Ripoff Education

[CrotalusHH]

One year ago my truck was totaled while I was storm spotting in the City of Irving. Spotting, mind you, not chasing.

I signed the insurance agreement Friday, one year and one day. We went to Outback to celebrate a little. While we were there my car was broken into and my GPS was stolen in broad daylight. They did about $900 damage to the car while breaking the glass. The GPS was worth close to $400.

I have $200 deductible so I will recover $700 of the damage to the car. The stolen GPS is covered by my home owners policy so the $500 deductible means I just lose. Garmin doesn't make GPS receivers with MP3 players any more so I am really mad. That was my main source of car music.

I reported the serial number to the police so maybe they will catch the bast*rd. Unless he knows what he is doing he will have a hard time removing my business card from the opening screen.

I can't believe I had to make another claim on the same day I settled one.

 

[Commander Quan]

That sucks. I had two of my vehicles broken into within 6 months of each at my own house. The first time they smashed the window and tried to steal the headunit out of my truck, they didn't try very hard and gave up after bending the benzle around it. The second time they smashed the window in my car and stole a GPS, Radar Protector, a couple other things, and a razor I had packaged up to mail back to West Coast Shaving. The Dirtballs living next door to me moved out shortly after these events and I haven't had any other issues.

 

[Go West Young Man]

The lesson is never ever leave electronics in the car.
Lock 'em in the trunk or take them in with you, or you're pretty much guaranteed to lose them.

 

[jd_1138]

I had my Tomtom 130 stolen from my gf's car recently. I only paid like $40 for it used on ebay, so I never bothered to remove it from the windshield (too much hassle), and she usually leaves the doors unlocked. I guess it was a crime of oppurtunity. Open door, free GPS. :-( Who knows if they would've broken the window if she had locked her doors. The idiots probably thought: "wow! this thing's gotta be worth at least $200!" A pawn shop might give them $15 for it. Thieves are scum.

As for an Mp3 player, you can getcha a nice little iPod Shuffle (4th gen) on ebay for $30 or so, or a brand new one for $49. And most phones have built in mp3 players. You can connect it with a USB cable to your PC and download music into it, and then you will probably have to get a 2.5 mm to 3.5 mm adapter so you can plug an audio cable from it to your car's stereo.

 

[raisindot]

Had my iPad Nano stolen from my car in my driveway a couple months ago. It was 'hidden' inside that little box behind the shift, but they obviously knew where to look. They didn't break in because there was no car damage; my guess is that this was the one time I didn't lock the doors. I didn't put in a claim (why bother?). I'm more mad at the fact that you can't get the 4 or 5G Nanos new anymore or they're outrageously prices. I had to get the new little postage stamped sucker, which I hate.

You definitely should never leave a GPS or any other 'mobile' electronic (or any of its stands or attachments) in full view in a public parking lot.

 

[mretzloff]

The lesson is never ever leave electronics in the car.
Lock 'em in the trunk or take them in with you, or you're pretty much guaranteed to lose them.

+1

Unfortunately, there are many bad people out there. I always put everything (garage door opener, iPod, sunglasses, etc.) in my center console.

 

[the_edski]

Hiding the units works well, even better to remove any mounting hardware if you can and sometimes that doesn't even help. SWMBO's dad had his truck broken into because a thief saw where a mounting suction cup USED to be on his windshield. Parking garages in Chicago say to even go as far as making sure power adapter slots that can be seen while looking into the car are covered because when they are open, thiefs will guess you are using a GPS, etc...and break in just to search around.

 

[mattnick]

I saw a story on the news a while back where a thief broke into a car and stole both a gps and a garage door opener. The gps took the thief back to the house and the garage door opener let him in.

Even if you don't have a gps, your address is usually on your registration, so I usually don't keep my opener in the car if it will be parked outside for a while (airport), and definitely won't leave it clipped to the visor.

 

[xero2099]

They didn't break in because there was no car damage; my guess is that this was the one time I didn't lock the doors.
You definitely should never leave a GPS or any other 'mobile' electronic (or any of its stands or attachments) in full view in a public parking lot.

this has happened to me twice i forget to lock my doors and i get robbed the first time they didnt do anything except make a mess the last time they stole my ipod i now make a habit of making sure the doors are locked every time i go out now

 

[msandoval858]

Last November I had the unfortunate experience of getting my truck broken in to. I lost a backpack with my MacBook Pro and iPad in it. I know better than to leave electronics in the car but it was a quiet evening after work and I totally let my guard down. The only thing that made it slightly less painful was that it was company assets and not my own... still very unpleasant to have to call the office and explain that I just had that much money worth of stuff stolen on my watch.

Thankfully, the thieves went straight for the backpack and didn't dig around because I also had a firearm in the console at the time.

 

[Slash McCoy]

That sure blows.

I have been lucky... my trusty 2004 Ford Ranger, "Lucille", has never been broken into. For New Orleans, that is some kind of record I think.

FWIW my stereo is made by and Australian company called Fusion. The front panel flips down and I can completely insert my 120GB ipod classic in there, or an ipod touch or iphone, then close the front panel and the stereo can control the device, so I have 120GB of tunes in my truck, no cables, no ipod flying around the cab in turns or when braking. Great system.

I don't have a car alarm in my truck but I am thinking about getting one, and you should consider one, too.

 

[Blade Boy]

Yeah, it's sad we have to do this, but I never leave anything visible in the car, I put my GPS in the glove box when not it use, thieves are a real pain. I once let a bag on the front seat and went into Sears and when I got back to my truck found my door lock destroyed from someone trying to break in, these people are pitiful and desperate, really sad.

 

[CrotalusHH]

I had my Tomtom 130 stolen from my gf's car recently. I only paid like $40 for it used on ebay, so I never bothered to remove it from the windshield (too much hassle), and she usually leaves the doors unlocked. I guess it was a crime of oppurtunity. Open door, free GPS. :-( Who knows if they would've broken the window if she had locked her doors. The idiots probably thought: "wow! this thing's gotta be worth at least $200!" A pawn shop might give them $15 for it. Thieves are scum.

As for an Mp3 player, you can getcha a nice little iPod Shuffle (4th gen) on ebay for $30 or so, or a brand new one for $49. And most phones have built in mp3 players. You can connect it with a USB cable to your PC and download music into it, and then you will probably have to get a 2.5 mm to 3.5 mm adapter so you can plug an audio cable from it to your car's stereo.

I thought about an Ipod, but, my GPS was right in front of my face so I could change playlists without running into the person in front of me. Also, if I was using Turn by Turn or the phone, the GPS would automatically pause the music for the turn info or phone call. It made Hands Free REALLY hands free.

 

[CrotalusHH]

That sure blows.

I have been lucky... my trusty 2004 Ford Ranger, "Lucille", has never been broken into. For New Orleans, that is some kind of record I think.

FWIW my stereo is made by and Australian company called Fusion. The front panel flips down and I can completely insert my 120GB ipod classic in there, or an ipod touch or iphone, then close the front panel and the stereo can control the device, so I have 120GB of tunes in my truck, no cables, no ipod flying around the cab in turns or when braking. Great system.

I don't have a car alarm in my truck but I am thinking about getting one, and you should consider one, too.

I have a car alarm, but it is only triggered if the door is unlocked from the inside or opened. The thief didn't do that. He just broke the window, grabbed and ran.

 

[Hammertime1]

If they see power cords plugged in(I have seen em with cheat sheets identifying phone cords versus other items and strret pricing on gps units , etc), or the littke circle dots from suction cups on window or anything that would indicate valuables are in car, camera cases, purses. Computer cases it's enough for them to chance breaking window. Even alarms aren't enough anymore. Takes well under 30 seconds to smash and go. You can actually shatter a window very quietly. The chances of getting caught outweighs the need for drugs. That's just one group who breaks into cares too.

 

[Phog Allen]

I can only add to the chorus of sympathisers. I despise this sort of stuff. Usually it is stupid kids who will be more than embarrassed with themselves in a few years. Regardless, damaging a stranger's car for a sodding gps unit? Really? What an arse. In broad daylight at a restaurant. I am not unduly vindictive as I approach my fifties but I really hope this genius manages to get his comeuppance. Maybe stumble into a pawn shop or second hand store that actually runs serial numbers by the police department's NCIC computers before they buy items like this. They may well on a unit this expensive. Likely nothing will happen to the perpetrator in the long run but you may get your gps unit back. I have always had a real issue with thieves. Particularly those who would violate their victims in this manner. It is one thing to break into an old car that doesn't get moved much. It's another in broad daylight at the ruddy Outback Steakhouse. What did they think, you weren't around? It shows you how dangerous it could have been if you or your wife and kids would have happened upon the idiots. I hope the swine got a piece of broken window glass in his shoe.

Cheers, Todd

 

[CrotalusHH]

I can only add to the chorus of sympathisers. I despise this sort of stuff. Usually it is stupid kids who will be more than embarrassed with themselves in a few years. Regardless, damaging a stranger's car for a sodding gps unit? Really? What an arse. In broad daylight at a restaurant. I am not unduly vindictive as I approach my fifties but I really hope this genius manages to get his comeuppance. Maybe stumble into a pawn shop or second hand store that actually runs serial numbers by the police department's NCIC computers before they buy items like this. They may well on a unit this expensive. Likely nothing will happen to the perpetrator in the long run but you may get your gps unit back. I have always had a real issue with thieves. Particularly those who would violate their victims in this manner. It is one thing to break into an old car that doesn't get moved much. It's another in broad daylight at the ruddy Outback Steakhouse. What did they think, you weren't around? It shows you how dangerous it could have been if you or your wife and kids would have happened upon the idiots. I hope the swine got a piece of broken window glass in his shoe.

Cheers, Todd

Thanks, but it would have been more dangerous for him.

I'm a VERY good shot.

 

[jd_1138]

But then you might have been charged with manslaughter or something. Criminals are coddled after all. But if you had confronted them, they may have tried to get physical at which point you could thus take them out of the gene pool. But it's best to be safe and live another day. Who knows if they were armed or not.