50 and beyond

3 March 2025

Took a Scoot flight to Osaka.

6 March 2025

Hubby realised that his laptop was missing.

He wasn’t sure if he had left it at home or misplaced it along the way.

Dropped my helper back home a message to search for it at home.

She replied that it was not at home.

13 March 2025

Returned home.

Forgot to stop by Airport Lost and Found to check if laptop was with them.

When back home, used Scoot website to figure out how to contact Scoot.

Sent an email to the feedback email I found online to report lost item.

Received acknowledgment and request reference number.

14 March 2025

Travelled to airport with Hubby, and went to Customer Service Counter to ask if by chance they found the iPad in Singapore transit area.

Was told to contact Scoot office directly to see if laptop was found on board our flight. Was not allowed to go to Scoot office to enquire as the office was located within the restricted area and I needed to show my passport to enter restricted zone.

Back home, same day, received Scoot email reply. Was informed that all items left on board, if any, would be handed over to arrival airport lost and found department. Was given a link to a website which listed all the numbers of Scoots’ destination airport’s Lost and Found service partners and their contact numbers.

Assumed item would never be found and sat on the matter.

10 April 2025

Had enough energy and renewed resolve to try and hunt down iPad.

Used the link provided by Scoot and called up the number provided for Kansai Airport.

A person picked up within 10 seconds!

I asked if he could speak English. Yes, and very well too, albeit a strong Japanese accent.

After explaining my situation, he asked me to describe my iPad. After that, he put me on hold.

Rather than confusing him and telling him that it was Hubby’s iPad, I just said that I had lost my iPad.

He put me on hold for about 3 minutes and then came back and asked me what colour it was. I told him. Then he asked me if there was an accompanying stylus. I confidently said NO. Hmm. He told me that said he located an iPad that was sent to the Lost and Found on 3 March! BUT that iPad had a stylus! I sheepishly said there probably is and that I never noticed it. Felt so stupid saying that. I bet I sounded suspicious. Then, he asked me to email him so that he can send me photos of the iPad. He gave me a generic email (not his personal email address). I did. Within 10 min, he sent me photos of Hubby’s iPad.

I replied to say that it was mine. I asked how it could be sent back to SG. I said that to prove that it is mine, I will turn on the iPad with the password and show them photos of myself in the Photos app.

He replied within 10 min to say that he’ll send it back to SG via the next Scoot flight. He gave me the flight number and told me to get in touch with Scoot to retrieve it when it arrives in Singapore.

11 April 2025

Same person sends me a follow up email to say that the iPad will be sent to Singapore on 12 April instead. He gave me the flight number.

13 April 2025

I send an email to the Scoot Lost and Found Service Partner in Singapore, which is on their website. I asked if the iPad had arrived and if I could collect it that night. The email address is a SATS email address. SATS is the handling agent for the airlines.

Silence for next 10 days. No reply.

Sometime during this silent period, I went to the Scoot website to find a number to call.

Called and spoke to a female customer service officer who had a foreign accent.

I explained my situation. I said it’s been 10 days and I have not received an email reply. She said she would check on my case and email me back.

21 April 2025

Still silence.

I called the same number.

Called and spoke to a male customer service officer who had the same foreign accent.

I explained my situation and said that no one called me back.

He said he would escalate the matter and follow up.

I said why not give me the number in Singapore that they are going to check with and I’ll follow up myself. He said he can’t give it to me.

I said it was frustrating because the other person I spoke to never emailed me to keep me updated. He said he would email me to keep me updated.

He followed up with an email within the day. Email said he would be checking on my case and getting back to me.

He sends me an email about an hour later with photos of an iPad! But the iPad wasn’t mine. It was very different from the colour I had reported lost. Also, I saw from the photo tag that it had come back to Singapore on a different Scoot flight as what the Kansai Airport had informed. I replied and said it wasn’t mine. I sent him photos of the iPad that Kansai Airport had sent to me, to show them what it looked like. He replied within an hour to say they have escalated the photos to the team in Singapore.

23 April 2025

I clicked reply to the email trail and said that it has been more than 24 hours since and could I get an update.

Got a reply saying they have escalated to all concerned teams and will update me.

24 April 2025

I clicked reply to the email trail to ask for an update.

I requested again to have a telephone number of the relevant office in Singapore so that I could follow up myself.

No reply from them.

25 April 2025

I clicked reply to the email and said that this was my daily request asking for an update to where my iPad was.

Received a reply from the same email but yet another person (person on duty) with standard reply, that they are “checking with the team for item confirmation”.

26 April 2025

I received a WhatsApp message informing me that they have received my iPad and that I can go collect it anytime.

I went down with Hubby to Terminal 1. To get my iPad, I had to enter the baggage area. Had to go in via Staff Entrance via my passport. Had to show my 3 March boarding pass as well. The Lost and Found counter was quite small. And the storeroom behind the counter didn’t look that big. I wonder why they took so long to locate the iPad. I signed for it and was finally united with the iPad. The Japanese side had taped it up very securely and neatly. For that, I am grateful.

I passed it to Hubby who was very happy to get it back.