PICS;Why not finders fees?

[XL-PRO PRO]

OK; So you're on the beach detecting and a stranger asks you to search for a lost article,or in other words employs your services.Why shouldn't you demand a fee based on your time and equipment(based entirely upon said strangers attitude).If you saw someone hauling lawnmowers and asked them to cut your grass would you expect it to be a free service? Am I the only person who has had repairs to my home or auto only to be stunned by the bill simply by failing to ask for a quote before said services were performed.In the instance of the lady who brought the police to the beach in the pics post I definitely would have (1)demanded a fee or(2) tossed the ring back in the ocean.Either way I think I would have been well within my legal rights!!DBULL

 

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[finderzzs]

I wouldn't use the word "demand". I'd say hire your services. I could be out finding my own gold instead of stopping to find someones for nothing. Good PR for the hobby, but it doesn't pay the bills. There's nothing wrong with asking for a fee to search for it. If the person doesn't agree to it, you can always move on. Why wouldn't they/ I have found 2 rings in the past two weeks for people. I didn't ask for anything up front, but was rewarded $30 for the first one and $50 for the second one.

 

[Diver_Down]

Searching is always free (15 min.). Anything longer, I let them know that I value my time as they should. I never dictate the price as each situation is different. Recovery is never free. If I search an area, the targets are noted and the information conveyed to the interested parties. If they don't want to pay for the recovery they are welcome to try their luck. When faced with multiple targets in a search area and the value of the missing item is considered, most persons gladly pay for my services.

 

[VBDave]

Here's the approach I take if asked to look for a fresh drop at the beach:

I get the requestor to describe in intimate detail what they want me to find. That way I won't get scammed if I stumble upon something else of value while hunting their loss. I also carry a few expensive looking junk rings, bracelets and chains in my pouch. These are useful for the occasional idiot joker who thinks it's funny to send me on a hunt for a nonexistant loss. If I have those suspicions, I "find" the junk target quickly and ask "is this it?". An idiot joker will immediately think he's struck paydirt and quickly take the junk, laughing all the way down the beach, and I can go back to real hunting after having flushed the fool. The same tactic works for the scammer who sees me recover something and claims that he just lost it. I show him the junk, he'll invariably claim it as his, and again, I can get on with life.

As far as asking for reward, it depends. If I'm actively hunting a productive cut or hole and the requestor wants me to hunt for his loss in another location, I may require up front compensation for my efforts. Otherwise, if his loss is in an area I'd be hunting anyway, I simply agree to return his intimately described item if if find it, and leave the decision to reward me up to him, since it's not costing me anything to help him out.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Circumstances dictate it for me as well.

I had a couple ask me on New Years Day at a beach to look for a ring the mother had given her son for Christmas, I looked for a hour, no ring, apologized and moved on down the beach. Later on I came on a ring a 100 yards from where I looked before, went back and asked the mother to describe the ring, she said it had inscription inside "To Travis Love mom" Ring had exact inscripition. I gave it to her, she tried hard to give me a $50 reward, I kept refusing. I would not charge a mother to get her son's Christmas present back to him. (He was 12 or 13). Someone else who lost ring it may be different.............

 

[Sandman]

Treasure Hunter, you always do the right thing.

If I am already at the beach detecting and someone asks me to look for their item I always get a detailed description and give them my card. I tell them to call me as soon as they get home so I can get their address in case I find the ring on another day. I will return it for free all the time. If however someone calls me to drive out to a location I charge $50.00 payable in advance and I will look for two hours I tell them. I have looked longer and even returned the deposit if it got me into a private beach. If I have to dive for a lost item, I charged accordingly. But I don't dive anymore so that is mote. The card stops you for looking for the "lost" item over by the buoy by some smart *&^ when they don't call you. If someone else finds it first, it is theirs.