Gone with the wind. £80 grand.
Gone with the wind. £80 grand.
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colonel c

Original Poster:

8,054 posts

269 months

Thursday 25th November 2010
quotequote all
Sad story.

The Mail said:
A pensioner lost his life savings of £80,000 after leaving the cash on the roof of his car and driving off.
The 68-year-old man, who doesn’t trust banks, had been moving the money between his home and place of work.
When he realised his error he began a desperate search with his grandson near his home in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex.
But all they were able to find were the plastic bags the notes had been kept in.
The man, who has asked not to be named, would take the money from his bedroom and put it in the car when he went to work
‘My car is never more than 10ft from me at work so I can keep an eye on it,’ he said. ‘That morning I left at about 6.20am and didn’t realise I had lost it until noon.’
'I went home and checked my bedroom in case I had left it there.

'Then I realised I must have put it on the roof of my car. If not, I may put it down as I got in the car, but either way it was gone.'
The man, who still works as a panel beater and painter, said he had saved £2,000 every year all his working life. He appealed for the cash to be returned.
For years, he kept it under his bed but when his guard dog died he decided to keep it close by at all times.

Disaster struck last Thursday when he put down the blue drawstring bag holding it to unlock his car.
He added: ‘I’m gutted. I don’t hold out much hope of getting it back but if I do I will give a reward to whoever brings it back.’
Essex Police called for the cash to be handed in – and urged savers to keep their money in a bank.

chimster

1,747 posts

239 months

Thursday 25th November 2010
quotequote all
Poor sod.

mondeoman

11,430 posts

296 months

Thursday 25th November 2010
quotequote all
Muppet

jmorgan

36,010 posts

314 months

Thursday 25th November 2010
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Ouch. Hard for some people to come to terms with the way life works.

R500POP

9,073 posts

240 months

Thursday 25th November 2010
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DARWIN WINS OUT AGAIN.

cartel

259 posts

196 months

Thursday 25th November 2010
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So this guy trusts leaving life savings in a car more than a bank?

I don't even like leaving decent CDs in the car

M-J-B

15,399 posts

280 months

Thursday 25th November 2010
quotequote all
The man is an idiot.

Sorry he lost his money, but what a tt.

RizzoTheRat

29,022 posts

222 months

Thursday 25th November 2010
quotequote all
R500POP said:
DARWIN WINS OUT AGAIN.
Nope

The Mail said:
began a desperate search with his grandson

haggy

1,955 posts

244 months

Thursday 25th November 2010
quotequote all
M-J-B said:
The man is an idiot.

Sorry he lost his money, but what a tt.
harsh

otolith

69,280 posts

234 months

Thursday 25th November 2010
quotequote all
I reckon he'd already thrown nearly half of it away in compound interest.

M-J-B

15,399 posts

280 months

Thursday 25th November 2010
quotequote all
haggy said:
M-J-B said:
The man is an idiot.

Sorry he lost his money, but what a tt.
harsh
ETA - if you kept £80,000 at home, moved it around all day, left it in a car etc, finally losing it because you left it on the roof, would your mate say, well done mate, good decision, or would he say 'you silly tt'?

Harsh, but true.

Edited by M-J-B on Thursday 25th November 13:55

colonel c

Original Poster:

8,054 posts

269 months

Thursday 25th November 2010
quotequote all
Thinking about this.

Ok so you find a bag with eighty grand in it.

woohoo

Then you findout it was some poor sods life savings.

Do you:

(a) Return it to it's rightful owner.
(b) Deduct a 20% finders fee then return it to it's rightful owner anonymously.
(c) Sod them I've already ordered a new Audi R8.

12gauge

1,274 posts

204 months

Thursday 25th November 2010
quotequote all
More importantly, should this man be driving?

If he cant remember where he left 80k, can he remember who to give way to on a roundabout, or what sequence traffic lights go on?

TBH though im not sure i believe the story. Most likely he's baying for compensation from the govt and has the real 80k buried somewhere or given to a son.

F i F

48,871 posts

281 months

Thursday 25th November 2010
quotequote all
Thinking about it, whatever happened with that City wbanker way back, who had a :cough: bank account in Jersey, drew a load of cash out, got pissed and then left it on the Tube/train/wherever?

cartel

259 posts

196 months

Thursday 25th November 2010
quotequote all
colonel c said:
Thinking about this.

Ok so you find a bag with eighty grand in it.

woohoo

Then you findout it was some poor sods life savings.

Do you:

(a) Return it to it's rightful owner.
(b) Deduct a 20% finders fee then return it to it's rightful owner anonymously.
(c) Sod them I've already ordered a new Audi R8.
I would keep it and give myself a pat on the back for stopping a drug dealer flooding the streets more.

Who else in their right mind would have that kind of cash?

I would return it if I found out it was an old chaps saving though

5potTurbo

13,683 posts

198 months

Thursday 25th November 2010
quotequote all
colonel c said:
Thinking about this.

Ok so you find a bag with eighty grand in it.

woohoo

Then you findout it was some poor sods life savings.

Do you:

(a) Return it to it's rightful owner.
(b) Deduct a 20% finders fee then return it to it's rightful owner anonymously.
(c) Sod them I've already ordered a new Audi R8.
How did you know I'd buy a new R8?

Bebee

4,724 posts

255 months

Thursday 25th November 2010
quotequote all
colonel c said:
Thinking about this.

Ok so you find a bag with eighty grand in it.

woohoo

Then you findout it was some poor sods life savings.

Do you:

(a) Return it to it's rightful owner.
(b) Deduct a 20% finders fee then return it to it's rightful owner anonymously.
(c) Sod them I've already ordered a new Audi R8.
phone Hello is that the cops? be on the look out for a new R8 driver.

Rude-boy

22,227 posts

263 months

Thursday 25th November 2010
quotequote all
cartel said:
colonel c said:
Thinking about this.

Ok so you find a bag with eighty grand in it.

woohoo

Then you findout it was some poor sods life savings.

Do you:

(a) Return it to it's rightful owner.
(b) Deduct a 20% finders fee then return it to it's rightful owner anonymously.
(c) Sod them I've already ordered a new Audi R8.
I would keep it and give myself a pat on the back for stopping a drug dealer flooding the streets more.

Who else in their right mind would have that kind of cash?

I would return it if I found out it was an old chaps saving though
d) hand it into the Police. If it is legit then the owner will ask them about it and get it back. If it isn't claimed though, i [i]think[/] you get it...

Stevenj214

4,941 posts

258 months

Thursday 25th November 2010
quotequote all
12gauge said:
More importantly, should this man be driving?

If he cant remember where he left 80k, can he remember who to give way to on a roundabout, or what sequence traffic lights go on?
Seriously? I could forget my head sometimes if it wasn't attached. No reason for DVLA to suspend my license though.

M-J-B

15,399 posts

280 months

Thursday 25th November 2010
quotequote all
Stevenj214 said:
12gauge said:
More importantly, should this man be driving?

If he cant remember where he left 80k, can he remember who to give way to on a roundabout, or what sequence traffic lights go on?
Seriously? I could forget my head sometimes if it wasn't attached. No reason for DVLA to suspend my license though.
There is every reason if you forget your head and can't see where you are going.

That could cause a nasty accident wobble