Lost Cell Phone

[DansMom]

This is off-topic but I thought maybe someone here could help me out.

On 6/22 Dan's older brother flew from Memphis to Cincinnati on Delta flight #6184. At the Memphis gate, his cell phone slipped out of his pocket. He realized this on the plane and talked with a flight attendent. Supposedly someone had turned it in at the gate. They took his name and said they had enough info to get it back to him, and that they would.

Well it's been a week and he hasn't heard a thing. I've been nagging him long distance about this. We couldn't find a number for Delta at the Memphis airport - only corporate numbers. The "lost and found" number found on the Delta website is a joke. He spent 20 minutes one time, and got hung up on. the second time wasn't quite so long - maybe 10 or 15 minutes, but he couldn't understand the person he finally got, and he got hung up on again.

We found a number for lost and found at the Memphis airport, but they said they didn't have it, didn't know anything about it, and couldn't help him.

I've been telling him that he needs to call the airport and politely demand to get a number for a Delta manager type there, but he's dragging his feet. (He's only 19 and kinda quiet). I want him to learn to do things himself, and it was his fault he lost it in the first place. But I don't want to have to buy a replacement phone for $200! I could have him buy it, but then that's just $200 less he has toward contributing toward college, so it's a wash really.

Any advice on how we can find out what they did with the phone? Maybe there is a Delta employee here (hint, hint) who can help us navigate the system?

Thanks

DansMom

[Sir_Captain]

I say if he's not gonna put forth the effort to get his own phone back, buy him a pager and tell him to save his quarters for the pay phone. I know a guy like that, he's 19 also...they're a headache to deal with because you can't motivate them to do anything.

Good luck, and I don't think just cause you're a parent you should cover your kid's **s all the time.

[DansMom]

Ah, but he's not like a *normal* kid who chats up with all his buddies on the phone. He's more of a loner. It was a present from his parents so:
1) We would be able to reach him no matter whether he was in his room or not
2) He could conveniently call people to coordinate rides and such when things came up (which did cause problems before he had the phone)
3) We hoped that if he had a phone it would help him be more social by making it easy for his friends and acquaintances to reach him. Which it has.
4) Safety

Besides, there is effort and *effort*. He's put forth effort, quite a bit, to get the phone back. It is just going to probably take a real change of personality - not taking *no* or *I can't help you* for an answer. It wouldn't be too bad if we just had the right phone number to call.

[Sir_Captain]

hey you could just buy a cheap phone, or get a phone free if you sign a short contract with a provider.

[DansMom]

The original phone came free with a two year contract, which I believe we will still have to finish out....

[Sir_Captain]

hey have you tried the insurance thing? purchase the insurance and wait out the month or so until it kicks in, then you can replace the phone, and in the meantime try a pager or something? I'm not too sure on the purchasing a cheap phone now...

[Tim]

Have you tried going to the Memphis airport website they might have some local numbers for Delta there. Did you guys talk to baggage service in CVG. They should have been able to contact MEM and try to get some answers. I dont go to work until tonigt but I will look and see if I can find you a number for MEM and let you know. Fortunately this is one fo the websites still allowed..

[Tim]

Hey I found they number on the airports website for Delta baggage claim/service

Delta Memphis Baggage Service- please call (901) 922-8240.

If that doesnt work I will check when I get to work and find a better number

[DansMom]

Well, I decided I needed to take over and do the phone stuff myself. I was able to talk to people at some of the numbers my son tried and I didn't have the same problems he did. Finally, after following a chain of phone numbers, I have a number for lost and found at Delta in Memphis. I've been calling and letting it ring until it got cut off. Finally, I decided to call back everytime I got disconnected, rather than waiting a while first. Well, someone finally answered. She took my information and is "checking in the back" and is going to call me back. We'll see.

[DansMom]

That was the number I finally got after talking with the Corporate lost and found, who referred me to a number in Memphis that turned out to be the police, who then gave me the correct number.

[Kristie]

oh brother.. talk about being taken through the back door....one door leads to the next.. and the next...and the next..

Unfortunately, I'm of zero help! I don't think doug knows either...

[Tim]

I will try to get you some other numbers in MEM if you dont getting help. Just let me know

[N519AT]

If you didn't already, try calling the cell phone and see if anyone answers. If they do, tell them who the phone belongs to and that you want it returned. The same exact thing happened with my Dad at a hotel a few years back.

[DansMom]

Before I knew the phone was lost I tried calling my son three times, and I got a message something like it was "unavailable". By now, it probably has a dead battery. The point is moot since I reported the phone as lost and its service is suspended. MEM is a roaming area for us under our current plan, and I didn't want to get charges racked up.

I talked to someone in MEM at the baggage lost and found around 12:30pm today, and she was going to call me back. Well, she hasn't. I should have gotten her name.

If we could just talk to the flight attendant who had the phone, we could find out what was done with it. After I posted here, I had a thought that flight attendants might have a similar site. I found http://www.flightattendants.org and posted there asking for help. Maybe there is an attendant from his flight that visits there.

I just learned that although his ticket was Delta, the plane was operated by "Atlantic Coast". Maybe that will help me figure this out....

Thanks for all the sympathy everyone.

[Tim]

If they turned it like they were suppose to it would have been to Delta baggage service regardless if it was a connection carrier..Let me know how it turns out or if I can help you find other information I will be more than happy to

[DansMom]

Thanks, Tim. It's good to know that it would still go through Delta. But what bugs me is that they said they would get it to him - not that he had to do anything to claim it. They took his name, and the phone had been turned in. I sure wish I could ask the person who had it in hand what they did with it. I can just imagine the "lost and found" - probably has lots of nondiscript cell phones sitting in a box or something. If the already knew the owner they should at least have put it in a bag with his name on it or something. But why did they say they'd get it to him?

Of course next time we'll make sure we put his name on the outside of the phone in some way, with contact info.

[Tim]

Not that I have the right answer but they may have tagged it like they are suppose to do with the flight number and seat number if known.

[DansMom]

The lady from yesterday never did call back, so I tried calling again today. I had to go through letting the phone ring until it was disconnected, then calling back five minutes later over and over again until finally someone answered. This fellow had me hold on while he looked, and there is a phone there that *looks* like it is my son's phone. It's not tagged with his name or anything. So, now the kid knows where to go and he's back in charge of getting the phone back.

[Tim]

Well at least you got some kind of lead on the phone..good luck

[mtsu_av8er]

Goodness, how much could this phone possibly be worth? You could probably have replaced it with the money you're spent on long distance charges and the time you're spent!!!

[DansMom]

Good point. The thought had crossed my mind, but I haven't spent that much on the LD calls (no charge for calls that don't get answered & some numbers are 800 numbers), and the other alternative - buying a new one and getting it set up for our account - is just as time-consuming. Dealing with Cingular is no picnic. If I didn't *know* that the phone had been turned in at the gate I probably would have given up.

[mtsu_av8er]

I know alot of folks with Cingular phones, but you can usually replace one for $40.00 or so. Just something to consider...

[DansMom]

Has to be GAIT - we use Nokia 6340i because they gave it to us for free...there is another one that works but I forget what it is. I know the phone retails for $200, but Cingular might sell it for less...I know it is only $40 now with a new two-year contract, but we've still got about 18 months left on the old contract.. Whatever. I think the phone is found, so what's done is done.