Can You Replace a Lost Cellphone Charger Just By Asking For One?
A lost or forgotten cellphone charger can seriously screw up your business trip, as a powerless phone means no e-mail, text messages, or, duh, calls. (And no Bejeweled?! What are you supposed to do, read a book ?)
Turns out people leave their chargers in hotel rooms all the time, which is why you can go to any front desk, say you forgot yours, and paw through the lost-and-found bin until you find one that matches your phone.
At least, that's the theory posited over at Lifehacker (by way of Reddit, Gizmodo, and at least one reader). It's very interesting reading, particularly this comment about how major hotels deal with anyone who cries "lost charger":
I work for the second largest conference hotel in my city. You have no idea the size box we have of chargers left behind. 90 percent are idiot blackberry chargers. This works 100% of the time, we never verify that anyone stays here we just let them go shopping for [their] charger. Hell we even will give people a charger if they call down to the front desk and say they forgot theirs!I have to assume what this guy means by "idiot blackberry chargers" is that most of them work with most BlackBerry models. In any case, I suspect this option isn't limited to hotel lost-and-founds; you could also check those in airports, rental-car kiosks, etc.
Okay, but is it honest? Moral? Legal? That's for you to decide. I think that unless I was really in a pinch, I'd just find the nearest phone or electronics store and buy a new charger. On the other hand, if these items really do go unclaimed most of the time, why not replace what you legitimately lost? Discuss.