Contacting the owners of lockers

So I decided to contact the owners of a locker to see how it would go.  Overall pretty well!  And...worth it I think.  So this is how and why:

1. I use a Google voice number.  Not linked to me or anything I do.  This is my "i am going to talk to potentially bad people" number.

2. I'm polite, explain I've lost my own locker before, and tell them I went through and got a bunch of their photos out-and left them with the storage facility for them to retrieve free of charge, and ask if there was anything they might want that has personal value that isn't a photo etc.

3. I don't call voice, I do this through text messages.

Now...why?

Well to be honest...Karma.  90% of people dont KNOW they get their pictures back. 

and....it sometimes tells me things I didn't know.  For example if they ask for a item back, investigating it has revealed that the $2 item is actually a $400 item.  Yes that item your grandfather gave you before he died is of immense personal value to you.....uh huh. 

On the other hand...that cast that has a signature of your deceased husband on it for your daughter whose dad passed away?  Yeah I can arrange for that to be given back by adding it to the box at the facility.

So far most people have been very appreciative surprisingly enough.  I'm still never meeting them in person.

and....it sometimes tells me things I didn't know.  For example if they ask for a item back, investigating it has revealed that the $2 item is actually a $400 item.  Yes that item your grandfather gave you before he died is of immense personal value to you.....uh huh. 

Uh, what kind of karma are you trying to generate with this statement? hmm? 

Ive tried it a few times, never been impressed with the results. A few times have been people wanting to buy all their stuff back, but have never came through with any money. In one instance I held on to a wedding album and family pictures for 3-4 months. The couple kept promising to come get them but never did. Finally I had to give them a deadline date before their stuff was going to be thrown in the trash for them to show up and get it.

I have done this once, I won a locker for $150 and turned out the under bidder was the boyfriend of the renter. He said all his clothes were in there she had moved him out.  Well I took his number and after sorting offered him the cloths for $50.  It was a whole truck load of clothes so a bargain to him. I gave him a photo album of his time in the military as well.  I figured if that had been given back with the personal items his GF would toss it.  I did not make any money on the locker there was nothing of any real value in it.

Ever since the death threats from a guy who wanted his PlayStation II back ... I don't make contact with tenants.

Shrug, if they're trying to get the most valuable item out of the locker by claiming its from their deceased grandfather...then probably good karma for not allowing someone to lie and get away with it.  Are they being honest, maybe, but probably not.