Lost property? We ring around so you don’t have to
Lost property is a phone job nobody has time for. Your jacket could be at the pub, the cinema, the gym or in the back of a taxi, and each one needs its own call, its own description and its own wait for the manager.
Tell us what you lost and where you have been. A real person rings each place, describes the item, and keeps trying until someone has actually looked. Then we text you who has it, or where it isn’t, so you can stop wondering.
The problem
Why finding a lost item takes so many calls
It could be in five places
You retrace the day in your head and every stop is a suspect. That is a call to the cafe, the shopping centre, the train line and the taxi company, each with a different number to hunt down first.
You describe it again and again
Black wallet, brown stitching, a gym card inside. Then once more for the next person, and again when the first place transfers you to someone else who was not listening the first time around.
Ring back when the manager is in
The person who answers often can’t open the safe or the office. They ask you to try again after four, or tomorrow, and now you have a list of call backs to remember on top of everything else.
The longer it takes, the worse the odds
Handed-in items get moved, sent to a head office or cleared out. Every day you put off the ring-around is a day your umbrella travels a little further from the spot where you left it.
The fix
What you get when we do the ring-around
Every place called, with one description
You tell us once what it looks like and where you went. We ring each place and give the same clear description, so nothing gets missed because you were tired of explaining.
We make the call backs
If the manager is in after four, we ring after four. If nobody answers, we try again. You don’t have to keep a list of who said to call when.
A clear answer by text
We tell you who has it and how they want you to collect it, or which places checked and came up empty. Either way you know where things stand and can get on with your day.
An example
What it looks like
You tell us
I lost a navy rain jacket with a grey hood on Saturday night. I was at the Anchor Hotel, then Parkside Cinemas for the 8.30 session, then got a cab home with Silverline Taxis around 11.
We text you back
Parkside Cinemas have it. It was handed in after the 8.30 session and is at the front counter under your first name. They hold items for two weeks and will ask you to describe it. The Anchor and Silverline both checked and had nothing.
An example only, with made-up names, to show the kind of answer you get.
Three steps
How it works
- 1
Tell us who to call
The business or person, and what you want to ask, book or find out. Thirty seconds on the form below.
- 2
We ring them
A real person makes the call and says they are ringing on your behalf. No answer? We try again until there is one.
- 3
We text you the result
What they said, in plain words, sent to your mobile. The recording and a written transcript too, if you asked for them.
Good to know
We can ask, describe and keep trying, but we can’t collect the item or prove it is yours. Most places will want you to come in and identify it. We can’t ring your bank to cancel cards, because that needs your identity. If the item turns up nowhere, we tell you everywhere we tried.
Free while we’re getting started
Who do you want us to ring?
Give us the who and the what. We make the call, keep trying if nobody answers, and text you what they said.
- A real person makes the call, not a robot
- We say we’re ringing on your behalf
- No answer? We try again, and again
- The answer lands on your phone as a text
Leave it with us.
We’ll make the call and text you what they said. Now go and do something better with your day.
Questions people ask
What do you need to know?
What the item looks like, with any details that set it apart, and where you were and roughly when. Names of the venues are enough. If you have a booking reference or a seat number, include it.
Can you ring public transport and taxi companies?
Yes. We ring the number they give for items left behind and pass on your description and the trip details. Some ask for an online form as well. If so, we tell you which one.
What happens when someone finds it?
We ask how and when you can pick it up and what they need from you, then text you those details. Collecting it is over to you, since most places will only hand it to the owner.