How to make geocacher to dropped off my travelbug!

[psychoklara]

Please, help me!

 

Geocacher NielsoTina from Sweden has my travelbug Panda (reference: TB2J583) in his/her hands since April 2011. She/He is active geocacher, she/he has visited many caches till 9/2011.

 

I have contacted him/her a threetimes (in english and in swedish), but he/she didn't replied!

I really don't know, what to do.

 

I found that she/he has one another trackable in hands since 6/2011. Maybe he/she is "trackable robber"... but maybe she/he just don't know, what does it mean TRACKABLE.

 

Could somebody help me? Does somebody know Nielso Tina? Could somebody else contact him/her in swedish?

Please help, I don't wanna lost my cute TB Panda.

 

(sorry for bad english)

[+mpilchfamily]

You have done all you can. Just have to wait and see what happens now.

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

That cacher has over 300 "finds" (not a newbie), but only 3 traveler contacts. One a "discover", and two "retrievals". They still hold both of the retrievals.

 

First "rule" of sending TB into the world: Never send out something that you cannot bear to lose.

 

The reasons that a TB could disappear are literally countless (intentional or otherwise);

The reasons that a person would not/could not place a TB equate to the same number of stars in the Milky Way galaxy.

 

It does seem that many either do not receive emails through/from geocaching.com or simply ignore them. It may well be that their spam filter intercepts them and they do not realize it. If such is the case, you have no way to contact them. You have no recourse.

 

If they did receive your email, and did not appreciate (any part of) its' content, they probably will never respond. To keep emailing them is the best way to have your TB deposited in the nearest trash receptacle.

 

Any email asking to move your TB along must be very tactfully worded, and even then, more than a couple of emails could be considered (by them) as harassment.

 

We sympathize with you, but it appears that you may have done all that you could. Now, it is best to simply wait and see what happens.

[+Walts Hunting]

Ii see you are new to this hobby. Welcome. What you describe occurs regularly. Nothing you can do about it except move on. I always tell people to not fall in love with a traveler.

[+kunarion]

I have contacted him/her a threetimes (in english and in swedish), but he/she didn't replied!

I really don't know, what to do.

The Profile messages don't work. They tend to disappear when you send them, and even more so when someone replies (the TB holder may have answered your email, and you never got it). It's a problem.

 

But you've already done one of the things: Place a note into the TB log itself.

 

Don't accuse anybody, don't make someone embarrassed or angry. Just mention it's missing. People will connect the dots. Both the TB holder and other cachers can see who logged it last, but that in no way means that's where the TB is. If the TB holder is somewhat active, they may have already dropped it off. Or they may have misplaced it, and once they find it again, will later hand it to another cacher, who will "grab" it "from *ahem* somewhere else". There's a very good chance that they dropped in in a cache long ago, and didn't log it properly, so it will turn up again just fine (that happened to my TBs several times), even after you're certain you'll never see it again.

 

There is more that you can do. You can change the name of the TB to add the word [MISSING], so that people can see the status wherever they see it listed. You can add text to the Mission in large red letters, stating that you haven't seen your panda in a while, and would love to hear from her. See my TB page for an example of what I mean, and read even more text that I have added there. You can add as many or as few of those suggestions as you feel appropriate.

 

I usually wait one full year before I send a TB to "Unknown Location" (mark it missing), unless I know for sure it's not in the cache anymore, or if someone's held it for that long without placing it in a cache. But that's up to you.

 

Good luck!

Edited November 17, 2011 by kunarion

[+FloridaFour]

Hey Walt- love your standard line! LOL! I told that one to the "trackables" person at the last event I went to.

 

Klara- ALL of my travel bugs have gone missing. sigh... cry...

 

Now I only send out travel bugs I win at events. I don't buy any more. And I give them a nice kiss goodbye when I send them out and get excited if they do travel. And no longer get sad if they get stolen or forgotten.

 

P.S. I just lost a geocoin I had picked up. It fell out of my bag. I listed the poor lost coin as missing on it's log and emailed it's owner. Maybe I will find it one day.... So even I am guilty of losing a coin... I feel bad.

Edited November 16, 2011 by FloridaFour

[+baack40]

Have you checked this persons logs to see if perhaps they cache with someone else that also logs? Posibly email that person explaining that you have tried to contact that person but you are not sure if they are getting your email as emails through this system don't always go where they are supposed to and ask them to ask that person if they still have your traveler? Would that work?

[+ShaunEM]

you could also update the TB and name it something like "HOT POTATO! DROP ME IN THE NEXT CACHE!"

 

And you might want to do that in their language too..

[+Tim2AKAT2]

I retrieved a travel bug that went missing for over 4 years TB19F04 I retrieved it from a travel bug hotel after the orginal grabber found it not realizing they hadn't moved it on. Now I am going to move it along. I am also guilty of keeping travel bugs too long I retrieved some and they got packed when we moved and it took me months to find them but I did and now they are back out in the world. I sent the owners of the TB's messages to let them know the problem and never heard from any of them. I wish GS had a better message system because the one they use really sucks compared to some other fourms I am on. Tim2akaT2

Edited November 19, 2011 by Tim2akaT2

[+BlueDeuce]

I retrieved a travel bug that went missing for over 4 years TB19F04 I retrieved it from a travel bug hotel after the orginal grabber found it not realizing they hadn't moved it on. Now I am going to move it along. I am also guilty of keeping travel bugs too long I retrieved some and they got packed when we moved and it took me months to find them but I did and now they are back out in the world. I sent the owners of the TB's messages to let them know the problem and never heard from any of them. I wish GS had a better message system because the one they use really sucks compared to some other fourms I am on. Tim2akaT2

 

How could it be better? Honest question. I don't venture too far into the cyberworld.

 

 

edit to/too

Edited November 20, 2011 by BlueDeuce

[+Tim2AKAT2]

I retrieved a travel bug that went missing for over 4 years TB19F04 I retrieved it from a travel bug hotel after the orginal grabber found it not realizing they hadn't moved it on. Now I am going to move it along. I am also guilty of keeping travel bugs too long I retrieved some and they got packed when we moved and it took me months to find them but I did and now they are back out in the world. I sent the owners of the TB's messages to let them know the problem and never heard from any of them. I wish GS had a better message system because the one they use really sucks compared to some other fourms I am on. Tim2akaT2

 

How could it be better? Honest question. I don't venture too far into the cyberworld.

 

 

edit to/too

 

Many Fourms have their own private message system it simply notifies you that you have a message by e-mail and you retrieve the message from the forum. Also when you log on it says you have a new message from another user. This does take up server space but doesn't rely on some user with an outdated e-mail who never gets your message. Tim2akaT2

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

Many Fourms have their own private message system it simply notifies you that you have a message by e-mail and you retrieve the message from the forum. Also when you log on it says you have a new message from another user. This does take up server space but doesn't rely on some user with an outdated e-mail who never gets your message. Tim2akaT2

These forums function that way, too. Simply use the envelope icon beneath the avatar for IM. It works fine.

 

However, the problem is not in the forums. It is contacting other cachers through the website (separate from the forums). Most/many/some geocachers have never stepped foot in the forums. Many have no desire to -- until they have a problem, so attempting to contact a fellow geocacher through the forums is next to useless.

 

We have friends that are geocachers that seem to never, ever check their email. Why? Beats me, but if I should need to contact them, it's phone or not at all.

[7rxc]

 

Many Fourms have their own private message system it simply notifies you that you have a message by e-mail and you retrieve the message from the forum. Also when you log on it says you have a new message from another user. This does take up server space but doesn't rely on some user with an outdated e-mail who never gets your message. Tim2akaT2

 

You mean like the one on the upper right of our Forum pages?? Also accessible from a few other pages such as the account details page on GC. The problem with that is how do people get to know they have a message waiting... WE do because we check into the forums, the larger part of Geocachers don't seem to do so on a regular basis... of course there are many who browse anonymously but they wouldn't see the notification unless logged in. IF the system sent a notification of message by email, they might, but the problem of outdated email addresses surfaces again. Additionally, many just have dummy emails and send the stuff to 'somewhere' or the junk bin.

 

Things could be tweaked up a bit, such as having periodic email validation by some means... no response means no account validity.

Not sure how that be dealt with though... but it could flag a problem to someone to investigate. I don't think that one could insist on a published email address to avoid the anonymous 'no reply' system that eats a lot for several reasons. Most would disappear due to the confusing descriptions... many don't realize that when you get one, it WILL reply to the sender, unless the "don't send my email address" is checked.

 

Good luck though! I'd say that most people that want a reply should include their email address in the text for insurance.

 

Doug 7rxc

[+Tim2AKAT2]

Many Fourms have their own private message system it simply notifies you that you have a message by e-mail and you retrieve the message from the forum. Also when you log on it says you have a new message from another user. This does take up server space but doesn't rely on some user with an outdated e-mail who never gets your message. Tim2akaT2

These forums function that way, too. Simply use the envelope icon beneath the avatar for IM. It works fine.

 

However, the problem is not in the forums. It is contacting other cachers through the website (separate from the forums). Most/many/some geocachers have never stepped foot in the forums. Many have no desire to -- until they have a problem, so attempting to contact a fellow geocacher through the forums is next to useless.

 

We have friends that are geocachers that seem to never, ever check their email. Why? Beats me, but if I should need to contact them, it's phone or not at all.

 

Well butter my butt and call it a biscuit I never noticed the envelope before will have to use that on the fourms

[+BlueDeuce]