If you have ever lost your cell phone in a taxi, you know how incredibly difficult it is to get back. Most of the time, it depends on the taxi driver and whether he/she is kind enough to track you down. Unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of things you can do other than hope the taxi driver turns in your phone to the local police station or the garage (these are places you should call if possible).
The following tips will help prevent you from losing your phone again, and facilitate the return process if you do. In Philadelphia, for instance, you can call 215-683-9440 to retrieve lost items.
Check your belongings before you leave
While this may be the obvious thing to do, you should always check the back seat and floor before you exit the taxi, as well as check your own belongings. Make sure that all your devices are there and you haven’t left anything behind. Try to avoid being distracted by talking on the cell phone or otherwise preoccupied so you don’t forget to check.
Get a receipt
Make sure to get a taxi receipt for your fare every single time. This receipt will contain both the taxi driver’s name and the cab number, which will make it much easier to track down your cell phone or device if you do leave it behind.
Offer a reward
You’ll get much better response rates if you offer a monetary reward. Keep in mind that in order to return your phone, taxi drivers would be giving up potential fares, so you’ll definitely want to tip and reward them accordingly.
Communicate with the phone
Constantly sending text messages to the phone and calling it periodically will force whoever currently has the phone to take notice. If all goes well, they may even answer the phone and potentially offer to return it, so being in constant communication will raise your chances of finding your phone.
Check the cab websites
If you lost your phone is a larger metro area such as New York City, they’ll often has online postings of lost/found properties, which may lead to greater success than going to the local police precinct or garage. Check their websites and see whether or not they have property listings and a claim process as well.
If you’re ever looking for a taxi service, you should use TalkLocal to find the highest quality taxi services near you. The higher the quality, the more likely they’ll be willing to go the extra mile to return your phone to you if you ever lose it. You’ll be in good hands!
