Have you ever lost your belongings and had them returned to you? Most newcomers to Japan are surprised when, after leaving a bag on the train or taxi, get a call from the station or taxi call center asking you to retrieve the bag at their office, or sometimes they will even deliver it to you.
Now there is a new service to make returning lost property more efficient. A company called "Hoo", which is funded by the president of Sokuhai (speedy delivery service by motorcycles), will start a lost-and-found property retrieval support service.
The system is that you buy stickers printed with a 10-digit ID. A sticker pack costs JPY950. You then put the stickers on your belongings, such as your note PC, wallet, mobiles, etc. Thereafter, anyone finding your lost property can call Hoo and the company's call center tracks you down via the ID sticker.
There are two versions of the service: one offering a reward of JPY500, and the other one which has no reward. The company hopes to sign up 200k users by the end of this year.
Hmmm, I don't know what to think about this business plan. It seems to me that people return lost property out of a sense of good will and civic duty, not because they can get a JPY500 reward. Does this new system mean that Japan is losing its moral virtues? Certainly, making a business out of good deeds does not look quite right to me.
Do you think it will be successful?
Friday, August 29, 2003
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