Every day, thousands of valuable portable items are inadvertently left behind in airports, taxicabs, coffee shops, and other public venues. Dealing with the loss of sensitive data is often more agonizing than the time and money required to purchase and reprogram a replacement device. The smaller the device, the easier it is to leave behind.
Lost and found departments are bursting with smart/cell phones, PDAs, laptops, jump drives, digital cameras, eyewear and countless other items. Most finders would prefer to return the item to its rightful owner, but without proper identification and a convenient return service, the vast majority of items never make it home safely.
Some facts:
- Edward Baig, in his USAToday article, intentionally lost 6 STUFFBAK-labeled portable items. 4 out of 6 were returned.
- Andrew Glassman, in his CNBC investigative report, intentionally lost 6 STUFFBAK-labeled portable items. 5 of the 6 were returned to him within 3 days.
- Across 15 independent media tests of StuffBak's service, 75% of StuffBak-labeled items were recovered.
- 1,200 cell phones, 1,500 sets of keys and over 300 PDAs and laptops are turned into the Las Vegas International lost and found department annually. - McCarran Int'l Airport Security, July 2003
- 140,000 items are found annually on Southwest Airlines flights, 50,000 items at Enterprise Rent-A-Car, and 20 a day at some Avis Rent-A-Car locations. Despite best efforts, fewer than 1% are returned. - The Wall Street Journal, November 2003
- 99% of cell phone owners do not back up the data on their phones. When your cell phone is lost or stolen, that precious information is gone. - The Wall Street Journal, May 2003.
Without StuffBak, recovery rates are less than 5%. With StuffBak, the odds are raised to over 75%. Why? StuffBak is easy for finders and works across the broadest spectrum of real world circumstances (the service is not reliant on battery power and works whether or not device passwords restrict access to contact info).