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Posted By: aldav53 WORK TRUCK STOLEN! - 05/31/02 06:13 AM
Just to let everyone know, yesterday, I got my white 88 Chevy full size King cab work truck which had a rack, ladders, tool boxes, tools, wire, etc on it. It was stolen from a Home Depot store in Chandler, AZ. I have heard they are coming up from Mexico and they sit in the parking lot and wait. The only thing they did'nt get was my tool pouch, Milwaukee battery drill, Fluke meter, and one 7 ft ladder, which I had left on a job.
Posted By: pauluk Re: WORK TRUCK STOLEN! - 05/31/02 08:23 AM
Oh boy, what can I say?

I guess I've been lucky as I've never had anything like that happen to me, so I can only imagine how devastating it must be.

My sympathies to you.
Posted By: Redsy Re: WORK TRUCK STOLEN! - 05/31/02 11:00 AM
You have my sympathy, aldav! Good luck getting back on track. I(maybe we) should learn a lesson here. I usually don't even lock my truck at Home Depot!
Posted By: joeh20 Re: WORK TRUCK STOLEN! - 05/31/02 11:57 AM
Insurance? Even with it that would still be hard to take. I've had my tool pouch since I was 13 years old. If I ever lost it I'd need therapy to use another one. Let alone a whole truck. Lost all my fishing stuff out of my boat in the back yard once but nobodys ever been low enough to steal my tools, a killing offence around here.
Posted By: CTwireman Re: WORK TRUCK STOLEN! - 05/31/02 12:07 PM
Unfortunately, your story about HD parking lots sounds familiar. I have heard this one many times before, although it usually involves just tools being stolen from trucks, not the entire truck. They are notorious in my neck of the woods for thieves. Evidently in other parts of the country as well. In fact, the police used to wait at a Pep Boys across the street from one (near where I used to live) with a pair of binoculars, because they knew how bad it was. Don't know how many people they caught though.
Posted By: sparky Re: WORK TRUCK STOLEN! - 05/31/02 02:41 PM
A fatwau on the infidels.... [Linked Image]
Posted By: Bjarney Re: WORK TRUCK STOLEN! - 05/31/02 05:54 PM
Thanks for the heads up with respect to home-repair stores. If the vehicle heads south, I wonder if Los {no steeking badges} Federales will bat an eyelash.

"Cooperation" between the two countries’ border stations seems variable at best.

[Proceed only if you’ve read every page of DrBukk and are still bored to tears.] aldav53, not to make a bad situation worse, but when I read “…didn’t get…my tool pouch, Milwaukee battery drill, Fluke meter…” for a moment I thought, there’s no chance he wore all that stuff into the store, is there? I saw that happen only once at a supply house a good while back. Some old hayseed gets out of his work truck wearing his tool belt, saunters in and slings his leg up over a stool. This particular supply house would sell just about anybody anything; ‘double end column’ if you looked like you’d still thought you were getting it “wholesale.”

The counter guy who happened to get him was a crusty old dude close to retirement. (That may have been the only job he'd had, ever.) Toolbeltman says, "Gimmuh' sum tew-twhen-nee wahre!" Veins stated popping in the counterman's neck, so I quietly ducked out the door. Later they all said that the old counterguy just about leaped over the counter and strangled the hayseed, and he probably could have done it, too. I think the counterguy got ribbed about "tew-twhen-nee wahre" till the day he left. {…retired now myself.}


[This message has been edited by Bjarney (edited 05-31-2002).]
Posted By: arseegee Re: WORK TRUCK STOLEN! - 05/31/02 11:29 PM
Guys watch out for this! The home depot by my folks house in Atlanta had THIRTY vehicles stolen in one month! Many were contractor trucks. They finally put a police officer on duty 24/7.
Posted By: electure Re: WORK TRUCK STOLEN! - 06/01/02 12:23 AM
Aldav, I HATE your loss.
The police depts. here (So CA) have FINALLY started to crack down on these guys that stand in the street, buscando trabajo (looking for work) in front of the HD's.
They look like packed birds on a high line, making the entrances very uncomfortable to my wife.
They run into the street in front of you, etc. (I just step on the gas)
I stare them down as they eye my truck, and have a LoJack.
Write them an e-mail. I'm going to.
My sympathy [Linked Image]...S
Posted By: Roger Re: WORK TRUCK STOLEN! - 06/01/02 12:43 AM
Aldav, I'm sorry for your loss too. I have been ripped off too in the past, but not to the scale you are experiencing now. I wish I could do more. A thief sucks.

Roger
Posted By: Bjarney Re: WORK TRUCK STOLEN! - 06/01/02 07:28 PM
aldav53: Hey Righteous Dude, I really gotta apologize for my callous, insensitive remarks...it's just that yesterday I forgot to break the noble prozac tablet in half, and didn’t realize it until scarfing on that most gnarley squid-tofu burrito at 3:30AM. OK, dude? Never again, I promise. Like this groovy old long-boardin’ ho-dad once pondered, “I feel your pain!”
Posted By: motor-T Re: WORK TRUCK STOLEN! - 06/01/02 10:59 PM
aldav53:
There is no worse feeling in the world than that of being ripped off like that. I got hit there once and its competitor once and at home of all places, but they left my truck all they wanted were the power tools cordless etc.
And as far as i know they were never caught.In fact the first time the Police told me to go to this big Flea-Market in Findlay Ohio, your tools will probably be there in the morning, Gee thanks for the help !
I hope you have better luck.
I wish you all the good luck in the world,

Mark
Posted By: electure Re: WORK TRUCK STOLEN! - 06/02/02 12:19 AM
Another trick the HD laborers have pulled is to work 15 minutes, get a "back pain", and sue the person that gave them the work.
There are classes one can take in Mexico that show how to use the US system to the fullest advantage (Welfare, Workman's Comp, etc)
Don't ever hire these guys.
(Gump said "It's like a chocolate, you never know what you'll get")
Posted By: pauluk Re: WORK TRUCK STOLEN! - 06/02/02 09:48 AM
Quote

There are classes one can take in Mexico that show how to use the US system to fullest advantage (Welfare, Workman's Comp, etc)

Sounds suspiciously familiar. Our system even goes to the extent of printing welfare information booklets in about 12 obscure languages, and there are people handing these out to new arrivals at the airport!
Posted By: smurf Re: WORK TRUCK STOLEN! - 06/02/02 08:44 PM
I feel for you, man. I too had my van stolen late one night. The cops called me and told me my van had been in an accident. I said no way, the keys were still hanging on rack. Well, turned out it was mine. Van was totalled.Driver was so drunk he couldn't even walk. Don't know how he was able to break into it. But I got my tools back. Take care and good luck.
Posted By: Redsy Re: WORK TRUCK STOLEN! - 06/03/02 10:57 AM
I'm almost afraid to ask, but...
How many of us lock our truck, entirely (cab, cap, boxes) on a regular basis.
Since aldav's post, I have been doing so.
Posted By: mamills Re: WORK TRUCK STOLEN! - 06/03/02 12:58 PM
Aldav:
Hearing of an honest working man falling prey to thieves is sickening. I cannot imagine a punishment suitable for someone who commits this kind of a crime. Of course, they will eventually pay for their actions, which, unfortunately, doesn't help you in the present.
I hope things work out well for you. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

Mike (mamills)
Posted By: Anonymous Re: WORK TRUCK STOLEN! - 06/03/02 06:30 PM
We are very careful to lock our truck up when its parked in a public area. Since I work for the state, its quite often. There have been instances in the past where we have observed people eyeing up the Stahl cabinent doors on the sides and looking through the windows in the back for some goodies. No one has ever tried to break in to our knowledge. We have a harder time with fellow employees ripping our stuff off than we do with the public up here in the Keystone state. I think the one reason is that the public knows once you mess with one of us and that gets out over the radio, you have just messed with all of us. Good luck in finding your truck. It always seems to happen to the good people. I have been contimplating going to these places and stealing the stuff back. :-)
Posted By: aldav53 Re: WORK TRUCK STOLEN! - 06/04/02 03:41 AM
Thanks for all your comments, sounds like all of us have been victims at some point.
They found my truck friday in Phoenix and it was completely stripped, engine, trans, seats, bumpers, tool bins, rack, everything. Bought a new truck friday and in the process of restocking. I agree Mike, they will lose in the end.
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