Geocoin (Stolen)

[+Team_Noodles]

First let me say this is a first for me. I absolutely love the hobby. I enjoy placing trackable items. There are very few caches that I have not either picked up a trackable or left a trackable of some kind. Well here is the story.

 

In October I deposited a coin in a cache and it was picked up several days later by another cacher. I was asked if it was to stay in state or could it go over seas. I didn't care. By Christmas it had not been placed and I wrote a note to the cacher where was it? I didn't get a response. I send a second message in January.

 

Today I get a message back that it was taken from their hotel room in Barbados. Things happen I spend enought time in the service to know that when you are in another country things end up missing regardless of how hard you try protecting your valuables.

 

By beef was this sounds like it happend around Thanksgiving. Why does it take so long for some one to fess up. The coin is eary to replace. I just don't like being jerked around.

 

Sorry for the rant

 

RDSTRRIDER

[+UOTrackers]

It's understandable that your upset. But not everyone is as enthusiastic about this hobby as you might be. You said it looks like it went missing around Thanksgiving, and they were in another country where it got taken from their hotel room. What if other things also went missing, like credit cards, or passports? Because none of us were there we don't know what happened, but perhaps they were caught up in the theft and thought little of a small geocoin. Then it was also smack dab in the holidays. I can't vouch for anyone but myself, but November through January is now a no go zone, meaning we are crazy busy and a lot of stuff gets put aside until the whirlwind has gone away. I obviously can't tell you why this person waited so long, but perhaps put some perspective out on the table!

[+Team_Noodles]

Busy is NO EXCUSE. Yes, other things were missing. But point is I asked specfically what had happened and got no response. That's the part that upsets me. It was stolen and they knew it was gone. I wasn't important enough to tell me. Oh well enough I think you get the point. Just answer to you own supreme being.

 

Thanks

Edited February 5, 2007 by rdstrrider

[+slumbersix]

Its possible he might not have had internet connection when you asked the first time? Or after searching he just now decided to it was also stolen? Lots of things happen and sometimes it sucks that we're not informed right away. At least he told responded to you regardless of how long it has been.

[+stickerooni]

Its possible he might not have had internet connection when you asked the first time? Or after searching he just now decided to it was also stolen? Lots of things happen and sometimes it sucks that we're not informed right away. At least he told responded to you regardless of how long it has been.

 

Agreed. I know I haven't always been as quick to respond to things. I'm sure we all get hundreds of emails in our in-box every day. Sometimes I find important emails in my spam box when I take the time to look through it.

 

Had it been me, I'm not sure I would have responded much sooner. Sure, I'd have responded when I saw the email ... possibly weeks afterward even. But I would have gotten around to it. It doesn't sound to me that the person was intentionally "jerking you around," and you did finally get a response. Not everyone gets a response to their coin queries.

 

It sounds like you've taken this very personally, but unless the cacher knew you, or how important the coin was to you, I doubt this was malicious in any way. Heck, how nice it was that they even took the trouble to ask if it was okay to take it out of the country.

[+Droo]

Geocaching has changed a lot in the last 5 years. It has become more mainstream and as gps units become more regular gifts for the holidays more and more people will drop in and drop out and with them some of the less than desirable traits they bring with them. You are new to caching and are just getting a taste of those undesirable traits. But they are still the exception rather than the rule.

 

Coins will get stolen, lost, mishandled and misappropriated as more and more people pick them up that aren't too clued in to what they are supposed to do with them. I'm often ignored when I email cachers who've failed to log the coin they say they picked up when they logged a find for a cache. Sometimes it takes a while for the coin to resurface in another cache and sometimes it doesn't. More often than not the person I emailed is surprised to hear from a stranger telling them what to do.

 

The point is that once you release a coin you have no control over it. You can label it with instructions, drill it to make it less collectible, attach lanyards and chains but it is still a matter of YOUR faith that it will travel and move along. If someone wants to take your coin out of a cache to make it a gift to their kid instead of moving it along what can you do?

 

End of lecture.

[+Team_Noodles]

I think my complaint is more about society accepting these undesireable traits that anything else. We have learned to be tolerant of others short comings. Well being an old fart. Good Manners are Good Manners. Answer a question in an honest and timely manner. thanks.

 

PS "cache on a scoot" What type of Scoot?

[+Kealia]

I think my complaint is more about society accepting these undesireable traits that anything else. We have learned to be tolerant of others short comings. Well being an old fart. Good Manners are Good Manners. Answer a question in an honest and timely manner. thanks.

 

 

I don't thiunk anybody disagrees with your point above, but take it in context. It's a game and if they had other things stolen (credit cards, cameras, etc.) I'm sure that was more important to them than the little hunk of metal that is part of a game.

 

Life gets in the way. We all love this game and are passionate about it, sometimes to a fault, but in the end it takes a backseat to more important things.

[+Degai]

At least you knew who took your coin and what happened to it. Mine just disappeared into thin air. I went back to check at the last known site, and one of the comments I read was, "I didn't find any geocoins or TBs".