My cellphone was stolen again. It’s certainly ironic two days after a post entitled Happiness is a new cellphone. It was a classic diversion. I was sitting in Crush, a sandwich bar type restaurant in Cape Town, grabbing a quick lunch. 4 or 5 men walked inside. I didn’t really pay much attention until 3 or so of them started shouting at the waitresses and pushing each other. I turned to see what was happening and of course that’s when my cellphone was taken. I wasn’t entirely sure I had it with me, so when I was ready to leave, and noticed it missing, I held a vague hope of it being back at the office. No such luck.
I really should have learnt my lesson. I fell for something similar in Peru in 2001, losing my passport, airline ticket, etc (and am very nearly still in Peru thanks to some extraordinary red tape by both the SA consulate, who first grilled me for a couple of hours, and then had to find South Africans back home willing to answer the phone at 2am, and testify I really was who I said I was!) and then the Peruvian department responsible for placing an important little stamp on my newly-issued passport, saying I hadn’t entered illegally (and who put my memories of the multiple queues for my SA ID book to shame, with a queue snaking back and forth the room, out the door, across the entire floor, down the stairs, across the entire ground floor, and then out of the building)…
About a year ago in Kauai (another health fast-food type place in Long Street) two people tried a similar trick, but I caught the guy’s hand on my phone. Unfortunately I didn’t quite know what to do. I got up and pushed him away, and got the phone back, but with everyone staring at my reaction, or pretending not to see, and no-one offering help in apprehending them, I decided to go back to my wallet still sitting on my table, and they simply walked away.
I have to confess a grudging admiration for their skill, but its damn annoying losing all my numbers.
Reminds me back to 2000 when my good ‘ole mobile phone was stolen at an Internet Café in Sea Point.
Had a similar experience at a dubious clients office last year when my mobile phone vanished, I reported it stolen and turns out the client stole my mobile phone to read my SMS messages and listen to my voicemail and returned the phone after doing so.
Also had various debit cards do a walking act the same client and had the huge inconvience of having to go and cancel debit cards and get replacements.
I would like to tell u about my unusual experience with a place called Red Door…in M’plain.
After many up and downs to their office, my partner and I was still turned down….wanna hear? We would like to tell you a true story and stop others from being given false hope and being suckered into giving their hard earned R300 as deposit. please contact me via email or phone me on 0724783768 for more details and hard facts. thank you
regarding my last comment…I would like someone from the Daily Voice to contact me personally to print this story in the newspaper please…or can someone give me the correct email and contact details for news of this nature to be printed?
Thanks