Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Daughters iPhone 6 got stolen...anything I can do?!

Status
Not open for further replies.
Please keep us posted on the status of your daughter's stolen phone. I'm so very sorry this happened to your daughter. In fact, this could happen to any of us! I've known friends who had their iPhone sitting on their kitchen counter (condo living) only to have a routine maintenance guy/or anyone with access to the unit come in and pocket the phone without their knowledge. Several of us are way too preoccupied with life as it is than to constantly fear the theft of our property.

I have my 6+ through AT&T and decided to pay $6.99 a month for protection that covers everything including theft. Yes, that fee is equivalent to a Starbucks venti Cappucino with four espresso shots, but definitely adds piece of mind. In the event you can not recover the phone, then tell your daughter's story on the crowd funding site www.gofundme.com and raise money for another phone. If you do that, I will make a donation to raising money for a new phone for your daughter.

P.S. I apologize that you've received a lot of judgement from the replies here. No one is perfect and it always amuses me how so many can sit behind their computer in a safe, anonymous state and judge others. Your daughter sounds like a winner and someone committed to school.
 
Last edited:
Brian Y said:
Actually, there is.

At certain ages people go through things and start to realise the financial meaning of things. For example, a 16-18 year old probably wouldn't leave a £600 phone in a bag unattended for long enough that it could be removed.

A 14 year old doesn't yet have the mindset to associate "that item cost £600" with "I should probably keep that with me".

If you had insurance, it probably wouldn't cover this scenario anyway. Most, if not all, policies don't cover unattended theft in a public place (or a place other than your home).

It's not whether a 14 year old should have a phone. It's whether a 14 year old has the responsibility/mindset to realise that the phone is valuable, and should be treated differently to everything else (e.g. not left in a backpack where it could be stolen).
Click to expand...

My 13yo got her first one at 11 and has never left it unattended unless she's at home or it's locked inside her school locker. Seems responsible to me.
 
Professor007 said:
So are you saying the OP does not have proper parenting skills? I'm curious. Please enlighten me. This gent asks for our advice and in return, he receives judgement. Unbelievable. I assume you are absolutely perfect.
Click to expand...
No, the commenters are saying this because he got his daughter an iPhone.
 
Professor007 said:
So are you saying the OP does not have proper parenting skills? I'm curious. Please enlighten me. This gent asks for our advice and in return, he receives judgement. Unbelievable. I assume you are absolutely perfect.
Click to expand...

I have to agree with you--seems like a perfectly reasonable post from the OP seeking advice and the best thing to do after his daughter's phone was stolen. I don't see a problem with a 14yo having an iPhone 6--she is certainly old enough--and I don't think she was being careless--it was in her backpack and she was doing a school activity. She should feel reasonably confident that her belongings would be safe. So the only person I blame is the thief who stole it.
 
If its a public school, I do know Houston is pretty darn ghetto. Its not really a trust your environment, sleep with the front door unlocked kind of city.
 
Ramio said:
Thank you everyone for your support and kind words.
Click to expand...

OP, is it possible that you could use upgrade eligibility on your line or another in your household to buy her a phone under the Next plan and then have her help pay for it? Even if it's just chores/allowance to help out, it would help reinforce the concept of how much these devices really do cost. I've done similar with my kids and I think it has helped them to be extra mindful of their portable electronic devices.

Best to you and your daughter.
 
bunnicula said:
OP, is it possible that you could use upgrade eligibility on your line or another in your household to buy her a phone under the Next plan and then have her help pay for it? Even if it's just chores/allowance to help out, it would help reinforce the concept of how much these devices really do cost. I've done similar with my kids and I think it has helped them to be extra mindful of their portable electronic devices.

Best to you and your daughter.
Click to expand...

Thank you so much for the nice words but right now, things are sooooooooo tight, I won't be able to do that. When I got her that phone, it really was all I had. I'm going through some very tough times and sometimes my fault is I tend to follow my heart and not my brain. When I bought it for her birthday, I knew it was going to be very hard on me but knowing how happy she was going to be made it all worth it especially knowing she's been working hard on her school and doing good. Hopefully things will get better.
 
Last edited:
I see this all the time. People will bitch and complain because a young teen got a phone. Really people. ****ing grow up. Nobody cares that your jealous because you didn't have one when you were a kid. And I seen no problem with a 14 year old getting an iPhone 6. They had it stolen. Not really their fault. They did have in in a back pack. I think you can pretty much assume that a backpack is a pretty safe place. Unless you steal stuff yourself you don't expect that an ******* would go through your backpack. I have even seen that shown at my school. Some guy left his backpack outside his gym locker and $100 was stolen from his wallet that was buried deep within the back pack. As you could imagine he was pissed. He planed on buying something after school that day with the money. But he would have never thought some one was going to go through his **** during gym. Hell I had my backpack out of my locker every day. Even that day. Luckily I had nothing but homework inside. But that did tech me to shove my backpack in my locker.

OP I really really hope you get the phone back unharmed very soon.

theapplefanboyj said:
I'm a 13 year old and I have a Oneplus One.
Now, I know there is going to be one person criticising me on this topic, but hear me out before you chat *****.

I'm on my phone all day, yes. But who isn't? I'm actually more productive because I carry a phone wherever I go but I don't carry a book since my jeans cannot accommodate one. I love reading books but I can't stand paperbacks.

Some other people say that they don't need a phone for emergencies because nothings going to happen to them. Guess what happened a few weeks ago? My friend started having anxiety attacks and I couldn't leave them on their own to walk home so I had to walk with them. I had to call my mum and tell them I was going to be late.

My phone hasn't impacted my parents relationship with me. In fact it's made us closer.

So please, don't chat if you don't know a responsible teen. One teen doing bad things doesn't mean that all teens are doing it.
Click to expand...

I agree with everything here. Again I see people saying all the time that there is no reason for a young teen to have a phone. That is complete ********. I do so much homework on my phone its not even funny. And it does bring you closer with your parents. Just the other day my mom went on a school trip to Washington DC with my sister. I did text her a lot and she sent me lots of photos.

Brian Y said:
Actually, there is.

At certain ages people go through things and start to realise the financial meaning of things. For example, a 16-18 year old probably wouldn't leave a £600 phone in a bag unattended for long enough that it could be removed.

A 14 year old doesn't yet have the mindset to associate "that item cost £600" with "I should probably keep that with me".

If you had insurance, it probably wouldn't cover this scenario anyway. Most, if not all, policies don't cover unattended theft in a public place (or a place other than your home).

It's not whether a 14 year old should have a phone. It's whether a 14 year old has the responsibility/mindset to realise that the phone is valuable, and should be treated differently to everything else (e.g. not left in a backpack where it could be stolen).
Click to expand...

I got my first iPhone at the age of 13. Never lost it. Never the tiniest scratch on it. That thing is in perfect condition. I think 14 year olds can have more then enough responsibility and mindset to know how much a phone cost and to know that thing is expensive.

----------
Ramio said:
Thank you so much for the nice words but right now, things are sooooooooo tight, I won't be able to do that. When I got her that phone, it really was all I had. I'm going through some very tough times and sometimes my fault is I tend to follow my heart and not my brain. When I bought it for her birthday, I knew it was going to be very hard on me but knowing how happy she was going to be made it all worth it especially knowing she's been working hard on her school and doing good. Hopefully things will get better.
Click to expand...
That really sucks dude. Good luck on getting it back.
 
I had my first cellphone when I was 23, my first smartphone when I was 33. My daughter is 8 and has a 4s... And she takes goid care of it. Still that wont deter lowlife thieves from taking it if they wanted it bad enough...

OP hope your daughter's phone turns up
 
I don't think it's a matter of age-it's a matter of responsibility of the child. A parent knows if their child is responsible enough from other actions throughout day to day actions.

Is the kid always losing things, i.e. house keys, ID other little valuables?

Are they losing things in their dirty rooms if its dirty? And when I say dirty, I mean without the parent being a drill sergeant.

There are lots of clues whether or not a child is a good candidate for such items.
 
mdlooker said:
I don't think it's a matter of age-it's a matter of responsibility of the child. A parent knows if their child is responsible enough from other actions throughout day to day actions.

Is the kid always losing things, i.e. house keys, ID other little valuables?

Are they losing things in their dirty rooms if its dirty? And when I say dirty, I mean without the parent being a drill sergeant.

There are lots of clues whether or not a child is a good candidate for such items.
Click to expand...

My daughter is very responsible and that's why I felt comfortable giving it to her. She takes really good care of her things. She had an iPad mini for a whole year before that and took it to school pretty much everyday and when she stopped using it, it was in mint shape. Maybe at that age, she felt safe putting it inside her backpack. Now she knows better.
 
Good lord, the comments here are a damn mess. You got people on here saying that b/c another person didn't have a smartphone at 14 that they are jealous of the OP's daughter and are simply "hating"? Seriously? Jeez, come on people. Personally, I don't think smartphones and young kids mix. Again, that's just me. A kid having a 20 dollar flip phone to call and check in with the parentals is sufficient enough IMO. And again, that's just me. Others may feel differently and that's ok. We're sll different people with different view points. I'm not saying that the OP's daughter deserved this b/c she's young and has an iPhone. I don't think anybody here feels that way.

And for the love of God, nobody is jealous b/c they didn't have an iPhone at 14. This isn't to bash the OP b/c here's the thing, getting your items stolen flat out sucks...especially when money is tight and you can't afford another one. And again I really hope that things work out bro. Some lowlife scumbag taking what's not theirs is simply not right. OP, maybe you can get a decent prepaid phone just until you're able to afford another iPhone? Or maybe you can find a 5S on Amazon for a decent price. Or is there an upgrade on your account? You could give that upgrade to your daughter and get her a new phone? Like I said bro, I hope things work out.
 
As an apple shareholder I see no problem with parents buying their young teen an iPhone

..they're actually the best kind of customer if you ask me ..not only do they lose them and force their parents to shell out hundreds of dollars for a new one ..but they also spend hundreds on IAPs

Go teens!! :)
 
superlawyer15 said:
As an apple shareholder I see no problem with parents buying their young teen an iPhone

..they're actually the best kind of customer if you ask me ..not only do they lose them and force their parents to shell out hundreds of dollars for a new one ..but they also spend hundreds on IAPs

Go teens!! :)
Click to expand...
Stop being biased about us. Only the idiotic teens one their phoned. And adults lose their phones all the time and they don't flop out like most people on this thread.
 
Ramio said:
I have the imei number so if I report that to the carrier, they won't be able to use it in the U.S., right?
Click to expand...

Yes, go ahead and report it to the carrier and file a police report. Also, check your homeowner/renter insurance policy. It might cover theft after your deductible.
 
zone23 said:
I feel bad for her since she is sort of being punished for what someone else did, it wasn't her fault. What did the school say about it?

My daughter is 11 and has a 5s. Today kids really need cell phones because I just don't trust people. If she ever misses the bus or wants to come home from a friends house I want her to be able to contact me.
Click to expand...

The school said they will keep looking which to be honest doesn't give me much hope. I got her the phone for the same reason as you since she stays late at school sometimes and we can stay in touch.
 
Ramio said:
My daughter is very responsible and that's why I felt comfortable giving it to her. She takes really good care of her things. She had an iPad mini for a whole year before that and took it to school pretty much everyday and when she stopped using it, it was in mint shape. Maybe at that age, she felt safe putting it inside her backpack. Now she knows better.
Click to expand...

I personally think you did the right thing given everything that you said. But hey it's totally up to you; you're the father. If you want to buy her anything under the sun, by all means.

She's going to make mistakes, she's going to forget, she's going to have many more "oops." But that doesn't mean to deprive her of trends in life.

It all pays off in the long run.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back