Whew - What a relief!

General Discussion
1

Yesterday afternoon, got back from the hardware store and suddenly realised my wallet was missing. Not an uncommon occurrence, it’s usually been left in the car bacause if one’s only wearing shirt and shorts, the wallet’s back pocket home is too uncomfortable when driving (unfortunately, its thickness is not due to wads of dosh therein!). So, checked every centimetre of the car (inches wouldn’t work - it’s German) zilch!

After scouring the house too, my unreliable memory suggested I might have put wallet on the car roof while lowering seats to accommodate a long plank. Phoned the hardware store, but nothing in the parking, so cancelled all the UK and French bank cards and started researching how to replace driving licence, titre de sejour, carte vitale, carte d’assurance and EHIC cards. Now know that it costs €230 to replace the post Brexit carte de sejour! Also now know the eye-watering cost of replacing a 25 year old ostrich skin wallet that had been bought cheaply duty free in what was then Jo’burg’s Jan Smuts Airport (now Oliver Tambo International).

Anyhow, 24 hr later, because one has to report these losses and because there was a slim chance it had been handed in to the police, we went down to the station. Having explained the reason for our visit, the police lady picked up a key, disappeared in the back, and a few minutes later returned with my wallet!!!

Everything, including the cash was intact and I asked for the finder’s name because they deserved a decent reward, but unfortunately ,the very decent, honest person had remained anonymous and we were unable to thank or reward them

So much stress has slid off my shoulders in the last few hours, not least the loss of my titre de sejour - as a foreign resident, I think one always feels slightly vulnerable, and when one’s French ID disappears this is doubly so. My only remaining ID was my UK passport, which of course linked me to where I’d fled from rather than to my country of choice.

Lessons learnt: drive uncomfortably, replacing titre de sejour is seriously expensive, remember to remove EHIC card from wallet when returning to France from Spain and most important of all, always put your wallet straight back in your pocket as soon as the transaction’s completed.

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2

I carry mine, pockets are not big enough otherwise, but I do remember finding a credit card years ago and handed it in to the nearest gendarmerie. The officer looked at me as if I was unhinged, put it in a drawer and bad me goodbye

I often wonder if the owner got it back.

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When I am planning a trip ‘out’ - i.e. more than just a quick trip to the shops, I wear a gilet, a bit like a fishermans waistcoat, which has pockets large enough for my phone, my wallet, my glasses and one or two other items. The pockets zip shut so are reasonably safe. I have to say I don’t wear it when the weather is ‘scorchio’ so maybe a bum-bag on my belt would be a good idea for hot weather.

4

So pleased you have everything back safe and sound. My wife ‘lost’ her credit card in a shopping centre a while back which was handed in to security and repatriated with in an hour,
You are not the only plank :wink:

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5

I’ve gone for the man bag after having my wallet nicked on the Paris metro. It can be a faff but it’s hard to forget that it’s there.

6

My mishap (read - ‘incredibly stressful experience’) was the result of a spontaneous trip to a nearby hardware store, the wonderfully named ‘Briconautes’ that I seem to visit every day. << Qui êtes-vous ? >> << Je suis briconaute de l’univers ! >>

7

Had a manbag conversation yesterday afternoon, ‘‘So, you’ve got your wallet and your phone in the bag, so if that gets lost, you’re really stuffed;’’ ‘‘Oh; hadn’t thought of it like that.’’

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8

I see your point but my phone is rarely out of my hand for long enough to go in the bag, but that’s another discussion.

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9

If you’re an Apple user, new gadget Airtag may be of interest when attached to a wallet

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10

My daughter uses an airtag in her suitcase when she goes flying. I see Decathlon had lots of bumbags on sale this week, I always used one when shopping so had free hands and no bag either slung across weighing me down or sliding down my arm. Might invest in one shortly.

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11

For girls (or boys) a crossbody bag is also good for hands free and keeping in front of your body

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12

Tis the season of pickpockets in crowded places too.

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I have a “neck purse”. I was shopping last Friday and was surprised to see how many men had similar items around their necks. Am I, at last, trendy?

Gus

14

Chipolo Tags. I use these Bluetooth tags for wallet, phone and keys. The CR 2032 batteries last up to two years. My smartphone battery is invariably dead (needs new battery) so can’t phone it when lost. Using another smartphone with the necessary app installed I can it track down.

The app searches, finds, and prompts you to press ‘RING’ and whatever can’t be found is found. The tag rings quite loudly.

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15

Love them, so need one! Just found on eBay a generic one for 1/10 of the price so going to try them! I’m always loosing my phone and keys!!

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16

I know exactly how you must have felt, as, after never losing a wallet, shortly after I landed here I lost my wallet in the centre of Montpellier. It happened just after arriving and coming out of the car park. I searched and searched, retracing my steps several times, then rapidly cancelled all my cards, which was simple except for Credit Agricole, who couldn’t cancel in the local branch I visited. After a bit of a palaver I finally got that also cancelled. So, car parked in the centre, no means of paying for anything, I went to the gendarmerie office in the centre to report the wallet lost. When at the desk, a man came in with a wallet. And yes it was mine! But by that time all cards were cancelled, and the 200€ that was in the wallet had disappeared, together with stamps. But at least I still got my driving licence, carte sejour and carte vitale back, for which I was very grateful. Then the next challenge was getting the car out of the car park, which involved giving my family history dating back generations, or at least that what it felt like, all for something like 7€ parking cost, which I later despatched if a cheque to settle. I now use a relatively small waist belt bag to carry wallet, phone and keys in Summer when dressed more lightly. Lesson learnt!

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17

Is it time to get a ‘man bag’?

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No! but before I discovered the pleasure of telecommuting, I used to lug around a large laptop in a leather messenger bag - that combination was so heavy one was instantly aware if it wasn’t there.

19

Manbag. 28cms x 24 cms. Never go out without it, hanging across my shoulder.

Contains my life! Credit cards, cheque book, ID, permis de conduire, car insurance, passport, mutuelle - you name it. Big enough to carry a mini-iPad as well, and more. I probably stoop to one side!

Lost it once but was returned by a French woman who refused to hand it over to supermarket staff. Said she didn’t trust them.

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20

When my wallet got lifted on the metro, I had all my cards cancelled before the next stop through the various apps.
It was then mildly amusing (for the circumstances) to watch all the failed transactions as the thief tried to use the cards at a PMU.
I was en route to the UK at the time so it was mildly inconvenient not to have my cards but Google Pay saved the day and the most impressive bit was the replacement UK driving licence within 3 working days.

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