Mobile, wallet or handbag lost or stolen? Unique one call product sorts it all

Added: (Thu Sep 21 2006)

Pressbox (Press Release) -
A unique new product – 08000 HelpMe - launches today offering a 24 hour worldwide personal emergency service in the event of the loss or theft of essential personal items such as mobile phones, money, credit cards, and home or car keys.

08000 HelpMe will not only contact your airtime provider to disable your mobile phone; cancel any lost or stolen credit, debit and charge cards and arrange for replacements; arrange emergency funds and organise a local locksmith to help you back into your home, but can arrange transport to get you safely home. They will even get messages to family or friends to make them aware of your situation.

And if you are abroad, they can assist in the replacement of Passports, Traveller's Cheques and travel tickets as well as getting you help in a medical emergency; organising an interpreter; and even arranging to put you in touch with a lawyer.

James Carpenter, the creator behind 08000 HelpMe, says: “We will help someone take control of the situation and overcome the initial feelings of helplessness and frustration when they realise that key personal belongings have been stolen or are missing.”

“The 08000 HelpMe number is impossible to forget and almost everyone now carries a mobile, money, cards and keys. With research showing that 4 million mobiles and approximately 2 million debit and credit cards being lost or stolen each year it clearly demonstrates the need for the service. Handbags compound the problem and amazingly it’s estimated that 1 in 3 women have had their handbag stolen. 08000 HelpMe gives people peace of mind to know that one call sorts it all."

He continues: “Everyone is vulnerable in some way to theft or loss of personal items. Finding yourself without your mobile ‘phone, money credit cards or keys is stressful enough without having the added worry of how you are going to get home; or even trying to remember the names and numbers of who you should ring to cancel your mobile, and cards etc.

“Knowing that all calls will be answered by a real person immediately and not a machine adds to the reassurance. Just one call can take away all the stress and if needed can arrange to get you home safe and sound, wherever you may be in the world.”

Membership of 08000 HelpMe costs £29.95 a year and is available by calling 0845 257 2273, or for more details visit: www.08000helpme.com.

The first 100 customers to apply will receive a SIM card back-up device to keep a copy of the telephone numbers stored on their mobile phone.


Ends

Contact:
James Carpenter, MD, 08000helpme.com. Email: jamesc@08000helpme.com . Tel: +44 (0)1844 347461, mob: 07921 950842. Visit www.08000helpme.com



Editors’ Notes:
• Examples of case studies who were victims of theft are available for interview. (See their stories at the foot of this email)

Facts and figures
• 1 in 3 women have had their handbag stolen* and it takes an average 6 working days afterwards to deal with the problem, including new keys, contacting banks and mobile phone companies
• Nearly three-quarters of women live in fear of their handbag vanishing*
• The top 4 most common items stolen from handbags are Home Keys (94%), Cash (94%), Credit/Cash Cards (88%), Mobile Phone (84%)*
• In 2005, 2 million mobile phones were stolen** This is equal to one mobile phone stolen every 12 seconds
• The average adult in the UK has 3.6 cards (1.6 debit and 2.3 credit cards)***
• Around £1.4m is lost to card fraudsters every day***
• An incidence of card fraud takes place on average every 8 seconds in the UK***
• One in every three people has been a victim of card fraud***
• Fraud on lost or stolen cards totalled £114.4 m in 2004 and counterfeit card fraud £129.7m***
• Over 50m active subscribers in the UK
• 500,000 mobile phones recorded as stolen every 3 months and it is thought that 500,000 phones are lost every 3 months****


*Source: Churchill Insurance
** Source: Halifax General Insurance
*** Source: APACS
**** Source : Home Office



Case studies:

1. Karen Marchant, Account Manager, 35 years old, Bedford. Two years ago, Karen left her handbag on the kitchen table in her own house, but had popped upstairs to vacuum. However after a short while, she came back downstairs to collect an item she noticed that her bag had gone. In it was her mobile and credit/bank cards and the thieves had also taken her camera which she’d had also left in the kitchen. In the time she phoned her bank, the thieves had already managed to withdraw cash.
2. Beverley Warren, Beauty Therapist, 37, Hurst (Near Reading). Bev and her husband were in Sofia in Bulgaria on a skiing trip. Whilst her husband had been looking in a shop window Bev had walked a little further down the street. Whilst she was walking a group of girls quickly surrounded Bev so that she was physically unable to move and as they were so close to her this included pinning her arms to her side.

The girls quickly unzipped her rucksack then swiped her phone and purse and in the same rapid speed as they surrounded her, they dispersed just as quickly. Being abroad made the process of cancelling her phone doubly difficult as she and her husband had to phone neighbours to and ask them to get out the yellow pages for all the emergency numbers they needed and then they had to contact the phone company separately. This ultimately took time and at some cost.

Whilst they were waiting at the airport to come home, they recounted their experience and found that three other couples had had a similar experience that same week and all had had the same problem in trying to sort out their crisis.



About 08000 HelpMe:

Our objective is to become the leading customer assistance number in the UK through the use of an easy to remember telephone number - 08000 HelpMe (08000 435763). This unique service is arranged by 08000 HelpMe Ltd (08000 HelpMe) and delivered by one of the UK's leading lifestyle management and concierge providers.