Leave the damn camera alone. The Camp staff would pick it up and my wife's call on Monday would have been met with "Sure we have your camera!" We would have had it back 30-odd days sooner. If you insert yourself into the situation and screw it up, you have an obligation to make it right.... PROMPTLY... not at your leisure.
We all get it, you're mad because of your mistake... because someone doesnt correct your mistake in the timeline and manner you want. Got it.
Oh, it's a slow day. I'll play. It's a GS camp, not a lost-and-found service. I imagine they had other priorities. I wouldn't want someone at a GS camp giving out my personal information to a stranger on the phone. "admitted" having the camera? She shouldn't have to "admit" to anything. Aggravating, sure, but again....it's a GS camp, not a lost-and-found service. Other things going on, I'm sure... Yeah, I'm sure the director of a girl scout camp has nothing better to do all day than worry about your lost camera.... What law did she break by not dropping everything to help you find your camera? How DARE this lady actually have a life! Like the GS camp lady, she should DROP EVERYTHING so you can have your camera back ASAP! This should be her #1 priority! Do you expect her to drop it off at your house with a ribbon on top? She's doing you a HUGE favor even meeting you somewhere. Why? If it were me, I would have offered to go to her house in the first place, since she's doing me a favor. I would have told her whenever was convenient for her....since she's doing me a favor.... What law did she break? Being 15 minutes late? Is it that unrealistic to think that you would miss someone in a parking lot to a large grocery store? It was nice of her to make a 2nd trip when your wife is suggesting calling the police on her.... And maybe she has 2 cars and drove a different one to the 2nd meeting? You have no right to tell her which car to drive. I'd be pretty pissed if I made 2 trips to get you your camera back only to be berated when I got there for not doing it exactly as you specified.
I believe it was Gunnery Sergeant Hartman that said, "If it wasn't for d!ckheads like you, there wouldn't be any thievery in this world, would there"?
Damn, giddyup. It would seem no one else in the world has ever left something behind or lost something, ever. I'm guessing that your wife was there with a child or taking care of children during the camp out and accidentally left the camera behind. I'd bet that she had a long day before and a long night with all the girls and was a bit tired and maybe stressed while packing up, because sometimes children don't help out well. As far as the other lady and the GS authorities, that sucks. I don't think I would be mad about having to wait extra long or anything, but I would be enraged about the woman's behavior after getting a hold of her. Like it was your wife's fault that she had gone in a completely different car?! There would be no need for attitude from the other lady. Her behavior alone at the end would be quite frustrating... Glad you ended up with your camera.
Or someone with no intention of returning it could have picked it up. And you wouldn't have ever gotten it back.
i'm not re-reading the ridiculously long op, but was it determined that this lady found out immediately that it wasn't her friend's camera? maybe she tried calling her friend and couldn't get in touch with her. so, if that's the case, you need to focus your anger on that b****, not this b****. oh, and has anyone mentioned that if your wife hadn't have left the camera in the first place, you never would've had to post this?
I'm prepared to act. All I need is the address. "Excuse me, ma'am. I'm here about the camera. You know...the one you 'held on to' from the Girlscout meet and failed to call about or return in a timely manner. Ma'am, are these your comments on this piece of paper about how you would meet the owner of the camera in a certain parking lot and you would be driving a particular car of a particular color to meet up with the owner of said camera? Then, you in fact drove a different car in a different color while failing to bring your mobile phone and then, in fact, complained about how the owner failed to show and got pissy?" (listening intently) "Ma'am, you want to see what happens when you jerk people around with their property that you like to hold on to for many days?" (leaves house, sees van fitting description of car supposed to have been used to meet up in the parking lot, grabs bat, and approaches said van) "This is what happens when you screw a stranger between the butt cheeks!" (smashes windshield, smashes taillight, smashes headlight, smashes hood) (Neighbor comes running out from across street) Neighbor: "You killed my van! I ought to kill you! I'll kill your car!" Yes...this did not go according to plan. Calm down, Dude. We will get your camera back. STFU, Donny! Sincerely, Walter Sobchak
I just hope the woman doesn't have to apologize. It could get ugly and require a dream team of semantic lawyers.
Your sentence would have been better if you put the bit about going slow in the fast lane at the end. As written it is ambiguous what the not modifies. It reads as a list of things people should not do.
YES IT IS A SLOW DAY>>> Have you ever seen the L/F at a Scout Camp? Aren't the GIrl Scouts somewhat devoted to old-fashioned notions like honesty, service, and trustworthiness? That's fine and I think that's why they wouldn't give us the information initially. Evidently Camera Lady gave her permission because they called back with her name, address and phone number on Monday and we got the camera on Tuesday. Whys should you not have to admit to having something that is valuable and doesn't belong to you? She "admitted" in an email to the GS staff that the camera wasn't hers, then stopped communicating. Serving others is one of the things Girl Scouts teach. Shouldn't take that long! I'd have to ask the police. When you fail to return property that admittedly is not yours and fail to respond to inquiries that seeks its return... Just stop with the hyperbole. Let's just say it should take less than 37 days, okay? B.S. It's the right thing, period. Remember, these are girl scouts not Spurs season-ticket holders. Does nobody endorse having a conscience anymore? She'd doing the RIGHT THING not a FAVOR to me. Do you really have expectations that low of people? It is my understanding that that is what my wife offered. Remember, she drove over 40 minutes to get to her town. The Camera Lady wanted to meet at the parking lot. It would have been easier for my wife to go straight to her house. Not if you drive the car you tell your contact to be on the lookout for and especially not if you bring your only means of established communication-- a cellphone. Sheesh. What in the hell did she have to be agitated about? She drove the wrong car and was unable to be reached by phone. Obviously she was not a Girl Scout. Nice of her? She F'ed up... HER OWN PLAN. The woman did not get berated. She berated my wife but acting all huffy and literally throwing the camera at/to her. My wife said nothing. I was not even there. Can you read? She made a 2nd 10-minute trip which was necessitated by F'ing up the plan that she herself made. My wife made a second hour and a half round trip.
Girl Scout Promise, Law, Motto, and Slogan Promise On my honor, I will try: To serve God and my country, To help people at all times, And to live by the Girl Scout Law. Law I will do my best to be Honest and fair, Friendly and helpful, Considerate and caring, Courageous and strong, and Responsible for what I say and do, And to respect myself and others, respect authority, use resources wisely, make the world a better place, and be a sister to every Girl Scout. Motto "Be Prepared." Slogan "Do a Good Turn Daily"
jus because her daughter is a GS doesnt make her one. Dude, you got your stuff back. You are complaining because it wasnt fast enough. Ok, it was a little pain in the butt but you still got what's yours at the end of the day. Honestly, you and your wife are coming off like some entitled mofos.
We are all entitled to being treated with honesty and fairness. We shouldn't have to fight to get back what is ours in the first place. I would think that people would care more about doing the right thing. I would never be so casual with someone else's valuable; would you?
i'm not, but i'm not going to hold other people to standards i couldn't hold myself to. as we all tend to forget sometimes, there are two sides to every story. you don't know what's been going on in this woman's life that caused any delay or her being upset the other day. she could have a loved one that is sick, be sick herself, be worried about losing a job, etc. bottom line is you got your camera back after your wife was very careless with it. instead of whining about this, i'd sit back and thank god that my wife's mistake didn't end up with the permanent loss of a $1,000 camera.
Are you comparing my wife accidentally forgetting her camera to a lady a) who, with good intentions, took a camera that didn't belong to her, b) then took 10 or so days to even begin to remedy the mistake, c)who then cut off communications with the intermediary party (Girl Scouts), and d) who then seemingly only responded to the reality that the police might get involved? Yeah, those are very similar "mistakes." I would never have kept a valuable camera for that long and I would have made the minimal effort necessary (a phone call to the proper people) to see that the camera got returned. You have no business gauging what I would or would not do. I doubt you would do that either. For all of our disagreements, you seem like a fundamentally decent guy and I can't imagine you treating someone else's property that way and I can't imagine why anyone would be making excuses for her. SHE MADE NO SUCH EXCUSES FOR HERSELF. This took NO MAJOR EFFORT on her part to do the right thing. I'm completely baffled that anyone would defend her myriad of thoughtless mistakes over a five-week period.
I'm with you giddyup. It's all about communication. She should have notified the Girl Scouts earlier. And if she was too busy to return it right away, due to death in family, etc, she could have said so with when she'd be able to and everyone would have been good with it. Without knowing all the stuff going on in her life, we can only go by her actions... which were lacking, except fortunately for the end result. Unless everyone thinks the end justifies the means.
