Took £100 out of the bank to go to the sales for Xmas presents, 20% off in Marks & Spencer today. Went to Smiths to buy book (paid by cash) and then looked at birthday cards, then went to pay my purse had been stolen. Was too busy looking at cards to notice, shop called Security and the Police and had to report it, but went home with no birthday cards and no money and no purse. Luckily no credit cards taken, have to remember if there were any personal details in purse. Really, really p...sed off. It gave me a bit of a shock. Police said I might get my purse back, as they take the money out and throw the purse away. Have photos of grandchildren in there and son's business card with phone numbers etc. Had a few receipts and stamps, can't think of anything else. Xmas is cancelled this year. Only joking. That will teach me to get over excited and try and save 20% off.
Bad luck.
Rotten B*******S.
Same happened to my mum a few years ago.
such bad luck, barlotti..they're really sick , hope you get your photos back :-\
Blotto, I'm so sorry to here this -- I do hope you get your purse back, at least you
would have your precious things.
You are safe and that is the main thing,
floss xxx
borlotti,
i'm so sorry, are you ok?
take it easy ok, these things can shake you up later on as well
lbb
Doesn't it make you mad >:(. I hope the thief has a really cr*ppy Christmas Borlotti.
I usually have my purse in my handbag which I sling over my shoulder. I got a lecture from my sister every time we went out. Although 86 she is extremely careful, puts her purse in an inside pocket of her coat. I suppose we are inclined to think it will never happen to us.
Really sorry to hear about the theft of your purse Borlotti. Pity the bu****s don't go to work like decent people.
I have used something similar to this for years, never lost it or had it stolen, though some foolish person tried to take it once.
Bad luck Borlotti, perhaps the person will get drunk on the money and fall under a bus.
(http://www.ravenhollowleather.com/images/wallet_six.jpg)
Sorry to hear this Borlotti was you in Enfield Town. :'(
Oh what a rotten thing to happen! Sorry to hear that, Borlotti :( I know you won't get back your money but I hope you get back your personal items. Grrrrr.
I was shopping in M&S a couple of weeks ago and a little oap was being served infront of me and she couldn't find her purse. It made me feel really sad. The staff in M&S were not very helpful which made me feel a little mad! She told them she'd just come up on the bus and this was the first shop she'd been in and all they kept asking was, "which shops have you been in already?" I could feel the words bubbling up behind my lips, LOL! They just told her to go back to the bus station office and ask there. After I was served, I felt really sad and tried to find her - which I did after about ten minutes, wandering around the bus station office, she was all flustered. All they'd done is give her a business type card with the lost property office number on for the next day! I asked her if she was ok and she said no, that all her pension was in there, her bus pass etc. So I let her use my mobile phone to ring them and then gave her enough money to get home so she could ring her family. She tried to take my details but I said no but really I wish I had just to hear if everything worked out ok.
I'm with ACE on this one. Hopefully this person will be in A&E tonight having pieces of Goodyear tyres removed from his a*se!
Good luck, Borlotti.
You's the girl Sam. ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D :-*
I'm really sorry to hear that.
I remember my purse being stolen. It was quite a while ago now. There wasn't alot of money in it, but the thing I was most upset about was photo's being taken which were in the purse.
It's only a couple of months ago when my 10 year old daughter found a purse on the bus. We were sitting seperately as the bus was so full, and as we were getting off she handed a purse to me which she had found. I told her to hand it to the driver, which she did, but didn't even get any thanks off him for handing it in. I'd love to know if the purse was reunited with it's owner. I'm afraid in this day and age I do wonder as to the honesty of some people, and wonder if it was handed in at the depot. Such a sad thing when you think things like that, but not everyone is honest these days.
I think purses are a really personal item and it does shake you up when things like this happen. I hope the rotten thieves get what's coming to them.
Jo.
So sorry this has happened it is a bit of a shocker as most of us always thinks this happens to other people.
My handbag was stolen a few years ago which was a bit traumatic. But a boy found it - shredded and money removed but still with the photos and non saleable things - he had handed it in to the police station with his mum. I went round to his house to say thank you. It was good to be able to say thanks to someone who had taken time and trouble to go to the police station - I hope he found this encouraging - but it also restored my faith a bit in the human race.
It's the shock, which is almost worse than having your money stolen.
My purse was stolen from my office once (in my coat on back of door, inside a "secure" university building). The thieves were total opportunists, posing as students. They raided every office in one day.
I have also had my house burgled (2 different houses). It is horrible.
I am now ultra-cautious. Only today I had a go at Hubby because he left me in the house alone with the door unlocked and the garage door wide open. Muppet.
Poor you, Borlotti, it really shakes you up. It's happened to me twice, once was quite violent, the other I didn't know was happening at the time, tho I realised afterwards.
Many years ago my purse fell out of my pocket into the gutter when I was riding my bike home, and I didn't realise till I got home. I immediately phoned the police station and tey told me to come down, which I did. Two young lads must have picked it up within minutes of my dropping it and handed it in. I was so chuffed and the police lady gave me the address of the lads. I went round and knocked on the door and their mum was moved to tears - she didn't know anything about it and was so proud of them. I gave the lads a fiver each (there was nearly £100 in the purse).
Whoever took your purse will get their come-uppance sometime. >:( >:( >:( >:( >:(
Sorry to hear you were robbed Borlotti. Sounds as though you could have been watched and then followed after taking the money out. Better to have paid by credit or debit card than running the risk of having cash stolen.
I very rarely have more than £10 on me and pay for everything by credit card, paying the whole balance off by standing order at the end of the month.
I have not carried a lot of cash with me since I was Mickey Finned and robbed on a train from Weymouth in the 1960's. Fortunately, it was at the end of my holiday so I was down to a couple of pounds in my purse. It was to purchase my train fare from London to Kent. The only time I have significant cash on me now is when my son gives me his keep and then its straight down to the Post Office to pay it in at the first opportunity.
Ross Kemp on gangs opened our eyes as to how easy it was for thieves to steal purses and wallets. We watched the programme just prior to our last trip to France and we were very wary about some of the people in the Supermarkets out there. Maybe we were being paranoid but it was very strange because my husband and I go our separate ways wandering around different isles, yet we both felt that there were certain people who were trying to get too close for comfort. It happened twice in France in two different supermarkets! Quite frightening.
I am so sorry Borlotti, just when you were out for a bit of christmas shopping too :(
I had my purse nicked once , I came out of a shop, it was pouring with torrential rain, a guy bumped slap bang into me out of nowhere, I thought how rude as he did not even apologise. A few seconds later I reached for my purse and of course it was gone~lifted from my pocket and i didnt even realise!
Hope your ok, huge hugs x x
So sorry to hear it. Really dents your trust in people, doesn't it? I've had my pocket picked twice, been mugged for my mobile in the street, and had my bag snatched on a canal towpath. It certainly has made me more cautious - I still use my mobile in the street (what's it for, otherwise?) but if any likely-looking youngsters come too near (specially on bikes) I put it straight in my pocket, or hold it in my sleeve, or just move away from them.
I wouldn't have a purse in an outside pocket or open bag, having learned the hard way (I have lectured my aunt on putting her purse in her shoulder bag where it can easily be 'dipped'). I always use a rucksack. Not to everyone's taste, of course.
What I always want to tell everybody, is COPY ALL YOUR PHOTOS! They can be so easily scanned these days and kept on disc for safety - if you have any really precious photos - old family pics, etc - get a friend with a scanner to copy them all for you (in high resolution) or go into a print/photographic shop and get it done. It's too sad to lose them if your purse gets nicked, or your house burgled. (My gran had some really old family pics - they got burgled, as they were in silver frames).
But thank goodness for all those kind people who bother to help. My husband dropped his phone in Charing Cross Station, a while back; some kind stranger looked at the 'recently dialled numbers', found my number there, called me, and posted the phone back to us. :)
Last Xmas a young lad in front of me in Woollies dropped a wad of cash out of his back pocket ... must have been over £100 there.
I didn't even hesitate to tap him on the shoulder and hand it back. He wasn't even grateful though. I didn't want a reward, but a thank you would have been nice. :(
I don't use cashpoints at all, ever. I keep a float of about £30 in my purse for small items, and pay for everything else on plastic. If I need more cash, I get free cashback at the supermarket.
cornykev. Yes it was W H Smiths in Enfield Town. Should have been more careful as Pearsons and Marks & Spencer had 20% off for one day only so were loads of people about. Paid cash for the book downstairs so know I had the purse then and then walked upstairs, choose two birthday cards, was talking to the assistant about '3 for 2' offer on Xmas cards and she didn't notice anything suspicious. Queue was quite long and I was looking around at various things whilst queuing, the only thing I remember is I thought I was in front of one lady but she seemed to push in front of me when I wasn't looking but I let it go. It might have been nothing but who knows. Well at least I know what I want for Christmas, a new purse. Yesterday saw a lady in tears in the toilet near Waitrose as she had just bought clothes from Principles and left the bag in the toilet, of course when she came back it had gone. No wonder some people have got loads of money to spend as they go round nicking it. I took the cash out of the bank the day before so they couldn't have followed me. I was going to buy presents in Marks but was told it was 20% off the next day so didn't buy anything. Wish I had paid full price as it would have been cheaper in the long run. Waiting for the bus on the way, still had my bus pass, saw a lady with 3 children and two of them quite spontaneously came up put their arms round me and cuddled me. The little boy called goodbye to me when I got off the bus, they really cheered me up and made me smile. I have never had that happen before, because they knew I was upset.
Just a word regarding keeping your purse/wallet in a shopping bag or rucksack(no matter how deep), a friend paid for goods in a shop, then pushed her purse down to the bottom of her bag, obviously being watched, as when she went to get it next it was gone and there was a large slash exactly where her purse was put.
I tied one of these for the O.H. to cover her shopping basket. [attachment=1] ;)
Quote from: Bean_Queen on November 21, 2008, 07:35:51
If I need more cash, I get free cashback at the supermarket.
Which supermarket is that, we all want to know. Cause they are keeping it a big secret around our way. Perhaps thats why the banks went bust ;D
Just shows how ofetn it happens if so many of us have suffered. When I was teaching I had my purse taken from my bag in the office. Got the purse back several months later, found out in the grounds. I still have my Boots card which was in it- it's really yellow and staff always comment on it, but I've never been offered a new one, and it must be nearly 20 years ago now!
My daughters are more careful than me, use a small purse and usually keep it in their front jeans pocket, but the older one had hers stolen in a bar in the summer when she had it in her bag for once.
Yes, it's great, ACE! You go shopping, and they give you your shopping plus FREE MONEY!! Aren't they nice?!
Emagggie - thanks for the tip, yikes! I must start keeping my purse in the internal section of the rucksack, not the outermost section - it has occurred to me that it's not all that safe, especially as it's behind me where I can't see what's going on.
In particularly risky situations (crowded shopping areas, or notorious thieving spots, anywhere) I carry my rucksack on my front. Though, I'm not *entirely* sure which is safest. I can see it, but it's probably much easier to yank it off. So, safer as regards pickpockets, less safe as regards muggers. Hmm.
The principle misery when I had my bag stolen was the tedium of replacing everything, and dealing with the police, who had the bag handed in - with most stuff still in it, bar the mobile phone and the cash - including a kilo of spicy pakoras! - and then kept it 'as evidence' for 3 months, during which I wasn't allowed to access it, so had to replace things like my travel pass even though the police had them. I did mention that they might want to remove the pakoras, but no - when I got the bag back, it smelled unbelievable and went straight in the bin outside the police station! (The pakoras did go on my detailed insurance claim though, haha!)
I had to deal with about 4 different police stations and about 10 different contacts, it was a shambles. And when they finally 'released' my bag/purse etc, they said it could never have been used as evidence anyway as it had spent a night lying on the ground in the open.
When I first reported the theft, the policewoman at the counter rang my mobile and the thief answered.
Policewoman: 'Hello, is Paul there? Oh - who am I speaking to, please?'
Thief: 'It's Darren'.
::)
T-Mobile also provided a number which the thief called within minutes of stealing my bag. Did they ever follow this up? No. But they were happy to keep my bag for 3 months, just to make life that little bit harder... ARGH! The saving grace was that I didn't have my house keys in my bag - we would have had to change the locks, at great expense.
I had both my purse and my mobile taken from my rucksack (inside zipped pocket) on the metro in Paris about 5 years ago. The police just shook their heads and said "That's the metro for you". I had no cash and stopped my cards within 2 hours by phone. No attempt was made to use them. Orange locked my mobile as soon as I contacted them so the phone wouldn't work even with a different sim. So a bit of a wasted effort for the pickpockets but a royal pain in the butt for me! I only ever take a couple of cards when I go on holiday: one to use and one kept elsewhere just in case!!
Quote from: Borlotti on November 21, 2008, 09:39:19
.... Yesterday saw a lady in tears in the toilet near Waitrose as she had just bought clothes from Principles and left the bag in the toilet, of course when she came back it had gone.
I hope she contacted the police station to see if it had been handed in or even returned to Principles in case it was taken back there.
My son and I have both found watches and each time have handed them in to the Police. On both occasions they were not claimed so we were able to collect them after a few months. One was a ladies Rotary and it had a very small black leather strap on it. I often wondered if it was someones 18th birthday gift. Not everyone in this world is dishonest so if anything is lost it is well worth seeing if it has been handed in.
In the 1960's my father lost over £100 from his wallet whilst on holiday in Wales. As an Insurance Agent, it was money he had collected prior to his holiday and hadn't had time to pay in. He lost it somewhere in the Abergwesyn Pass but fortunately he had some cheques with the money and the Police were able to trace the owner. It had been found by a shepherd who duly received a reward from my father.
Years ago,we were walking through Pickering,I think,small garden area with benches,we spotted an expensive camera on one benchNikon?I think.We waited a while ,no one come back.Found the local police station,funny little place,like a small house.
Few weeks later we had a letter with a cheque as a reward.He said he was so happy to have it back as it was a 21st birthday present.That made my day.
Another time I went into a newsagent by where I worked,they had a low shelf with all the newspapers stored on it.All along the top of the papers was loads of cash,notes,must have been hundreds of pounds.Could not believe my eyes.Handed it in to the shopkeeper,I knew her pretty well,Later a guy come into where I worked with a plant and chocs to thank me.How the heck he dropped it in such a way is beyond me.
I lost some money at a car boot once,I had it in a small plastic bag that I kept in my hand,know I must have left it on one of the tables,backtracked but no one had seen it,someone had swiped it. :(
Went shopping yesterday in solihull,Took extra care of my purse as this thread had served as a reminder that you have to stay on the ball.
Reminds me of when we pulled into a petrol station once and nearly run over someone's mobile phone which they'd obviously dropped getting in or out of their car. I jumped out and grabbed it before anybody else saw it and then I went through the numbers on it, found the one named 'home', phoned it and said, "I'm ringing from your mobile phone which I've just found at the BP petrol station on ....... and I'm going to hand it in to the cashier inside" I thought at least this way they would know where it was, lol.
another one to let you know not everyone is bad
i dropped my purse in the tesco car park in ryde in the summer with just over £400 in it, along with cards
and stuff.
went to pay and couldnt
went to customer services to put it asside while i got my purse, cursing how stupid i was, gave them my name, the asked if i had any I.D. on me, i was getting so fed up i just wanted them to look after my shopping while i went and got my purse.
i showed her my passport and she gave me my purse.
the lad who handed it in hadn't even left his name
lbb
Just remembered an incident that happened in 97.
We went on a cruise round the med.
Decided to go on a day trip to Barcelona.While we were on the coach the staff warned up that there was a big problem with Pickpockets.They warned us to be especially careful around people who were selling paper flowers or people holding clipboards.
We later discovered that two couples had lost their purses and wallets.
They suddenly found they were covered in a bird muck like stuff and when they were trying to clean it off a couple came along with bottled water and tissues,saying the same had happened to them.They helped to wipe their clothes and in the process stole their belongings.
We always use bum bags on holiday,we don't bother with purses or wallets.