Consumer columnist and West Hartford resident Harlan Levy has more than 20 years of experience writing stories about everyday experiences that anyone could encounter.

Harlan Levy. Courtesy photo

By Harlan Levy

I almost had a panic attack on Sunday at Bloomfieldʼs JCC Swim & Tennis Club when I couldnʼt find my Apple iPhone right when we were leaving. I knew I had brought it to the pool. I was positive I had placed it on a chair beside my lounge chair. And now it was gone! It made no sense!

If youʼve ever had that reaction … utter incredulity … when you canʼt find your keys, your phone, your wallet, your glasses, your hearing aids, youʼre either a senior citizen worried about losing your mind, or youʼre a middle-aged person too busy to keep track of everything on your plate.

Anyway, I didnʼt really panic. Maybe just a little. When we got home my wife called my phone. My Apple Watch answered, uselessly. I then called the swim club to start a search just before it closed at 8 p.m., and asked for a quick search. I was promised that someone would call me back. Disappointing me, no one did that evening.

Finally, we contacted our daughter and her technologically advanced husband. They assured us that they could find it. They then instructed me to open up my iPad and click on “Settings,” and then click on “Family” right under my photo. Up came my wifeʼs and daughterʼs names. [If you donʼt have trusted family members on your iPhone or iPad under “Family,” add them NOW.]

This the first screen in Settings to get to family members, Location, Find My, then Devices, and finally the sound of discovery. Photo credit: Harlan Levy

I clicked on our daughter’s name, and up came four items, the last being “Location Sharing.” I clicked on that, and got to “Open Find My.” I clicked on that, and up came “Devices,” under which is “Harlan’s Apple Watch” and “iPhone (98)” – mine. Hitting iPhone 98, I then got a choice of “Play Sound” or “Directions.”

• I hit “Play Sound,” and off went a loud continuous tone emanating from my wife’s car. And under my passenger seat we found my phone! Was that ridiculous???
• The world was now at peace.

Iʼm telling you this addled personʼs story, because if you lose your iPhone, and youʼre a technologically hapless consumer, thereʼs a way to find your most important gadget!

• “Find My” can help locate a missing iPhone, iPad, Mac, AirPods, AirTag, or Apple Watch, even if it’s offline or sleeping.
• I hope I’ve described everything clearly enough so you can always find your ungrateful, pernicious iPhone and your other devices.

Good luck!

Texas flood charities

Now onto more substantial concerns: The nightly news on Monday and Tuesday was sickening … all the innocent lives lost, the camper casualties, the Trump-caused staff cuts at the National Weather Service forecasting office, and the Texas county refusing to spend available funds on pre-flood alarms.

So, good-hearted citizens, you may want to donate to the charities now making appeals.

The BBB Wise Giving Alliance has some advice to keep you from getting ripped off:

• Be cautious with donating goods. Donating clothing, food or other in-kind donations may not be the best way to help unless the charity has the ability to properly distribute such aid. Ask about their transportation and distribution plans.
• Find out what needs the charity is addressing. Many individuals and families in impacted areas will seek safety in shelters and need access to food and water.
• Consider crowdfunding requests. If engaging in crowdfunding, it is safest to give to someone you personally know and trust. Also review the platform’s policies and procedures, knowing that while some crowdfunding sites take significant measures to vet posts, others don’t.
• Recognize the phases of disaster relief. While much of the attention focuses on the first 72 hours after a disaster, charities provide vital support well beyond that period. From immediate aid to long-term recovery and preparedness, your contributions help at every stage of rebuilding. Learn more on our “disaster relief and preparedness cause” page.
• Verify the charity’s trustworthiness. Rely on expert opinion when it comes to evaluating a charity. We recommend giving to charities that meet all 20 of the BBBStandards for Charity Accountability found at Give.org, which also provided a list of national charities and thousands of charity reports while filtering charities by state, cause area, and accreditation status.
• Interested donors can consider the American Red Cross and Salvation Army as well as the animal rescue efforts of Humane World for Animals (previously Humane Society of the U.S.).

Stamps up

Starting on Sunday July 13 the price of First-Class Mail Forever stamps goes up from 73 to 78 cents. You still have one week left to buy Forever stamps at the current rate.

Now you know.

NOTE: If you have a consumer problem, contact me at [email protected] (“Consumer” in subject line), and, with the power of the press, maybe I can help.

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