Un-freaking-believable

Read these emails and be amazed.

The first e-mail is from my co-vampire. She quickly handed it off to me when the student lost all common sense.

1st email (written by co-vampire):

A bag was found in Library X containing a book and a receipt with your name on it. If these items belong to you, please come to the 4th floor circulation desk to retrieve them. They will be put in lost and found.

Here is the student's response:

I came into Library X last week and asked for the items that I had left behind. However, no one could find my items. Have they been found yet? If not, I think that I should be reimbursed for my anthropology book and sticker.

These items were no longer in my possession; thus, I feel that I am not responsible. Could you please email me back to let me know if they have been found or not.

Here is my (1st) response:

My co-vampire referred your problem to me as I am the unofficial person in charge of lost and found. Library X merely tries to reunite students with their lost belongings. We do this as a favor. We cannot be held responsible for lost items.

Our policy is: Neither Library X nor its staff may assume responsibility for the safekeeping of patrons' possessions. When you leave belongings in the library, you do so at your own risk.

I hope you find your book and sticker. Could someone else have possibly picked them up for you?

Here is the student's reply:

I received your email. I understand that Library X "tries to reunite students with their lost belongings" and really appreciate that someone found them. However, I still believe that your staff should assume responsibility for the safekeeping of my lost items since they were, in fact, in their possession.

I received an email from your co-vampire stating that someone had turned my bag, along with my receipt and name, to the front desk. She also informed me that they would be placed in the lost and found. When I went back a day later, my items were missing.

Thus, no one else picked them up. They were turned in to the library staff and were not in my possession. So, I believe this is an error on the Library X's staff, not my own. Could someone please contact me who can settle this issue immediately? Classes are underway, and I need this textbook for one of my classes.

Here is my (2nd) response:

You are mistaken in the library's role. Lost and found is not for safekeeping items. It is merely a place to gather all items left in the library so that they do not clutter up the floor. We do not assume responsibility for the items. We cannot be expected to make sure items are claimed by the rightful owners. We can only hope the items are claimed.

Since your items were not in our lost and found when you came to pick them up, they obviously were picked up by someone. We assume anyone who comes to claim an item is the owner of the item.

If you wish, you can make a report to university police.

Due to this incident, we will review and make changes to how we handle lost and found.

Please keep me informed of how this matter progresses. I am sorry your item has gone missing. Hopefully you will find it.

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I cannot freaking believe that a student would assume such an ass backwards stance with this. SHE LOST HER BOOK. We tried to give it back to her. We didn't lose it. SHE DID.

I hope she reports it to UPD so the officers can have a good laugh.

I don't know what happened to her book.

She or a friend could have come by once and claimed it and then came by a second time to raise a stink. It seems very likely. I'd like to see her credit card statement to see if possibly there was a bookstore refund for the cost of an anthropology book.

I can't wait to see how she responds.