The chances of finding equipment from lost and found

[Jimmy Pierce]

Last Thursday and Friday were rough for me. I admit my mind isn't in the best shape and I am a forgetful person sometimes. Everybody is. I was relieved to get off the bus in front of the hotel with my small amount of luggage. But wait, one bag is missing. My tripod. Oh crap. There goes the bus, can't catch it. I immediately call lost and found and report the item. Big golf size bag with my name on it and an airport bar code tag labeled "LAX". Left in the overhead compartment on the drivers side. I gave them a lot of details. They'll find it. It's been a week and no luck as of yet. I'm angry at myself for leaving such a large obvious bag. But I'm concerned that my efforts so far to inform the Lost and Found department of the bus line have been pretty useless.

Perhaps I am being a little ignorant in thinking that a lot of people don't report their lost item until days later when they realize something is missing. Or that they do not give a specific and simple description of the item. Or the fact that the lost item is a bag which greatly stands out from other bags. But I will keep trying. I doubt it was taken by somebody else. The bag was tucked away with elastic straps attached horizontally to the overhead compartment that keep bags from falling. I had to make an effort to squeeze the bag into the compartment past the straps.

I'm going to keep calling. If my efforts are wasted, I know that the Lost and Found department is either unreliable or someone actually did take it.

What are your stories of lost items? Not to bring back bad demon memories, just a lesson in common sense.

MAKE SURE YOU HAVE EVERYTHING BEFORE YOU STEP OFF A BUS.

That is all I have to say.

 

[Sad Max]

It can be pretty amazing just how long an airline/airport will take, to return an item. My own record is three months elapsing between reporting a missing item, and it being delivered to my hotel (it showed up a day or two before the deadline for the airline to pony up replacement value, which was an interesting...coincidence).

 

[ELN614]

Let me make you feel better with this story.
My friend, a photographer, was going on vacation for a few weeks and didn't want to leave his equipment lying around. So he hid it.
One ingenious place was the bottom of the trash can.
long story short-- he came home the day before trash day... put out his trash can. And the rest is history.
So just be glad you forgot one item in transit vs being so stupid to pick a trash can as a hiding place for equipment.

feel better?

 

[cherchieh]

ELN614, that's some expensive thrash! :shocked:

My story is more towards carelessness than being forgetful...I was shooting this groom who ingeniously set out to his bride's house on a bicycle because they stayed just a few blocks away. I wanted my video to be closer to the groom, so I made someone to give me a ride on his bike. We were on a rush, and I somehow failed to zip up my bag, and when the bike had a wobble, things fell out from the bag. Just as I wanted to stop and recover the things, a car went by and I find my video light lying there, FLAT on the ground, haha.

Well, I had better luck in lost and found items though. In UK and in USA, had my things recovered within days. So, have faith, I'm sure you'll get your tripod back. But please don't ask me why I lose my items so often, thanks! :cheesy: