Stolen iPhone
So my phone was just stolen today from me while i was helping a customer. More specifically, it was stolen by the customer I was helping. After all my run around, I'm being told that it's up to the police to recover my phone, otherwise I'm out of luck.
I can't afford another $600 phone, but I do want one! I'm proposing to community any suggestions for receiving some aid. Preliminarily, I was thinking of taking up a collection and voluntering myself to doing some sort of community service for a national organization. What do you all think about this?
I'm willing to take any other suggestions, but I'm growing more and more upset as I think about it.
Thank you all, and take care!
--
Looking back at this over a year later, it's kind of hard to believe how naive I was. I wrote this post in desperation expecting a miracle I suppose. Anyway, re-reading the initial post it comes off as if I was begging for a hand out, and I just wanted to say that that's not at all what I was looking for. There's really no way of getting around quotes like "taking up a collection" and "community service for a national organization."
This forum, like all other's I suppose, is unforgiving in terms of being able to take back what I've said. I remember hearing about some kid who successfully podcasted his way to a new iMac. I guess I wanted to try to do something similar. But, no matter how embarrassing this post is to me today (two iPhones later), I did every that I could think of. Unfortunately, asking ill prepared questions on a whim was one of them.
I can't afford another $600 phone, but I do want one! I'm proposing to community any suggestions for receiving some aid. Preliminarily, I was thinking of taking up a collection and voluntering myself to doing some sort of community service for a national organization. What do you all think about this?
I'm willing to take any other suggestions, but I'm growing more and more upset as I think about it.
Thank you all, and take care!
--
Looking back at this over a year later, it's kind of hard to believe how naive I was. I wrote this post in desperation expecting a miracle I suppose. Anyway, re-reading the initial post it comes off as if I was begging for a hand out, and I just wanted to say that that's not at all what I was looking for. There's really no way of getting around quotes like "taking up a collection" and "community service for a national organization."
This forum, like all other's I suppose, is unforgiving in terms of being able to take back what I've said. I remember hearing about some kid who successfully podcasted his way to a new iMac. I guess I wanted to try to do something similar. But, no matter how embarrassing this post is to me today (two iPhones later), I did every that I could think of. Unfortunately, asking ill prepared questions on a whim was one of them.
Comments
So my phone was just stolen today from me while i was helping a customer. More specifically, it was stolen by the customer I was helping. After all my run around, I'm being told that it's up to the police to recover my phone, otherwise I'm out of luck.
I can't afford another $600 phone, but I do want one! I'm proposing to community any suggestions for receiving some aid. Preliminarily, I was thinking of taking up a collection and voluntering myself to doing some sort of community service for a national organization. What do you all think about this?
I'm willing to take any other suggestions, but I'm growing more and more upset as I think about it.
Thank you all, and take care!
Sorry your phone was stolen, but
Here's an idea: Instead of offering to do community service, how about getting a job (or second job) and working for the money?
I'm willing to take any other suggestions, but I'm growing more and more upset as I think about it.
An expensive lesson learned I'm sure. Next time don't leave your iPhone just laying around in a public place. (for that matter hundred dollar bills, jewelry, cameras, or other expensive lightweight stuff that fits in someone's pocket) What were you thinking?
m
An expensive lesson learned I'm sure. Next time don't leave your iPhone just laying around in a public place. (for that matter hundred dollar bills, jewelry, cameras, or other expensive lightweight stuff that fits in someone's pocket) What were you thinking?
m
The most expensive!
I'm working in a coffee shop filled with lawyers. The last thing I expected was for someone to reach over the counter to grab my phone. What's most upsetting is after I tried to chased the guy down, a police officer not two blocks away said I couldn't file a report with him, that I had to call HQ. From there, it took them half an hour to send anybody around.
I'm also hoping against hope that AT&T / Apple employees are missing something. It doesn't make sense to sell a phone that has no way of calling for help after being reported. My thought process (and once confirmed) was that iTunes would recognize the phone's reported stolen, log the IP address, then send the info elsewhere for police follow up. Does this make sense to anyone else?
But anyway, it was just a pitch, I wanted to see what other people thought.
I'm working in a coffee shop filled with lawyers. The last thing I expected was for someone to reach over the counter to grab my phone.
Darn lawyers. Who can you trust???
So my phone was just stolen today from me while i was helping a customer. More specifically, it was stolen by the customer I was helping. After all my run around, I'm being told that it's up to the police to recover my phone, otherwise I'm out of luck.
I can't afford another $600 phone, but I do want one! I'm proposing to community any suggestions for receiving some aid. Preliminarily, I was thinking of taking up a collection and voluntering myself to doing some sort of community service for a national organization. What do you all think about this?
I'm willing to take any other suggestions, but I'm growing more and more upset as I think about it.
Thank you all, and take care!
Since you are an art student, perhaps you could offer your art services in return for an iPhone.
Make a sign explaining your plight, the fact that you were among the first in line to buy an iPhone (I presume), and the fact that it was stolen right there, at the coffee shop where you work, where they are now getting their coffee, while you were helping a customer.
The pitch: offer to design a logo for one of the law (or other commercial) firms whose employees come to the coffee shop. If they decide to use your logo, they compensate you by buying you a new iPhone. Alternatively, you could offer to create a custom work of art for their ugly office hallway, conference room, or lobby, again in return for an iPhone.
The one thing you refuse to negotiate: 8 gig only, no 4 gigs considered. After all, 8 gigs of memory will be worth next to nothing in a year or two. Your artwork, on the other hand, could be worth, well, next to nothing as well (or millions and billions and zillions).
Good luck.
So my phone was just stolen today from me while i was helping a customer. More specifically, it was stolen by the customer I was helping. After all my run around, I'm being told that it's up to the police to recover my phone, otherwise I'm out of luck.
I can't afford another $600 phone, but I do want one! I'm proposing to community any suggestions for receiving some aid. Preliminarily, I was thinking of taking up a collection and voluntering myself to doing some sort of community service for a national organization. What do you all think about this?
I'm willing to take any other suggestions, but I'm growing more and more upset as I think about it.
Thank you all, and take care!
\\\\YOU GUYS ARE IDIOTS//.
THIS IS HELP> When you registered your iPhone with iTunes it's serial # was registered. Report it stolen to Apple and the next guy that tries to use it is going to get busted. That serial # is yours. They can help. It has to be plugged into an iTunes account at some point. The perpetrator will have to try and reactivate it.
Apple will know. "RED FLAG STOLEN IPHONE." You will be notified, and so will the authorities.
\\\\YOU GUYS ARE IDIOTS//.
THIS IS HELP> When you registered your iPhone with iTunes it's serial # was registered. Report it stolen to Apple and the next guy that tries to use it is going to get busted. That serial # is yours. They can help. It has to be plugged into an iTunes account at some point. The perpetrator will have to try and reactivate it.
Apple will know. "RED FLAG STOLEN IPHONE." You will be notified, and so will the authorities.
Just curious, when they see that it is stolen, how would they figure out his location; by IP address?
Just curious, when they see that it is stolen, how would they figure out his location; by IP address?
I don't know how much they know, but I know there are usually credit cards registered to iTunes. All that info is undeniable, and I would think iTunes will probably render the phone useless to anyone else.
Since you are an art student, perhaps you could offer your art services in return for an iPhone.
Great idea! I am going to wait a week or so to see what the police come up with.
As to the person frustrated calling us idiots, I have called AT&T as well as Apple questioning why they can't find the phone.
One operator told me that yes, the can track it through IP Address over the computer, but can't look at the data from their desk. Everybody else says that there is nothing that they can do. I have yet to get the same story twice from any of the dozens of people I have contacted.
I was told, however, to give my IMEI number to the police. From there AT&T claims that the police will work with them, but can't make any guarantees.
Tomorrow I have an appointment at the Apple store. I'm going to talk to them about my options, that way I have a face to face conversation. I also want to see if it's possible just to buy the phone the earphones, since I already have everything else that I need.
Great idea! I am going to wait a week or so to see what the police come up with.
As to the person frustrated calling us idiots, I have called AT&T as well as Apple questioning why they can't find the phone.
One operator told me that yes, the can track it through IP Address over the computer, but can't look at the data from their desk. Everybody else says that there is nothing that they can do. I have yet to get the same story twice from any of the dozens of people I have contacted.
I was told, however, to give my IMEI number to the police. From there AT&T claims that the police will work with them, but can't make any guarantees.
Tomorrow I have an appointment at the Apple store. I'm going to talk to them about my options, that way I have a face to face conversation. I also want to see if it's possible just to buy the phone the earphones, since I already have everything else that I need.
Are you a homeowner? It might be covered in your insurance.
Great idea! I am going to wait a week or so to see what the police come up with.
The tracking issue is something that's been shrouded in a cloud of ambiguity. Technically, it is easy to do, although the companies seem reluctant. I think they simply don't want to get into that business unless they are forced to.
Incidentally, because of the mayor, you realize you are a little famous in a 15-minute kind of way. You could use the last 2 or 3 minutes of it to your advantage in replacing your iPhone.
Incidentally, because of the mayor, you realize you are a little famous in a 15-minute kind of way. You could use the last 2 or 3 minutes of it to your advantage in replacing your iPhone.
I would love to ask the Mayor for some help, but that seems petty to me. I'm upset thought because the police told me that they aren't going to do anything to find my phone. They said that they have a report, but like I told them, I can't make phone calls on my report.
Right now I worked out a deat with AT&T to advance my contract upgrade policy, so I can get a free phone to tide me over.
My next steps are to talk to Apple about the problem I'm having, like I said.
I will have to look into homeowners insurance. We do own a house, so I'm sure we have to have it, assuming home owners is the same as auto. More work for me!
I would love to ask the Mayor for some help, but that seems petty to me.
Of course. I didn't mean that. I meant that you could, for example, take one the newspapers that mentions you, highlight the part about you in yellow, and add that, say, to your poster. Or something. That you were part of a news story that was picked up could simply be helpful to your cause.
My next steps are to talk to Apple about the problem I'm having, like I said.
If you pimp the fact that you were part of a news story regarding the launch, you might get more traction. (or not).
I will have to look into homeowners insurance. We do own a house, so I'm sure we have to have it, assuming home owners is the same as auto. More work for me!
Your deductible might not make it worth filing a claim if you didn't already establish a "floater" or "rider" for it. In which case, it's only a phone!
At this point, I've one option left. I am going to wait until tomorrow morning and see what apple has to say. Some poster earlier had mentioned that apple would replace his screen for $270.
I had been holding this information because I wasn't sure of it's value, but I have a phone in reserve for me at the Apple store because my screen was sent to me damaged. I'm going to propose buying a new phones, sans accessories. Total I'm estimating nearly $400 shaved off the price.
Here's to hoping!
As to the person frustrated calling us idiots, I have called AT&T as well as Apple questioning why they can't find the phone.
.
I was not calling you an idiot. I was refering to the people that were making a joke out of losing your phone rather than helping you in your process. The longer you wait for something like this the less chance you have of getting it back.
Under one of the tabs in iTunes there used to be a way to look at your registered iPods, computers and stuff. I can no longer find it. I think it's been removed. Sorry.
An expensive lesson learned I'm sure. Next time don't leave your iPhone just laying around in a public place.
Can the iPhone be locked (password) so that no one else can use it? If so, is there any way for a thief to get around this?
I had my phone (RZR) stolen two weeks ago (not the same level as an iPhone, but I feel your pain.)
Here's to hoping!
I know I may just be a cat, but if I were you, this is what I would do:
When you go to the Apple store, bring in a couple of the articles that quote you and not only demonstrate, shall we say, your enthusiasm, but also confirm your participation in the largest guerilla marketing campaign in history.
Go to the manager, take out the papers, and say "look. That's me. See. And now, of all people, I had mine stolen. I'm not rich. I work in a coffee shop. I'm a student. But I was there on line, I waited for all those hours with the faithful, and I was part of this news story that lots of people read and made them want to go out and buy iPhones. Surely that counts for something."
And maybe it will.
On the other hand, maybe it wont. But maybe it will.
Oh, and if you do decide to do this, I would not, under any circumstance, let the manager know that you are taking advice from a cat.
meow.
Can the iPhone be locked (password) so that no one else can use it?
Yes.
If so, is there any way for a thief to get around this?
Yes.
However, most theives are not sophisticated enough to break the password. At the same time, I would imagine that most users don't turn on the password feature because of the hassle of using it.
I had my phone (RZR) stolen two weeks ago (not the same level as an iPhone, but I feel your pain.)
Sorry to hear that.
It's an irony of the increasing smartness of smartphones that the smarter they get, the more confidential information they contain, and the more they could hurt you if lost or stolen.
There are drawbacks to the way Apple's current password/locking system is implemented and I'm hoping it will improve over time - both in increasing convenience to the user, and in increasing inconvenience to the thief.
I wouldn't be surprised if future versions of the iPhone included a fingerprint-based password locking system. It's a natural with the multitouch screen, it would be convenient for users, and more difficult for thieves to crack.
I wouldn't be surprised if future versions of the iPhone included a fingerprint-based password locking system. It's a natural with the multitouch screen, it would be convenient for users, and more difficult for thieves to crack.
That's a great idea.
It would be nice if the phone could be tracked via GPS if the phone ever gets this (so that you have a chance of recovering it). Is the data on the iPhone encrypted? How much attention has Apple paid to security with the iPhone?
I'm surprised I haven't heard of any iPhone muggings on the news yet.