found an iphone 5 need to return

[sackoforphans]

My grandmother works in hotel and she called me in a year ago to see if I could open the phone and call who owns it. I came back for a party at the hotel and the phone is still there. It is password protected and has been in the lost and found for more than a year. What should I do. I've heard cellphone providers just add the phone to a lost phone list and don't return it. I use an android and don't want it. I just want to old owner to get it back. The phone is dead and I don't have a charger for it.

 

[kch50428]

Chances are the original owner had insurance, and replaced the phone... and the phone is likely on a Lost/stolen service denial list... and is good for parts.

 

[sting7k]

If it's been over a year then the owner has most likely move on and it will be a waste of your time and effort to try and find them.

Restore it with iTunes to remove the passcode lock. Then sell it or find a trade in place.

 

[Just_Me_D]

My grandmother works in hotel and she called me in a year ago to see if I could open the phone and call who owns it. I came back for a party at the hotel and the phone is still there. It is password protected and has been in the lost and found for more than a year. What should I do. I've heard cellphone providers just add the phone to a lost phone list and don't return it. I use an android and don't want it. I just want to old owner to get it back. The phone is dead and I don't have a charger for it.

What is the hotel's policy in regard to lost and found items?

 

[sackoforphans]

Oh I have no idea and my grandma isn't from here so her English isn't amazing I would have to check with the banquet manager.

 

[anon(4698833)]

To be honest, if your story is legitimate...that phone is yours (or whoever found it). After a year, nobody is still looking for that thing, and if they've not come back to claim it, it's free game.

 

[Eileen89]

Thread moved to the iPhone 5 forum for better exposure.

 

[sackoforphans]

Chances are the original owner had insurance, and replaced the phone... and the phone is likely on a Lost/stolen service denial list... and is good for parts.

Are you sure? I don't mean to offend but what about the serial number that last thing I want is to get in trouble for something I didn't intend to do. The phone is still at the hotel. I mean we all could use an extra dollar but i have no idea how to go about this sort of stuff.

 

[Eileen89]

My grandmother works in hotel and she called me in a year ago to see if I could open the phone and call who owns it. I came back for a party at the hotel and the phone is still there. It is password protected and has been in the lost and found for more than a year. What should I do. I've heard cellphone providers just add the phone to a lost phone list and don't return it. I use an android and don't want it. I just want to old owner to get it back. The phone is dead and I don't have a charger for it.

Take it to an Apple store. They can tell by the serial number who the iPhone was/is registered to and get in contact with the owner. The owner can decide what they would like to do with it.

 

[kch50428]

Are you sure? I don't mean to offend but what about the serial number that last thing I want is to get in trouble for something I didn't intend to do. The phone is still at the hotel. I mean we all could use an extra dollar but i have no idea how to go about this sort of stuff.

100% sure... no. Just guessing that in all likelihood, the device was reported lost to the carrier, which would put the device on a deny service list for that carrier... getting it and trying to make a fast buck selling it given chances it may not be useable at all is, to me, rather shady at best.

 

[sackoforphans]

100% sure... no. Just guessing that in all likelihood, the device was reported lost to the carrier, which would put the device on a deny service list for that carrier... getting it and trying to make a fast buck selling it given chances it may not be useable at all is, to me, rather shady at best.

I will probably just try to see if i can still find the owner if anything they could sell it with out worry. Plus they had to go through all the stress that comes with losing a phone they could use the whatever it fetches.

 

[jsntrenkler]

Yikes that stinks for the Original Owner. After a year though I would feel comfortable turning the device over to the finder if that's the Hotel's policy.

 

[Tre Lawrence]

Take it to an Apple store. They can tell by the serial number who the iPhone was/is registered to and get in contact with the owner. The owner can decide what they would like to do with it.

This.

 

[Not Quite Right]

Keep the iPhone, and ditch the Android would be the logical thing to do. After a year what's done is done ... no need to use a Android phone if you don't have too ...

 

[Ujjwal Agarwal]

you're lucky man keep the iphone and use it

 

[EmceeGeek]

Whoever the person is that lost the phone never looked back. The first thing I would do if I lost my phone was to retrace my steps and chances are they don't/didn't have find my iPhone on. I would feel uncomfortable after a year, someone coming back to me with my old phone. If you can use it, use it. Id first go to an Apple Store to see what can be done. Tell them the phone has been lost for a year.

I'm not 100% positive how locked iPhones work in iTunes but I would connect it to iTunes to see if a number comes up. Maybe the person still has the same number if you're set on returning it after all of this time.

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