I know, some of you get sick of "just got ripped off" threads. But I just got hit at the supply house. It was a crime of opportunity. I had just loaded some stuff in the back while at my garage. Left the puck lock off consciously thinking to myself, "They can't hit me while I'm moving, then I am just running into the supply house at my next stop real quick. I'll throw that material in and lock up."

Well while I was there, it was unusually dead. A guy walks in and pays cash for a $.60 plate and leaves. I can't imagine this is his gig, going around to supply houses to buy small stuff while the other guy outside takes what he can. I wasn't totally cleaned out. He could have gone back in for two or three more fist fulls, but I estimate $800-$1000.

I think it was a fellow electrician that saw an opportunity and took it. The counter guys never saw him before. He walked in cocky like he owned the place, and right away I didn't like him.

Lesson - you're not even safe among your fellow electricians.

i dont think that person (cannot swear here, but would like to), was an electrician.

i am lucky i have never had any tolls stolen from outside the suppliers ,
but i have had my van done twice in the last three months. $6000.00 worth of power tools, and boy was i alittle annoyed !!!!!

and to cap it all the police dont seem to care, even when i had CCTV eveidence and the plate number of the car and a description of the person who did it !!!

britspark

Cops are useless, only chance you have of avoiding a total loss is to have a good insurance plan. (pitbull in truck) But seriously, I don't think there is such a thing as 'good' insurance.

I had 6 cordless drills, cases, and batteries stolen from a gamebox last November. They even put the lock back on. The only people that have keys are my guys.

Also try the software business...

I get hit by hacker sites and people trying to illegally register Volts everyday. I had to spend many thousands of dollars and about a month and a half with a "hacker expert" in Germany to encrypt Volts so that no one could hack and steal it.

Too bad for the hackers and too bad for me too.

Someday the thieves will realize that nobody really wins with theft as it results in higher prices for all.

Many years ago, I 'lost' a clamp-on meter in a supply house parking lot once. Left it sitting on the passenger seat, ran in to get that one part to finish the job at hand and run back to it. But I did something I never do, I left my window open. I was there under 3 minutes... When I pulled in there was a van of a large very well paying contractor that I parked right next to. And two of thier employees were walking out as I walked in to pick up my will call. Nobody else there, in a big wide empty lot that takes long enough to walk into as I was there. I went in, signed for my stuff, walked out and thier van was still pulling away... Thought that was odd... Hopped in the truck, looked over and it took a second for it to sink in. They either stole it or saw who did...

Went back in got thier names, called thier company a few times who never got back to me.

Eventually just chalked it up to my own stupidity for being in a rush and not closing my window... NEVER TRUST ANYONE - NEVER GIVE THEM THE OPPROTUNITY!

Another - much cheaper supply house I go to has cameras in the lot, and a monitor at the counter, you can watch your truck from inside.

Mark,
I have a simple yet effective sticker on my tool lockers on my Faults truck, it reads:
LIKE WALKING?, OK THEN, STEP AWAY FROM THE TRUCK AND YOU WON"T NEED THE USE OF A WHEEL-CHAIR.
I CAN FIND YOU BY YOUR FINGERPRINTS.
BUGGER OFF AND BUY YOUR OWN TOOLS.

Trumpy, I used to have a sticker on the rear windows of my van that said "Doors can not be opened from inside" in 3/4" letters, I guess I should have printed it in a few languages as they got busted just for some dope to try.... The door handles and locks are disconnected inside so that the door can only be unlocked with the alarms power door locks, and the outside handle.

I also had an apprentice lock himself in there - now that was funny... It was raining and he pulled the door shut behind him - a few minutes latter he calls me on the phone.

Maybe some type of international pictograph skick figure getting his head bashed in...

Like this

I shudder to imagine what would happen should some emergency situation arise where using one of the inoperable doors would hinder ones safe and quick exit.

edit *** spelling correction.

[This message has been edited by Sandro (edited 02-08-2007).]

Well, Sandro, you're hitting on exactly how all of us are victims of crime.

Every time you buy a key, use a lock, mark your tools ... you are spending money that you could use for something more productive, if only you did not need to worry about crime.

Only in America can the 'poor' drive their own cars from their housing projects to their protest rallies. This same mobility also means that the criminal can just as easily reach into "good" neighborhoods as bad.

I see more and more "gated communities" where folks attempt to separate themselves from the criminals amongst us. IMO, it's the crooks who need to be locked up in "gated communities."

Another problem is the under reporting of crimes, many of the larger stores are not happy when the police reports show their store as a place where you can be ripped off. so you go there thinking it is a safe place, when in fact there may of been a break in 5 times in the last week, not good for business, so making sure your police departments report these problems may at least give us the chance to know the risk of shopping there.

My inoperable doors are not much different than the child locking type in the rear of many vehicals - that little switch that you can flip to make the door only open from the outside... Not to mention they are in a "Cargo" area that is normally too full to physically, or intended to have a person occupy that space. The dope who climbed in there crammed himself against the tool box to get his butt out of the rain - he may not have been able to reach the handle in the first place with his butt jammed against the door... (It was quite funny!!!) This is also one of the reasons there was a boldly lettered sticker stating that it could not be opened from the inside....

Speaking of stickers - I'm thinking of printing that graffic I posted earlier in the thread. Due to minimum printing runs I might have to get a 100+ of them - let me know if you want one... (E-mail) I think that image says it all in every language...