Click on image to enlarge
Last night I couldn’t find my iphone. It must be in the other room. It’s in the car. Using my husband’s phone call it. Someone answered my phone, but I didn’t understand the voice. I apologized for calling the wrong number. I called my cell phone again. This time both of us had a hard time understanding the other one. ‘Come pick up the phone at 8:30 tonight.’ I’m not going to go out to meet some stranger at night. ‘No, I can’t come. I can come tomorrow.’ The person said 8:30 tomorrow morning and gave me a meeting place, a hotel in the city. I was to call my iphone when I got there. No name was given to me. Afterwards, I worried. There was no code lock on my cell. Anyone could read everything. What if they rack up a lot of calls? What if they want a big reward for it’s return. What personal information was on my phone? I called my son and asked him what to do. He offered to call and see if it was all legit. He called the person who had my phone saying he was going to cut off the phone with my carrier. Calling back and he told me not to worry. ‘It’s a language difficulty. Your phone is with a visiting Russian family.’
This morning my husband drove me down to the hotel. (Thank goodness Manchester United wasn’t playing soccer on TV at that time.) He waited outside while I went in and called my cell phone. In a few minutes, a beautiful small woman came up to me smiling as she handed me my white iphone, the old model. Her eleven year old grandson had found it on the street. Very excited he hoped he could keep it. She said, ‘no, it didn’t belong to him. Someone needs it. All their information is on it. We will wait.’ My response to her was, ‘ I’ve learned a lesson. I’ll lock my phone with a code from now on. ‘Oh, no, don’t do that! Then you won’t get your phone back. I have found 5 phones in LA. If the owner doesn’t call, I call one of their contacts and ask them do you know this person? I have their cell phone.’
After big hugs and thank you’s, I left this lovely woman thinking, we read and hear about so many troubles in the world, but you know, basically people are good. A few hours later I received a text message from her grandson thanking me for my small reward.
Thank you, Daniel. You are the best!
What would you all do? Cancel your phone or leave it connected ? Do you keep your cell phone locked?
Tags: California, cell phone, Communication, drawing, iphone, Manchester United, Mobile phone, moleskine sketchbook, Russia, Science and Technology, Smartphone, soccer, Television, Travel, United States, Visual Arts
January 6, 2013 at 7:32 am |
That’s so nice, Carla! I hadn’t thought about what the woman said when canceling the phone… I never keep my cell locked, don’t have much info in it to hide anyway! However if it got stolen [not lost] I’d definitely cancel it.
Stories like yours though make such a difference, don’t they!
January 7, 2013 at 7:51 am |
I just installed find your iphone – pretty cool little app. (Phone is still unlocked:)
January 7, 2013 at 8:07 am |
!!!
January 6, 2013 at 8:42 am |
Beautiful story and resolution, Carla. Its so nice to hear stories like this. Personally, I don’t lock my phone and I’ve been fortunate not to have ever lost it (touch wood). I think I would try the ‘Find my iPhone’ feature to locate it first and depending on my luck there, decide whether to lock, send a message to it, or erase it remotely. Hopefully I won’t have to find out too soon
.
January 7, 2013 at 7:47 am |
I just signed up! Thanks for the help. Carla
January 6, 2013 at 10:15 am |
Good story. Glad you got your iPhone back!
Sent from my iPad
January 7, 2013 at 7:46 am |
I signed up for find your iphone
January 6, 2013 at 7:02 pm |
How nice to hear such a good resolution to the story. I must admit that I wasn’t expecting a positive outcome. I’m not sure if that says more about circumstances or me! I don’t keep mine locked and don’t really know what I’d do. But I do have the app Find My iPhone and I recommend you do the same.
January 7, 2013 at 7:43 am |
Great ! Thank you. I just installed it. Hummm I wonder if you lock it you can still find it. probably – I’ll look that up or try it. Thanks again.
January 18, 2013 at 4:57 pm |
Thank you, Debra for the advice. You truly are a sweetie.
January 7, 2013 at 8:35 pm |
You tend only to hear the bad stuff. So glad you got it back I had thought about it only cause I like to go swimming and never quite know where to leave it, I’m considering just having an old prepaid for those times. Cheers
January 8, 2013 at 6:14 am |
If you are an ocean swimmer I’m jealous. I did that when I was near warm water.
January 9, 2013 at 2:36 am |
We are in a heat wave down here, 40+ degrees so the ocean is magic!
January 9, 2013 at 6:46 am |
January 18, 2013 at 4:57 pm |
I am a naive individual who thinks that there is good in everyone. I would had gone to the hotel without question nor hesitation.
Such a practical dilemma now, eh? If you locked your phone, then you wouldn’t had gotten it back.
Great experience we all can ponder on. Excellent post, Carla!
January 19, 2013 at 9:08 am |
And i wouldn’t have met this lovely woman who text me one more time saying she was back in LA at work. She had a wonderful time in San Francisco.