Jacket lost/stolen at Temple Meads - lost property office would not take details

[whole diary]

[mfpa]

I got off a train on platform 10 at Temple Meads today at around 1525 hours, with a bag on my shoulder and my jacket hung over my bag. Just after leaving the front of the station I noticed my jacket was missing, so I re-traced my steps to the platform looking for it, then went to the lost property office to report it. I was absolutely disgusted to find them unwilling to take the report. Instead, I was given a business card and asked to phone later. When I phoned an hour later, the operator told me they had no jackets, and hung up before I was able to ask him to take my report.

[ChrisB]

That's not the way it works.

They will log property & search their database when requests for property lost come in. If they were to keep a log also of requests that they would need to search (possibly/probably without success), it would take appreciably longer per item, using up more personnel.

Instead it is put on the loser of the property to be proactive and to call in every so often. I think that's reasonable. The loser was careless, why should the TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company) spend longer on their behalf?

[the void]

Actually customers can report lost items and the lost property team will try to find them by cross referencing against the items that come in. The onus is not on the customer to keep calling back. Customers can report lost items by three methods - they can call the customer support team on 03457 000 125 selecting the 'lost property' option. They can search for their items themselves on www.missingx.com where they can submit a claim against an item they think might be theirs, or simply register their loss if they cannot find any similar items. Or they can visit the lost property office at BTM^▸ (Bristol Temple Meads (strictly, it should be BRI)) in person. Reporting the loss using any of these methods will result in exactly the same thing - the details will be added to a spread sheet and the customer will be contacted if a successful match is made. 

If an item is left somewhere on the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) network, or on a train that terminates at a GWR station, then recovered items will end up at the lost property office in Bristol, however, it can take up to 7 days for items to filter through. As such if you lose something you can report it lost straight away and if it turns up you will receive a call to advise (usually within 7 days). However, if you lose something at Temple Meads itself, if it is found it will be taken to the lost property office straight away. So they will know, pretty much immediately whether or not they have the item. If you lose something at Temple Meads and it hasn't been handed in there isn't really very much they can do about it. It's not likely to come in at a later date, it's either been handed in or it hasn't. Maybe that was the issue here? If the item hadn't been handed in already then it was unlikely to turn up later.

[bobm]

Thank you for that helpful outline of how the system works.

If you lose something at Temple Meads and it hasn't been handed in there isn't really very much they can do about it. It's not likely to come in at a later date, it's either been handed in or it hasn't. Maybe that was the issue here? If the item hadn't been handed in already then it was unlikely to turn up later.

It isn't clear from the opening post whether a) the item was left on the train - it might have slipped off the bag as the train was being exited and b) if it was left on the train whether said service terminated at Temple Meads.  If it didn't, there may be hope that it was handed in further along the route and will find its way back to the lost property office over the next few days.  Don't give up yet!

[mfpa]

The onus is not on the customer to keep calling back.

That is exactly where the onus lay on on Monday afternoon. When I went in I was told to ring later. and when I rang I was told to try the next day.

Customers can report lost items by three methods - they can call the customer support team on 03457 000 125 selecting the 'lost property' option.

The number I was given on Monday was 0117 934 8568, and they would not log a report when I rang.

They can search for their items themselves on www.missingx.com where they can submit a claim against an item they think might be theirs, or simply register their loss if they cannot find any similar items.

Got to that website on Tuesday and logged the report, in skeleton form. It mentioned searching, but there appeared to be no way to do this from the browser on a mobile phone. Had emails back from Birmingham and Temple Meads saying nothing had been found. Emailed back to Temple Meads with the rest of the report, and got a reply saying the details have been logged and they will get in touch if it turns up.

Or they can visit the lost property office at BTM^▸ (Bristol Temple Meads (strictly, it should be BRI)) in person.

They would not log a report when I went in.

As such if you lose something you can report it lost straight away 

I tried, but they were having none of it.

If you lose something at Temple Meads and it hasn't been handed in there isn't really very much they can do about it. It's not likely to come in at a later date, it's either been handed in or it hasn't. Maybe that was the issue here? If the item hadn't been handed in already then it was unlikely to turn up later.

They didn't say that. And as I was at the lost property office just over five minutes from stepping off the train, such an attitude would have been unrealistic and defeatist.

It isn't clear from the opening post whether a) the item was left on the train - it might have slipped off the bag as the train was being exited

Given the scrum that had formed outside the door of people determined to barge their way on before me and the other two passengers got off, that is a possibility.

and b) if it was left on the train whether said service terminated at Temple Meads.  If it didn't, there may be hope that it was handed in further along the route and will find its way back to the lost property office over the next few days.  Don't give up yet!

The train was headed for Weston Super Mare - the 1526 (I believe). When I exchanged emails with the lost property office on Tuesday, they said if my jacket ended up at Weston it should be on a weekly delivery to Temple Meads on Thursday. Unfortunately Thursday has gone and I had no email or phone call saying it turned up.