November 23, 2004 An innovative new service from Australian company Postbak offers a convenient way for people to do the right thing and return lost items. Postbak works by labelling your goods with marked security stickers that offer a reward for the return of the lost article and provide a 1-800 freecall number and website where the find can be reported. The item which is then picked up by courier for next-day delivery to its owner.
The entire return process is managed by Postbak and thus reduces security concerns over meeting strangers who may have your goods.
A Postbak Pak comes with 6 security labels that adhere to most surfaces. Each security label contains a unique ID number that identifies the item and protects the owner's privacy. A reward notice on the sticker motivates people to return the found items in exchange for a free gift pak of Postbak labels worth AUD$39.00, and owners can also nominate extra rewards.
There is no service fee once labels have been bought and users have registered with the company but an AUD$25.00 handling fee plus shipping costs applies in the event of a lost item being handed in - which is usually a lot less than replacing the original item.
Lost and Found statistics
• Sydney Ferries collects up to 150 items per day, mostly mobile phones
• Telstra Stadium maintenance workers turn in an average of 70 mobile phones per event• The Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association reports that approximately 2,000 mobile phones are lost or stolen each week.
• NRMA responds to 500 calls per day in NSW and ACT to unlock cars where people have lost their keys.
