This is something Reddit may actually be able to help you with. Googling "Lost Switch" the first result leads to: https://old.reddit.com/r/NintendoSwitch/wiki/lost-switch (which has some great...
Yeah, I know it's not everyone's favorite site right now. But it is probably your best bet of getting the Switch back to the person who lost it. Especially since if they google "lost switch"...
Yeah, I know it's not everyone's favorite site right now. But it is probably your best bet of getting the Switch back to the person who lost it. Especially since if they google "lost switch" that's the first result so they may end up seeing that wiki, and looking/posting in /r/FindYourSwitch/ or /r/FindMySwitch/ afterwards.
Shamelessly copying from the switch subreddit for those not interested in sending traffic that way: Try to find the owner Check under the kickstand and inside the carrying case (if applicable) for...
Shamelessly copying from the switch subreddit for those not interested in sending traffic that way:
Try to find the owner
Check under the kickstand and inside the carrying case (if applicable) for contact information.
Contact Nintendo. If you provide them with the serial number, they can most likely look up the owner based on his Nintendo Account and either contact or email them on your behalf.
Check to see if they have linked Facebook or Twitter to their account. You can make a post on their feed saying you found it.
Look at /r/FindYourSwitch and /r/FindMySwitch to see if the owner has made a post. If not, make a post and provide as much information as possible such as when you found it, where you found it, what color the Joy-Cons are, if it was in a carrying case what did it look like, did it have any accessories with it, etc.
If you think you've found the owner, verify them
What are the names of the profile(s) on the Switch?
What is their email address? (A partial email address is shown in the eShop if they are logged in.)
What city and state do they live in? (This can be found in the eShop if they are logged in.)
What is their current eShop balance (if applicable)?
What games do they have?
What cartridge is currently in the system?
If it's been months and you haven't had any luck
Consider donating it to a Children's Hospital
What to do if you've lost your Switch
Notify Nintendo and let them know the situation.
1-800-255-3700 (US)
+44 (0)345 60 50 247 (Europe)
+61 3 9730 9900 (Australia)
+81-75-662-9600 (Japan)
+30-210-685-4220 - CD Media S.E. (Official distributor for Greece, Cyprus, and the Balkans)
Be ready to provide your email address, Nintendo Account information, and serial number (if you have it).
Remove your eShop payment information
You can do this by visiting https://accounts.nintendo.com, then selecting the "Shop menu" on the left.
Contact the police
Contact any relevant police departments via their non-emergency number and report the lost property.
Be prepared to provide the police with information such as when you lost it, where you lost it, the serial number (if you know it), what color the Joy-Cons are, if it was in a carrying case what did it look like, did it have any accessories with it, etc.
Start looking
Check the lost and found at any of the places you may have visited recently. Go in person to check if you can instead of just calling. Airlines and airports usually both run separate lost and founds; check both if applicable!
Visit /r/FindYourSwitch and /r/FindMySwitch to see if someone has found it and made a post. If not, make a post and provide as much information as possible such as when you lost it, where you lost it, what color the Joy-Cons are, if it was in a carrying case what did it look like, did it have any accessories with it, etc.
Check local trade-in stores such as GameStop and even pawn shops.
If unsuccessful
Change the password on your Nintendo Account and any social media accounts such as Facebook or Twitter if you linked them.
Specifically for Twitter, you have to go into your account settings and revoke access from the Switch.
If you replace your Switch, any eShop purchases can be re-downloaded for free. Your game saves, however, will be gone. Be sure to take advantage of Nintendo Switch Online's Save Data Backup feature for games that support it.
Common Questions -- including that there is no "find my Switch" feature
The Switch sadly does not have a "find my Switch" feature. It wouldn't be very useful since the Switch does not have GPS built-in. But you can't make your Switch ring or make noise remotely.
You also can't remove your account from the Switch remotely. You can change the password, which keeps someone from being able to use the eShop. When you get a new Switch, you can make the new Switch the primary without having access to the old Switch.
My kids would be devastated. I get there's an incentive for Nintendo, on the margins, to not assist in reuniting owners so they but a new one. I can't think that's a significant revenue source...
My kids would be devastated. I get there's an incentive for Nintendo, on the margins, to not assist in reuniting owners so they but a new one. I can't think that's a significant revenue source though compared with the loyalty being good guys about lost property would cultivate. People (especially kids) form sentimental attachments to the objects they invest hours upon hours in. There should be an easy solution from corporate on these. Literally 5min from a support rep to match emails and S/Ns...
Good luck OP! Maybe call Nintendo back and try to get ahold of a more indulgent service rep? Not sure how much time you've got to run down the case of the missing switch though.
I think that you should give this to the authorities if you don't want to give it to the airport lost and found. That way you avoid the risk of someone accusing you of keeping found objects from...
I think that you should give this to the authorities if you don't want to give it to the airport lost and found.
That way you avoid the risk of someone accusing you of keeping found objects from others, which in some countries can be considered a crime.
I believe you are well intended and really want to return this switch and I appreciate your proactivity on the search for solutions, but if It were me I would not feel comfortable guarding this for long if I don't get to find the owner really fast. Anyway, hope you can find this person! Good luck!
I'm not too familiar with the interface, but if they have a Nintendo store account connected, maybe you can pull some contract info that way, or pressure Nintendo to contact them for you. But...
I'm not too familiar with the interface, but if they have a Nintendo store account connected, maybe you can pull some contract info that way, or pressure Nintendo to contact them for you. But maybe you already tried that
Having worked in customer service for a long time, this is a flawed response from them. No, they shouldn't give out personal information all willy nilly. What one should do in the event that...
Having worked in customer service for a long time, this is a flawed response from them.
No, they shouldn't give out personal information all willy nilly.
What one should do in the event that someone has a message for someone else, is simply to pass it along. You can either pass along the contact information to the one with the message, or wait for a reply that confirms that the contact would be welcome and then forward the contact details.
Let the potentially affected party decide for themselves if they want to be reached.
A typical reply from several of my earlier jobs would have been "I cannot disclose whether person XYZ is here/is a customer with us. But what I can do is take your message, and pass it along if possible."
I would try contacting customer service again, hoping for a more pragmatic person on the other end, and ask for your information to be passed along in the event there is an account assosiated with the device. I'd also let the airport know and leave your contact info to be passed along.
Nintendo being Nintendo, I see... They could have contacted the person whose e-mail is linked with the Switch, they don't need to give away any personal info to you. Not smart on their side.
Nintendo being Nintendo, I see... They could have contacted the person whose e-mail is linked with the Switch, they don't need to give away any personal info to you. Not smart on their side.
I mean if I was the kid’s parents I would be unlikely to post to Reddit, I’d check the lost and found but completely assume it was pocketed even if it was engraved. What you can do is boot that...
I mean if I was the kid’s parents I would be unlikely to post to Reddit, I’d check the lost and found but completely assume it was pocketed even if it was engraved.
What you can do is boot that device up and check the device settings and hope for a registered email address or something similar?
This is something Reddit may actually be able to help you with. Googling "Lost Switch" the first result leads to:
https://old.reddit.com/r/NintendoSwitch/wiki/lost-switch
(which has some great advice)
Such as looking/posting in:
https://old.reddit.com/r/FindYourSwitch/
https://old.reddit.com/r/FindMySwitch/
Oof. I don’t like Reddit and even less lately. Sadly I will try so some kid can get their toy
Kids are more important than hating on Reddit. You making the right choice.
Yeah, I know it's not everyone's favorite site right now. But it is probably your best bet of getting the Switch back to the person who lost it. Especially since if they google "lost switch" that's the first result so they may end up seeing that wiki, and looking/posting in /r/FindYourSwitch/ or /r/FindMySwitch/ afterwards.
Shamelessly copying from the switch subreddit for those not interested in sending traffic that way:
Try to find the owner
Check under the kickstand and inside the carrying case (if applicable) for contact information.
Contact Nintendo. If you provide them with the serial number, they can most likely look up the owner based on his Nintendo Account and either contact or email them on your behalf.
Check to see if they have linked Facebook or Twitter to their account. You can make a post on their feed saying you found it.
Look at /r/FindYourSwitch and /r/FindMySwitch to see if the owner has made a post. If not, make a post and provide as much information as possible such as when you found it, where you found it, what color the Joy-Cons are, if it was in a carrying case what did it look like, did it have any accessories with it, etc.
If you think you've found the owner, verify them
What are the names of the profile(s) on the Switch?
What is their email address? (A partial email address is shown in the eShop if they are logged in.)
What city and state do they live in? (This can be found in the eShop if they are logged in.)
What is their current eShop balance (if applicable)?
What games do they have?
What cartridge is currently in the system?
If it's been months and you haven't had any luck
Consider donating it to a Children's Hospital
What to do if you've lost your Switch
Notify Nintendo and let them know the situation.
1-800-255-3700 (US)
+44 (0)345 60 50 247 (Europe)
+61 3 9730 9900 (Australia)
+81-75-662-9600 (Japan)
+30-210-685-4220 - CD Media S.E. (Official distributor for Greece, Cyprus, and the Balkans)
Be ready to provide your email address, Nintendo Account information, and serial number (if you have it).
Remove your eShop payment information
Contact the police
Contact any relevant police departments via their non-emergency number and report the lost property.
Be prepared to provide the police with information such as when you lost it, where you lost it, the serial number (if you know it), what color the Joy-Cons are, if it was in a carrying case what did it look like, did it have any accessories with it, etc.
Start looking
Check the lost and found at any of the places you may have visited recently. Go in person to check if you can instead of just calling. Airlines and airports usually both run separate lost and founds; check both if applicable!
Visit /r/FindYourSwitch and /r/FindMySwitch to see if someone has found it and made a post. If not, make a post and provide as much information as possible such as when you lost it, where you lost it, what color the Joy-Cons are, if it was in a carrying case what did it look like, did it have any accessories with it, etc.
Check local trade-in stores such as GameStop and even pawn shops.
If unsuccessful
Change the password on your Nintendo Account and any social media accounts such as Facebook or Twitter if you linked them.
Specifically for Twitter, you have to go into your account settings and revoke access from the Switch.
If you replace your Switch, any eShop purchases can be re-downloaded for free. Your game saves, however, will be gone. Be sure to take advantage of Nintendo Switch Online's Save Data Backup feature for games that support it.
Common Questions -- including that there is no "find my Switch" feature
The Switch sadly does not have a "find my Switch" feature. It wouldn't be very useful since the Switch does not have GPS built-in. But you can't make your Switch ring or make noise remotely.
You also can't remove your account from the Switch remotely. You can change the password, which keeps someone from being able to use the eShop. When you get a new Switch, you can make the new Switch the primary without having access to the old Switch.
Sadly, contacting Nintendo I came up empty-handed
My kids would be devastated. I get there's an incentive for Nintendo, on the margins, to not assist in reuniting owners so they but a new one. I can't think that's a significant revenue source though compared with the loyalty being good guys about lost property would cultivate. People (especially kids) form sentimental attachments to the objects they invest hours upon hours in. There should be an easy solution from corporate on these. Literally 5min from a support rep to match emails and S/Ns...
Good luck OP! Maybe call Nintendo back and try to get ahold of a more indulgent service rep? Not sure how much time you've got to run down the case of the missing switch though.
I think that you should give this to the authorities if you don't want to give it to the airport lost and found.
That way you avoid the risk of someone accusing you of keeping found objects from others, which in some countries can be considered a crime.
I believe you are well intended and really want to return this switch and I appreciate your proactivity on the search for solutions, but if It were me I would not feel comfortable guarding this for long if I don't get to find the owner really fast. Anyway, hope you can find this person! Good luck!
Nintendo echoed the same. Unfortunately, I am a few states away.
I'm not too familiar with the interface, but if they have a Nintendo store account connected, maybe you can pull some contract info that way, or pressure Nintendo to contact them for you. But maybe you already tried that
Nintendo said they will not release any information and more or less it’s my new switch
Having worked in customer service for a long time, this is a flawed response from them.
No, they shouldn't give out personal information all willy nilly.
What one should do in the event that someone has a message for someone else, is simply to pass it along. You can either pass along the contact information to the one with the message, or wait for a reply that confirms that the contact would be welcome and then forward the contact details.
Let the potentially affected party decide for themselves if they want to be reached.
A typical reply from several of my earlier jobs would have been "I cannot disclose whether person XYZ is here/is a customer with us. But what I can do is take your message, and pass it along if possible."
I would try contacting customer service again, hoping for a more pragmatic person on the other end, and ask for your information to be passed along in the event there is an account assosiated with the device. I'd also let the airport know and leave your contact info to be passed along.
Nintendo being Nintendo, I see... They could have contacted the person whose e-mail is linked with the Switch, they don't need to give away any personal info to you. Not smart on their side.
I mean if I was the kid’s parents I would be unlikely to post to Reddit, I’d check the lost and found but completely assume it was pocketed even if it was engraved.
What you can do is boot that device up and check the device settings and hope for a registered email address or something similar?