And I thought i did everything right... - Contractor Talk - Professional Construction and Remodeling Forum

digdeep516 · 09-09-2009, 06:54 PM

Well guys i wish i could be posting on a happier note but... i got robbed today. They broken to one of my yards and took like 10,000 grand worth of equipment. This yard was mainly for material but in it there were 2 shipping containers with tools... 2 box trucks for the masons and 2 landscape trucks and trailers for maintenence. Not exactically in the best area but deffinitley not the worst... Razor wire on the fence and the best master locks money could buy on the equipment. Still not exactically sure how they got in... my best bet was a blanket ontop the razor wire from the yard accross from me... but they wouldve had to have climed 2 fences to do that. Gate was still chained shut... but they opened every single thing in the yard... and the best is they didnt even try the locks... Ever notice how a boxtruck has that hook that holds the rear door down... says whiteing on it... yeah that looks pritty untill some ass hole cuts it in half to open the truck... those latches on the containers... nice untill someone beats them off with a sledge hammer... those aluminum hasps on the trailers... nice untill a ****in 200 cordless "i get myself into anywhere tool" (as the cop called it) chews threw them... and what am i left with... sittin here holding my dick praying that the insurance will cover it. But what kills me is the stuff they took... they didnt even go for the really expensive ****... just all the other stuff... the biggest thing they took was a 1400 partner saw... but that didnt work so the jokes on them

but the freakin thing had a brand new 600 dollar diamond blade on it. But they took blowers, string trimmers, trimmers, partner saws, these ****s even took the bosch brute hammer... now that has to weigh what atleast 120 pounds... and to get that over an 8 foot fence... i dont get it. My question is at that point why didnt they just cut the gate open and pull a truck in... they couldve had 2 $5000 wet saws, compacters, a mixer. It just dont make sense... and i suspect that my ex partner and the new ass hole hese workin for may have had something to do with it... i just hope insurance can cover this because... unfortunately i have the work just no tools to do it. Personally i think someone was trying to send a messege... cause even though they opened everything they only took selectively. Now if it was just lawn maintenece equipment i could say mabbie it was a crackhead or a broke landscaper who needed new equipment... but the masonry tools throw the whole thing out of wack... why take the brute hammer when you couldve taken 2 chipping hammers worth like 500 a peace... and carried em out at the same time... i dont know guys.. its really ****ed... and it dont make no sense.

Bill Z · 09-09-2009, 07:05 PM

Sorry to hear.. I know from recent experience it sucks.

Hopefully, your insurance will make you whole. We had to make a detailed list of everything that was stolen and find as many original invoices as possible. Came out good on the power tools, but didn't have half enough on the backhoe.

Sounds like it could have been worse... good luck

HusqyPro · 09-09-2009, 07:05 PM

Sounds like they took stuff they had already sold. Like they broke in with a shopping list from a buyer that knows what you had.

Framer53 · 09-09-2009, 07:08 PM

Worse yet, it almost sounds like an inside job!

tgeb · 09-09-2009, 07:35 PM

That sucks dig, I am really sorry to hear about this.

Don't even bother to try and figure out why they took this, and left that. It will just drive you nuts.

Maybe they will get theirs when they sell off that saw your guy blew up last week and the guy he sold it to kicks his ass 'cause he sold him a bad saw.

I am afraid as the economy stays flat or gets worse, we may see more of this. I am looking into some GPS stuff for my machines.

If I were you though I might post watch on your old "partner" and see what can be seen. If you do talk to him don't mention you've been "hit"....let him bring it up.....

strathd · 09-09-2009, 09:51 PM

When I got robbed the cop told me 9 out of 10 times it's an inside job...
Sucks.... Hard to prove.

digdeep516 · 09-09-2009, 10:56 PM

Yeah it deffiniely sucks... Its always the small **** that comes to bite you in the ass... all my excavators and trucks have gps in them... so those are pritty secure but man you think when the crook sees a 3/4 inch hardend steel lock shackel he'd say "damn ante no way im gettin in there"... no he looks at the shackel... best damn locks in the world didnt even get touched. Yeah it dose sound a little like an inside job... may have to have my boys do a little counter surveilence... cause it was mainly lawn equipment besides the jackhammer and the partner saw. If it was just blowers... id chaulk it up as landscaper whod fallen hard on times... but to take that hammer... man i think someone was trying to say something there. Both the cops and the detectives said its more than likely a pissed off exemploye and or an inside job... and bob your right... it do sound a bit like a shopping list... im gonna have to do some digging... ill let you boys know...

danphelan · 09-10-2009, 09:07 AM

Unfortunately, a lot of Contractors Equipment policies will not pay if the loss happened because of dishonesty on behalf of the insured or the insured's employees.(aka inside job). Were all the stolen items listed separately on the equipment schedule or do you have a blanket for all contractor's mobile equipment? A lot of times, if you want to get the insurance company to pay out 10K, you are probably looking at at least a 2500$ deductible, and a lot of policies are on an "actual cost basis(ACV)" which means you will get paid out for the price of the piece of equipment, minus the depreciation for age of the item and how much use is on it. PM me if you have any other questions

J F · 09-10-2009, 09:42 AM

Sorry to hear it, sounds like it's time to pony up for some security cameras if you can afford it.

digdeep516 · 09-15-2009, 05:06 PM

yeah... well im puttin a pole in the yard with a 500 watt sodium light on it to atleast light up the area... all the trailers are getting alarmed and if i think im gonna get a camera... insurance only covered the damage to the truck and partially for the tools... but the cops got finger prints... so im getting closer to hopefuly finding the **** that did this.

Upchuck · 09-15-2009, 07:41 PM

I hope you find the scumbags that robbed you. One of our F350's was stolen a few years ago. They went mudboggin and got stuck off-road so bad they climbed out the windows. I wish we never found it. Our ins. company fought us on everything from lost tools to repairs.

propertyone · 09-15-2009, 07:56 PM

Thats sucks! Dig very deep hole, leave gate unlocked, sit in the dark and pray they come back for more! Look on craigslist and e bay and see if you see any of your things. Good luck

digdeep516 · 09-16-2009, 04:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Upchuck

I hope you find the scumbags that robbed you. One of our F350's was stolen a few years ago. They went mudboggin and got stuck off-road so bad they climbed out the windows. I wish we never found it. Our ins. company fought us on everything from lost tools to repairs.

yeah this whole insurance thing is such a load of bull ****... granted if one of my drivers should god forbid hit someone... than there your best friend...but how can you tell me that the truck is insured... but the **** inside isnt unless it was linelisted... i swear, for what i pay... i expected more... i havent made a serious claim in 15 years... last one was 4 years ago when one of my trucks got hit by another landscaper. And that claim was only for like a grand... it drives me up a ****in wall.

HitchC&L · 09-24-2009, 09:52 PM

We had a break in a few years back. It was personal, we know exactly who it was.

Went through selectively and took what he wanted, But we just cant prove who it was, and the cops in our town told us they dont investigate robberies.

There was snow outside (footprints, and the cops drove all over them) there was a cigarette butt (nobody at the shop smokes, they told us "that testing only happens on TV") they didnt fingerprint anything in the shop.

My father told them who did it, and they said we wont pay for a lie detector test, so my father wrote a check, and the guy refused to take the test.

To this day nothing has come of it, but he will get whats coming to him some day.

tccoggs · 09-25-2009, 12:27 PM

CCTV cameras and DVR's are cheap enough these days that any sort of yard like that should have them installed.

A couple of good sized dogs might also be an idea.

I been through it and it sucks no doubt.