MoneySavers are an avaricious bunch - not sure I like it

reddevilled

ManAtHome wrote:

Was an item on the TV earlier this year where they asked a shop to give change for a twenty if anyone gave them a tenner - only around 5% of people said 'you've given me too much change'. They were interviewing the shoppers once they got outside - most of them regarded it as a 'bit of a bonus, innit' and didn't seem that embarrassed about being on camera...

But what would happen if someone on the street asked you to split a tenner and gave you a twenty by accident. I think you'd be more likely to own up as it is a person rather than a company who would be losing out.

nearlyrich

But surely till operators are penalised for their till being down?

I was once given too much change and I realised and went back to say the change isn't right, the assistant sneeringly pointed out the notice " Please check your change as mistakes cannot be rectified later "( Not seen one of those for ages) so I didn't bother telling her she had given me the change for a £10 instead of a £5 on that occasion.

I would hand in money at the police station, I have done in the past, I found a £20 note in the gutter when I was a child and I eventually got it back because it wasn't claimed. I think my dad earned less than £20 per week at the time so it was a lot of money for someone to lose but they didn't check if it had been handed in.

purplegirluk1

I got off the bus on saturday and saw a £10 note in a puddle. There was an old man standing just a few feet away from it so I picked it up and asked him if he had dropped it. He looked at my hand and said no. I then asked if he was sure he hadn't dropped it and he said "no,why what is it,a bus ticket?". I then explained that it was a ten pound note and he said "no, put it in your pocket". I double checked again that it wasn't his as I really wanted to make sure he knew what I was talking about. There was a lady behind him with a young son and she had heard me and was saying to her son "look that lady has found ten pounds" so it wasn't hers. I think i must have fallen out of some bodies wallet or pocket when they got on the bus and they were long gone. I did eventually decide to keep it as cash is so hard to identify and return to its owner if it is handed in without a wallet of purse. I looked at it as a little bit of luck really and I felt suitably sure that I could not have returned it to its owner. I did not pick it up and run away and would have given it to anyone who claimed it was theirs if they were standing near by, the people at the bus station were all very honest and nobody jumped in and claimed it was theirs and they had plenty of chances as I must have been there a good five minutes making sure the old man hadn't dropped it!

If I find something that has any way of being identified then I always hand it in, in the hope that others would do the same for you one day. If I saw someone drop money I would go after them. I don't think the police would mind of you had someones purse that you had found and were on the way to handing it in unless you were a person that they already knew had a criminal record and in that case they may be a little concerned.

Poppy9

I always hand bags/purses I find. I did look in a handbag left on the seat in swimming pool the other day. Only staff on was a life guard and it was 9pm. Found the mobile phone in bag and rang 'home'. The woman hadn't even noticed she had lost her bag. She was happy to come and get it and didn't mind me rummaging in her bag for the phone.

I found £5 note in work in main reception near bank. I took it to security who said they would just keep it and not advertise the fact that they had found any money otherwise they would get people calling saying they had lost £5, £10, £20 etc. hoping to guess correct amount. I too don't trust others so I made them note it in Lost Property book and record my name. 6 months later it was unclaimed and became mine

charlieheard

When I used to work in the City, I found a couple of wallets over the years. I think that people were just too selfish or lazy to go to the effort of helping. When I returned them (after checking the details of their credit card), I was always offered a reward, which I appreciated but did not feel the need to accept.

A friend left after a few drinks, picking up the last jacket from the rack which was some else's. Turned out to be an Armani suit with credit cards and several hundred pounds in the pocket left there by a City trader. I seem to remember he did accept a reward, as well as his rather cheaper jacket in return...

I've always tried to do the same, so when I dropped my wallet in the theatre, I made sure that the cleaning lady who handed it in got a reward, and the person who bothered to phone round trying to reach me so that I wouldn't have to cancel all my cards. They would both have been considerably better off if they had just pocketed it.

In the same vein, I dropped €50 on the table in a restaurant in Italy when paying a bill. I went back ½ hour later to ask if anyone had found it, and our waitress went to the staff's tip stash and returned it with a smile. I had to ask her to break it to give her a reward.:o

I like to think of it as storing up good karma...

Leeds_Fan_2

Heartened to see Martin pick this up - was saddened to see the poll results. Its theft whichever way you look at it.

Queenie

purplegirluk1 wrote:

...I think i must have fallen out of some bodies wallet or pocket when they got on the bus and they were long gone. I did eventually decide to keep it as cash is so hard to identify and return to its owner ... .

... ok, so ... what you are *really* saying is ... that you are judge/jury/executioner???

Truly, (this isn't "personal" merely a question of "perception") ... can you be absolutely, 100% certain that the person you "assume" dropped it from their pocket/wallet and "assume" got on a bus and "assume" were long gone ... didn't go to their nearest Police Station and report it?

There is an old, old, saying: "Never 'assume' ... it makes and !!!!!! out of U and ME"

Claude_2

Queenie wrote:

... ok, so ... what you are *really* saying is ... that you are judge/jury/executioner???

Truly, (this isn't "personal" merely a question of "perception") ... can you be absolutely, 100% certain that the person you "assume" dropped it from their pocket/wallet and "assume" got on a bus and "assume" were long gone ... didn't go to their nearest Police Station and report it?

There is an old, old, saying: "Never 'assume' ... it makes and !!!!!! out of U and ME"

I think you are a bit hard on Purplegirluk1. I think she did her best at the time to return the money to the owner. She made a decision which seemed right to her at the time. Who are we to question her? I don't know what I would have done in her place, but I'm not going to judge her. That is too easy!!!

I'd love to think all the people who say they would take the money to the police station would really do so in the circumstances. It's really easy to make a judgment on others in a hypothetical situation. Is this all to please Martin??????

A friend once found £20 pounds in a shop. Took it to the till. The girl said that if nobody claimed it, it would then be given to a local charity. My friend wondered whether it would be or whether the girl would just pocket the money.

I don't know whether I would trust others to do the right thing. Money is anonymous. Anyone could go to any shop and claim they've lost some money.

What seems to have been forgotten in this discussion is the responsibility of the owner of the money. I have lots the odd £5 note in the past and put it down to experience: now I don't put money in my jeans pockets with other objects, I put my purse at the bottom of my bag. I never dreamed of going to the police station to claim it!

I would rather the police dealt with crime than with the money I have lost because I wasn't careful enough. When my car was stolen, that's when I would have wanted the police to do something. But perhaps they were too busy looking after lost property!!

rchddap1

Was in the post office yesterday and spotted that someone had left their Visa Debit card in the machine. Pulled it out and handed it over the counter so that they could keep it safe for the person that left it. Turned out it was left by an old lady. Who know what could have happened if someone not so nice got hold of it.

It is sad that so many people said that they would pocket the cash in the poll. I certainly couldn't...and still feel happy with myself that is.

Kazzea

personally - finding THAT much in the street - I would hand it in to the police station -I have done this in the past for both money and purses (even though it only had 1 or 2 pounds in it) The money isn't really the issue in cases of purses etc - the old lady who had lost the purse I handed in kept photos etc in it and these are the things that would be irreplacable

The thing is (with the £50) its all very well thinking "oh well they must be able to afford it" - but I try to think about the person who has either saved very hard to get that much or who simply CANNOT afford to lose that amount - Handing it into the police station means that if someone claimed it (they would need to know roughly where it was found) it is likely to actually be theirs anyway. If noone claims it its your LEGALLY in 6 months anyway so you can claim it completely guilt free

I think the real question is - "How would you feel if it was YOUR money that someone found?"