New Yorker Calls The Stranger Who Spent The Night Trying To Return His Lost Phone ‘Inconvenient’
"So unbelievably 'New York,'" the stranger wrote. "Why did I think it would be any different."
GaudiLab | Shutterstock When a man in New York noticed a brand-new iPhone lying on the street, he decided to do a good deed and return the phone to its owner before it got into the wrong hands.
However, no good deed goes unpunished, and the phone's owner was far from friendly or appreciative, instead complaining about the “inconvenience” this man's kind gesture caused.
The man shared the phone owner’s shocking reaction to his help on Reddit.
In his since-deleted post to the r/mildlyinfuriating forum, the man shared that he found the phone on the ground one night in New York and used Siri to discover the owner's name — John — and retrieve his family's contact information.
The man called John’s sister to inform her that he found the phone and wanted to return it. Although she thought his call was a scam at first, she helped him get in contact with their dad.
“We arrange that I'll take the phone home, and his dad will pick it up in the morning,” the man wrote. “I'm feeling good like I'm doing something really nice for him.”
GaudiLab | Shutterstock
The man could have ignored the phone on the street, kept it for himself, or sold it. Instead, he took the initiative to ensure the phone was returned to its rightful owner. Yet his kind actions were not appreciated.
After already coming to a solution with John’s dad, the man suddenly received a call from John himself — not to thank him for his help, but to complain about the man’s unnecessary involvement.
“[He's] saying it's inconvenient that I've got his phone because it would have been easier if I'd just left it where it was,” the man wrote. “I had half a mind to throw the thing in a gutter. It annoyed me just at how stupid this is — someone's got your possession, and you're being rude to them.”
The man spent his night selflessly helping a stranger who didn’t even bother to thank him.
Despite the man’s generous actions, John was both ungrateful and unkind. He sent an Uber to pick up the phone, and the man patiently waited, stunned by the phone owner's unwarranted attitude.
“He is being so short with me and so unappreciative,” the man said. “This is what I hate about New Yorkers. They're too stupid to even save their own skin. I think I'm the one person who would actually still help this guy get his phone back.”
When the Uber driver arrived, the man gave him the phone and prepared to block John. Before he did, he sent John's family an eye-opening message about his rude and inconsiderate behavior toward a kind stranger.
Reddit
He sent the message at almost 11 p.m., stating he went out of his way to return John’s phone but was put off by his “rude” and “stupid” response. John was blessed by the kindness of a stranger and still found reasons to complain.
“What’s stopping me from just throwing [the phone] in a river at this point? Or giving it to some random stranger? Or just dropping it on the ground?” the man wrote in his message. “[John] saved a few hundred dollars, but he’ll always be a [expletive].”
What goes around comes around. Remember to treat others the way you want to be treated.
The man’s message pointed out how few strangers would be so kind as to return a brand-new iPhone they found on the street. Many people, especially in a city as densely populated as New York, would have gladly kept or sold the phone.
In fact, according to the Federal Communications Commission, more than 40% of theft cases in major U.S. cities involve cell phones. It’s rather unlikely to have your phone returned to you after losing it in one of the largest cities in the country.
While the man will likely be rewarded with good karma for his generosity, John, on the other hand, should practice gratitude. He was rude in the face of genuine kindness and will only manifest poor outcomes if he continues to repeat negative patterns.
Losing your phone in a massive city is not the best experience, but I know I’d be boundlessly grateful if my lost phone fell into the right hands.
Francesca Duarte is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team based in Orlando, FL. She covers lifestyle, human-interest, adventure, and spirituality topics.