Some people suck

[Shape D.]

What the hell is the problem with people.
So I get back to my apartment last night, lock my car, and go inside and go to sleep. Then in the middle of the night some M.F. tool dicides to break in to my car stealing $7000 worth of my property.  and to piss me of even more my insurance company wont cover the 300 cds i had stolen from my car.  People who steal suck.

[missioncontrol]

You must really have a long commute to work to need 300 CD's in your car.   


I think we should start cutting off the hands of thieves it would definately make them think twice............

[abrannan]

The CDs aren't covered under car insurance.  Oddly enough, their covered under your homeowner's (or in your case, renter's) insurance.  Just contact your renter's insurance company for the CD loss. 

...

You DO have renter's insurance, right?


All life advice aside, that sucks.  My wife's car got stolen by some punk teenagers who wanted to drag race the night after she bought new tires for the car.  Two of them were blown out when we got the car back (The police had recovered it that same night, we didn't even know it was gone).  After 18 months of court dates, she finally got restitution from the kids, but it was a PITA.  You have to show for every court date to say that you didn't give permission to these individuals to drive your car or else the charges get dropped.  She had to take 1/2 day off work every 4-6 weeks for a year to make sure the prosecution would go through.  Meanwhile the kids didn't show for half the court dates, and got no additional penalty for it at all.

[Shape D.]

I do have renters insurance, but acording to my insurance rep cds aren't covered under the policy.
If the refuse to cover them I'll end up telling them to kiss my "apple" and go "fish" themselves, and I'm taking my insurance elsewhere. Because every other company i've been looking at on the internet covers cds.

[DrewKaree]

Makes you wonder why you bought their insurance at all, hey?  It's like they're forcing you to lie and say you lost more stuff just to cover the cost of the CD's!

I learned a valuable lesson about insurance one day, and if you're an insurance agent here and you're reading this, I may not personally hate YOU, but I hate your ilk! 

My wife got into an accident, it was the fault of the semi-hauler who didn't secure his load with anything more than a zig-zag chaining down instead of the several chains he was supposed to use, the chain broke, sending the concrete sewer tubes (8 of 'em) off his truck and into the van my wife was driving.  TOTALLED my van, and (LUCKILY, the cop tells me when I get there that if the tubes had come off the truck differently, I may have come down to identify the body for him  ) flipped it into the ditch.

Because my wife and three kids weren't hurt, and were honest about it, all we got was $600 to replace the van that a guy who had his license revoked a month earlier and didn't have the common sense to secure his load to avoid possibly killing people had totalled. 

Lesson learned.  ANY future accident my family may be in will be accompanied by corresponding medical checkups, doctor visits, blurred vision, neck pain, gout, arthritis, hangnails, body odor - ANYTHING that will pay for the damage I incurred and replace the vehicle to it's original state or give compensation that will alllow me to purchase a replacement of equal working conidition.

Screw insurance.  Get rich and self-insure yourself whenever possible. 

[JackTucky]

Re: Some people suck

Not enough of them though 


I had a laptop stolen from my car, since it was for work it wasn't covered, even though I had purchased it.  Some stinking loophole.

Art

[Mameotron]

Yeah, I had my CD player stolen from my car.

[Snarbald]

Back a few years ago when a genius with a SUV decided to smash my car, I had to bring it to a half dozen places to get estimates on the cost to repair the damage. The second to the last time I had to bring it in the guy was telling me how he was just going to search a junkyard for new body panels. I asked him if he was an f'ing idiot or something, the entire front end of the car was bent a few obvious degrees, I have no idea how it lasted through all the estimates.

[Bones]

I recently got smashed by a car. I had to go to court and the devil spawn that slammed me turned up 2 hours late. This meant I had to sit around waiting and got the chance to watch a few cases unfold which I had never had the opportunity to do before.

I was amazed. There was a dude who had stalked some chick, broke a restraining order, was already on bail for something else and the judge let him go.

Next up was some young bloke who had never been in trouble in his life but was caught doing 111km in a 60km zone. The judge threw the book at him, license gone for 3 months, BIG fine and this young guy had stated he couldn't support his family without his license.

I can only speak for things I seen that day, but I clearly seen that if your a good bloke who makes a small mistake you will be punished severely while the bad dudes are let out to do it all again.

Yep some people do suck, as do their lawyers and the judges who fail to enforce reasonable punishment to the #$ckers who put decent people though inconvenience and hell.

In my dream world, you do wrong and you go down. No ifs or buts, burn MF, burn.

[paigeoliver]

My guess is that most insurance companies don't cover CDs because they are worthless. You might very well have spent $4800 on the contents of that book of 300 CDs, but guess what? Its worthless, you might be lucky to get $100 for the whole book. You might get $300 or so if they are all still in good shape and in their cases. The guy who stole the giant book of CDs probably got $10 or $20 for them. I know my buddy who used to work at the pawnshop paid 10 cents per CD for books of them (he bought them personally from the people who TRIED to sell them at the shop, which didn't want them since they are always stolen).

CDs really have almost no intrinsic worth. I just picked a random one (Def Leppard, Adrenalize) and looked it up on ebay and found it was selling for $1, with plenty of closed auctions on it with no bidders.

[danny_galaga]

you know what? i had some stuff stolen from around my house once (bike, nice shirts off the line etc) and im GLAD! why? because when we bought the house i was living with my parents. and so thats the postal address the insurance company had. what happened though is a year after we bought the house, my parents moved somewhere else. guess what? the f**k-witted insurance company was still sending stuff to that address and i completely forgot about it (renewal once a year, it's not like i wake up each day and think- oh, only 206 days until i have to renew my insurance).
anyway, when i went to claim for the stolen goods (about $1000 worth) the company said the house wasn't insured anymore! these people really love their profit margins. you would think that if i didn't renew they'd be on the phone asking me if i'd changed insurers etc. when i changed my ISP, the old company was on the phone to me the NEXT day! how hard could it be to find me? they knew the address of my house after all! but no, they were happy to lose a customer, no questions asked. they must be REALLY flush for cash.
nowadays, they have my post box address on file, three different phone numbers and two email addresses (hopefully that's enough info to be able to contact me) and we pay monthly by direct debit.
i shudder to think where we would be now if the house had burnt down when uninsured...

[Bones]

I suppose it really is worth making notes in your calendar as to when things are due and taking the management & ownership of it yourself. Like you said, imagine if it had burned! Good lesson here for all I think. 


I have realised recently how much more effective it is to put something in writing rather than use the telephonica device when dealing with insurance companies. A well written letter can work wonders if addressed to the correct person. Don't write a defensive letter, just something that clearly outlines the situation and don't ever attack the reader.

Once something is in writing the paperwork trail will spread and if followed up correctly by getting names, recording dates, conversation details & everything related, it will soon be realised by the insurer that they ain't dealing with Joe Lunchbucket who they can mislead or intimidate into submission.

Only accept their replies if submitted in writing. The truth tends to prevail when somebody has to put their OWN signature on a piece of paper that is representing such a large company. Facts are presented and emotion is usually missing.

I had a win with an insurer recently who tried to freckle-punch me out of a grand. I had names, dates of conversations & emails which I ended up quoting back to them. I only wanted what I was entitled to, it was good for a little man to rage against the machine and win without the need for lawyers and all that crap. That will teach them for trying to keep my $1000 motorbike excess.

[Minwah]

Here in the UK if you beat up someone who breaks into your house to steal your stuff then YOU get charged and the punk thief basically gets f all.

The law is wrong all over the place and for some reason us suckers stand for it 

Bring back Guy Fawkes 

[Shape D.]

Makes you wonder why you bought their insurance at all, hey? It's like they're forcing you to lie and say you lost more stuff just to cover the cost of the CD's!

I wont outright lie because i know the peanalties for insurance fraud are pretty big.  But I did have three microphones that were stolen that i paid $600 for, but list price on those is about $1700.  guess which one i'll be asking for. 

P.S. in the future I will be burning a copy of all my cd's as I puchase them. This way I can protect the origonals from being scratched,  and if the get stolen again I would only lose $150 compared to about $4500.

[Dexter]

Here in the UK if you beat up someone who breaks into your house to steal your stuff then YOU get charged and the punk thief basically gets f all.

The law is wrong all over the place and for some reason us suckers stand for it

[fredster]

Dexter,

Now you are begining to talk all republican on us.

Welcome to the dark side.

[Bones]

Here in the UK if you beat up someone who breaks into your house to steal your stuff then YOU get charged and the punk thief basically gets f all.

The law is wrong all over the place and for some reason us suckers stand for it

[SirPoonga]

That sucks.

Hence originals stay in the apartment, copies go in the vehicle...

[Trimoor]

The Romans had an interesting way for dealing with criminals.  If convicted, their entire family was executed!
Not only does that make them think twice, but it essentially 'breeds' people for good behavior.

If there is such a thing as a criminal gene, it weeds them out pretty quickly.  Except for the masters who don't get caught.

If you start making backups, then the DMCA will start going after you, even though it is perfectly legal.

Best insurance policy: a 12 gauge shotgun and a declaration of independence from whatever country you live in.

Just wait until I take over...................

[cdbrown]

Yeah I have heard of similar cases here is Australia. The only option if you find yourself in such a situation is to bury the intruder in your backyard. The moment you step into someone else

[Trimoor]

The governments are the one who should be punished for drugs.
It's a victimless crime, something that did absolutely no harm until governments decided to make it illegal.

I need to start my own country sometime...

[Pacific Ripper]

The governments are the one who should be punished for drugs.
It's a victimless crime, something that did absolutely no harm until governments decided to make it illegal.

I need to start my own country sometime...

Well, all governments, even in a so-called free democracy have "safety nazi" rules. You have people forced to wear seatbelts, helmets, jockstraps, kneepads, and soon I bet fat people will be forced into rehab and excessive eating will be illegal.

[danny_galaga]

Screw insurance.

[Shape D.]

If you start making backups, then the DMCA will start going after you, even though it is perfectly legal.

I'm not overly concerned about that, First they would have to find me doing it.  And secondly I have a really good layer, and know a lot about copright laws myself. There is nothing anyone can do about you making a personal copy of a cd you purchased.  Although you do have to prove you own the origonal cd. But sence I will be keeping all of those there won't be a problem.

[GGKoul]

Makes you wonder why you bought their insurance at all, hey? It's like they're forcing you to lie and say you lost more stuff just to cover the cost of the CD's!

I wont outright lie because i know the peanalties for insurance fraud are pretty big.

[Shape D.]

Sounds like your a DJ. Lucky your Turntable wasn't in the car.

Actually, I'm a bass player. And my bass was the first thing i checked, even before calling the police.
(It was in my house.)
I'm just glad they dind't take my checkbook that was sitting in my car.

[GGKoul]

Screw insurance.

[RetroJames]

I just got off the phone with the DA regarding a scumbag that broke into our house 3 years ago and was caught.  Turns out the DA forgot to call us when he went up for trial.  Apparently he plead guilty, got 3 yrs probation as a first offender, and has to pay us 675.00.

Now, first of all i searched the GA prisoner database and the dirtbag has a rap sheet a mile long AND he was put in jail for possession of coke in march and spent 3 mo in prison.

Uhh....first offender?  WTF!

I am now in contact with his probation officer who is working up a warrant for his re-arrest.  Screw the 675.00 which I will never see anyway, time to make this vagrant spend xmas in the pokey.

argh.

Sorry to hear about your car getting busted into.  At our house we have gotten to the point that we make sure there is nothing in the cars to steal and leaving them unlocked.  If they go in the car they find nothing and they don't break a window to get in.  Sucks but it works.  I keep meaning to hook up a camera in the car with a motion detector so I can get a pic of the scumbag but never seem to get to it.

[paigeoliver]

Not ALL people fail to reform.

[patrickl]

At our house we have gotten to the point that we make sure there is nothing in the cars to steal and leaving them unlocked.

[Dexter]

Dexter,

Now you are begining to talk all republican on us.

Welcome to the dark side.

LOVE IT LOL. Seriously though, everyone should have the right to protect their property and family. The difference is I don't condone killing a neighbour because I got dodgy information that he INTENDS to break into my home 

[danny_galaga]

so I T-boned in to the side of his
minivan going around 50mph.

[1UP]

I'm just glad they dind't take my checkbook that was sitting in my car.

OMG, I can't believe you just said that.  Dude, not to rush to judgement here, but you were practically asking to have your car broken into.  At least that's the attitude of both the theif and the cops.

The only thing worse than leaving the doors unlocked with the keys in the ignition and the engine running, is leaving anything of value in plain sight in your car.  CDs are one thing, but things like money, credit cards, and checks should never be left in your car period.  You can buy new CDs, but bad credit from identity theft, or loss of your life savings, could be much harder to repair.  And the cops as well as the insurers are likely to laugh in your face when you come crying to them about the stuff stolen off your dash or front seats.

I personally won't even go into the store for 5 minutes without locking my briefcase in the trunk, or at least putting it behind the seat out of plain site.  People are f*ckers for taking what's not theirs, but if you know there are bears around, it's not very smart to leave food on the driver's seat...

[1UP]

At our house we have gotten to the point that we make sure there is nothing in the cars to steal and leaving them unlocked.

[DrewKaree]

At our house we have gotten to the point that we make sure there is nothing in the cars to steal and leaving them unlocked.  If they go in the car they find nothing and they don't break a window to get in.  Sucks but it works.  I keep meaning to hook up a camera in the car with a motion detector so I can get a pic of the scumbag but never seem to get to it.

I've got you beat.  I buy cars that look like $#!7 and leave them unlocked. 

I had a CRX that someone broke my driver's side window on, only to find out I didn't have a darned thing inside to steal.  I have a few friends who are cops who I spoke to after reading your comments, 1UP, and as long as you didn't leave the keys inside, they'd have to hotwire it somehow, which you have no liability for, as they'd have to do the same thing whether or not the door was locked.  The crime is in using a car which they have no legal claim to use. 



I also learned from them that if somone ever breaks into your house, you are advised to follow one of two courses depending on your nature.  Either move to get your family out of the house and away from the intruder, or exhaust all possibilities in order to bring about death to the intruder.  If you ever take action against an intruder that results in them getting injured, the "criminal" will be in a position to take more from you than if you had simply let them ransack the house.  Even calling the police and letting them come deal with the intruder....if the guy trips and breaks an ankle while trying to escape...your fault.  Dead seems to be the best option for a criminal to leave your house.

[Shape D.]

OMG, I can't believe you just said that. Dude, not to rush to judgement here, but you were practically asking to have your car broken into. At least that's the attitude of both the theif and the cops.

The only thing worse than leaving the doors unlocked with the keys in the ignition and the engine running, is leaving anything of value in plain sight in your car. CDs are one thing, but things like money, credit cards, and checks should never be left in your car period. You can buy new CDs, but bad credit from identity theft, or loss of your life savings, could be much harder to repair. And the cops as well as the insurers are likely to laugh in your face when you come crying to them about the stuff stolen off your dash or front seats.

I personally won't even go into the store for 5 minutes without locking my briefcase in the trunk, or at least putting it behind the seat out of plain site. People are f*ckers for taking what's not theirs, but if you know there are bears around, it's not very smart to leave food on the driver's seat...

Thats like telling a woman in a skimpy outfit she deserved to be assulted. What I leave in my car is completley irrelevent. the problem souldn't be with people who have things people want. The problem is with some peoples F 'd morals, thinking they have a right to take what doesn't belong to them.

[Chris]

Lesson learned.

[Floyd10]

Um, just to clarify:

Yes people who steal CIVILY suck.
I like to steal from wegman's(local supermarket)

[DrewKaree]

I think people who arrest people who steal from wegman's DON'T suck. 

In fact, THOSE people don't suck SO much, I think they should get a medal for their work, or at least a badge 


Of all the drives a human experiences, the drive to justify ones actions is the strongest.  It will supercede common sense and logic.  I offer no one here as an example - you offer yourself for the world to see.

[Floyd10]

Well its corporation.

Stick it to the man.

To quote Abbie Hoffman exactly from steal this book, "We have been shoplifting from supermarkets on a regular basis without raising the slightest suspicion, ever since they began.

We are not alone, and the fact that so much stealing goes on and the supermarkets still bring in huge profits shows exactly how much overcharging has occurred in the first place. Supermarkets, like other businesses, refer to shoplifting as "inventory shrinkage." It's as if we thieves were helping Big Business reduce weight. So let's view our efforts as methods designed to trim the economy and push forward with a positive attitude."