Mizzou makes blunder with cell phones

[tornado]

For some reason, someone at Mizzou sold all the cell phones but failed to erase all the contacts and recruits' numbers.
Now the coaches want them back BUT guy who has them all wants $3000 to give them back.

http://blogs.pitch.com/plog/2009/09/mizzou_athletic_department_stu.php

this sounds like a joke but appears to be a legit report!

[KillerB]

from the associated press

Mike Bellman got more than he bargained for when he purchased a box of old cell phones from the University of Missouri athletics department.
Bellman bought the cell phones earlier this year at a university surplus sale with the intent of reselling them for parts. He paid $190 for 25 old cell phones, figuring he'd sell the parts for around $1,000.
Turned out the information on the phones might be worth more than the hardware. No one at the university had deleted the text messages, e-mails and contact numbers from the phones.
Bellman told the Columbia Tribune last week he hoped to sell the old phones to a sports collector, with an asking price of $3,000. Bellman did not respond Tuesday to several calls and e-mails from The Associated Press.
The Tribune reported last week that among other things, one Sprint Treo previously used by basketball coach Mike Anderson still had text messages between Anderson, football coach Gary Pinkel and Athletics Director Mike Alden. It was nothing controversial -- well wishes for upcoming games and congratulations after wins.
Still, the university has caught some flak from several online sites for not being more careful with information that could fall into the wrong hands -- someone affiliated with Kansas, Nebraska or some other Big 12 rival, for example.
"Missouri Manages to Screw Up Throwing Out Cell Phones," was the headline on Deadspin.com.
Athletics spokesman Chad Moller said the incident has prompted a change in the way the athletics department discards old cell phones.
"We certainly since this happened have gone over our internal procedures, so when we do have phones to turn over, we'll take it upon ourselves to make sure the information has been wiped," Moller said.
After the university realized the information had been left on the phones, officials tried to buy them back.
"We offered to pay him what he bought the phones for, or we also indicated that if he'd simply bring the phones to our offices, we'd wipe them clean and then he could go out and resell them for whatever he wanted," Moller said.
But Moller said Bellman broke off communications and refused to sell them back to the university. Bellman told the Tribune he believed the phones could a valuable addition for a collector of Missouri sports memorabilia.
"I'm looking for that crazy collector who wants to take these phones and read about what happened when it happened," he told the newspaper.

[electricmayhem]

Another example of someone looking to make money from doing nothing... if selling cel phones for a small profit is what he needs to get by, so be it, but don't be an ***** about it.

[BU Firsty]

Another example of someone looking to make money from doing nothing... if selling cel phones for a small profit is what he needs to get by, so be it, but don't be an ***** about it.

Yes, it sounds like this guy paid $190 and thought he could get $1000 selling the items off. Certainly the University, or a basketball coach making $1,500,000, or a football coach making $2,000,000 couldn't just pay the guy the $1000 and be done with it. He was not holding them ransome - simply said he thought he could get $1000 and would sell them back for that. How does that seem unfair?

[LG281]

Seems like more than just a "small profit" to me. Thats an ROI of almost 16:1 if he was to get $3k out of someone for the phones.

Thats pretty good math where I come from.

[BU Firsty]

Seems like more than just a "small profit" to me. Thats an ROI of almost 16:1 if he was to get $3k out of someone for the phones.

Thats pretty good math where I come from.

He told the school he felt they would bring $1000 for complete phones and parts and we would sell them back for that. I do not think that is unfair...

[SFP]

Also there was a sports collector willing to give him $3K, so why not get that amount. I thought we were in America. The guy is making a living and he should get the highest price he can. I have no problems with this guy. Why is anyone standing up for some not to bright guys who would not even think to clear their phones before they gave them up?

[MacabreMob]

Also there was a sports collector willing to give him $3K, so why not get that amount. I thought we were in America. The guy is making a living and he should get the highest price he can. I have no problems with this guy. Why is anyone standing up for some not to bright guys who would not even think to clear their phones before they gave them up?

Agree completely.