1. BB-George's Avatar
    Hey,
    I have one simple question and would appreciate very much your advise.
    almost 5 months ago I found a BB phone. I immediately called to the mobile operator and announced about the lost phone. The customer operator took my phone number and name and said that they will contact the owner and forward my information to him/her. However nobody contacted me since than. I simply forgot about the phone until this evening when I discovered it during searching for something else.
    So my question is what should I do with it?! Should I take it to the mobile operator office or call them? Probably the phone is blocked and there is no sense to put my sim card, although its quite a good phone
    Thanks.
    01-14-11 07:03 PM
  2. SuperGenius's Avatar
    Hey,
    I have one simple question and would appreciate very much your advise.
    almost 5 months ago I found a BB phone. I immediately called to the mobile operator and announced about the lost phone. The customer operator took my phone number and name and said that they will contact the owner and forward my information to him/her. However nobody contacted me since than. I simply forgot about the phone until this evening when I discovered it during searching for something else.
    So my question is what should I do with it?! Should I take it to the mobile operator office or call them? Probably the phone is blocked and there is no sense to put my sim card, although its quite a good phone
    Thanks.
    Why not try your sim card? Couldn't hurt.
    01-14-11 07:11 PM
  3. Motorcycle Mama's Avatar
    Take it to the mobile operator is the correct answer.
    DawgMan and SevereDeceit like this.
    01-14-11 07:28 PM
  4. the_sandman_454's Avatar
    Take it to the mobile operator is the correct answer.
    I agree with her. Despite what some here with less scruples may suggest, the bottom line is that it isn't yours, you didn't earn it, and even though time has passed, attempting to return it to its' rightful owner is the correct thing to do. The mobile operator/carrier should be able to do that if you take it in.
    01-14-11 07:48 PM
  5. ThePinkChameleon's Avatar
    Take it to the mobile operator is the correct answer.
    I agree with her. Despite what some here with less scruples may suggest, the bottom line is that it isn't yours, you didn't earn it, and even though time has passed, attempting to return it to its' rightful owner is the correct thing to do. The mobile operator/carrier should be able to do that if you take it in.
    +1 for M-Mama & Sandman.
    It isnt your bb to begin with, and if it was yours in someone elses possession, you would want them to do the right thing and return it to you. Besides, if you kept it for yourself, the whip of karma back atcha' would be a b!tch. 3 fold.
    01-14-11 08:05 PM
  6. BB-George's Avatar
    I know that the right thing is to return to the owner. Thats why I called to the mobile carrier withing the 5 minutes I found it. But it seems that the owner does not care about it! Most probably he/she received another phone (though phone insurance) and did not bother to make a single call. So why this phone should not be used by the person who needs it?!

    P.S. I am just asking what people think about that issue. However, I am planing to take the phone to the office one day. I am just a bit disappointed that my "right behavior" was not successful.
    01-14-11 09:05 PM
  7. mag0842's Avatar
    I would just keep. Bc u did the right thing by trying to return it and u can't help the owner didn't want it or call about so I say do what u want with the phone.

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    01-14-11 09:22 PM
  8. Heavy Fluid's Avatar
    No offense, but making a phone call isn't good enough. Take it, in person, to a corporate store, and they will contact the rightful owner. If the owner reported it lost or stolen, there is a good chance that the PIN will be blocked, so keeping for yourself really isn't that great of an option, unless you don't want/need data.
    01-14-11 09:41 PM
  9. SevereDeceit's Avatar
    Agreed, I think the OP knows what he/she needs to do, turn it in. At the same time no one will assist you in getting it activated as it is not yours, period...
    01-14-11 09:44 PM
  10. SCrid2000's Avatar
    Yeah you should take it to a corporate store, have them check it out.
    But imo, if they can't find the owner and the phone still works (and if you can't find the owner via BBM or anything) than there's nothing wrong with keeping it. If you've done everything reasonable to find the owner and haven't I see no problem with using it.
    That being said, if they ever contact you then return it to them.
    01-14-11 09:46 PM
  11. pilsbury's Avatar
    +1 for turn it in, integrity and honor are worth way more than a cell phone.
    01-14-11 09:48 PM
  12. Daniel Ratcliffe's Avatar
    Take it to a corporate store. No matter what they do to try and stop it. Shove it in the rep's hand, tell them to find the owner then run out of the store without it if you have to! If you do keep it for yourself, I will have NO respect for you. As someone else said, what if it was YOUR BlackBerry smartphone, and insurance refused to pay out for a replacement?
    01-14-11 09:51 PM
  13. Fit24's Avatar
    IMHO it doesn't matter what anyone else does or says. This about you. You already know the right thing to do. But, you have to live with whatever decision you make. No matter what advice you receive it's up to you.
    01-14-11 11:11 PM
  14. BB-George's Avatar
    I appreciate your comments and time. I came to this country several months ago. So I am not familiar very much with the American culture. Thats why I was a bit confused why after announcing nobody called me for such a long time. But after the discussion and your comments I see that I did right.
    thanks.
    01-15-11 12:25 AM
  15. iN8ter's Avatar
    I would hope taking it to the carrier would be the right thing to do regardless of culture.

    Should have done it 5 months ago.

    The owner lost their phone. I don't have a landline, and many people don't. They probably didn't, either, which means:

    The only way for the carrier to get in touch with them would be mail, and that takes too long. They probably immediately had the phone turned off and got an insurance replacement.

    Calling in was cute, but you already ganked the owner by not taking it to the corporate store when you found it.

    Keep it, IMO. It's not the right thing to do, but you didn't do the right thing to begin with, so what is taking it in going to do? Harsh, but true. They'll prolly just throw it in the trash anyways, esp if its an older model BB.

    If the phone wasn't locked you could probably have called a [local] number in the phone's address book found the owner within 5 minutes, as well.

    This is the biggest dislike I have IRT GSM Carriers and devices.
    Last edited by N8ter; 01-15-11 at 01:23 AM.
    01-15-11 01:20 AM
  16. Rootbrian's Avatar
    Bring it to the carrier store and be honest for *****'s sake. I would.

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    01-15-11 02:26 AM
  17. StormcrowIV's Avatar
    I would keep it. In the UK 'After the property has been in police possession for four weeks and the owner has not been traced, it may be claimed by the finder.'

    Perhaps hand it in to the police? No claim by owner after four weeks, you claim it back as the finder.

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    01-15-11 08:23 AM
  18. NellieRose's Avatar
    The OP tried to do the right thing upon finding the BB, continued living his life and forgot about it, is now reminded of it and, once again, trying to do the right thing and it is somehow not good enough?

    As a person that lost her BB this past October while in the UK, I understand if the OP had found my phone he couldn't just walk into the carrier as some have suggested. I highly doubt an overseas carrier would even care to be involved with returning the phone - sad but probably true. walking into a carrier. Within 10 minutes of losing the phone I called Sprint and they could not locate the phone, figured it was turned off or the battery was pulled so they immediately deactivated it.

    Strangely enough, I found out just last week or so that phone was found. Somehow they contacted a person from the UK we had been travelling with who gave both, mine and my brother's contact info but we never heard anything further about it.

    This was a case where someone tried to do the right thing when they found my BB and I don't hold it against them that they haven't followed through...am I let down? Yes. Who knows what's going on in their life and there may be things more important than a cell phone right now. Being in NYC you find countless phones and wallets in cabs, etc. Time and again we have gone out of our way to return the items, even driving to a person's address but I understand that some people just don't care or are not going to put too much time and effort into it. Also, in the case of my lost BB, I understand that they may not want to get involved with shipping the phone internationally, etc.
    01-15-11 09:02 AM
  19. CASH's Avatar
    The OP tried to do the right thing upon finding the BB, continued living his life and forgot about it, is now reminded of it and, once again, trying to do the right thing and it is somehow not good enough?
    +1
    Stop attacking the OP.
    01-15-11 10:56 AM
  20. Daniel Ratcliffe's Avatar
    I mean yeah, I personally had respect for him for doing the right thing. I didn't realise about the 4 weeks thing, if not found, then it gets claimed by the finder. If I find a Torch, or any phone for that matter, I will hand it in to the police. But after 4 weeks, if it isn't the Torch, then I'll say to the police keep it. Infact, I would probably do that even if it was a Torch. Save up for it, earn it, rather than just get lucky by someone not claiming it.
    01-15-11 11:12 AM
  21. jjbadd's Avatar
    Yea right! Turn it in so the rep can keep it! If u called, & noone called u about it, it should be yours. If the previous owner called, it should be blocked, if its not blocked, then they didn't care about it enough to call, so again it should be yours.
    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    01-15-11 12:37 PM
LINK TO POST COPIED TO CLIPBOARD