Camera gone - make sure it doesn't happen to you - doh!

[5129frederick]

Spent yesterday metal detecting at Ramsgate and got back to the car park early.  Made the FATAL ERROR of taking off my digital camera that was hanging round my neck and leaving it on the wall along with my trowel.  Put everything in the car except the camera and case.  That was it - phoned Ramsgate Police - nothing had been handed in.  They've got my number if it does turn up.  It could be it is handed into a local police station once they got home.  The annoying thing is it's no use to anybody unless they have the appropriate charger and camera/computer usb lead.  Kicking myself sensless over this.  It was so EASY to happen.  I've had so many near misses it just isn't true.  Just seen a secondhand one identical to mine on auction for a tenner - no charger or lead.  It's not mine though because one is in a bit of a state.  I might put in a bid for it, but not until the closing seconds.  I could kick myself black and blue over this - nobody to blame but myself.  Sitting here twiddling my thumbs looking at the box it came in and all the works.  Had a new 8 gig card, too.  Trying to make light of it telling my daughter somebody is oogling at photos I took of her - thank God I didn't take anything spicy!  Lol!

So, if you've got a digital camera, keep it round your neck at ALL TIMES!   

[saasher2012]

Oh Fred I'm sorry to hear that! Hope someone does hand it in but it's not likely is it I'm afraid? I know how much it meant to you. Sandra,

[rose2008-2008]

OMG Fred thats awful,,, sorry to hear that. People will half inch anything nowadays. even i have heard of womens jewellery being wripped off their necks. So still be careful even if you have it on your person!!!!!!!!!.

[5129frederick]

Thanks, Princess.  I know you feel for me.  If I found somebody's camera it would be the very first thing I'd do, because it's as personal as the clothes you wear.  Luckily the photos I took were mainly of items I have up on sale for ebay, plus a few of the boats etc.  What upsets me was the fact that it was a very good camera.  No scratches or anything like that - always kept in a bag.  I don't look on a digital camera as an accessary to take holiday snaps with - I look on it as a tool of trade, because I am dependant on it for my eBay sales.  The sharpness has to be 150% or nothing at all.  My camera was as personal as a set of golf clubs.  I'll be putting in a bid for this other camera tomorrow afternoon.  Thanks for caring.  (Hugs).

[saasher2012]

Hope you get the camera you want! Pity you have to though,I remember you saying you thought long & hard before you bought the one that's been lost but your wife encouraged you to go ahead & buy it.

[5129frederick]

Thanks, Rose.  As I sid on my original thread though, unless you've got the charger and usb camera/computer cable, it's no damn good to anybody once the battery fails.  Whoever's got it will just take out my brand new 4 gig card or delete everything.  We live in hope, die in despair.

[stan3502]

Can you put an appeal in the local paper fred ???

[5129frederick]

99% of people who visit margate are holiday makers who don't but the local rag.  

I am reminded of a case I read in the paper a few years back of a journalist who had his camera stolen in Spain.  He reported it missing name sake accepting it as gone and was eventually paid out on insurance.  The police officer was most interested in the battery it used, so the jurnalist replied rather sharply that they were special battaries for that particular camera and that you had to order them specially.

"You will get your camera back in September."  He replied in an almost casual manner.  Come September he received a phone call from the police station.

"Sir, we have your camera."

"How?!"  He was flabbergasted.

"I asked you about the batteries for a reason.  The batteries would have to be ordered as that particular camera is not available in Spain.  I merely sent a telex message asking all camera stores in my area to report to me anybody ordering batteries for your camera.  They obliged.  He pleaded guilty - he had no choice.  Simple.  Good day."  And put the phone down.

[myraandjim]

hope you get it back, although unlikely I guess. I can't understand how anyone can take items knowing they are probably someone else's treasured posessions, just today's me me me society I suppose. Might it be worth you visiting the local second hand shops and cash convertors? maybe someone just took it for the few quid it would give them.

[2017clearout]

Oh no!  What a dreadful thing to happen - I feel so bad for you, Fred: can you claim on your household insurance at least?  

I lost my camera on the way back from Cape Town - I think I must have taken it out of my bag when I was looking for my book at Schipol.  I hadn't downloaded the pictures from my previous trip to SA, two weeks earlier (never been before, then work send me twice in a month!) and I lost them all 😞  There was a really nice story in our local paper, though, yesterday: a lady who had her camera (or maybe a phone) stolen, which had all the pictures she had of her late son on it - he died suddenly at two months in the spring - had put up notices asking someone to return the memory card, and had put out a pencil case for it to be left in at her house.  She got the memory card and all her pictures back, which was amazing.

I hope, though, someone has an attack of conscience with yours.  Might be worth, too, keeping an eye on the local boot sales when you're there...

[peteryola]

Yola did a similar thing in a changing room at Galeries Lafeyette a couple of weeks ago; hung up her camera in a changing room to try a jacket on and just forgot about it.  It hadn't been handed in to lost property by the end of the day ( although they have our details just in case ) so I guess it's been nicked.

We do, however, have the satisfaction of wondering what the expression on the thief's face would have been later that day when they realised they had nicked a film camera; if it was anyone under 20 who nicked it they probably wouldn't have a clue what to do with it...

[mouse4702]

Fred, I'm so sorry, I really feel for you.  If it's any consolation - and it probably isn't - they'll have the photos, but you'll have the reality: a family who love you and cares about you.  If they don't hand it in... well let's hope they benefit from it in some way; they obvisouly are in a bad way to do something like that.

[5129frederick]

Awe, bless you Mousey.  You've made me go all soft and sentimental.  It's only a material item - as you say, I've got the real thing.  Something that will never fade.

I had my bank card swiped - very professional too - punched in my number to withdraw some money.  Just at the right moment a man shoves a newspaper into my face:

"Hey, man, I'm trying to find that rest ..."

"Get that thing out of my face!"

"Oh, sorry, man."  And walks off, leaving me waiting for my card.  Of course, it doesn't come.  All I get is the cash.

Got nothing from me as I was near a bank, and they stopped any further transactions instantly.  I thanked God on three counts: 1.)  I could have lost what money I was trying to withdraw.  2.)  I could have been knifed but 3.)  more important to me that the potential of losing money, I'm not the person who'll be looking over my shoulder i.e. Is that a plain clothes cop walking a bit too close to me?  I never use them now, only whien I'm actually in a bank.  The police told me they quickly change clothes, but they always, in every case, forget to change their footwear.  As I said, I've already found an identical camera up on eBay which I'll be bidding on in the closing seconds.  If I get it, I get it.  If I don't, there are several more out there.  

Thank you, everybody for your support.

[bankhaunter]

A chap who had an expensive Nikon was intending to tour South America and a couple of weeks before he went, he wrapped pieces of pink surgical tape round whilst still leaving it usable, by the time he left it had bits of fuff etc stuck to it.

During his trip he was mugged, the thief stole $10 but ignored the camera.

[5129frederick]

It's an old trick that still works when going through customs.  A brand new, very expensive camera which should have attracted import duty was put into an old, weatherbeaten  Kodak case and slung casually over his shoulder.  Customs just waved him through without checking anything.  In the early years you'd stick "Goods to declare" and "Nothing to declare" on your windscreeen  The world and his uncle cursed as they were stuck in a long queue.  This person was smart - a sales rep whose time meant money.  He always bought more than his duty free allowance.  Consequently he was waved straight past all the other cars because he had a "Goods to declare" sticker stuck prominantly on the car windscreen, and was in and out in less than ten minutes.  He didn't even drink, but he got through in record time, because the staff all knew him.

[fishpieface]

I don't know Fred, you might be lucky and have an honest person hand it in.  I would if I found one.

In fact I did last Sunday - took a coach of lovely gardening people to an open gardens village

thing, as they got out of the coach I saw someone put their camera on a post but couldn't remember

who it was.  So I gave it to the lovely lady whos garden my coach was parked in, turned out it belonged

to her son who had put it there while he saw me reverse out onto the road to turn the coach round, and

forgotten where he'd put it.

I would never not hand something of obvious value to somebody in, in fact I would hand anything in

and always do when I find stuff on coaches that people have left behind.  Unless it's perishable, ie.,

food, we aren't allowed to store that so we usually eat it if we can't find its owner the same day.

[5129frederick]

Perishable items?  I'm rolling on the floor with laughter remembering an incident shortly after I got married.  Coming home by tube a woman sat down beside me with a well filled shopping bag.  I didn't take any notice of her, but after she'd got off, halfway through the tunnel I glanced down and noticed that on the seat where she'd been sitting were four freshly wrapped enormous pork chops.  They really were the works, 1 1/2"  thick.  They were still cold.  Well, what could I do!   My late father had one, we had the other three.  They were delicious!  The thing is, lost property don't accept any perishable items.

I felt sorry for her, because obviously her husband was going to go without that evening! 

[10phizz]

........and he wouldn`t get his tea either ! Sorry Fred, couldn`t resist it  . I hope you get your camera back .

[mikelayuk]

Fred, was it a council car park? They might have a lost and found which it got put in - it might never go near the police even if it's been handed in. Worth a phonecall.

That's who I'd hand a camera in to, if I found it in a car park. I'd only call the police for something with lots of someone's personal details in (for instance the handbag we found in the middle of the road once, birth certificate, drivers license and everything. We think she must have put it on the roof of the car and driven off.)

[ilove2patch]

We drove off once with a pair of binoculars on the roof of the car! I doubt they were any good to whoever picked them up though. My daughter & son in laws holiday suitcase got sent to the wrong uk airport on their return from holiday once. They had foolishly put their video camera & duty free in the case. When they got the case back both were missing. As with Fred's camera no lead etc with it but it contained all their photos of the children in the pool etc. They saw the camera on ebay, identified by a scratch on the side. Reported it to ebay & the police but heard no more about it. The seller was in Birmingham where the case had been sent to in error! They didn't contact the buyer which is what I would have done & said just let me have the pictures back. Their insurance paid for their losses but pictures are priceless.