Topic: Anybody ever find a wallet or something and return it?

[rrocket]

I was driving to work today on a busy road.  I was chatting with Import Queen as I usually do on my drive..when I passed what I thought was a wallet in the road.  Cars where driving over it, and I could see the contents...cards and paper things blowing around.  So I pulled over to check it out.  Sure enough, it was a wallet.  I grabbed the wallet (while trying not to get run over) and began to recon the area for all the cards.  They were strewn over an area at least 50 metre long.  I tried my best to gather them all (again, without getting run over).  I flipped open the wallet (it was a BIG wallet) to check for ID.  Inside the wallet was everything.  ID, driver's license, car ownership, insurance, etc...I mean every piece of ID and cards anyone could ever own.  I thought of what a nighmarish hell it would be to cancel and get new copies of this stuff.

The owner's name was Mr. Chang, and I teased Import Queen that I hoped he owned a Chinese restaurant and that as a reward, he'd offer free Dim Sum for life.  That's all we eat is traditional Chinese food and Dim Sum.  We eat lots of it!   Anyways..I get to work and locate Chang's number in the phone book.  I call him and meet him.  Fortunately, I'm allowed to "come and go" without much problem at work.  So we meet up and he's very relieved (as anyone would be).  Turns out he was golfing.  When he put his bag in his Lincoln LS, he stopped to chat with a buddy and put his wallet on the trunk of his car.  He totally forgot about it and drove away! Funny thing is, the golf course is a good 15 kms from where I found the wallet, so it sat there a long while before finally blowing off.

He stuffed a handful of bills into my hand before I could even say "no" and he insisted I take it.  It was $40, which is 2 weeks of gas for the Echo.  So that's cool.    But oddly enough, he owns a restaurant.  A breakfast and sandwich type of place.  So he told me I could come for breakfast "anytime" and it would be on the house.  So while it's not Dim Sum for life, it's still pretty cool.

Have any of you ever found something and returned it to it's owner??  I think this is one of the 1st times I've returned something and got a "reward" of some time.

Share your stories of being a Good Samaritan....

[PJungnitsch]

When I was traveling across the country on my motorbike I stayed once in a hostel at the start of the Cabot trail in Nova Scotia. Another biker, a Japanese fellow, packed up and left in the morning but left his passport and the rest of his ID behind. He could have been halfway across Quebec before he found out he was missing his stuff, so I took it with me and chased him down.

Luckily I knew he was going around the Cabot trail before heading off onto parts unknown, and I knew the direction he was going to take. I went the opposite way (the trail is a loop), actually met him on the road and managed to flag him down.

He didn't speak any English but it was obvious he was pretty happy to get his passport back.

[johngenx]

I find people's stuff ALL the time in the lockers at the gym.  An IPOD, a Rolex (real!) a couple wallets and a half dozen sets of keys.  I always return it.

[The Mighty Duck]

Found a lost dog once...  fortunately he was wearing a collar and tag and we were able to call his owners. 

[Wolfe]

Found a lost dog once... 

...

[tenpenny]

I grabbed a cart out in the lot at our local big-box building supply store, and there in the basket was a wallet.  I opened it up, and then decided that instead of tracking the guy down, I'd just take it in to the store.  As I was wheeling the cart away, a pickup came speeding into the lot, with a very, very upset looking driver.....he hopped out by the carts, and I said, "Are you looking for this?"  (I had seen his license, so I knew this guy was the one in the picture).  He looked very, very relieved. 

He'd gone to Canadian Tire, and when he went to the cash, he discovered he didn't have his wallet.

[Railton]

Found a wallet once when I was a teenager while I was out onmy motorcross bike at a local swiming hole frequented by many.
Located the owner (pre internet, christ, pre computer days!!!) and dropped it off at his house. I forget if there was any cash involved.
Railton

[quadzilla]

Last month I was on my way out of town for a ride and found a wallet on the bridge close to our place. Once home again I goggled the address and it was about a 10 minute drive away, so I drove over. When the owner (older lady) saw that I returned her wallet she almost started to cry while trying to offer me a reward. I said I would have none of that as that isn't why I returned it.

[wannabe4x4ing]

I worked in a pub while in school, and one of our waitresses found a wallet near the pool tables with over $800 cash in it. She called the guy and returned his wallet, cash and all.

He didn't even say thank you.

[Snowman]

Never found one but I am 3 for 4 on returns for wallets I have lost and 2 for 2 on cell phones.

[ovr50]

Found a wallet twice in my life.

The first time, I was about 12 or 13 and living in a small AB town. A local farmer was out summerfallowing his field and lost his wallet out of his pocket (what he needed to carry his wallet on the tractor for, I don't know??). He had no idea where he lost it other than it was somewhere in a field of about a quarter-section or 160 acres. A big field and all freshly turned soil. I was in the local Boy Scouts and the farmer called the Scoutmaster and asked for help to find his wallet. So a bunch of us headed out to the farmer's place and tramped thru the field for about 2 hours (a messy job). I was the one who found the wallet and the farmer gave the Scout Troop $10 and gave me $10. That was a lot of money in the 50s.....

About a year ago, I found a wallet on our street, right in front of our house. The ID was for a new neighbor of ours who just moved in. I returned it to the house and the fellow's wife thanked me. No reward was offered and I did not want one and would have refused it. I saw the fellow himself on the street shortly after, and he just ignored me. Turns out he is a lawyer so I shouldn't have been surprised.....

[dr_spock]

I found a ferret in my backyard.  My daughter remembered one of her friend's neighbor has a ferret.  We went knocking on their door and it turned out the ferret got out and was missing for several days.  I guess it survived on my compost bin goodies.  They were very happy to have him back home.  I was happy too since my kids were talking about keeping him if we couldn't find the owners.

[baumer00]

Found a wallet twice in my life.

The first time, I was about 12 or 13 and living in a small AB town. A local farmer was out summerfallowing his field and lost his wallet out of his pocket (what he needed to carry his wallet on the tractor for, I don't know??). He had no idea where he lost it other than it was somewhere in a field of about a quarter-section or 160 acres. A big field and all freshly turned soil. I was in the local Boy Scouts and the farmer called the Scoutmaster and asked for help to find his wallet. So a bunch of us headed out to the farmer's place and tramped thru the field for about 2 hours (a messy job). I was the one who found the wallet and the farmer gave the Scout Troop $10 and gave me $10. That was a lot of money in the 50s.....

About a year ago, I found a wallet on our street, right in front of our house. The ID was for a new neighbor of ours who just moved in. I returned it to the house and the fellow's wife thanked me. No reward was offered and I did not want one and would have refused it. I saw the fellow himself on the street shortly after, and he just ignored me. Turns out he is a lawyer so I shouldn't have been surprised.....

Woh, slow down there big fella

I found a wallet in a local plaza as a child and showed it to my parents, they drove me over to the police station, I gave it to them, they called the owner who came in and picked it up, not sure if I got a reward, don't think so

[ovr50]

Found a wallet twice in my life.

The first time, I was about 12 or 13 and living in a small AB town. A local farmer was out summerfallowing his field and lost his wallet out of his pocket (what he needed to carry his wallet on the tractor for, I don't know??). He had no idea where he lost it other than it was somewhere in a field of about a quarter-section or 160 acres. A big field and all freshly turned soil. I was in the local Boy Scouts and the farmer called the Scoutmaster and asked for help to find his wallet. So a bunch of us headed out to the farmer's place and tramped thru the field for about 2 hours (a messy job). I was the one who found the wallet and the farmer gave the Scout Troop $10 and gave me $10. That was a lot of money in the 50s.....

About a year ago, I found a wallet on our street, right in front of our house. The ID was for a new neighbor of ours who just moved in. I returned it to the house and the fellow's wife thanked me. No reward was offered and I did not want one and would have refused it. I saw the fellow himself on the street shortly after, and he just ignored me. Turns out he is a lawyer so I shouldn't have been surprised.....

Woh, slow down there big fella

I found a wallet in a local plaza as a child and showed it to my parents, they drove me over to the police station, I gave it to them, they called the owner who came in and picked it up, not sure if I got a reward, don't think so

Knew that would get a rise, BJB.  All in jest, no serious slur intended. Stereotypes are hard to break, tho, and when he failed to even say "thanks", it fit with some of the personalities of lawyers (and some higher-paid stockbrokers) I have met over the years.

 

[EV Dan]

"Turns out he is a lawyer so I shouldn't have been surprised..... Wink Wink

Woh, slow down there big fella"

I think he might have meant that the more money ppl make the more indifferent they become, hence the Rich and how difficult for them it is to be in Heaven. Dont ask me, but Wolfe I reckon may quote the exact spot in Bible.. 

I returned a cell phone once, for a thank you which worked fine for me. 

[The Mighty Duck]

This has been posted here before, but I always find it an interesting read: http://www.readersdigest.ca/mag/1997/03/think_01.html

[baumer00]

Knew that would get a rise, BJB.  All in jest, no serious slur intended. Stereotypes are hard to break, tho, and when he failed to even say "thanks", it fit with some of the personalities of lawyers (and some higher-paid stockbrokers) I have met over the years.

 
[/quote]
I didn't take it personally.  Some lawyers I've met are the most sincere, moral people I've ever come across (my boss counts as one of the good ones), others, not so much, just like in any field some will be good some will be bad.

As for other comments on here.  I learned a lesson a number of years ago, when I saw someone drop $10 and walk away, rather than running over and telling the person, I picked it up and kept it.  A couple of days later I ended up losing a pair of sunglasses that cost 15x the price...in my mind the two were connected and I now firmly believe in "karma" (although, when thinking logically, karma cannot exist, but to me, thinking illogically it exists).  I hope what I just wrote makes sense.

[tpl]

$150 sunglasses are bound to produce bad karma on their own. 

[baumer00]

$150 sunglasses are bound to produce bad karma on their own. 

nah, nothing special, just a pair of oakleys

[The Mighty Duck]

^ I found my very old pair of fake Oakleys (bought in Mexico) a couple weeks ago.  I always thought paying $100+ for a pair of sunglasses was silly, but I prefer my Foaklies to any sunglasses I've owned before or since...

Sadly, a perusal of the Oakley website shows they don't make anything quite like my fakes ones anymore.  But I love the ability to customize your own sunglasses...  very neat.  And they have some very pleasing designs...  I might have to change my tune on expensive eye wear.  :/