|
|
Joined:
May 2003
Posts: 4389
Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | I forget, did you find out who stole the guitar? Did anything happen to him or her?
How'd he get caught? |
|
| |
|
Joined:
November 2003
Posts: 11039
Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | Congratulations, Waskel... You win an all expense paid vaction; three days-two nights, to the First Annual Beginners Only, Banjo Workshop & Recital in beautiful Smiley Hollow, Tennesse. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
February 2005
Posts: 11840
Location: closely held secret |  |
|
| |
|
Joined:
April 2004
Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 |  |
|
| |
|
Joined:
November 2003
Posts: 11039
Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | No need to thank me. The look in your eyes says it all. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
March 2006
Posts: 1634
Location: Chehalis, Washington | Originally posted by an4340:
I forget, did you find out who stole the guitar? Did anything happen to him or her?
How'd he get caught? Interestingly enough, they did finally catch the guys...only to NOT be able to prosecute him on my case because they cannot find the witness (former girlfriend of one the guys). They're in jail pending a trial for ANOTHER duplicate crime (also depending on testimony from a female witness).
Overall, a couple pieces of human trash that figured out how to skirt the edges of the system and get away with it. Hopefully, they actually can put them away for a long time.
And no, they didn't end up recovering any more of our stuff...which sucks but was expected. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
September 2005
Posts: 3619
Location: GATLINBURG TENNESSEE :) | OK ... I can't help but get up on the soap box here ...
Farmers juiced me a few years back on my homeowners insurance. I too had paid for replacement cost coverage and also paid for extra coverage on water and ice damage. I had ice buildup and water damage across the whole back of my house, which later resulted in me having to jack up the floor and replace the sill plate and all the studs, the exterior stone work, the header and sliding doors. I racked up over $15,000 in repair charges after doing the work myself, with the help of a friend. Farmers sent a "forinsic architechtural engineer" to the house, who took pictures and found some small nail holes in some transitional z-channel trim. They later refused to pay me a dime and said the damage was a result of "latent defect" in the construction of the home. The only satisfaction I got was in cancelling THEM. I probably could have hired a good lawyer and challenged them, but I had become exausted with the whole process and was unwilling to wait for the time it would take to get some kind of reimbursement. I really hate insurance companies! There's no doubt in my mind that it is just organized crime gone legal. They even still call it "protection". |
|
| |
|
Joined:
November 2003
Posts: 11039
Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | Crap like that might inspire me to defraud them, them cancel after they pay. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
May 2003
Posts: 4389
Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | I'm really curious though, do you have any idea why they picked you? Did some workman tell his girlfriend who told her sister who told her boyfriend that there's this target of opportunity, and then they rented a truck a went to your house? I'd like to kill these bastards.
I just found out that someone was using my amex card to buy plane tickets to italy and perfume. For the life of me, I have no idea how they got my amex number. Amex called me and told me that these purchases did not fit my spending pattern. Damn right. I'm told they'll not charge me, and that'll they'll probably never find the guys. Since I'm not out any money, it doesn't bother, but sometimes I wish .... |
|
| |
|
Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 7236
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | You you ever use it to make a puchase at a store, hotel or resturant? Do you shred your bills before placing in trash? Those are the two most common ways.
The third most common way happens via phone where you "think" you are talking to the credit card company (afterall , they called you) but you are not.
Finally, if you've been convinced to use a credit card online for something other than intended. Actual online theft, like from hacking, is minimal in the scheme of things, but as example, mis-type the URL for your credit card company, and you may find yourself at a site that looks exactly like your credit card company, and when you log in, you get a "system busy" message, but they have your login info to use on the correct site.
As for insurance companies, what I find amazing is that with most things you can find a variety of prices for a "similar" service. But when insuring my bikes, I found I could pay in a range spanning over $3000.00 for the SAME coverage, just depending on who I called. I faxed and emailed the same info on the same bikes and riders to several companies, including brokers, and the lowest was below $1000 the highest a little over $4000. Simply amazing. Same exact coverage. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
March 2006
Posts: 1634
Location: Chehalis, Washington | Rick, to answer your question - it was easy. These guys were living next door (without paying rent, and getting evicted). No truck, they just waited until we left for a few hours and helped themselves. Same routine; shack up with some single woman, rob the neighbors, dump and run.
Stupidly brilliant. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
May 2003
Posts: 425
Location: SE Michigan | In the Detroit area we are well known for rampant auto theft. The closer to the city you live the higher your auto insurance rates. But what really grinds me is that it is a well known fact that the insurance companies dont really try prosecute or prevent auto theft and insurance fraud, because it's cheaper to just jack up the rates to the honest people.
On a related topic, most experts agree that the reason that the number of car-jackings has sky-rocketed is because of the high security systems on newer cars. Sometimes it just easier to stick a gun in someones face than to screw around trying to steal the car the old-fashioned way. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
May 2004
Posts: 2850
Location: Midland, MI | ...I just found out that someone was using my amex card to buy plane tickets to italy and perfume. For the life of me, I have no idea how they got my amex number. Amex called me and told me that these purchases did not fit my spending pattern... Hey, guys! I was feeling bad about the horrible year Al's had, so I've decided we should buy him some of that new Polo Black cologne and send him to Milan!
If you want to help cover the cost, that'd be great, just send PayPal funds. Except an4340, he's already done plenty!
:D |
|
| |
|
Joined:
January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | It sounds like it's very fair and accurate to say that Banjoests, car salesmen and lawyers are on the next to the bottom rung. Insurance companies got the bottom covered.
Here's a true story for you.
In 2000 at the air-gas station the insurance portion for hanger keepers insurance(the part that covered airplanes when they were in our hangars or on the ramp getting fueled) was $62,000. The next year it went to $150,000. In 2002 it went to $325,000. I raised holy hell with the insurance company. "We've had no claims and you double it? WTF!!???" They said, yes, that's right. If you'd had a claim it would be 4x. Fortunately Signature came along and bought the business. Frankly the insurance industry is the sleeping cancer in America. Everyone can bitch about Bush or the war or Korea or Al but it's the insurance companies that are shafting us all. It really needs to be fixed, but who's going to do it? Maybe the Politicians and Lawyers and banjoests? They are a rung higher on the ladder. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
December 2003
Posts: 13996
Location: Upper Left USA | We need the Lawyers and Politicians to enforce limits.
Medical malpractice should only be invoked on idiots that carve their initials into your abdomen and not for anything that goes wrong.
Ok, sorry.
I like pigs. Dogs look up to us and cats look down on us. Pigs treat us like equals! |
|
| |
|
Joined:
July 2002
Posts: 1900
| Whoever writes coverage and litigation law for insurance companies are the culprits. They pick the peoples pocket from the beginning. Then the thieves steal your stuff, then the insurance companies pick your pocket again...I think they are called 'lobbyists' or something sinister....oops, I meant 'something similar'.. ;) |
|
| |
OT - Well, what do you know?
