Key recovery service

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Key recovery service or key recovery service is the name of service companies that specialize in returning lost keys to the owner. The prerequisite for this service is usually the registration of the lost key with an appropriate company. At Deutsche Post , the service that is offered without registration is called key service.

Companies that offer these services are mainly represented in countries that provide for a general obligation to carry postal services and - as in Germany, for example - a statutory obligation for lost property. In countries without this legal framework, a logistical infrastructure must be set up.

power

The key fobs are sold with a current registration number that can be registered by the owner with the return service and then attached to the key ring. The finder of a lost key can throw it into any mailbox within a defined period of time (most collection services can be extended for a fee). As part of its general obligation to carry the key, Swiss Post must forward the key to the service provider whose address is given on the key fob. This then sends the key to the rightful registered owner. This anonymized procedure ensures that the finder can return the key and enables the finder to hand it in easily without going to a lost property office and paying attention to the opening times.

In order to increase the response rate in the event of a loss, a reward is often offered to the finder and a free telephone number is given on the key fob for queries. According to the service provider, the response rate for keys found is supposed to rise from 15 percent to (non-verifiable) 97 percent.

Business models

A return service works either with its own marketing or, depending on the business model, with different partners, often from the insurance industry or from the advertising industry.

The business model for direct marketing is mostly based either on a one-off payment for the key fob, which is registered for a defined period and can usually be extended for a fee, or on a permanent subscription with specific notice periods, the first installment of which is usually covered by the purchase price of the trailer.

In addition, there is the return service, which is offered as part of a key insurance, v. a. when issuing system keys which, if lost, would require the laborious exchange of a large number of locks. Here, the return service is a service that is intended to minimize the amount of damage in the event of an insurance claim and that insurers cooperate with return services.

The key fobs from a return service are also popular as promotional gifts, but due to the cost they are only available in the trade with high-quality products or for particularly loyal or high-turnover customers ( "A customers" ).

Alternatives

To return lost and found items by post, registration with a return service is not generally required. As part of its obligation to carry, Swiss Post sends all lost and found items that are thrown in, provided that an address is given. In the case of registered mail and purses, which often contain ID cards with addresses, the Deutsche Post points to a "clearing rate of more than 90 percent". It is true that specifying an address on keys is a security risk, but in the context of research assignments, the return rate for car keys is said to be "around 50 to 60 percent". To protect against misuse, the owner of a key can enter the address of a known and trustworthy person on the key with whom he agrees to return it.

Web links

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Key discovery office: Lost and found again , Stiftung Warentest. June 19, 2007. Retrieved October 2014. 
  2. ↑ cf. the self-names of the providers via Google search or analogously with the two alternative terms key discovery service and key discovery service
  3. ↑ Help us! Own receipt at schluessel-fundbuero.de
  4. ^ Post from the Post: Wallet back. Osnabrücker Zeitung, November 21, 2006 (last updated July 7, 2010).