you.your last option is also good.Alwayss Be a good samaritan. be one of those few.and you will see when you returned it .You will feel happiness which is priceless.

2 people like this

@chiyosan (30184)

• Philippines

13 Dec 12

Thank you for taking time to respond to the discussion. It was really a good thing to have experienced this, it is sure is a test of character as well and I can say that It has in a way let me know that i am sure is righteous and had no intentions of keeping the phone for myself even if i knew no one in the room knew i got a phone from my seat.

@betty1989 (751)

• China

12 Dec 12

If I get a cellular phone, I will check his calling record and ring the latest people the owner do, then that person will tell me who is the owner and will try to contact the owner. just as you said, if you give this phone to your boss, your boss may be too busy and heor she has no time to deal with it. have a nice day.

2 people like this

show previous comments

@chiyosan (30184)

• Philippines

13 Dec 12

I have not thought of that, really i was not really the kind that is open to check out someone's phone. it just does not feel right... i did check it though but only found a few names and the owner's mother, name. i was wondering though why i had the phone and it was on - but it never rang, and the owner must not noticed he/or she lost the phone...

1 person likes this

@toyota4k (1208)

• Philippines

12 Dec 12

You're right, I would do that if I was the one who found it. Text or call someone on the phonebook and ask if the number bears a name on that phone.

1 person likes this

Show more comments

@dfollin (24172)

• United States

12 Dec 12

I would text or call a prtson in the phone book they should be able to tell who this phone belongs to. Good luck.

2 people like this

@chiyosan (30184)

• Philippines

13 Dec 12

Thank you for taking time to respond to the discussion. =) I have already retruend the phone (hopefully)... i meant i gave it to someone in the team who supposedly can wait and do actions to return the phone to the owner.

@cobalt20 (1318)

• Philippines

12 Dec 12

If I were in your situation, I can give the cellular phone to the radio stations. Just tell them that you have lost and found cellular phone if you are not busy on your work.

2 people like this

@chiyosan (30184)

• Philippines

13 Dec 12

Thank you for taking time to respond to the discussion. The plan was to wait for someone to come and get the cellular phone, it was sure that the owner is someone who works in the same office as ours (though our company is really huge that we do no know each other and have many different buildings).

@aabuda (1722)

• Philippines

12 Dec 12

Well, since it is an Smartphone, you can hide it...because it can be traced via GPS...can be locked via text...the worst if found in your positions, it can be a shame on your part. So the best way is to post it in your Community Board and tell everyone that you found a phone...just don't let them know what brand or model it is in order to for them to truly claim it from you.

2 people like this

@chiyosan (30184)

• Philippines

13 Dec 12

Thank you for taking time to respond to the discussion. The phone was a smartphone, and well i am not familiar with the phone usages, though i am using samsung as well, it was quite a different one. I handed over the phone to the person i knew from work and they are to make sure that the phone finds it owner.

@sjlskl (3382)

• Singapore

12 Dec 12

Just keep it for a couple of days and if no one come forward to claim it, then hand it over to the facilities management. Smartphone nowadays, provide the owner avenue to track the location of the phone when it is lost. So it is very likely that the owners could come soon when they realise that their phone is missing.

2 people like this

@chiyosan (30184)

• Philippines

13 Dec 12

Thank you for taking time to respond to the discussion. i tried to wait for someone to claim it for half a day, but none was coming in. no call nor sms messages were sent. I can't hold on to the cellular phone anymore i handed it over to an officemate who may be the best person to get the phone and can handle it well.

@Shavkat (137212)

• Philippines

12 Dec 12

You can try give it to the front desk. Perhaps, the owner is going to call up his own no.and let see if he asked for it. Good day!

2 people like this

@chiyosan (30184)

• Philippines

13 Dec 12

Thank you for taking time to respond to the discussion. that was what i was thinking but i was surprised to see that the phone was on and yet no one, not even the owner has bothered to check the phone itself.

@jrhartley (66)

• Dominican Republic

12 Dec 12

i think the simplest solution is t charge and find a list of names, one will probably be mum ...ring mummy and all will be alright

2 people like this

@chiyosan (30184)

• Philippines

13 Dec 12

i found some phone numbers in it but there was no load, so i am unable to use the phone itself to call his family and let them know that i was the one who got the phone and then they can get it back from me.

@rizmeeh30 (15)

• Philippines

12 Dec 12

If it was me, i will find the owner of the cellphone or if i can't find the owner i will just leave to the front desk or information desk and check who forgot the cellphone.

2 people like this

@chiyosan (30184)

• Philippines

13 Dec 12

Thank you for taking time to respond to the discussion. I did try to check with the secretary who handles room reservation and the phone was probably left in the seat the day before because our meeting was early in the morning with no one to come before us. :D

• United States

12 Dec 12

I think a mix of different approaches might be best. I'd definitely agree with others and try turning on the phone and calling a contact that would know who the phone belongs to (maybe search for home, mom, dad) and also post to your community board just saying you found a phone and if anyone has lost one to contact you. That way you can ensure that it gets to the owner and not just somebody who wants to get the phone for bad reasons. Have the people who contact you from the community board say the make and model and color and whatnot. Definitely looking at the contacts and calling someone is the quickest option tho. I'd also suggest calling over texting because you don't know what type of plan the person has and wouldn't want to run up their bill.

2 people like this

@chiyosan (30184)

• Philippines

13 Dec 12

I've made quite a number of approaches, two of them has not been effective. i will try to just check up on my friend who got the said cellular phone and see if the owner has claimed it already.

@suspenseful (40193)

• Canada

13 Dec 12

You can find out the carrier because it is on the phone when you turn it on. Then go and call the csrrier, or bring it in and they will find who it belongs to. This is after you ask around to see if anyone asks for it, tell the secretary that you found a cell phone, etc.

1 person likes this

found a lost cell phone

@chiyosan (30184)

• Philippines

14 Dec 12

Its from Smart but then, i think the carrier would just tell me to handle it myself. haha so i did not bother to do so... :D

1 person likes this

@chiyosan (30184)

• Philippines

18 Dec 12

i gave the phone to our security officer who is supposed to be able to handle it well and since it was lost in the vicinity, i opted it to just be given to them.

1 person likes this

@suspenseful (40193)

• Canada

15 Dec 12

Do you know the person who lost the cell phone's phone number? Do you know their address? I do not care that you think that they will tell you to handle it yourself because if you are thinking of using the cell phone yourself, that is wrong. Go down to the cell phone provider and give them the phone. Say you found it. They have records of all their customers and can easily find out. The cell phone has a sim card inside and even if it is a throwaway phone, it has a serial number.

Show more comments

@mayka123 (16583)

• India

16 Dec 12

My son had once left his mobile in a public transport and another boy found it. He just dialled the last dialled number which happened to be mine to inform me that the mobile was with him. He said that since he is in a hurry to go to office he cannot return the instrument immediately but would return it in the evening. He met me in the evening and returned the instrument. I think the most sensible thing would be to dial the last number on the mobile.

1 person likes this

@chiyosan (30184)

• Philippines

18 Dec 12

i would have done the same if i did have the time. i tried to see if there was anything on the phone, but no last dialed number was in there and i could not see if there is anyone related except for the one named mom. I texted but no response was given so i just left the phone with the officemate / in the security office.

@sriroshan (2585)

• India

12 Dec 12

All the option you have mentioned are fine and surely the workable on. But I am sure there must be some important number of his friend or company or that person Residence. After you charge the phone try to search the contact list and called on that person favorite number and leave the message. I am sure this is the best and fastest way you can contact the person and tell about the mobile phone that you have found in your company's conference room

1 person likes this

@chiyosan (30184)

• Philippines

14 Dec 12

Yeah! haha I have thought quite a number of options but I did not think of getting the numbers on the phone and contact a few to let them know of the phone owner's losing it and me having it so he can get it from me. :D hehe I have given it to an officemate though who can handle it. =) hope the owner gets the phone already.

@sriroshan (2585)

• India

7 Jan 13

This will be nice option which anybody will do or follow. But try to put on notice board of your office about the mobile phone, so that if same person happen to visit your office may come asking it.

@WakeUpKitty (8694)

• Netherlands

12 Dec 12

report it to the police and wait if someone calls that number and pick up. Then you probably will find the owner. Big chance the owner is calling that number him/herself. That is what I did if I lost years ago mine and the person who found it gave it back to me.

2 people like this

@chiyosan (30184)

• Philippines

13 Dec 12

Thank you for taking time to respond to the discussion. the thing was, the owner is not calling nor texting to call the number/phone, because it was on for hours from the time i found it and there was no missed calls nor text messages.

@riyauro (6421)

• India

12 Dec 12

I think you should charge and see the contacts lists if you know the anyone in the list. As it is from your office, it won't be hard to find the owner i guess. If you are trying to put the notice on the board then don't write the model or anything cos it might go to wrong hands. So take it smart. Thanks for sharing and have a wonderful day ahead.

2 people like this

@chiyosan (30184)

• Philippines

13 Dec 12

Thank you for taking time to respond to the discussion. I have taken a smart move, i think... haha by giving the phone to someone who might be able to coordinate and find the owner of the phone, and i trust this person would do his best to return the phone. =)

@hereandthere (45651)

• Philippines

14 Dec 12

i'm technophobic so i wouldn't even dare press anything on that phone! and mine also rarely receives texts or calls, just like that phone/person, that's why he or she probably didn't notice it's missing because he/she rarely uses it, and probably loads it only when needed. i would still post a generic message in the community board even if you already gave it to that person connected to the meeting so that it increases the chances of reaching the owner. the person might be too busy as well so if the owner or his/her teammates read it, they can tell him/her and he/she can approach that person sooner.

1 person likes this

@chiyosan (30184)

• Philippines

15 Dec 12

oh hi there hereandthere. I have the same experience, when i saw the phone left in my seat with no one looking for it for about 4 hours, i did not even dare see what kind of phone was left. all i know was its a samsung phone because of the cellphone cover.