Kate

My partner and I found a mobile phone on the ground near my parents' house so we picked it up and put it on a wall, then I posted on Nextdoor to say I'd found it and would share the location with whoever claimed it.

I've got a bunch of comments on Nextdoor saying I did the wrong thing and "basically handed someone a free phone".

What *should* I have done??? I didn't want to take it away from the spot because I thought there was a strong chance that the owner would retrace their steps in a short while to look for it, and I don't live nearby.

Aug 29, 2025 at 11:05amWeb
Show threadKateAug 29, 2025

I think the ideal thing to have done would've been to either:

1. Take it with me, maybe charge it up and wait for the owner to ring it and then make plans for them to collect it. I didn't do this, partly because:

- I thought the person would miss it quickly and come back for it by retracing their steps, didn't want to make that impossible for them
- I don't live close to where it was lost so collection would be a pain
- I spend enough time trying to organise collection of my *own* stuff through Freegle, Gumtree etc and you know from the #FreegleWoes hashtag how that usually goes

2. Leave it on the wall as I did but put it in a clear plastic bag to protect it from rain. I only had an opaque bag which would've hidden it from the person searching for it.