PROFIT or KARMA... What Would You Do ???

[ferdware]

Well I arrived at the beach at 4:30 this morning to try and get a few hours of good hunting done before the tourists showd up. I was only there about three hours when the crowds started to arrive. My battery had just went dead, so I decided to just leave.
On the way out I ran into three other MDs just getting out there. I stopped to talk with them for a few. Each one of them had noticed my V3i and made very positive comments. Which made me feel that much better about choosing the V3i.
So as I was talking to two of them. I turned to unlock my car, and BAMM right there by my front tire was a wallet. I couldnt believe that no one had noticed it yet. I actually stood there for a second and tilted my head like a dog in disbeleife. Then the little man in my head said " hurry up dummy and pick it up ". So thats exactly what I did. Then I showed the other two MDs there. It still had his cash in there so I figured I was the first to find it.
The first thing everyone has asked me is " How much cash " and " what are you going to do ". Well it had $36.00 a bank card and license and college ID. So I 411 the address called the guys dad back in NC and 20 minutes later I was talking to the owner of the wallet. We met and he was very appreciative. As was his father.
Later a friend had commented that I could have taken the money and still returned everything else and it would of still been ok. I just feel that the genuin thanks that I had received from the owner and his father was alot cooler then the cash.

It always feels good to do the right thing and I DO BELIEVE IN KARMA...

I just wanted to share this story..

 

[Aurium]

Although I don't believe in Karma. I do think that making an effort to find the rightful owner is the right thing to do. I've found cell phones in rental cars that I've returned to the owner, and never really thought twice about it. I for sure would have done the same thing, and not kept the money.
The payment would have been the thanks received as that would be good enough for me.

I commend you on doing what I think is a good thing, and kudo's to you on making the effort.

 

[Larry (IL)]

You did the right thing, the money was not yours and I can't believe other MD'ers thought it was OK to take the cash............jeesh........

 

[The Beep Goes On]

It would have to be a heck of a lot more than $36 to endanger my karma...good job.

 

[okieroy]

I'm proud of you. Not many people would have done what you done.
Your A number one in my books.
Roy

 

[ak_1234]

You did the right thing, the money was not yours and I can't believe other MD'ers thought it was OK to take the cash............jeesh........

Totally agreed. You did the right thing. I'm glad there are people like you in the world.

I have also been on the receiving end of such honesty. I foolishly left my wallet at a little convenience store outside of Spokane (in Spangle). It was 100 miles from where we lived. Before I realized it was missing, they had sent it back to me with all my cash inside. Postage paid and everything. Needless to say, we shopped there every time we went that way.

 

[Saratoga]

$ 36.00 can make a big difference to some people,
You can

 

[etracmick]

One word says it all about the character of someone........INTEGRITY. You either have it or you don't it's one of the only things you really own.

 

[The Beep Goes On]

I used the ATM at the bank the other day and it gave me $20 extra. No-brainer...went in and had them check my account to make sure it said the correct amount withdrawn and then gave back the $20. I don't think anyone had done that before judging by their reaction. Not really a test...if I were broke, then it would be a test.

 

[gilfordberry]

You did the right thing. I had a similar incident a couple years ago. A found wallet had a little over $300 in cash in it, along with the owner's ID. I managed to track him down and
returned it. He was a working guy and had just cashed his check to pay the rent when he lost it. He said he didn't know what he'd have done without his money.
It felt good.

My sister-in-law worked as a waitress and found a paper bag left in the booth after her customers had left. Seems a customer had put her business'
deposit in a bag to take to the bank. I don't remember how much money it was, but it was several thousand dollars. Don't know the details, but the money
was returned and the lady that had left the deposit there was able to keep her job... I like to think I'd have been that honest but it would have definitely
been a bigger challenge than a wallet with $300 in it....

Gil

 

[Elton]

Nothing wrong with being honest and honorable..

 

[Elton]

n/t

 

[BHNugget]

It would have to be a heck of a lot more than $36 to endanger my karma...good job.

I agree with Beep, $50 is my lower limit. Just kidding,you did good! I once went turkey hunting and found a wallet loaded with well over $800.When I gave it back to the guy,he informed me that I didnt know how happy I just made him because it was his mortgage payment.I didnt question it,just wondered to myself,who in thier right mind would be carrying thier mortgage payment around out on a forest service road.

 

[OregonMike]

Here's my story about doing the "right thing."

I'm a coin collector, and a few years ago I was in an antique mall in Newport, Oregon, where there was a display of coins. One was an exquisitely nice 1914-D Lincoln cent. Because there was no price on the visible side of the 2 x 2 that held it, I asked the lady if she would open the case and let me see it. On the back of the coin was "MS-63 $2900."

Seeing the $2900 price, I said, "wow," and the lady said, "Yes, 29 dollars is a lot for a penny!."

I looked at her and said, "So you'd sell me this for 29 dollars?"

She got snitty. "Look, I don't set the prices; they're set by the people who own the merchandise."

Me again: "So you would sell this to me for 29 dollars?"

She: "That's what it says."

I knew I had $40 cash and thus the transaction would be totally untraceable. I don't live in that town, and no one there knows me.

Bottom line, I couldn't do it. The owner of the coin would have been out all that money because of the clerk's error. Yes, the owner should have been more careful to mark the coin very clearly, and the clerk could have been nicer, but to me, I couldn't have enjoyed owning that coin knowing that every time I looked at it, I would think of the owner's anger and disappointment when his tote sheet showed that the coin had been sold for $29, and that some poor lady, (even if she were a little snitty,) would probably lose her job.

I told her the coin was supposed to be sold for $2900. Again, she said, "well, then, it has no business being marked like that." All I could do was walk away, and for a long time I wondered if what I had done really mattered. Finally, though, I came to peace with it, thinking that two people's lives are not disrupted in major economic and emotional ways, thanks to my decision.

 

[nw1886]

You did well. I return everything possible and it is crazy how many people don't even understand that! It's good to see that there's more good "not so old fashioned" integrity around here.

 

[gilfordberry]

Our MD club (The West Coasters in Sou Cal) has a program which rewards our member detectorists a $20 check when we are able to locate and return class rings. Yes, I know, they are worth a lot more than that just for the gold melt, but it is good PR for our hobby as well as the right thing to do whenever you can. My hunting partner (my wife) and I have returned eight or ten in our 10 or 11 years of club membership. We have two we were unable to trace down (schools closed down, no records). But anyway, my point was that in most instances the kids that get their class rings returned (and their parents, who probably paid for them) are very grateful and make you proud of what you've done. But on a couple of occasions, we've gone to considerable trouble - and some expense - to return a lost ring, and the owner never even bothered to say "thank you". One in particular - took me a long time to make contact with the kid - the schools won't give out any information, just want you to return the found item to THEM which I refuse to do. Anyway, finally made contact, then paid to send the ring - insured - back to the owner. Never even got a thank you. This tends to sour you on being a nice guy.

FYI, most class rings are made by only a couple of manufacturers, and they keep a database by year, school, and initials as to the owners address and telephone number. They won't give you the personal data, but they will call the kid and give them YOUR telephone number so you are able to establish contact and initiate the return.

If I knew in advance which ones were likely to snub me, they might not get their ring back!!

Another story for you guys: The wife and I were detecting fire pits at Balboa pier (southern Cal) at about 7 in the morning when a young fella came up and, looking worried, asked if we had found his gold chain. I said, no, we hadn't found any gold that morning so far. He then told us that he had taken off his chain to dry off and it had fell into the sand - but he couldn't find it. He said he had dug in the sand where he dropped it for about two hours without success. Now, usually when you're approached by someone claiming they have lost something - a ring, car keys, their cell phone, whatever - they think they know where they lost it - and they are usually wrong. If you do find what they've lost, it's usually at least twenty or thirty feet away from where they think they lost it. In this case, however, the young guy showed me the EXACT fire pit where he was sitting when he lost his chain. I went around it a half dozen times, very slowly, and managed to find a few clad coins and pennies but nothing else. The trouble is that there are enough nails, pull tabs, and bottle caps around these fire pits that finding anything is difficult. Finally, I got a blip at about a 45 VDI - it was there then it was gone. At about five inches deep, and right up against the fire ring (which has steel re-bar in it) I scooped up the chain. It turned out to be the best find I have EVER made. It was 18K and over four ounces, with a five ounce crucifix attached to it. The crucifix was inlayed with emeralds. When I handed the necklace back to the guy, there were tears in his eyes. He said "I'll pay you everything I have". He said the crucifix had belonged to his mother and grandmother, and that his mother had given him the necklace on her deathbed. Either he was an Oscar-worthy actor, or he was telling the truth. There were tears in my eyes, too, when I shook his hand and told him he had already given me all I could ask for - a genuine thank you.

That feeling is worth more than all the silver and gold I have accumulated over these past fifteen years of detecting.

 

[nw1886]

Great story! I went through a stretch where I was able to return quite a few pieces of jewelry. Everyone was thankful except for this one kid...he just couldn't believe someone would return gold. Oh well....others made up for it.

That was the best thanks you could have gotten! (Did us all proud gb.)

You all won't believe what just happened? (I'm numb with disbelief and in a fog right now.) I'm needing to get out the door for work..... and figured I'd better check my email. THAT KID? He just contacted me through facebook! (This returning of his ring happened months and months ago?!?!?!) This whole karma thing.....I'm REALLY creeping right now...............................back to facebook.......... Whoooooo??? (I swear to god!)

 

[robertk]

Another story for you guys:

Awesome story. He is very fortunate to have run into you.

 

[dirtdigginlady]

n/t