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mizerock
Contributor I
Jul 31, 2023 2:33 PM UTC
Answered

Found a speaker in a river, can I return it to the owner?

I found a Sonos speaker in two feet of water, and it powered up right away. Is there a way to return it to the owner? I imagine they would be thrilled. My guess was that I might be able to do it by installing the Sonos app. If I turn the unit on and have the app search for the speaker, would it recognize that it is registered to someone else? Would they be notified automatically?

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Corry P
Corry PAnswer
Sonos Staff
Aug 4, 2023 8:23 AM UTC

Hi @mizerock 

Welcome to the Sonos Community!

Our recommendation would be to hand the speaker in to the local police as lost property. Before doing so, however, a helpful step to take would be to contact our technical support team to let them know the serial number and police station location - they can contact the owner directly and let them know where to go to recover their property without breaching data protection protocols. Or, the police could contact us themselves, but I don’t know if they’d do that or not.

On behalf of the owner of the speaker you found, Thank You!

I hope this helps.

"Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen." - Albert Einstein
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8 replies

Airgetlam
Airgetlam
Jul 31, 2023 3:30 PM UTC

No way as an individual to do this. 

You may want to call Sonos Support directly to discuss it, but them giving out information about another customer seems like it might break all sorts of laws. 

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Bruce
mizerockAuthor
Contributor I
Jul 31, 2023 4:17 PM UTC

Makes sense. I contacted support and from what they say it sounds like the S/N of the speaker would be recorded automatically [in the app?] for the original owner.

So: did you lose a grey model S27 speaker in the South Fork of the Shenandoah River? If so:

  1. contact me and share your S/N, if it is a match we can work out a way to get it back to you.
  2. contact Sonos directly with that S/N. “we have a certain process which might take longer.”

I get really upset when I lose / break things myself, so I find it extra satisfying if I am ever able to return lost items to people.

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    jameshatt
    Lyricist II
    Jul 31, 2023 5:30 PM UTC

    If you have found a speaker in a river and you believe it may belong to someone else, you can certainly try to return it to the owner. Here are some steps you can take to attempt to find the owner and return the speaker:

    1. Inspect for Identification: Check the speaker for any identification marks, stickers, labels, or engravings that might indicate the owner's name, contact information, or serial number.

    2. Ask Around: Inquire with people in the area or nearby residents to see if anyone is aware of someone who lost a speaker in the river. Posting flyers or notices in the local community might also help spread the message.

    3. Check Online Platforms: Consider checking online lost and found platforms, social media groups, or community forums in your area where people might report lost items. You can describe the found speaker and ask if anyone is missing one matching its description.

    4. Contact Local Authorities: If you can't find the owner on your own, you can contact the local police department or relevant authorities and report that you've found a speaker. They may have a lost and found department or process for handling such items.

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      jgatie
      jgatie
      Jul 31, 2023 5:33 PM UTC

      If you have found a speaker in a river and you believe it may belong to someone else, you can certainly try to return it to the owner. Here are some steps you can take to attempt to find the owner and return the speaker:

      1. Inspect for Identification: Check the speaker for any identification marks, stickers, labels, or engravings that might indicate the owner's name, contact information, or serial number.

      2. Ask Around: Inquire with people in the area or nearby residents to see if anyone is aware of someone who lost a speaker in the river. Posting flyers or notices in the local community might also help spread the message.

      3. Check Online Platforms: Consider checking online lost and found platforms, social media groups, or community forums in your area where people might report lost items. You can describe the found speaker and ask if anyone is missing one matching its description.

      4. Contact Local Authorities: If you can't find the owner on your own, you can contact the local police department or relevant authorities and report that you've found a speaker. They may have a lost and found department or process for handling such items.

       

      Whoever is posting these ChatGPT missives, please stop.  AI isn’t that good that it will replace actual knowledge, and no matter what you do, the Spam you are going to post soon is going to get deleted.  

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        melvimbe
        melvimbe
        Jul 31, 2023 7:00 PM UTC

        I could be wrong about this, but if you install the Sonos app, and connect to the speaker over WiFi, you may be able to look under settings and see an email address for the account.  Not at all 100% sure about that, but unless someone can confirm that doesn’t work, its worth looking into maybe.

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        Danny
          Airgetlam
          Airgetlam
          Jul 31, 2023 8:41 PM UTC

          Wow, that would be bad, and I think a contravention of GDPR…

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          Bruce
          flyingpadrejr
          Prodigy I
          Jul 31, 2023 11:17 PM UTC

          Unless its a move or roam I would be incclined to think thia is not an accident

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          Corry P
          Corry PAnswer
          Sonos Staff
          Aug 4, 2023 8:23 AM UTC

          Hi @mizerock 

          Welcome to the Sonos Community!

          Our recommendation would be to hand the speaker in to the local police as lost property. Before doing so, however, a helpful step to take would be to contact our technical support team to let them know the serial number and police station location - they can contact the owner directly and let them know where to go to recover their property without breaching data protection protocols. Or, the police could contact us themselves, but I don’t know if they’d do that or not.

          On behalf of the owner of the speaker you found, Thank You!

          I hope this helps.

          Translate
          "Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen." - Albert Einstein
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