Viewers of clutter-gore programs like A&E’s “Hoarders” know that junk haulers are some of our society’s unsung heroes. Emptying homes of crap no one wants is an important job. What people don’t realize, though, is that junk haulers do find the occasional treasure. One Massachusetts hauler recently found $114,000 worth of U.S. savings bonds inside a wooden hope chest that was being broken down for a trip to the dump. He surprised the owner’s daughter with the paper bonds while reality TV cameras just happened to be rolling. [More]
lost and found
American Airlines Employees Scoop Up My Wallet, Save The Day
By 9.26.12
Reader HogwartsProfessor has one of the rarest of all consumer stories to share: a positive story about an item left behind on a plane and airline employees. Yes, the problem was entirely her fault, but their staff on the ground were kind and helpful, creating a chain of kindness that reunited H.P. with her wallet and got her on the next plane with no extra fees. [More]
United Passenger Tries To Reunite Lost iPad With Owner, Airline Doesn’t Seem To Care
By 7.23.12
If some people found an ownerless iPad on a plane, they would just figure “finders keepers.” But not Consumerist reader Jeffrey, who has tried several times to provide relevant information bout the device’s likely owner to United Airlines, but who just keeps getting the same useless auto-reply. [More]
I Want To Reunite Lost Kindle And Its Owner, But Amazon Won’t Help
By 7.6.12
Matt is trying to do a nice thing. The previous occupant of his seat on a plane left a Kindle behind in the seatback pocket. He took it with him, planning to reunite the device with its owner. But that person has a very common name, and Amazon has no interest in being a go-between to help reunite lost Kindles with their owners. [More]
Woman Returns Lost iPhone, Is Rewarded With Beating
By 5.21.12
The 53-year-old woman in Fredericksburg, Va. was trying to perform a good deed. She found an iPhone near a convenience store, and contacted the owner to give it back. They agreed to meet up outside of a restaurant, and the phone’s owner promised a reward. Then things went horribly wrong: according to police, the phone’s owner took the phone back, handed over the reward, then attacked her from behind while she was walking away. [More]
Guy Finds $8K On The Road, Gives It Back To Owner
By 1.31.12
If you ever lose a briefcase containing personal documents and $8,000 in cash, you probably won’t see it again. But a man in Tampa got lucky because a virtuous person snagged the case and made sure it found its way back to its owner. [More]
Feds Investigate $600 Million Allegedly Missing At MF Global
By 11.2.11
Federal investigators are attempting to sort out how New York-based derivatives broker MF Global has apparently up and lost $600 million of customers’ money. The FBI, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodities Futures Trading Commission are all reportedly investigating, amid accusations that MF Global has broken federal rules for keeping customers’ money separate from the business’s own assets. [More]
Government Finds $6.6 Billion It Thought It Lost In Iraq
By 10.27.11
In a way, the U.S. government has lifted up the seat cushion it knows as Iraq and dug out the $6.6 billion in pocket change it believed it had misplaced during the early days of the conflict. A new report says the money was never lost, but instead was placed under the control of the Iraqi government, as intended. [More]
Lost Wallet Returned To Man After 40 Years
By 2.21.11
If you lose a wallet and can’t find it for a few decades, that’s usually a sign you won’t see it again. But a 77-year-old former New York Times employee managed to recover a wallet he lost at the paper 40 years ago. [More]
Homeless Vet Returns Cash-Filled Wallet To Owner
By 12.16.10
If you ever lose a wallet stocked with cash but no identification, you can probably forget about ever reuniting with it. But a homeless 49-year-old Navy vet in Boston made the near-impossible happen for the bike messenger who lost the precious cargo. [More]
Microsoft Lost My Xbox, Won't Help Me Get It Back
By 11.17.10
When N’s Halo 3 Xbox 360 gave up the ghost, he sent it in for repair, but apparently Covenant forces have intervened because now the console is lost and not even the eagle-eyed scouts at Microsoft have been able to track it down. N has been hounding Microsoft since early October but he’s no closer to bringing his Xbox back from the void. [More]
United Doesn't Care That I Lost My iPad Onboard
By 11.8.10
Bob was in such a hurry to get off a United flight he left his iPad at his seat, and didn’t realize his mistake until he had crossed the security checkpoint. He tried like hell to rescue his lost tablet, even using the MobileMe function that’s discovered the whereabouts of many a swiped idevice, to no avail. He says United has been less than helpful. [More]
Five Things To Do Before Losing Your Wallet
By 7.24.10
Look, it’s going to happen eventually. Whether it’s pickpockets or carelessness, you’re going to lose your wallet. When you do, you’ll be glad you took these five steps to make recovery simple and painless. [More]
Bid On 'Lost' Props So You Can Make A Series Finale Worth Watching
By 7.19.10
I, like many people who spent too many hours attempting to solve the 6-season puzzle that was Lost, was more than a tad bit disappointed in the show’s final episode. But now we all have the chance to recreate our own versions of how the finale should have gone — and do it with actual props from the show. [More]
Rent Enterprise Car At Twice The Rate, Get Free Dentures (Check Under Floormat)
By 6.21.10
Timothy rented a car from Enterprise last month when he flew into Newark Airport in New Jersey, and he was forced to pay almost twice the amount quoted in his reservation because of problems with a coupon code and an uncooperative manager. But there’s good news: the rental came with a special, stinky surprise that he and his wife didn’t find until the second day of the rental. (Warning: there’s a big close-up photo below.) [More]
It's Almost Worth Having Your iPhone Stolen Just So MobileMe Can Track It Down
By 4.9.10
People can steal your iPhone, but if you’ve got the Mobile Me app, you’ll be able to track it down. Florida police used the feature to track down a swiped iPhone and other stoolen goods, First Coast News reports. [More]
Do Not Leave Anything In A Zipcar Because It May Be Gone Forever
By 2.16.10
Reader Kate is upset that she left a portable crib in the trunk of her Zipcar and nobody reported it to the lost and found. She realizes its her fault for leaving it there, but she’s upset anyway. [More]
JetBlue Responds To Tweet, Goes Looking For Passenger's Sunglasses
By 1.27.10
David Friedman, a photographer and blogger of cool ideas, was at JFK airport in New York City earlier today and realized he’d forgotten his sunglasses at the security gate. He mentioned it in a tweet, and to his surprise someont at JetBlue saw it and investigated for him. [More]
