Woman puts $700 gifts into wrong car trunk

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Oh no! Gifts are gone after mom of three puts $700 worth of Christmas presents in wrong car

Posted: 12/16/2011

YPSILANTI, Mich. (WXYZ) - An Ypsilanti mother of three can't blame the Grinch for stealing $700 worth of Christmas presents.

Linda Gipson gave them away accidentally by putting them into the trunk of a gray Ford Focus that looked just like hers.

It happened yesterday at Twelve Oaks Mall in Novi in aisle ten outside Macy's at about 3:00 p.m. Halfway through her shopping spree, Linda dropped off some gifts.

Her key opened the trunk of the Focus that was parked in the same aisle where she parked hers. She didn't realize her mistake until she finished shopping an hour later. "I wanted to cry."

"I screamed don't tell me I put them in the wrong car." It was the second day in a row of bad luck. "I got laid off the day before, replacing the gifts won't be easy," Gipson said.

Linda is embarrassed but not too proud to plead with a Christmas angel.

"I'm hoping the other driver will have a heart and bring back the gifts." Linda knows it's possible the driver hasn't even noticed the gifts.

She's contacted Novi Police and security at Twelve Oaks. If you can help, please contact mall security because as Linda says "It's my kids' Christmas."

Oh no! Gifts are gone after mom of three puts $700 worth of Christmas presents in wrong car'


There's no way I could mix up my Jeep with another one.
 
I once stoped a fight in a parking lot over "car thief".
Here is now it played out.

A woman used her remote to open the doors and trunk of a car she thought was hers.
Along comes a second woman thinking get car was being stolen, neither women knew their plate numbers. Each thought the cat was hers. You guess it, this turn physical.
After I calm then down and got them to listen to me, they found that they both were able to open the same car from the individual remotes. I ask to borrow one and immediately started "clicking" through the lot. Sure enough, in a different row, a second car "beeped" and that was the second woman's car. Apologys all around. The code inside these remotes are reused and the odds of a person being in close approximate to two cars at once is in the millions but it can happen.
 
I can see how it would happen. People often mistake someone's car for their own. People have gotten into the car and tried to start without any success until they realize they are in the wrong car.

It's unfortunate about what happened.
 
Didnt she even notice anything different INSIDE the car? like an unfamiliar item or some trash around the car or something?
 
I've had that happened to me but it was the key to my van. This happened back in 2000 or 2001. Went shopping at a grocery store. I parked my van pretty close to the store the parking lot wasn't exactly full. I came, glanced up and saw my white van when I thought it was my van. Inserted my key into the door and unlocked it. I got in the driver seat. I was about to drive off when I noticed the front seat's content. I remember asking myself saying I don't remember that. And then looked around the back seats and saw more stuff. I was puzzled about all this. And then it dawned on me. I was in the wrong van! I got out. Locked the van. And saw my own van across the parking lot in another row. That's one of the weirdest thing that happened to me. I believe it. Those things do happen. Just that the odd would be sky high to have an exact same car with the same color parked on the same day in the same parking lot where your car key can open it and for you to not realize it's not yours. Heck, I should've won the state lottery with that kind of an odd.
 
Steel X said:
Didnt she even notice anything different INSIDE the car? like an unfamiliar item or some trash around the car or something?
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I keep a life-like "guard" rat in my trunk area. Anyone opening my hatch will be in for a surprise. :giggle:
 
Steel X said:
I know but she should notice something different inside the car.
Click to expand...

It's easy to say that but when you see a car that looks like yours, the same color and your key works in opening it you don't give a second thought.
 
Steel X said:
I know but she should notice something different inside the car.
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You can't see inside the car from the trunk. She only went back to her car to drop off the gifts. She went back to the mall after that. She didn't get inside the car at all until she was done shopping. It can happen to anyone. Nobody's perfect.
 
kokonut said:
It's easy to say that but when you see a car that looks like yours, the same color and your key works in opening it you don't give a second thought.
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um... you're talking about OUTSIDE the car. He's talking about INSIDE the car.

so yes it's easy to tell something's wrong once you're inside the car.
 
kokonut said:
It's easy to say that but when you see a car that looks like yours, the same color and your key works in opening it you don't give a second thought.
Click to expand...

Right, and a car like Ford Focus is pretty common.
 
Jiro said:
um... you're talking about OUTSIDE the car. He's talking about INSIDE the car.

so yes it's easy to tell something's wrong once you're inside the car.
Click to expand...

Yes, but she didn't get inside the car until an hour later. By then, the car had already left.
 
Banjo said:
Right, and a car like Ford Focus is pretty common.
Click to expand...

Though not having a key that works on another same kind of car isn't quite that common at all when you have these events played out. Odds of that happening makes one think.
 
kokonut said:
Though not having a key that works on another same kind of car isn't quite that common at all when you have these events played out. Odds of that happening makes one think.
Click to expand...

I agree. Rotten luck, I guess especially after getting laid off the day before.
 
kokonut said:
Though not having a key that works on another same kind of car isn't quite that common at all when you have these events played out. Odds of that happening makes one think.
Click to expand...

this kind of thing is old news. it's easily fixable. manufacturer will simply have to increase the probability.
 
I have a Mercury Sable and we found that my remote will open a Ford Focus in our neighborhood.

Luckily for me, I have such distinctive stuff in my trunk, that if I don't see that, then I know I have the wrong car. Also, before using remote, I make sure I see a specific small dent and my license plate. Yes, I know my plate number. I also know the plate number for our Expedition and Explorer. Only the Sable and the Expedition have remotes.
 
KristinaB said:
I have a Mercury Sable and we found that my remote will open a Ford Focus in our neighborhood.

Luckily for me, I have such distinctive stuff in my trunk, that if I don't see that, then I know I have the wrong car. Also, before using remote, I make sure I see a specific small dent and my license plate. Yes, I know my plate number. I also know the plate number for our Expedition and Explorer. Only the Sable and the Expedition have remotes.
Click to expand...

not surprising. Ford owns Mercury (now discontinued). shame that Ford skimps on cost to ensure that probability is very low that one key will work with other car.
 
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