This story just happened and I'm amazed. In fact, it's still happening because the guests haven't come back yet. Let me explain...
Three guests arrived from New Zealand about twenty minutes ago after a long flight. I checked on their reservation to confirm that we have them here, but it was too early to check in. I started tagging their luggage to keep in storage for the day, when one of the guys yelled "OH BUGGER!" We all looked at him, confused as to why he was yelling out. He explained that he had another small satchel that he left in the taxi from the airport.
The guest frantically ran outside to see if the taxi was still here, but it was long gone. They don't sit for very long on rainy days. He came back in looking utterly baffled and broken. He went on to explain that he had his passport, itinerary, and about $3,000 in cash in that bag and that he was part of a tour that was leaving in 2 days to go to Canada (not to mention, he also needed the passport to get home...). "OH! I also have my mobile phone in the bag! Maybe we can try to call it?" He got the number out of his wallet and proceeded to call the cell phone. Unfortunately, there was no answer, which was good and bad. Good because the phone was on and working. Bad because no one found it yet.We proceeded to store the luggage and sent the guests on their way to explore Manhattan.
A few seconds after leaving, the guest ran back in to hand me two $50 bills. "If the taxi driver or anyone comes in with my bag, please make sure to give this to them as a thank you." They went off for some breakfast and I went back to my work.Just a moment ago, the taxi driver showed up. HE ACTUALLY CAME TO RETURN IT! I couldn't believe it. We couldn't believe it. I handed him the money from the guest and thanked him so much for returning the bag and he told me it was interesting. He had two other passengers since our guest, and the first one didn't see it (or didn't say anything about it). The second passenger started digging through the bag when the taxi driver noticed. He took the bag away from the passenger because he remembered our guest with the bag. He came right back here to return it.
He was also smart about the return. He wouldn't just give me the bag because of how valuable the contents are, but he also didn't want to sit and wait for the guests to come back. Finally, he took my business card, gave me his business card, and left the bag on condition that I have the guest call him when he gets the bag. Medallion #4F54 driver, if you read this, you're a good man. Thank you.
Now we're just waiting on the guest to come back so we can tell him the good news.
Have you had a story or situation like this? Did you lose something in a taxi? Were you able to recover it, or is it lost forever? Share your story in the comments, and check back to see what happens with the guest!
UPDATED
Sorry, yesterday got busy and I didn't have time to update the post. The guest came back in a few hours after the bag was dropped off. He was elated to hear that we had it and he was on the verge of tears. He was not expecting to get the bag returned to him and thought he would have to go to the consulate and get a new passport (not to mention, he would have been out a few thousand dollars). He gave me $20 and a big hug, and went on his way to share the good news with his friends.
