Out of Business in NE Ohio due to Thieves!

[Trueblue108]

Through steel security doors, dead bolts, padlocked overhead doors, some jerks made off with $61,000 in equipment. Truck, trailer, two Z's, aerator, 2-cycle equipment, and tons of other stuff, gone overnight. Other than Craigslist, Ebay, Equipment Trader, and Ohio Farm and Dairy, does anyone know of any on-line classified or auction sites in NE Ohio where I can look for my stuff?

Brian

[GravyTrain]

I'm hoping it was all insured....

[Trueblue108]

Yes, all insured. Fortunately the equipment was insured up to 'replacement cost', so I can be replaced relatively easily once the claim is settled. Unfortunatley the truck will be depreciated and I can't afford another new truck payment right now. I just really want to catch these guys!

[hammmerhead]

Originally Posted by Trueblue108

Yes, all insured. Fortunately the equipment was insured up to 'replacement cost', so I can be replaced relatively easily once the claim is settled. Unfortunatley the truck will be depreciated and I can't afford another new truck payment right now. I just really want to catch these guys!

That sucks! Sorry to hear. Are you worried about your Insurance carrier raising the premium after this claim?

[JDiepstra]

Sorry and good luck. Get yourself a decent used truck. I love a nice 2nd gen Dodge.
Posted via Mobile Device

[Fox Landscape Services]

Sorry to hear that. I also got my equipment stolen back in April. Who do you have insurance with? Mine won't provide replacement coverage. Every company I've spoken with depreciates all equipment therefore anything older than a few years they won't pay enough for much help.

[andersontl2]

Hate to hear about your stuff, but I would also keep an eye on the pawn shops...If they stole all that stuff and they are smart (God I hope their not) then they won't be selling that stuff around town. Good Luck and hope you get them, kick em in the face for me when you find out who did it!

[topsites]

Lessons learned...

All that security, and you didn't write down the serial numbers of your equipment,
now don't get me wrong but if you were to find one or more of these, how would
you prove they were truly yours?
Legally speaking, there is nothing you can do unless you can prove it's yours.
Looks to be yours and appearances alone may not be enough.

That was my biggest problem when I had my blower stolen, is I couldn't tell from the side of the road which
one was mine, certainly a streak of some wild color spray paint would have helped greatly but even then...

Walk up to a thief I know is holding my equipment...
What do I say to the guy?

I say it's mine, he says it's not!
And what if it isn't?

Say six months pass by, the equipment gets sold and is being used daily getting more wear and tear put on
until I drive past and spot what looks to be one of my pieces one day.
With a few more scratches than were there, how can I still be 100% sure it's mine?

Thief or rightful owner, I approach and politely confront the man, then he (also politely) tells me he bought this
piece of equipment in 2003 which he has owned ever since he started his business!
Coincidence that it happens to be the same year and model as the one I had stolen, or is it his or mine?
Whom does it really belong to, and how can I tell?

Legally, there is nothing I can do unless I can prove it's mine.

To all of you who still have your stuff:
Take a pad and pen, and walk around right now and write down the make, model, and serial number of every thing you own!
Then keep that information in a safe place.

[Trueblue108]

Originally Posted by topsites

Lessons learned...

All that security, and you didn't write down the serial numbers of your equipment,
now don't get me wrong but if you were to find one or more of these, how would
you prove they were truly yours?
Legally speaking, there is nothing you can do unless you can prove it's yours.
Looks to be yours and appearances alone may not be enough.

Topsite, not sure where you got that, but we're on top of our equipment inventory. Serial numbers have all been entered into NCIC on the off chance they are recovered. We have every receipt, repair log, and serial number for any equipment over $250.

[Trueblue108]

Well, a lot has happened these past few weeks. First of all, the truck was recovered on the east side of Cleveland. A few dents and dings more than when it left, but otherwise ok. These guys were smart, took the battery out of the cell phone (knew we could ping it), took the fuel card but didn't dare use it, and only took the front plate off (not unusual to see vehicles without front plates). Furthermore, they left my FOP plate on the back (I'm a cop) probably knowing that most cops don't run other FOP plates.

While initially reassured by the insurance company, we've begun a fight to get some of what we lost replaced. They decided to depreciate all of the scheduled equipment and I've spent countless hours proving what shape my equipement was in. We're making some headway, though.

Baker Vehicle Systems in Macedonia, Ohio!!!! Can't say enough about this company. I contacted the sales guy, Ron Wolfe, and told him what happened. He lended us two brand new 2011 Hustler Super Z's, no questions asked and free of charge, to get through the hump. Without them, we would have been in some deep do-do...

Ironically, we have been talking about getting GPS tracking units for each of our three trucks. We signed the contract for 3 years through Advantrack the day before our shop was broken in to, receiving them four days later. Talk about a day late and a few thousand dollars short. It's installed and is AWESOME. Check them out

http://www.shadowtrackerlive.com/Home.aspx

I've been on Craigslist, Ohio Farm & Dairy, Ebay, Equipment Trader, etc. nearly every day. No luck on the equipment. I'm most pissed off about my new aerator and two snow blowers because they weren't on our policy yet. Live and learn, I guess.

Thanks for all your well wishes!