Lost Property

[Gettingthere]

If seems that pretty well every group of guests leave something behind - clothes, phone chargers etc etc.

What is your policy? Do you always contact them or wait for them to claim the item? And if you post it on, do you cover the cost or deduct from the deposit?

[Marta West]

I always contact them and ask what to do; most of the time I post the items with postage paid uppon collecting

[greenbarn]

Other than for something obviously significant, we don't contact the guests as a rule - it's up to them to contact us if they're bothered. We don't take a security deposit, so if guests want us to return something that's important to them they send us appropriate payment and we post or courier it. If we set about returning every item left behind by guests in our three properties it would amount to a considerable expenditure of our time and would undoubtedly cost us overall as well.
We make it clear to the guests that we don't automatically return items left behind and that it's up to them to contact us. It's fairly standard practice throughout the accommodation and hospitality business, and we've never had an adverse reaction from our guests.

[FelicityA]

I am the same as Greenbarn. I don't have a security deposit to dip into. I found I was posting a ridiculous amount of stuff (including dirty laundry from underneath the bed, shoes, heavy chargers and adaptors etc.) and it was wasting my time and energy, especially since they didn't always even thank me or pay the postage. If it cost a lot, I told them and I was refunded but mostly I just let it go. Now, unless they are particularly nice people who have become friends, I just say nothing and wait for them to contact me. I hang onto the stuff for about 6 months and then either chuck it or use it (I have a rather nice leather iphone cover now and I emailed the last two lots of guests after the find but neither claimed).

[Mouse]

Mr M's parting shot is 'and if you've left anything behind you'll find it on ebay'



Well actually he also tells them to give us 3 rings when they get home

Mousie
x

[B&B netherlands]

actually, i did not have to buy shampoo or shower gel for myself, starting in may 2009

unfortunately always only cheap brands.

chargers of all kinds, electrical toothbrushes, shaving gear, dirty underwear i find under mattrasses (why???), heavily used cotton hankies from under pillows, dirty socks, rotting food in the small fridge, pills/medication, several coats and jackets. once even a jacket with a bank card in one of the pockets...

several towels (i do provide towels!), shoes even.

i never send anything back. actually none of the mentioned items were ever claimed.

am still waiting for guests leaving diamonds...

[greenbarn]

Mr M's parting shot is 'and if you've left anything behind you'll find it on ebay'

Mousie
x

Dammit, that's my line!

[mi casa]

If something get left behind like clothes, chargers etc., we contact the guest and if they want it returned we take the postage out of the DD.

[AndrewH]

Mr M's parting shot is 'and if you've left anything behind you'll find it on ebay'

Very good, Mr.M!

It doesn't happen often, thank goodness, but when something of value is left behind, we post it back to the guest at our cost. We see it as part of the service, but what sometimes gets me is when the guest doesn't acknowledge receiving it, let alone say "thank you".

[GillianF]

In the beginning (when I was 'keen') I would contact the guest and post items back and deduct the cost of postage from their damages deposit. We had shoes, trousers, watches, important documents left behind. Once a woman left The Important Bag - the one with the tickets, keys, passports, credit cards, money etc. It took an age to sort that out when they got home and they didn't know they'd left it here but thought they'd lost it on route. And, the last thing I said to her was "Do you have everything?" and she actually went back in to check!

Now, I don't bother unless they contact me and I just keep anything which looks like it might be claimed aside for a week or two. If I post anything back I take postage, packing and a bit for my time from their damages deposit.

One chap left a bedside drawer full of condoms (unused) so I'm guessing they didn't have a very good second week in a second property they were going on to .........

[greenbarn]

GillianF's experience reminded me of something that I posted in a similar thread a while back (I've just checked and it was 2009 ). In fact the whole thread is worth a read here it is

I believe there's an unwritten rule in the hospitality business that says that you never contact guests regarding items left behind.

I suppose it applies more to hotels, but I could see where perhaps a short break, or something more adventurous, might also fit into the framework of the rules.

The thinking goes something like this:

Dear Mr and Mrs Guest
So nice to see you last week, and we hope you enjoyed your stay.
We have found a negligee, a cowboy hat and a whip that you seem to have left behind. Would you like us to return them?
Yours etc
Ann Owner
Cozee Cottage
Chipping Sodbury

Dear Mrs Owner
Many thanks for your letter, which has clarified a number of things. I was under the impression that last week my husband was in Japan for a business conference, so I am of course interested to learn that he was in fact at your accommodation in Chipping Sodbury. Coincidentally, a neighbour of ours was also visiting that area last week. I wonder if you could tell me if Mrs Guest was a peroxide blonde and introduced herself as "Chantelle"?
I'm enclosing payment of £50 to cover your costs, and would be very grateful if you would send the items by registered post to my solicitor at the address below.
Yours etc
Mrs (but not for much longer) Guest.

[GillianF]

Greenbarn's comment/experience is a good point, well made.

We had a couple in our two person gite a few years ago. Mr. Guest was the initial enquirer and paid the money. The booking address was French and all/any correspondence/receipt had to be addressed there.

I suspected there was 'something going on'. When Mr. & Mrs. Guest arrived (Englishman and French woman) it became clear he was playing away from home - shall we say.

When they were leaving I asked, pleasantly, if I should return the damages deposit by cheque to the French address. He winked at me and said "Yes, please. That will be best, I think."

You never know .................

[Marta West]

As I always meet my guests and most of them are families, when they forget something I always contact them.
But that is a good point that I will take in consideration in the future

[Jo Taylor]

Teeth - they did contact and ask for them back...

A dirty yellowy-grey corset (originally white) down the side of a bed. Not the titillating type, it was a hold-you-in one. Party of five adults, she was in the single bed. I threw that away.

[vacancesthezan]

A diamond and sapphire ring was once left in the soap dish in the shower by an elderly lady on crutches.

We immediately phoned her son who brought her back to collect it.

She is now a resident in the old people's home across the road from us and her son still lives in our village. We have remained friends and had lots of recommendations from them.

Probably not to the value of the ring though!