The Stolen Mobile Phone Saga!

[Kaelic]

Ok this could be a long post so please bear with me! Posting this as I like to hear opinions from you guys and girls

Completely unrelated to the bed and freecycle saga but its probably a bit of chavarma (Chavvy karma)

I have a 7 (nearly 8) year old daughter, she has a mobile phone its a pink SE810 or something walkman phone, rightly or wrongly at her age its handy when she is playing out near our house or at a friends house as we can be in instant contact with her. She has a set of ground rules regarding this mobile and one of them is that she must never take it into school, it must be left at home etc..

So this Monday my daughter wrongly took the phone into school (she is now grounded for this) and left it in her coat pocket, which is zipped and hung outside the classroom with all the other coats.
Come Tuesday we find her phone is missing, as we always send her to brownies with the phone (on silent) in a little pouch so she can get in touch with us for any reason (most of the kids do this so its accepted by Brown Owl !). We then learn that my daughter thinks the phone "may" have been in her coat pocket on Monday in school. Anyone with kids will know this is as close to a confession as you can get from a 7 year old . So she is grounded because of it!

Tried to ring the phone, it rang once and went straight to voicemail and has been on voicemail ever since.

Fast forward to last night and a though occured to me to check the online bill for my daughters phone, and lo and behold there are a number of calls to one number on Tuesday night, one of the calls had lasted over 30 minutes. I take the number down and decide that this morning I should ring the number.

So this morning, strangely whilst ironing my shirt for work I decide to ring the number (from the bill) and have a chat with the person on the other end. It turns out to be a woman of 20-30's and the conversation goes like this:
( W being the woman)

at 8:30am

Me: Hi Morning! Sorry to disturb you but the reason I am ringing is that my daughter has lost her mobile phone and in looking at her bill I noticed the phone had rung you on Tuesday night.
W: I am sorry I cant help you
Me: Well the thing is I am looking to offer a reward of 25 pounds for the return of the handset as it quite important to her.
W: I dont know what you are talking about I aint never had a call from that phone.....
Me: Well fact is that someone from the missing phone rang you 3 times on Tuesday night and on one occasion was on the phone for 30 minutes, so I am sure you probably know who it was.
W: I never nicked anythink you cant accuse me of this....
Me: I never said that, all I said was that I know whoever has the phone has called and spoken to someone on your number for a considerable period of time.
W: well I didnt take anything you cant prove it so feck off.
Me: Look let me make myself clear... I want the handset back, I am offering 25 pounds for its return and no questions asked. You know who called you on Tuesday night from the phone and so I am asking you to ask them to return it before I take further action.
W: Look I aint got time for this, this is nothing to do with me I am busy gotta take the kids to school....
Me: Would that be ******** Primary School?
W: Yes! how did you know that? Who are you? Leave me alone........
--- She Hung up at this point ---

One thing I hate as much as a thief is an ignorant liar lol.

It wasnt my turn to take my daughter to school this morning and she had already left, and it was about 8:45 but I thought feck it! Jumped in the stang (kinda like Gene Hunt... over the bonnet with shirt needing tucked in etc) and decided to get to the school.
So arrive at the school and all the kids have to gather in a quadrangle within the school grounds so they can line up in their classes and be ushered in by their teachers who stand at the doors. Using my cunning and devious skills I rang the woman from my iPhone, I heard a phone ring in the quad and my heart was lifted as I scanned the potential candidates who would answer but I was not smart enough and her being a sneaky and smart person recognised my number and decided to send me to voicemail. Unperturbed and being made of much sterner stuff I broke out my secret weapon, my company blackberry and rang her number from this and desperately scanned the crowd of parents from my corner (I had holed up in a corner of the quad to give me the best view maybe I should have worn black and painted my face in order to add to the effect for my mission). The phone rang and my eyes were flicking from candidate to candidate, it was obvious she was pondering if she should answer it as she did let it ring a couple of times... This bought me the time to let me zone in on her.... And there not 10 meters away was a "lady" stood with another "lady" bringing a phone to her mouth and ear to answer the call. I decided that I would whisper on the phone to see if the candidate was the person I was really speaking to. In the true style of a Salford Slapper she put a finger in one ear and shouted down the phone "I cant hear you" .... Ah I had her hook line and sinker.

Me: Hi there sorry was a bad line (for her shouting) its Duncan here we were speaking earlier about my daughters phone...
W: I know nuffink and I am busy so ps off
Me: I can appreciate that, and that's the reason I am stood in the quad at ******* primary school, looking at you and thought it may be easier if I bob over to have a quick chat. See you in a second!
W: errr what???

I walked over to her and her "lady" friend, me smiling like an idiot
I have never seen someone st themselves this much and go from being all cocky and hard on the phone to become this gibbering fool. Her friend was the same sort of hard faced cow who suddenly realised she had been rumbled and was bricking it too... I did have a sneaky glance at both their mobiles to see if they were using my daughters (hers was a distinctive pink colour) but neither had it in their hands.

Me: Hi there, just to let you know that I will still offer the reward until Monday morning then I will goto the police and visit the school office and report the theft. The phone will also be useless as it will be blocked.
W: I will see what I can do...
Me: Thanks! and remember there is a reward and the matter will be closed upon the return of the phone
W's friend: how much is the reward
W: it dunt matter we will get it back
Me: Its 25 pounds and whomever gets it back into my hand this time monday will get the money. Like I said if not returned Monday then I will be in contact with the police and school.
W: ok will try and sort it for you
Me: Many thanks and have a lovely weekend (with a smile on my face)

I then walked to my car and drove home to collect my laptop etc for work.


I get into work and decide to just send her a text to clairfy:

Me: Hi Duncan here about the phone. Can you make sure you let whoever has it that there is a #25 reward and no questions asked to get the handset back asap. Many thanks
W: Well obviously I will let you know if I hear anything but as I said I get so many phone calls! I got your number and I asked the kids to ask at school too!
Me: Thanks for that! If no news by Monday as I said I will block the phone. I will also inform the school and police so as to prevent anyone else having things taken as it appears to have happened at school.
W: dont accuse me of taking your phone I aint got it
Me: Have never said you had, just tell whomever has it to return it and the matter is closed.


An hour later

W: Lad I know has it and said he wants 50 quid to return it I just called him








So PH how do I respond?

1) Part of me wants to say yes I will offer the 50 quid to meet up and then beat 7 shades of st out of this scrote.
2) Part of me wants to reply saying I made an offer of 25 quid and the matter would be closed but I dont think the dumb sts would understand this is their best way out of this.
3) Part of me wants to lead them on a bit and then give all the info over to a friendly policeman, but knowing the police would probably do nothing and so I would get angrier and goto response 1)
4) Give the scrote 50 quid and chalk it upto experience.
5) A PH Suggestion I havent covered as yet

[peterh2]

Option 1.

Don't hold me liable for any legal repercussions though!

[Brian Fantana]

Cheeky! Offer the £50. pay it, then wait outside the school to see which car the woman who you've been communicating with owns, then go to town on it with your keys - or paint.

[Odie]

4. But give him colour photocopies so the notes are useless..

[Skipppy]

Good story.

Option 1, beat the within an inch of his life.

[Crusoe]

sure we could make up a suitable £50 note

[BeerForBreakfast]

Agree to the £50 just to get the swine to meet you.

Then take it by force.

Use the £50 to buy icecream and winegums.

[shoggoth1]

She has, after all, admitted in writing (text) she knows who has it. Couldn't you threaten her with going to the Police with this if the phone has not appeared Monday. Obviously informing the school and other parents regarding this as well.

[V8NRG]

VBRJ ! It's the PH way !

Failing that, Option 1. (just dont get caught doing anything silly)

Edited by V8NRG on Friday 20th March 11:45

[colinjm]

Do not give him £50, not only are they theiving s, but they are blackmailers too. Do you know any local bobbies who could help you out catching the scroate.

Also, if it is a lad she knows, why was he in a primary school? I'd be more worried about who's sneaking around the school.

And post the womans name and number on here...just for fun.

[silver.fox.2008]

She's already admitted she knows who's got the phone. You have a bill showing she received a call from your daughters phone to her number. That's 2 occasions she has inadvertently admitted she knows the whereabouts of a stolen item.

Obviously taking the matter to the police may not do much, even with the evidence. But you can sure as hell scare the living day lights out of her if she THINKS that she can get prosecuted.

[NDA]

What an extraordinary tale!

Are you sure the Police would do nothing?

If it was me I would go to the Police first and then block the phone.

It's not worth £50. My daughter has a cool pink Nokia on pay as you go - so it cost nothing...

[Matt_N]

Cheeky little bd!

Id go into the school with the text messages on my phone, show the Head, tell them the women knows who has your daughter's phone and ask them to sort the situation out, promptly.

If not, you will be informing the police.

[G'kar]

Is it contract or PAYG.

By telling them you'll block it on Monday, you've opened it up to spend all weekend calling Nigeria if it's contract, and you'll be liable if you haven't reported it.

Block it now. Police.

[southendpier]

You will not get the phone back.

They will theive again.

Block handset, go to police and school tell all the other parents (or just the school gossip) and write to the local paper.

Fly post pictures of the person about the town.

Kill their dog.

st on their doorstep, continue to do this for as many years as it takes.

[Crusoe]

Should be easy enough to get her name and see if there are kids with her surname at the school? Only person a primary school kid would phone is their mum you would think?

Should not give a reward though, only going to encourage them to do it again.

[adam85]

Option 1: Although the scrote is likely to be in a chav gang of sorts and you may get stabbed?

[Benten]

Ask for the phone in hand then just dont give her the money.

[off_again]

Ah sod it. Report it stolen. Inform the operator and the police. The operator will block the phone and render it useless for ANY network and the police will knock on said womans door. Sod 'em.

Of course, offer the £25 reward once more - they choose to ignore it then they get nothing.

Sick to the back teeth of these types of story (though yours is rather amusing). A friend recently had his phone nicked. Turned out it was a Blackberry and called it up. Offered a £50 reward as this was the excess on the insurance he had, so seemed fair. Wanted to save the effort and see if he could get his phone back. Anyway, thief wanted £150 and wouldn't budge. Friend suggested £50 was fair and it would be locked within 20 minutes if he didn't accept.... oddly he didn't and within 10 minutes the phone was blocked, locked and remotely wiped - rendering it a useless lump of plastic. He gets a brand new phone next day and sorted.

Sod 'em.

[prand]

Pretty cheeky to increase the reward. What's that people say about negotiating with criminals?!

Insist on £25 or you go to the Head and Police. Then do both anyway if you get it back. I'd like to see her sue you for breach of contract!

I think you'll also need to consider changing your numbers/moving house & school due to future harrassment and reprisals.

Brilliant story though!

Edited by prand on Friday 20th March 11:52