PDA

View Full Version : Stolen iPhone 5



psimpson3-5
08-26-2013, 11:18 AM
I just need to vent!

I'm at a wedding on Saturday at a country club. I don't know but a handful of people as I used to work with the bride and she and I have become friends. I'm sitting at a table with a few people from my old job and their dates. We all leave our phones on the table when we get drinks, dance, visit the restroom, etc (as do many of the guests sitting at the other tables). At one point I go outside with a friend for about 15-20 mins. My DH comes too as he walks my friend to her car to get something. I sit and enjoy the fresh air. Upon our return to our table, my phone is missing. I panic. I am so upset as I just got that phone in June. :crying: I am also frightened that someone has ALL the photos of my son and all of my information.

We call the phone repeatedly, but it's going straight to VM. I talk to the catering manager who has the DJ make an announcement. Everyone is really drunk and not paying any attention. We search everywhere and the phone's nowhere to be found. DH and I just want the whole ordeal to be over as the wedding is ending and we want to go home. We decide to go to the hotel where many guests are staying, including a couple who sat and our table and left early. Maybe they took my phone by accident? We wait outside the hotel as they said earlier they would take the shuttle along with the other guests to the after party at a local bar. We spend about 45 mins waiting around talking to various guests about my lost phone. A "drunk guy" tells me he spoke to another wedding guest, possibly a groomsman, he can't remember for sure, in the men's room. The guest told the drunk guy that he "found" a white iphone in the toilet. Drunk guy said that the phone didn't look like it had a case (like an otterbox); my case is so thin, plus it's white, so you wouldn't notice the case. The guest proceeds to rinse the phone off in the sink. The guest attempts to turn on the phone and it does, drunk guy notices a pic of a little boy and then the phone dies. The guest tells drunk guy he plans to hand the phone in. I'm not certain if I can trust drunk guy's story, but I'm desperate. There's about 8 groomsmen!!! I speak to the drunk groom and a nice groomsman, but nobody seems to know anything. The details of drunk guy's story do seem to match up: white iphone, looks like there was no case, pic of little boy, my phone had some power, but now it's going straight to VM as if it's off. This entire time, we repeatedly try calling the phone, but it always goes straight to VM. We ended up asking the hotel front desk clerk to call the guest's hotel room. They tell me they didn't have my phone. At this point I'm just devastated.

I immediately called AT&T to report the phone stolen. I also filed a police report on Sunday and called the country club to again ask for them to search for my phone. Lastly, I tried to track my phone using icloud.com, but the phone could not be located as it was off. We ended up going to AT&T yesterday and had to pay retail price for a new phone. It was over $550 including tax. :32:

I lost quite a few photos as the entire time I thought they were backing up through icloud. I never knew that your computer needs to be on while your phone is plugged into the wall and the wi-fi active in order to have the back up happen. ARGH!!!! I last backed up my phone early June when I bought the new one.

Take a lesson from me - back up your phone frequently and don't trust anyone - not even wedding guests.

TwinFoxes
08-26-2013, 11:24 AM
That just sucks.

ETA: This article by David Pogue has some advice for what to do if your phone is stolen. The first bit is about Find My iPhone, but after that it has some tips. Good luck. :hug:

http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/09/how-to-make-your-lost-phone-findable/?_r=0

larig
08-26-2013, 01:38 PM
i'm sorry. That sucks.

123LuckyMom
08-26-2013, 04:02 PM
I'm so sorry! That's terrible!

liz
08-26-2013, 06:40 PM
I am so sorry. I have had my phone stolen too (from work no less). It just plain ol' sucks.

boogiemomz
08-26-2013, 06:53 PM
What an awful story!! I'm so sorry. :(

ZeeBaby
08-26-2013, 08:53 PM
Sorry that sucks. I lost my phone for 6 mos. DH brought me a new phone, he was due for an upgrade. I lost it in Costco and it was in the safe the entire time. Only a manager could access the safe. Check with the venue front office staff.

OKKiddo
08-27-2013, 03:45 PM
I'm sorry, had my iPhone 5 stolen recently as well. I was a targeted victim of theft as the police feel I was followed from the Apple store--phone went to voicemail right away as well. We did have the replacement insurance with AT&T so it only cost us $199 to get another one otherwise I would have paid the full replacement cost as well because I wasn't due for an upgrade until next November.

Try a Lifeproof case, smaller than an otterbox and you can even get the Nuude case that doesn't have a screen between you and your touchscreen (about to get one of those myself). Maybe some day they will put tazer app in the iPhone that can be activated by AT&T when they've gone walkabout. :(

YouAreTheFocus
08-27-2013, 04:16 PM
Wow, what a horrible ordeal, I'm so sorry this happened to you. I can't believe that a wedding guest would steal another guest's phone (or anything). I have certainly left my phone, purse on the table at weddings and holiday parties, have always felt like all the guests are connected to some extent and wouldn't steal from each other. I won't do that again.