Shipping Iphone left overseas back home (Manila - BNE)

[Mark3000]

I left my iphone at our hotel in Manila. Fortunately they found it, but they have quoted me around $130 to ship it home with Fedex. I asked them if they could try Philippines post, but apparently they refuse to ship things with batteries.
Does anyone have any ideas how to get it home cheaper?
My contract is up now and the phone is 2 yrs old, but I would like it back for the photos and to let my kids use it.
Thanks

 

[Captain Halliday]

I'd search the lounge meets threads looking for people booked on flights to MNL. If you find one, see if your new best friend prefers red or white!

 

[Mark3000]

I'd search the lounge meets threads looking for people booked on flights to MNL. If you find one, see if your new best friend prefers red or white!

That's a great idea.
I don't suppose anyone is going to Hotel H2O at Manila Ocean Park in the next few months
They do have very nice fish tank rooms

 

[MEL_Traveller]

My contract is up now and the phone is 2 yrs old, but I would like it back for the photos and to let my kids use it.
Thanks

If you can't find someone to bring it home, the photos themselves should be in the 'cloud' or whatever the back-up is that iPhone/ipad uses. Should be able to be transferred to your new iDevice when you get it.

 

[BettyB]

If you can't find someone to bring it home, the photos themselves should be in the 'cloud' or whatever the back-up is that iPhone/ipad uses. Should be able to be transferred to your new iDevice when you get it.

After all of the problems with hacks in the last 12 months surely people still don't use cloud back up systems???????????

 

[MEL_Traveller]

After all of the problems with hacks in the last 12 months surely people still don't use cloud back up systems???????????

I dunno! There's some feature on my ipad that automatically stores everything (apps, photos and videos) to 'somewhere'. Came in handy earlier this year when my ipad was fried by the new operating system update. Thankfully the full system restore from 'wherever' gave me everything back!

 

[Melburnian1]

Given that the last I knew, QF staff stay at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza that is only about three kilometres away (at a guess), is it possible for the staff to put it in a bubble wrapped envelope (so staff can inspect it) and deliver it to that hotel marked to the attention of the Qantas CSO who could then deliver it to QF lost property in Sydney or whatever?

Your name and address plus contact details (including phone number!) should be in the envelope.

Surely this wouldn't breach 'security' issues today?

 

[Cruiser Elite]

After all of the problems with hacks in the last 12 months surely people still don't use cloud back up systems???????????

So where else do you store it Betty?

 

[Mark3000]

If you can't find someone to bring it home, the photos themselves should be in the 'cloud' or whatever the back-up is that iPhone/ipad uses. Should be able to be transferred to your new iDevice when you get it.

Thanks MEL-Traveller, yes usually that would be true, but when overseas I turn cellular data off, and we were unlucky enough to be far down one end of the hotel where wi-fi was so slow to be unusable, so the photos didn't sync.
I might be in luck though, I have found someone in Manila who is coming to the same conference I am, so I am hoping the hotel will be able to send it to him in a taxi. Fingers crossed.
Thanks for your help

 

[samh004]

After all of the problems with hacks in the last 12 months surely people still don't use cloud back up systems???????????

Not to derail the thread, but the problem with the cloud is that people have basic passwords, which are easy to guess.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Surely this wouldn't breach 'security' issues today?

I would certainly think that would breach security protocols. No one should carry a package for another person unless they know the contents. Anything could be hidden inside.