8827 Returning lost mobiles?

Another British death has been discovered in Italy because of the Italians returning a mobile phone.

The tragic death of Meredith Kercher was discovered in Perugia, after her phone was found and police attempted to return it to her.

Now British tourist, Richard Raynor, was reported missing after his wallet and mobile phone were found by passers by who returned it to the hotel at which he had been staying. The police opened an inquiry and sadly his body was found in one of the canals.

Two very sad stories but what interests me is that Italians attempt to return mobile phones. Somehow I don't think this is the case in the UK and I wonder if it is because when you buy a phone out here you must have your codice fiscali, so the 'authorities know who the phone belongs to. It is a long time since I bought a mobile phone in the UK but I seem to remember that you did not have to give any form of identity to do so (for pay as you go). Is this still the case?

Do mobiles get returned in the UK or is it just an Italian phenomenon?

Category

General chat about Italy

There are no checks when you buy mobile phones here. At least there wasn't when I bought mine last year and you can get sim cards from Orange etc. (two at a time in some cases) just by clicking on adverts on the internet.

Lorraine

[quote=Lorraine;83031]There are no checks when you buy mobile phones here. At least there wasn't when I bought mine last year and you can get sim cards from Orange etc. (two at a time in some cases) just by clicking on adverts on the internet.

Lorraine[/quote]

What you say is true: however, when you activate the (Italian) SIM card which you have bought over the internet you are supposed to give a CF and other form of identification. It might well not be checked, but it is supposed to be.

As to Nielo's question, I just think Italians are basically more honest about things like finding wallets!

I agree with Charles, Robert left his wallet and all his details on the public reception counter at Fermo hospital when we first came out here. 2hrs later he returned and found the wallet had been handed in and all was safe, our first introduction to the honesty of the people here, sadly we could not have imagined it happening back in the UK.
A

Angie I don't know if that's true. Twice in Marks and Spencer, on two separate occasions a year ago when I was mobileless and had to make calls from an actual telephone, I left my wallet on top. On both occasions it was handed into Customer Services intact.

A few years ago I did something similar with my wallet in France at Charles De Gaulle Airport but didn't recover it.

As for mobiles , well I left mine in Pret A Manger in Kensington a couple of years ago and it was there for me the next day.

Or, could it simply be that Italians, with the highest ownership of mobile phones in Europe (109.45 phones per 100 people), have no spare pockets in which to stash any phones which they find???? Source: [url=http://digital-lifestyles.info/2005/10/17/italy-has-highest-number-of-mobile-users-in-europe]Italy Has Highest Number of Mobile Users in Europe : Digital-Lifestyles (alpha remix)[/url]

Chris
[url=http://www.olivopiegato.com]Tuscany Bed and Breakfast - L'Olivo Piegato, The Crooked Olive[/url]

If you're a TIM customer you can log onto the website and check the data they entered for you. Mine is wrong in parts so I'm not sure how much effort goes into checking.

[quote=Charles Phillips;83032]What you say is true: however, when you activate the (Italian) SIM card which you have bought over the internet you are supposed to give a CF and other form of identification. It might well not be checked, but it is supposed to be.
[/quote]

I took it that 'here' for Lorraine is in the UK (don't think you can buy an Orange SIM in Italy) and that seems to be backed up by her profile location ...

Perhaps you are right Sally and I should not generalise, it was just such a relief to get eveything back, and we were in the first flush of being here.
A

Do you think that because Italian mobile phones are registered to their owners, they are less desirable to nick?

If the UK had the same policy would it make stealing mobiles less attractive?

I know that in England someone stole my son’s phone card, but it would only dial my number (it was for emergencies only!) I told him (the thief) to give it back because it was no use to him and eventually he did.

An awful lot if criminal evidence now concentrates on mobile phones so perhaps it is time for the UK to regulate them in the same way as Italy does.

[quote=pigro;83050]I took it that 'here' for Lorraine is in the UK (don't think you can buy an Orange SIM in Italy) and that seems to be backed up by her profile location ...[/quote]

You're quite right Pigro - unfortunately 'here' is Leeds and not Italy.

I lost my mobile phone last year but thought I'd left it at work after ringing my number and not hearing it anywhere in the house. An hour or so later I got a phone call from my daughter asking where my phone was. Thinking this was a strange question I said I'd left it at work, why?

She then cracked out laughing and said I'd lost it in the freezer at Morrisons and they'd got her number from my contacts as the last person I'd rung. It must have fallen out of my pocket when I was reaching into the freezer chest.

I wonder what the shoppers must have thought passing the frozen Pizzas only to hear my phone ringing away merrrily.

Got the phone back safely and none the worse for the time spent in 'cold storage'.

Lorraine

My 2 teenagers have left phones on the bus on a few occasions, the bus driver phones them up and meets them at the end of our road on his return journey.
My daughter left a bag on the bus with her christmas euros in after a shopping trip and the next morning the bus was used for a school run the young lad who found it handed it in and we got it back. I was amazed, this would never happen in UK.