Hi-tech lost and found
Okay, nobody wants to anticipate that her laptop might get stolen on the road, or that she’ll misplace her passport the night before her return flight.
But it happens.
That’s what luggage tags and address labels are for, right? Or for the more tech-savvy, there’s StuffBak, Trackitback, and Boomerangit.
They’re designed to:
• Get your valued possessions back
You affix the label, activate the serial number via web or phone, and set the reward price (optional), while keeping your contact info personal.
• Reward good Samaritans
They find the item, contact the phone number/website and arrange for the property’s return (at no charge), and even potentially receive a cash reward (or at the very least, free labels of their own).
• Make a profit for the company, in exchange for the convenience
Prices for the labels and service charge vary depending on the company, but they’re reasonably priced.
TravelGearBlog recently brought these labels to my attention, but I’m learning that they’ve been widely offered as “freebies” with purchase at retailers like CompUSA.
I’m not sure how likely I’d be to affix the bright yellow sticker to my favorite gadgets while at home or on the occasional trip. But chances are better for a long-term, around-the-world trip.
And really, chance is what we’re talking about. Whatever increases the chances that the good guy will return your property, so you don’t have to start from scratch with a new laptop or passport—all the better.
November 14th, 2007 at 4:03 pm
How about Gadgettrak antitheft software instead? Probably more proactive than passive tracking?
November 15th, 2007 at 9:05 am
For my money, it’s StuffBak that works. I lost a camera while on vacation in Hawaii and was able to get it back within a day. No tracking software would work for a camera. My Blackberry, laptop, keys and Bluetooth are covered too. It’s cheap and it works.
November 16th, 2007 at 8:15 am
Not that I am biased…but the two firms in this area that are making the largest impact are Absolute Software and Yougetitback.com.
Absolute have a profound set of solutions for dealing with Laptop theft. They are a public company with a valuation moving towards $1bn. Not that that means that much, however in this case it is validation of their ability in the lost and found segment. They are a really strong team and they have been working this beat since the early nineties.
http://www.absolute.com
Our firm by comparison is but a pup. We started selling to companies just over a year ago. If you live in North America, Australia or Europe, it is likely that one of the companies you buy from will be offering you our tags for free in the next 18 months.
Absolute deals with bad people who steal your laptop, we do too.
Our focus is however on good people, mostly employees who want a simple low impact solution that helps them return the 1 billion lost items found by them every year.
Watch this space for our suite of electronic and physical tags.
http://www.yougetitback.com
Great blog – best wishes,
Frank Hannigan