This was a interesting one. Apparently I and my supervisor should be fired because we got rid of a lost and found sweater that a guy had turned in and wanted back because no one had claimed it. pretty much this is how it went. I work in a library BTW
SC: Hi, I found this sweater on the bathroom floor and thought I should turn it in. It still appears to be partly in it's packaging so it maybe stolen
Mr. S: Ok thank you *Takes item*
SC: I thought about keeping it but thought it would be better to give it to you.
Mr. S: Well thank you very much.
SC: Sooo what happens to it now, what if no one comes for it?
Mr. S: Well it's held in our lost and found for up to 2 weeks and then if no one claims it the item will be purged.
SC: Purged, what do you mean by purged?
Mr. S: Well unfortunately we have so throw it out
SC: What, why would you do that!
Mr. S: In the past there was a donation company that would come by and pick up any unclaimed clothes but a few years ago they stopped accepting clothes claiming they no longer accept un-washed items.
SC: Well...if I had known that I wouldn't of given it to you. Since I've now turned it in you can't give it back?
MR. S: No sorry, you never know though the person could come back. Besides you don't want something that was sitting beside a toilet
SC: Well admittedly I did try it on...but that's not why I would want it back. I want to give to a thrift shop. You said 2 weeks right. Well I'll be back and I want it given back to me!
MR. S: Well I can't really promise that.
SC: Well this is my name and number and I will put the date on it. I want to give this to a thrift shop, I will be back in exactly 2 weeks from now and want it returned to me then!
Mr. S: You can check but I can't make any promises
I more humored him as he wouldn't shut up about wanting to "donate" it. Our official policy is 7 days for clothes but often we keep stuff for much longer so that's why I said "up to" 2 weeks
*13 days later*
*phone rings* Security Supervisor: Hi, library security.
SC: I was in 13 days ago, I turned in zip up sweater. I'll be by tomorrow to pick it up, have it ready for me.
SS: I'm sorry I purged our lost and found clothes this mourning.
SC: What, I was told you keep items for exactly 2 weeks weeks! It has not been 2 weeks!
SS: I'm sorry official policy is 7 days
SC: No it's 2 weeks, Mr. S told me exactly 2 weeks. He said it was mine to have after that. You don't know your own policy!
SS: Well I wrote that policy so I do know it, and i'm not sure why Mr. S would tell you that, we don't give items to people from lost and found. I purged everything this mourning. there was signs of possible bugs in the clothes bin
SC: No your lying, that sweater is rightfully mine! You have no right throwing it out! I want to talk to the head of security right now, your incompetent and I will have you fired!!!
SS: I am the head of security, out policy is 7 days, the sweater is gone
SC: I want the number of who's in charge of you, you better give it to me right now!!!
SS: Well this is the number to library administration
SC: This better be a real number. I WILL KNOW IF YOUR LYING! and you will be in so much more trouble if this is fake, goodbye!
The guy then twice calls library administration and speaks to the head of library services both times. He apparently demanded that my supervisor and I be immediately fired for gross incompetence and that the sweater be returned to him. They just told him the policy and said security shouldn't of told him he could have it back. The head of the library never really believed the guy but just told us not to promise things to people. The funny part was this wasn't even a good sweater. It was a $15 sweater from a low quality department store chain. Not sure if we've seen the last of him but so far he hasn't come in to rant at us directly. I admit I always have had an issue that we just throw stuff out but we have no way to donate it. The company's that do pick up don't accept un-washed clothes now do to threat of bed bugs and that's also the reason stuff is thrown out. We are a library. Lots of people come in every day. Bed bugs can be a problem and the library is very paranoid about them. More than a few times we've been sitting in the office and a bed bug will be crawling across the desk. None of us has cars so taking a load to a donation bin isn't possible. So things get thrown out. Administration did say they may look to see if there is anymore places that pick up un-washed clothes but I doubt it.
SC: Hi, I found this sweater on the bathroom floor and thought I should turn it in. It still appears to be partly in it's packaging so it maybe stolen
Mr. S: Ok thank you *Takes item*
SC: I thought about keeping it but thought it would be better to give it to you.
Mr. S: Well thank you very much.
SC: Sooo what happens to it now, what if no one comes for it?
Mr. S: Well it's held in our lost and found for up to 2 weeks and then if no one claims it the item will be purged.
SC: Purged, what do you mean by purged?
Mr. S: Well unfortunately we have so throw it out
SC: What, why would you do that!
Mr. S: In the past there was a donation company that would come by and pick up any unclaimed clothes but a few years ago they stopped accepting clothes claiming they no longer accept un-washed items.
SC: Well...if I had known that I wouldn't of given it to you. Since I've now turned it in you can't give it back?
MR. S: No sorry, you never know though the person could come back. Besides you don't want something that was sitting beside a toilet
SC: Well admittedly I did try it on...but that's not why I would want it back. I want to give to a thrift shop. You said 2 weeks right. Well I'll be back and I want it given back to me!
MR. S: Well I can't really promise that.
SC: Well this is my name and number and I will put the date on it. I want to give this to a thrift shop, I will be back in exactly 2 weeks from now and want it returned to me then!
Mr. S: You can check but I can't make any promises
I more humored him as he wouldn't shut up about wanting to "donate" it. Our official policy is 7 days for clothes but often we keep stuff for much longer so that's why I said "up to" 2 weeks
*13 days later*
*phone rings* Security Supervisor: Hi, library security.
SC: I was in 13 days ago, I turned in zip up sweater. I'll be by tomorrow to pick it up, have it ready for me.
SS: I'm sorry I purged our lost and found clothes this mourning.
SC: What, I was told you keep items for exactly 2 weeks weeks! It has not been 2 weeks!
SS: I'm sorry official policy is 7 days
SC: No it's 2 weeks, Mr. S told me exactly 2 weeks. He said it was mine to have after that. You don't know your own policy!
SS: Well I wrote that policy so I do know it, and i'm not sure why Mr. S would tell you that, we don't give items to people from lost and found. I purged everything this mourning. there was signs of possible bugs in the clothes bin
SC: No your lying, that sweater is rightfully mine! You have no right throwing it out! I want to talk to the head of security right now, your incompetent and I will have you fired!!!
SS: I am the head of security, out policy is 7 days, the sweater is gone
SC: I want the number of who's in charge of you, you better give it to me right now!!!
SS: Well this is the number to library administration
SC: This better be a real number. I WILL KNOW IF YOUR LYING! and you will be in so much more trouble if this is fake, goodbye!
The guy then twice calls library administration and speaks to the head of library services both times. He apparently demanded that my supervisor and I be immediately fired for gross incompetence and that the sweater be returned to him. They just told him the policy and said security shouldn't of told him he could have it back. The head of the library never really believed the guy but just told us not to promise things to people. The funny part was this wasn't even a good sweater. It was a $15 sweater from a low quality department store chain. Not sure if we've seen the last of him but so far he hasn't come in to rant at us directly. I admit I always have had an issue that we just throw stuff out but we have no way to donate it. The company's that do pick up don't accept un-washed clothes now do to threat of bed bugs and that's also the reason stuff is thrown out. We are a library. Lots of people come in every day. Bed bugs can be a problem and the library is very paranoid about them. More than a few times we've been sitting in the office and a bed bug will be crawling across the desk. None of us has cars so taking a load to a donation bin isn't possible. So things get thrown out. Administration did say they may look to see if there is anymore places that pick up un-washed clothes but I doubt it.
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