Page 1 of 2
Thieving cnuts...
Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2007 6:16 am
by calibrax
Got the ti back and while it's been in the care of the insurance company's agents (i.e. the recovery company and the salvage company), someone has nicked my foglights, subwoofer, amp, and also my two helmets which were in the boot.
Will speak to the insurance co later today, and if they aren't helpful then the police will be brought in. I'm not a happy bunny

Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2007 6:40 am
by Bigfatbiffta
Ooooohh the air would be turning blue if that would have happened to me!!
Hard lines mate, hope you get it all sorted soon!
Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2007 7:08 am
by will-220GSiTurbo

FFS thats harsh!!
I know i would be calling em up and giveing em a round of fcuks!!
Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2007 7:59 am
by Raistlin
I'd be telling the insurance company as a courtesy perhaps but my first port of call would be the Police.
Theft is bad enough, but theft in breach of trust is as low as they can go IMO.
Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2007 8:17 am
by calibrax
Technically it's tricky - as they've paid me initial settlement for the car, and I've bought it back as salvage. Plus it's going to be a pain proving who is responsible - I'm wondering if it's worth the inevitable hassle...
Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2007 8:24 am
by sysdump
Not good.
I would phone both. Even if they tell you to go away at least you tried. And having a rant might make you feel a bit better.
Chris
Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2007 8:40 am
by jarewo
as i said on the phone mate give them some verbal,you have to at the end of the day also will need the crime number because of the tax issue....
Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2007 9:12 am
by Scott
recovery agents are complete pikeys.
Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2007 9:31 am
by Roger Red Hat
nah i reckon this is in your favour
they only bought the car, not its contents, they remain yours..
Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2007 9:37 am
by Bigfatbiffta
roger red hat wrote:nah i reckon this is in your favour
they only bought the car, not its contents, they remain yours..
Agreed, atleast you'll feel better about it for trying even if you dont get any joy, a good angry phonecall always makes me feel better after something unfair like this happening.

Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2007 12:08 pm
by agw_01

B@stards! Cheeky f*cking cnuts!
I'd go down to the recovery place in person but that'll only make things worse if you start kicking off.
Hope the police don't turn round and say "nothing we can do mate"

t
Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2007 12:16 pm
by T16COUPE
my mate had a problem like that he had a renault 21 turbo and the police took it was mint when it went in came out full off dents
Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2007 1:02 pm
by Punx0r
calibrax wrote:it's going to be a pain proving who is responsible
You shouldn't have to. Whilst the car is in the possession of the insurance company (or their agents) they have a duty of care over it. It's their problem working out who is directly responsible, all they do with you is compensate and apologise profusely.
Give them hell, you have every right to be angry. I'd make a point of telling them that I'd checked the condition of these items after the crash (and before the recovery truck turned up) and that they were definitely still in the car when it was loaded onto the truck.
Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2007 1:07 pm
by Scott
yup, approved police/insurance recovery agents have to 'secure' compounds etc.
This is why they charge so much, 12quid a day to park your car in a muddy field somewhere.
I wish id kicked up more of a fuss now after my car had been stolen, as the recovery driver ticked the box saying cd player present... Ill just go set fire to one of their recovery trucks to even it up a little.....
Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2007 2:45 pm
by Big__P
i would call the police 1st - get them to do a search before i let the ppl involved know and the insurance company know incase they told the ppl involved n they shifted it -
POLICE 1st mate! - then insurance!
hopefully they still have ur gear on them - they will probably wriggle out of it if caught red handed -
"oh sorry officer we took it out i it didnt get stolen., we just forgot to put it back in before the car was returned" if they foriegn - they WILL get away with - its "sods law" they are sods! its there law!
Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2007 3:06 pm
by Null_Byte
Unfortunatly its normal, every car I've known thats gone to a recovery compound has come back minues goodies - things like Audio gear, tomtom mounts - shiney valve caps - sometimes even 4 pot brakes.
The norm is that cars are disposed of after the settlement so the companies see it as a free for all on whatevers in/on the car.
Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2007 4:08 pm
by xr4x4
Big__P wrote:i would call the police 1st - get them to do a search before i let the ppl involved know and the insurance company know incase they told the ppl involved n they shifted it -
POLICE 1st mate! - then insurance!
id agree.. proves your serious about it and not calling their bluff.
"Ooo btw.. i had a rolex watch in the boot too..."
Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2007 4:17 pm
by walshy.walsh
xr4x4 wrote:"Ooo btw.. i had a rolex watch in the boot too..."
THAT WAS MINE YA TW@
Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2007 4:36 pm
by Raistlin
You have to report this to the Police.
How on earth can I deal with people like this if the crimes aren't reported.
As a matter of interest. Nothing was stolen from my 75 earlier this year and when I metioned the fact to the agent I was met with a VERY firm comment that they have never had a single item going missing from a client's car in 23 years of trading so it's not the nrom for things to go missing and for it to be assumed as 'perks'
Please take the trouble to call the Police in.
Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2007 4:46 pm
by calibrax
Well, I called the police, they seemed somewhat reluctant to get involved at this stage and suggested that I should speak to the insurance co first to determine whether or not a crime has been committed, i.e. the bits that arent in the car could be in storage, not stolen (mmm some chance...)
Called the insurance and managed to speak to someone who knew what they were doing, she said they have a formal procedure for these situations - I need to email her a list of the items and where they were in the car, and they will investigate and involve the police if required. And, even if it turns out that it's impossible to prove who removed the items, the insurance co will reimburse me if they aren't recovered. So I'm a bit happier now.
EDIT: I found the foglights, they were dropped down behind the bumper, so it looked like they were missing, but they weren't. But my fire extinguisher, car toolkit (sockets & screwdrivers), cordless drill and drillbit set were also missing. As was my resident's parking permit.

Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2007 4:55 pm
by Raistlin

I just bet the insurance company DID tell you that.
Hush it up - brush it under the carpet - keep it quiet.
Clearly it is in their interests to do so, but it doesn't solve the problem of a notifiable crime having been committed AND it makes a statement to the thieving tripehound that he is free to try it again as nobody ever bothers.
This makes me sooooooo mad

Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2007 5:09 pm
by calibrax
Well, having had various minor things happen in the past, I usually find the police to be less than helpful on what they would classify as petty matters. I imagine they are aware of the likelihood of a successful prosecution, and make a judgment call on how much or how little time to spend on something. It's something I do every day when reconciling management accounts; I concentrate on the large amounts, and the small amounts are just not relevant. Limited resources require these kind of decisions... it's not right though, I agree.
Having said that, usually it never gets to an actual police officer - it seems that the front desks at police stations these days are increasingly staffed by civilians for some reason.
Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2007 5:14 pm
by 618ireland
Raistlin wrote:
I just bet the insurance company DID tell you that.
Hush it up - brush it under the carpet - keep it quiet.
Clearly it is in their interests to do so, but it doesn't solve the problem of a notifiable crime having been committed AND it makes a statement to the thieving tripehound that he is free to try it again as nobody ever bothers.
This makes me sooooooo mad

I agree totally, however there isn't much that can be done if the police aren't interested.
Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2007 5:15 pm
by Raistlin
calibrax wrote:Having said that, usually it never gets to an actual police officer - it seems that the front desks at police stations these days are increasingly staffed by civilians for some reason.

I have the opposite experience. I say I need a Police officer and there is usually one there within the hour and they do take me seriously.
I must admit to having heard your comment from elsewhere though.
Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2007 5:54 pm
by southside
Sorry to hear this mate. Always remembered when my mate crashed his corsa. He checked himself out of hospital next day even though he was in agony just to go to the compound where his car was and get all his stuff back before the pikeys had it all away.
Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2007 8:06 pm
by Punx0r
It pisses me off that your insurance company has a formal procedure for when their agents steal valuables from clients' cars

Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2007 8:25 pm
by teethgrinder
Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2007 8:52 pm
by turboestate
Kind of similar..
Friend of mine crashed his car and we went to collect it from the recovery guys..
The battery was flat so they offerd us a jump back and pointed us towards this room to go and get it.
In this room there was dump valves, air filters , speakers etc and a few batteries.
I asked him if any of it was for sale and during the conversation he told me they were from cars he "thought" were going to be crushed.
One year later my uncle crashed his vectra and the same company collected it ( police appointed )
When we got to it 3 days later the battery had gone.
When we enquired to it's where abouts they said the fire brigade took it.
funny that,the fire brigade diddnt attend! plus it had been neatly unbolted unlike what the fire brigade would have done.
I asked to look in the room and they declined but let him off the storage charge.
cnuts
Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2007 11:28 pm
by malcolm_durant
Does the apparent blind-eye turning some elements in the Police (tell me they don't know this happens..) mean they are complicit in an organised theft racket..?
Yes, I also know several people who have had stuff lifted in these compounds. Seems par for the course frankly.
No, I'm not anti-Police. Just feel Steve's frustration...
Malcolm
Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2007 11:43 pm
by Raistlin
malcolm_durant wrote:Yes, I also know several people who have had stuff lifted in these compounds. Seems par for the course frankly.
I'm not really surprised actually.
Clearly these scum can operate with impunity because individuals won't push for action and insurance companies would rather just pay a bit extra (which comes out of ALL out insurance premiums) than take the trouble to investigate.
Yes - each individual theft might not amount to much but I think that is a very short sighted view.
What does concern me is the way some people can take this attitude and then in the next breath criticise the Police and the Judiciary for not dealing with these matters.
I understand your statement Malcolm and I'm not taking a pop because I see that you are merely voicing the opinions of many but...PAR FOR THE COURSE???????
How can we accept not just theft, but theft in breach of trust, as though it was an inevitable outcome?
At this rate, it won't be long before rape and murder are ...par for the course.
What deterrant can there possibly be in tacit acceptance of crime?
I do live very much in the real world btw

Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2007 11:59 pm
by malcolm_durant
No "pops" taken here
I know full well that you live in the real world and probably get to see/hear about more of this than most people because of what you do.
Understand your points and, personally, I'd like to think if it happened to me I'd pursue the matter like a rabid terrier, but as Steve alluded above, sometimes the efforted expended just isn't worth the eventual outcome for most people...
Equally understandable under different circumstances I guess?
You're right though, it shouldn't happen full stop. And I wasn't intentionally having a big cheap shot at the Police who have a hard enough time dealing with other stuff; I was however wholeheartedly criticising their "it's trivial, we won't solve it, on balance we couldn't care less" attiitude.
Experienced it myself late last year when we had fraud on our bank account. Okay so the bank reimbursed us, but I still lose out down the line as the bank pays insurance for these eventualities and passes the cost of their cover into me, the customer (
unintentionally opens can of worms re. bank charges...).
I'd like to see a less tolerant attitude to "petty" crime myself. This country may or may not be in the grip of a low level breakdown in law and order (I honestly don't know if it's better or worse than in years past), but surely where a crime is committed, there should be efforts made to resolve it/prevent recurrance.
Whether ultimately this is the fault of the Police, our "I want, I will have" culture as a nation, or the Govt for providing inadequate resources and asking for unwarranted attention to be paid by the Police elsewhere or a combination of all three I'm not qualified to say.
Somehow I find myself agreeing with what you said entirely, but from a different angle.
Malcolm
Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2007 1:40 am
by Big__P
KICK FOREIGN PRISONERS OUT OF OUT PRISONS N OUT OF OUR COUNTRY!!
IT SHOULD BE, IF YOU COME HERE.....U LIVE BY OUR LAW! - BREAK IT N YOU'LL BE KICKED OUT!
NOT.......COME HERE, BREAK THE LAW, GET OFF WITH IT SOOO MANY TIMES N THEN GET A SLAPPED WRIST WHEN YOU DONT GET OFF WITH IT!!!
EMPTY OUR PRISONS OF FOREIGNERS N THAT WILL ENABLE THE JUDGES TO PASS LONGER SENTANCES FOR CRIMES COMMITED WITHOUT WORRYIN OF OVERCROWDIN - PLUS LONGER SENTANCE MAY MAKE PPL THINK ABOUT THE LAW MORE!!
really should have looked at what i was writtin - i would have noticed it was in caps lol - oh well sh!t happens - just like the english law! or more to the point the leneancy of it!!
Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2007 9:44 am
by Raistlin
I suspect that the Police take the line of least resistance.
If you make yourself sufficiently 'obvious' to them, they will do whatever is required for peace and quiet. It would be extremely difficult for a reasonably senior Police officer to lok you in the eye and say that your crime wasn't worth investigating.
I have heard enough to know that they DO take that line but I suppose it is to be expected until the injured party makes it plain that he or she is unwilling to accept the explanation given.
I find that by the time I reach Divisional Superintendant level I get the right sort of reaction.
Clearly though, it might just not be worth the bother to push it that far. I understand that it might be so but I cannot accept it.
I'd certainly take issue with the insurance industry though because I am unwilling to see my premium increased pro rata to cover their lackadaisical attitude to theft, whether 'minor' or not.
Everything you say makes sense Malcolm. I just wish it were not so.
Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2007 9:47 am
by dave-mg
Big__P wrote: - just like the english law! or more to the point the leneancy of it!!
lol ure right there, but do you not find it funny that a little over a hundred years ago they would hang a starving child for stealing a loaf of bread.
Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2007 9:52 am
by Craig
Big__P wrote:KICK FOREIGN PRISONERS ... bla bla ...
How on earth did we go from Steve having his personal possessions pilfered to this? Are you assuming the theft was committed by foreigners?
I despair.