Ripped-off

Plumdog_2

Do you feel lucky today punk? Well; DO YA? Now in our area (the Denver foothills) crooks have been sneaking onto construction sites and ripping out all the copper wires and pipes.

Ray M

I had my truck window smashed and the contense lifted. The total is about $6000.00. I am so pissed. The part that hurts the most is they got all my test instruments. What a way to start the new year.

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Ted_9

I hope you have insurance.

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Bill Nye_2

Ray

Ray I had the same thing happen to me in August. In my driveway while I slept with the A/C on , never heard a thing. There were tools I had for thirty years.

It will take some time to get over it. It was about a month before I didn't think about it every minute. I lost about $10,000. I lost tools from my garage also. I have been able to replace very few tools so far. I was lucky enough to have some "spares". I had several contractors offer to loan me what ever I needed. My old boss gave me some stuff. I was very thankful.

The worst part is I bought and paid for every tool that was lost, not a stolen tool in my truck. What can you do ? You have to get over it and try to avoid it in the future.

I bought lots of locks for the garage and shed. I had an alarm installed in the truck and I had the rear and side windows tinted.

Many contractors in my area have been hit, my old service manager from one job got his trucked broken into last week.

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Christian Egli_2

Where's Batman when you need him?

This sort of crime hurts so much and yet the police cares so little about it.

The system is completely stacked against the victims of crime. The crook got away with your livelihood. The police will stomp on any hope you have left. The insurance will doubt your faith. And to top it all, you're the one who bought the tools, you're the one taxed for the costs of the police force and you pay the insurance premiums.

They all say: cost of doing business, just charge it to your customers... how easy indeed! It shows total disregard for property rights and I find that even more scary.

Ray, I feel your raw pain. I have no pity at all for the crooks.

Bright side:

You'll start the new year shopping for new tools and you'll have all the brand new stuff. I hope you don't loose too much peace and sleep over this.

Good luck next time.

There is a book "The Justice Cooperative" by Joe Martino, it reads like a detective story but it is more of a self help book on how to understand the point of view of the police. I've sadly had to call for help from the police and was left completely baffled. The crook, of course, is free and laughing.

Geo_5

Tools

Next time buy a van without windows....worked for me.

Weezbo

Ray. Who wouldnt be?...

When i got home and found all kinds of my favorite thing gone it was a specfic son of a particular type of cannine. I kept thinking ,god gave me all this stuff to take care of and now some crack head is smoking my wrench through my telesoping mirror. I hated the feeling . a couple years ago i gave a guy a job lent him my tools to do it and laid it out for the guy just so he could have a few bucks at Christmas time.... he ended up Hocing my drill and sawzawll etc etc...i never did get my 4& 5/8THs back ....even when i paid to redeem them at the hoc shop....that was just about as lousy a feeling as the other go around. I kept trying to hold on to the idea that everything works for the greater glory of God ....not too easy though ...

this summer some savages ripped out the whirlpool ran off with a bunch of carpenters tools my buddy owned, and came back agin! and did it again a month later! his wife was in tears as she didnt know how they could continue in business at that rate.. shortly thereafter the unbeliveable!...back to run off with the bob cat and the trailer they couldnt get the bobcat started( wiring all ripped out) to get it out of the way of the trailer box so they went into the garage and ran off with my Diamond plate for my Really Really favoritest job ....for some reason it was like my mind just didnt really want to accept the reality that it was gone...this type of thing Hammered just about every builder and crew on justabout any and all construction site this summer. I have to think that if the low lifes would work for a living with as much enthusiastic zeal, the world would be alot better place.

May the Blessings Be .

Leo

This Is For Everyone

Without your tools you can't work. Blame the police but without tools they can't work either, so what tools do they need. IDENTIFY YOUR TOOLS, mark them with your drivers license number followed by your state. xxx xx xxxx-MA, MD, CT or whatever it is. Now when and if the police find them they have a reference number. Plus a lot of purchasers of stolen goods do not want marked goods. I was an officer in a prior life and it was a shame the property that was recovered over the years with no way of knowing who to return it to.

Leo

Nron_13

we all share your pain

I have had my whole truck taken 2 times and its so frustrating .they even caught them and they got only 30 days in jail . we were all upset even the officer who did all the leg work felt cheated. It took him longer to catch them . I lost about 10 grand the first time and a month later they came back , guess what I am now a high risk no more insurance for me without paying through the noise 1500 per year for 5000 coverage less 1000 dedutable . to bad I cant make them pay this. and Leo is right mark your tools so that they can be identified

Wethead7

Tool losses

Last December my work truck was stolen. the kids that took it where cuaght in a near by park doing dought's. The park's director found it. The police came and stopped the truck removed the person's and asked me inventory the contents.
The removal and inventory took almost eight weeks. I could only work on it for a short time before becoming upset. The mess in truck was worst than the loss of appoximately $14,000 of my personal tools.
Three weeks ago I recieved a new work truck. I was out two weeks ago, helping a service tech. One of the guys who was in the old truck was caught braking into the new truck. This time We lost nothing. The damage to truck is over $3000.00. The judge said held without bail.

How come so few people can cuaseso much trouble?

Mike

Mad Dog_2

I lost my entire van and all the tools I had amassed over

10 years. It was a horrible blow. The van showed up completely stripped In Bed-Stuy (big surprise!)4 days later. I took a hit over atleast 10-12 G's . I had to start completely over. I scrounged tools, but what I could when I could. Also, learned who in my industry actually gave a hoot. Found out who my loyal customers were. I remember one guy who kept haunting me to connect a sink in his spare bathroom. I hadn't even found the truck , he knew the situation, but he didn't care. I never worked for him again. Slowly, I get back on my feet. WE installed a kill switch in truck, new heavy duty hockey puck locks, boarded over all windows, cage between front and back. I wanted to keep a pitbull in the back all the time, but I stopped there. You'll get past this Ray, and it will NOT happen to you again. Let me know if you need some help. Mad Dog

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Terry_14

Would you let me help??

The same has happened to me both on the job and in my drive at home.

I have a spair Bacharac kit i use when electronic is in the shop for recalibration.

In this spirit of giving would it help till you get new?
It's old but so am I!
Merry Christmas
Terry & Cindy Thayer

John R. Hall

Fleet lockdown

The biggest residential contractor in Detroit was fed up with break-ins from his trucks (some done while truck parked in customer's driveway and tech in basement). He installed heavy duty deadbolt locks and latches on his trucks. Although it doesn't zero out the break-ins, it has certainly reduced the number and kept his insurance rates a little more manageable (yeah right). This guy has about 70 vans so you can imagine the cost.

Unknown

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John S.

Sorry to hear it, Ray

I've never had anything stolen from my vehicles, however, I own a apartment building in which the crooks 'tipped' our coin-op laundry machines three times last year. They may have gotten $50.00 or may have gotten $.50. However, they did do about $100 worth of damage to each machine, every time. Fortunately, they were polite enough to turn off the gas valves to the dryers before snipping the lines (that part of it amazes me).

We thought about building laundry rooms, installing cameras, you name it. I ended up making security boxes with a 1/2" x 2" steel barstock running through them with tamper=proof padlocks. Cost a lot of time & money.

I think the worst part about being ripped off is that, 1. you feel violated. 2. is that we work hard for the things we own, and these MFers come along like they own you.

If they want your stuff bad enough, they will get it. It's unfortunate, but that's my take. The only relief I have is my faith. I firmly believe that what comes around goes around. And it must have been something the good lord wanted me to experience.

Keep the faith, Ray.

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Terry

not just in the US either

I've had simliar luck here in Canada.

not my tools mind you. But last month, my $15,000 sport bike was swiped out of a hospital parking lot within 3 minutes of parking it. It's hard not think about anything else when this stuff happens...

I feel for you friend..


GL

EIN

Terry

avoid theft with out chance for recovery

One thing I'm doing on my next bike (and this works for trucks & trailors as well) is to add a GPS transmitter to the vehicle.

about $300 ea. & $99/yr for access online.
you can go online and see exactly were your fleet units are. and more importantly - you can track down the truck that went missing (quickly enough to track it before it gets stripped)


I think these are a must - especially if you've had enough thefts that your insurance co. won't cover theft any longer.

EIN

Ken D.

Theft

I'm sorry to hear about your losses. What a rotten thing to do to a working man. Wouldn't you just love to catch one of those guys! I also wonder how and where they dispose of the tools. Who buys them? Some our Brethren in the trades? I do hope not. Just remember when you see tools for sale in the flea markets and when some joker offers to sell you some from a car trunk.

jim lockard

Mouse traps

I have always wanted to, never have install mouse better yet rat traps inside the doors above the pulls so that when a crook breaks the vent window and reaches into to pop the door, whack he would be thier hopping around when I got back to my truck. Sorry for your lost. J.Lockard

Al Corelli

The most ridiculous thing about this is,
If you catch one of those lowlife morons in the act, and you "lose it" and beat them to within an inch of their life (because they deserve it), YOU are the one in big trouble.

We should have laws like they do in Texas. If you are in/on my property and you don't belong, you can be shot.
I bet that would discourage some theives. The current penal system sure isn't.

tim smith

truck losses

a few years ago one of my mechanics had his truck at home, someone stole it and it was gone for a few days, found in a grocery store parking lot about 15 miles from his house. Totally empty, I am talking about gas valves, flame monitors/programmers. Electronic analyzers hand tools, power tools pumps, you name it we had it. I still did not want to figure the total, 20 to 30K. They are so lucky we did not catch them in the act!! Tim, still slightly pisssed.

Ray M

I got in touch with my insurance agent and he is going to take care of me. Thanks for letting me vent. The truck has a new set-up including screens, hockey pucks, and a security camera outside.

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Weezbo

What about a nice 20,000 volts

Right quick..and some sailing music to fly by ....it would cure many a problem.

Rodney Summers

ray sorry to here that some moron made off with your stuff

but this is a wake up call for the rest of you hard working guys who work there whole live for there things and bang it can all me gone in a few minutes.

change your routine get into the habit of locking your doors.

keep what you can in a lock box bolted down also for glass there is a security film that you can place on your windows that someone can whack on all day and they wont brake the glass.

and if you install alarms it will go off when they do try.

i am a welder and i made myself a mean lock box out of plate steel for all my guns and personal items.

i also made a u shaped bracket that bolts to the underside of my floor Joice and the box bots to this bracket in the floor.

all my windows have security film and all my doors have mean dead bolts and yes i have an alarm.

good luck guys. ray sorry for your loss i hope your agent will make up for this

happy holidays to all of you :-)
Jason

Bill Jirik,

workin in the hood

Sorry to hear of your loss, but take it from someone who works in the hood daily, here's what you need, for vans a permenant bulkhead divider between drivers area and cargo area, no rear or side windows in cargo area or if you must, then tint them and install gaurds on the inside,
extra locks on the doors and I don't mean thos cheap hockey puck locks that everyone looses get a Tuflock by esmet (esmet.com/tuflocks.html) the're pricey but worth every penny, then top it off with a automatic pepper spray device from (stopthecrime.com),and if that doesn't work then get a gun.

David Woycio

GPS

> One thing I'm doing on my next bike (and this

> works for trucks & trailors as well) is to add a

> GPS transmitter to the vehicle.

>

> about $300 ea.

> & $99/yr for access online. you can go online

> and see exactly were your fleet units are. and

> more importantly - you can track down the truck

> that went missing (quickly enough to track it

> before it gets stripped)

>

> I think these are a

> must - especially if you've had enough thefts

> that your insurance co. won't cover theft any

> longer.

>

> EIN

David Woycio

GPS

EIN

Where did you purchase and/or sign up for your GPS?

Thanks in advance