Losing money is frustrating, especially when you lose it and realise it is too late to look for it
For instance taking your laundry to the laundromat and forgetting you have $200 tala or more inside the pocket of one of your shirts. Most times than not, its history.
That was not the case for Kaffy Timoteo when the same incident happened to her two weeks ago in Samoa.
"I had just arrived back from Australia, and I needed to find a laundromat to do our laundry, there were a few I saw but I just stopped by Mine's Laundromat," said Timoteo.
"My partner and I left our washing there along with our contact number to be contacted when washing was ready for pick up. Within the hour I received a call. At first I was unsure who Mine was until she explained the laundromat," she continued.
"She told me she just checked all the pockets as they usually do and found a stash of cash which I had no idea I was missing in the first place. I felt relieved I had left my washing in good hands," Timoteo added.
Kaffy decided to post about the incident on a popular Facebook group called Makeki online, which if you can’t tell by its name, is a market page for local people who have items to sell.
The group has more than ten thousand likes from both local and overseas users.
It quickly escalated as it reached more than 530 likes, and a flurry of comments congratulating and complimenting the laundromat owner on the honest job.
"Apparently the post made it to the States, Australia and New Zealand, because the owners received calls from family and friends congratulating them on the good work they do," Timoteo added.
"I found out after that post they've return so many wallets and thousands of dollars back to their owners over the past years," Timoteo stated.
Comments like, "Thank you Kaffy, I now know where to take my Laundry when I’m in Samoa."
"Best and honest laundromat I've used in Apia, and so friendly too." - Honey Greig.
"I’ve been with her for a long time, the service is awesome." - Puna Palolo Setefano.
Even people from overseas were happy to see the post.
"I know where to be directed when I'm there on holidays and reunion. Can’t wait." - Jeany Areli.
The manager and owner of the laundromat, Mine Nauer Sialaoa was shocked when customers started to flood into her services after the initial post was made.
"All the people came in and they said we found out about your services on a Facebook post, and we wanted to try it out for ourselves. It’s hard to find people you trust nowadays," she said.
"I made it my number one rule, never take anything you find in pockets of laundry, leave it on the table to be registered and contact the owners," she said.
"There was a pastor from New Zealand who brought his suits here for washing, and we found $500 NZ dollars in the pocket, and if it was anyone of this day and age, that money would never have returned," she said.
Mine has made it her business priority to be the first to greet her customers and to be the one to work her business.
"Never leave your business to your employees, you have to do it yourself," she said.
"We have returned over thousands of cash, and even properties brought in with peoples laundry, ipads, phones and a lot more," she added.
Maybe it was kind acts like these that has blessed her business following the hosting of the Commonwealth Youth Games, where she tendered and serviced the Samoa College hostiles, and earned $84,000 tala in just one month.
Now, she is looking at making her business bigger especially with the number of new customers coming in on a daily basis.