bianca looks suspiciously like Micheal Jackson ...no?

What a greedy b*stard to demand more money for the return of a ring! I have found countless items in my time, wallets, rings, watches, money, and returned them without my hand out for a reward. what happened to doing good deeds? He is not a good role model for his daughter at all.

CG--I seriously thought that was MJ too. Eerie!

The finder's fee is stupid. I didn't know Austria had that law.
People definitely should give rewards for their returned valuables, especially something $250,000 valuable, but shouldn't be forced into it. I think $12,000 is way too much of a reward to be forced into.

Interesting law, huh?
Well since it's the law, then she should pay it.

I thought that WAS Micheal!

I agree forcing people to give a reward is stupid. While giving a reward when one can afford it is nice too.

It is possible for someone to have a valueable, like from an inheriatance, but not have the money to give for a reward. Which is not the case here, but a law could really be a bad thing for someone else. It does sound strange that he waited over a week to return it. Or who knows, maybe he had a logical reason for taking awhile.

Anyway, the consensus is: that's bogus!

Oops, not all in agreement anymore.

talk about morals and ethics.

I thought it was MJ too.

I think mandatory reward laws are unnecessary and could be inapprorpriate. It doesn't encourage people to return things, it encourages people to be greedy. You don't return a lost item to it's owner for a reward, you return it because it's the right thing to do.

Kim! Jeeze my spelling is terrible! I must learn to proofread!

If it's the law, it should be followed. Give the man his money.

it's not whether or not she's willing to give the 12 grand, since she's already agreed to give the 12 grand.

but the problem is that she chose to give 11,000 of it to a charity. it shouldn't be her call where his money goes. give him the money! i wonder if she wanted to give the money to amnesty international to get a tax deduction?

True UD, even though it's a ridiculous law. She should have just paid it.

Emily, that is a very good point, to everything you said!

That law is beyond ridiculous. What if the person getting their object back can not pay 5%? Furthermore, it seems like this law would encourage people stealing things just to 'return' them for a reward.

It seems like a stupid law (though we don't know all the details about it--Is giving money to charity instead of to the finder acceptable under its precepts? Presumably thievery isn't covered by it.), but it doesn't seem like a law that's HURTING anyone. So follow it, Bianca. This is not a good excuse for civil disobedience.

i thought it was michael jackson, too! perhaps they go to the same plastic surgeon!

it's the law, give him his money. We may think it's stupid but we're not Austrians so who knows. It's not like she can't afford it. Heck if it was me and she was acting like that I'd pawned just to be spitefu (I'm just kididng)l.

If I had found the $250,000 platinum ring, and knew I wasn't going to get any type of reward, I'd have found a way to sell it, or keep it myself. Finder's keepers.

Well, Dave, at least you're willing to admit it...

lmao Dave

I thought it was MJ too. Freaky.

If it's the law, then it should be followed. But I really don't think it should be a law though. Whatever happened to Good Samaritans and moral people?

star - Those went out the window in the 60's-80's when we taught our children (me included) to only be concerned for numeral uno.