We was robbed :(

1.8k · March 23, 2011

I like the bean bag option but does it slide around and tip over often?

MoonCat thanks for the advice for future trips. If you see anything in the local hock shop please let us know

Bean bag works fine. I too was worried about it slipping and sliding around, however, no slipping and no sliding. ( I drive some rather twisty mountain roads in N.W. Calif. )

March 23, 2011

MoFryFam... was any of that covered by either your home or your auto insurance?

When I had my window busted out and my Nuvi stolen, my auto insurance covered the glass replacement (althought I learned recently when shopping around for insurance that it has raised my risk, and thus my rate!!) but the GPS was not covered by either insurance. I had to eat that one.

AFAIK the contents are all covered with home insurance. My brother is in insurance and he is giving us advice as we go. Hardest part is trying to decide if the claim is worhtwhile. eg:

Losses $3000

Deductible $1000

Current premiums $950/yr

Rates go up approx. 25% for 5 years so an extra $1200 out of pocket.

1 hit on our claims record

What if we have a "Major" claim down the road?.... rates will rise drastically...

So much to consider...

March 23, 2011

No trackables lost! We fortunately dropped 3 the day before we left for the weekend and picked up one. I thought we lost that one but realized I left it in my jacket at home when we got home. Phew!

2.7k · March 23, 2011

Man I know Wallaceburg well. I was actually in Chatham visiting family while you were in Wallaceburg.

One side of my family is from there. We've still got some land in Dawn Township.

Place went downhill after the glass factory closed up shop.

The earlier posts are right about valuables in that town. You don't just bring your valuables into the hotel room. Bring the car into the hotel room.

Or stay in Chatham instead. There are places in Wallaceburg that are worse than the places I avoid in Toronto.

--

After reading this thread I am going to keep Windex wipes in the car, and wipe that circle off the windshield when I remove the GPS mount.

Besides, it gets annoying after the 15th overlapping circle shows up anyway. I don't like the 'residue' the been bag mounts seem to leave behind on the dash after prolonged use.

March 23, 2011

...

-Place went downhill after the glass factory closed up shop.

-There are places in Wallaceburg that are worse than the places I avoid in Toronto.

You are SO right. I remember when the glass factory closed, and really it's true. There's no work left in Wallaceburg unless one of the teenagers working at McDonalds is on maternity leave.

And yes, when I was in high school my bus stop was supposed to be on one of those streets we avoid and my mom flipped out on the school board until they changed my bus stop to one a bit safer. After 18 years of living in Wallaceburg I have still not been in parts of town by myself, ever.

The bean bag is a good idea for the GPS. Another idea is when parking in a hotel parking lot (depending on the hotel) find the security camera and park in it's view, or park as close to the front door or windows as possible. If that's not possible go for the parking spot under the light as it's all lit up.

March 23, 2011

We parked right outside the side door under the big bright light. I don't think those rules apply in Wallyburg

We never discovered the nasty parts of town. We did discover a few nice spots though. It's not all doom and gloom there, fortunately

March 23, 2011

Here is just a tip for those that have Auto GPSr's or utilize their hand held for driving. DO NOT put your address in the unit and mark it as home. Thieves will take the unit and look for the "Home" waypoint. All this does is allow them the opportunity to find your house and possibly rob it also. This holds especially true for your vehicles GPSr.

This is an urban legend. Your home address is also on your car registration, which is required to remain in your car at all times. So i think we don't need to worry about marking a home waypoint.

1.5k · March 24, 2011

I like the bean bag option but does it slide around and tip over often?

MoonCat thanks for the advice for future trips. If you see anything in the local hock shop please let us know

I switched to the bean bag mount for both car units I have (well, had, as I sold one), just because of the rings the windshield mounts left. Have not had any problems with them at all. A big plus is when someone else is driving and I'm in the backseat, I can put it on the console between the two front seats and see upcoming turns. I do this as the usual relief driver is my son, who would rather use his iPhone to find his way......

March 24, 2011

As someone in law enforcement, I can tell you that very few GPSr's and Ipods that are stolen from cars are recovered. They are worth around $25 at a pawn shop, about the price of a rock of crack. However, we have recovered a few GPSr's and the home button allowed us to find the rightful owner. Rare, but it happens. In one case the owner didn't even know thier Nuvi was taken!

The bigger problem for law enforcement is when we do find a stolen item we can have a hard time finding the owner. Very few people record the serial numbers of thier electronics. That's the best way for LE to match an owner to thier stolen item.

Mark your stuff too. If you engrave the GPS, Ipod, laptop, etc, with your name, some (and I mean some) pawn stores won't purchase the item. But, there's a better chance of getting the item back to you if it's found.

Getting burgled sucks, but you might as well give yourself the best chance of recovering an item if it is taken. :blink:

March 24, 2011

The MoFryFam of 6 packed up the minivan for a weekend road trip 4 hours away for a family reunion and some geocaching to Wallaceburg Ontario. Loaded up the PQ into the Garmin 60Cx and packed up the kiddies with all the travel neccessities. (ipods, DSs, lego, books etc. etc.) Our first night at the hotel our van was broken into.

These scumbags hit the jackpot! Doors were all locked when we hit the sack. In the morning nothing was broken but the driver window had been opened a quarter inch... strange... all doors unlocked, even the back hatch door. We're guessing what promted them was the dashmounted Nuvi 255W, which, yes we should have removed from the dash when parked in a parking lot over night. Everything else was in the console, glove box, under seats etc. (out of plain view and behind tinted windows).

You don't realize how much stuff you have in a vehicle until it's gone! These punks took EVERYTHING! Luckily we brought the DSLR camera and most of the iPods into the hotel, but we lost:

Blackberry, iPod, Zune, DSi, DSiXL, LeapFrog, Auto GPS, Handheld GPS, Digicam, All the chargers and adapters, loose change, CDs, Sunglasses, Timmies gift card, OUR ENTIRE FULLY STOCKED GEOCACHING BAG, 3 out of 6 full bottles of water and a few tampons

The sad part is that the $3,000 yes $3,000 worth of OUR STUFF will likely be traded for about a hundred bucks worth of drugs. SAD!

Kids were pretty upset but remained strong and realize that THINGS can be replaced and our family was not physically harmed and our minivan was unharmed.

Police have our list and some serial #s but we're not expecting to see anything returned to us. Our first purchase Saturday morning? A Garmin GPSMap 62S. Addicted to caching or what? Now to rebuild the geocaching bag and all of the kids' electronics and re-stock the emergency tampon stash... or should that have been the first purchase? LOL

Our learnings

1 The obvious - don't leave your GPS in plain view

2 Don't leave so much stuff in the vehicle, even if it is a hassle to remember all of the little things (which all add up to big $)

3 Some robbers get thirsty and need to remember to pick up something for their wife while out

I hope this doesn't happen to any other fellow geocachers.

Mike

edited for spelling

I've been robbed several times, not as bad as you, tho. I i

did forget my car in the driveway one night. I guess there is someone that goes thru the neighborhood 'shopping' the cars. They took several things, but the worst was my GPSr! It kept me from cacheing for a few years.

I hope your insurance kicks in!

Blueapreacher

Edited March 24, 2011 by Bluespreacher

March 24, 2011

We parked right outside the side door under the big bright light. I don't think those rules apply in Wallyburg

We never discovered the nasty parts of town. We did discover a few nice spots though. It's not all doom and gloom there, fortunately

Out of curiosity what areas? And i know there are some stunning areas in Wallaceburg.

This is just outside of Wallaceburg on the Snye River. Technically it's still Wallaceburg. GC1VRK1 is the closest cache to the photo.

March 24, 2011

This is an urban legend. Your home address is also on your car registration, which is required to remain in your car at all times. So i think we don't need to worry about marking a home waypoint.

Sorry to say, It's still not a good idea.. Especially if all the person takes, is the GPSr.

When my NuVi was stolen, I don't really think I need worry the home address was programmed in.. Since it was parked at home. :angry:

What irks me the worst, The person who stole it, came down through a back lot to my house, leaving tracks in the snow.. I was able to backtrack their entire path. Yet, the police didn't want to go that far. All they had, was the serial numbers to the GPS and the MP3 player, a statement, and.... Here we are a year+ later, the MP3 player I recovered when I found it (after the snow melted.) the GPS, & the MP3 player charger, still MIA.

March 24, 2011

Mike, I am sorry that this happened to you. We make sure that everything is with us no matter what. People have no life.

Someone got in our truck and only took a knife and just the other day someone took a rug off our porch that we put out to be cleaned from the dog mess. Kids or adults have no life doing petty theft.

At least all of you are not hurt and they can be replaced.

March 24, 2011

I didn't read all the other posts, but just wanted to add that I've been using a bean bag mount for my Garmin Nuvi for the last 3 years....not a single problem....doesn't slide on my van dash at all. And its super easy to stash. Just grab it and toss it under the table/center consol, or the drivers seat. Sometimes I just toss it on the floor, depending where I am. And always take the Nuvi with me.

To the OP- sorry you were robbed. I would have replaced the caching gps first too.....though, I'm not so sure the others in my car would be happy about that.

1.4k · March 24, 2011

Here is just a tip for those that have Auto GPSr's or utilize their hand held for driving. DO NOT put your address in the unit and mark it as home. Thieves will take the unit and look for the "Home" waypoint. All this does is allow them the opportunity to find your house and possibly rob it also. This holds especially true for your vehicles GPSr.

Wouldn't it just be easier for the thief to grab the address from the registration in the glove box? Or simply follow you home? Read more about this here: Snopes

Just think if a thief steals your car, you have a great GPSr in there that will direct the thief to your home, where they now have your car and your garage door opener. They then enter the home via the garage, load up the goodies, and drive away with all of your stuff and your neighbors are none the wiser because it was your car that drove into the garage.

That's a pretty stupid thief driving around in a stolen vehicle. They want to get it off the street ASAP before the cops catch them.

2.1k · March 24, 2011

That's a pretty stupid thief driving around in a stolen vehicle. They want to get it off the street ASAP before the cops catch them.

Thieves are, in general, not very smart. When my car was stolen, the police recovered it three weeks later. The crackhead who stole it was driving it around to stores where she shoplifted batteries and cigarettes to sell. She wasn't a very good driver, either... it took $3,000 in bodywork to get it back to the condition it was in before she took it.

19k · March 24, 2011

MoFryFam... was any of that covered by either your home or your auto insurance?

When I had my window busted out and my Nuvi stolen, my auto insurance covered the glass replacement (althought I learned recently when shopping around for insurance that it has raised my risk, and thus my rate!!) but the GPS was not covered by either insurance. I had to eat that one.

AFAIK the contents are all covered with home insurance. My brother is in insurance and he is giving us advice as we go. Hardest part is trying to decide if the claim is worhtwhile. eg:

Losses $3000

Deductible $1000

Current premiums $950/yr

Rates go up approx. 25% for 5 years so an extra $1200 out of pocket.

1 hit on our claims record

What if we have a "Major" claim down the road?.... rates will rise drastically...

So much to consider...

Insurance is such a racket! First you get robbed by common street criminals, they you get robbed by the white collar ones! :mad:

March 24, 2011

We parked right outside the side door under the big bright light. I don't think those rules apply in Wallyburg

We never discovered the nasty parts of town. We did discover a few nice spots though. It's not all doom and gloom there, fortunately

Out of curiosity what areas? And i know there are some stunning areas in Wallaceburg.

Not sure of any street names but we visited family on the river, near downtown and thought the area was pretty nice. Some nice huge victorian houses near the funeral home... We didn't explore too much... Ended up hanging out around the pool for the most part

March 24, 2011

Wow, that really stinks. You might be able to track the thieves with the stolen gift card. See if you have the receipt, or they might be able to track it simply with your credit card #'s. I've seen it work, thief was caught red handed!

In this area, thieves have learned to look for the suction cup marks that are left on the windshield or console when a driver takes down their GPS or radar unit, in the hope that they've stashed it under a seat or in the glove compartment. There has been a nasty rash of car break-ins in a suburb just north of mine and a lot of GPS units stolen recently.
I have often wondered about that. My old Nuvi used to have this disk that stuck to the dash, to attach the suction cup to and when I removed the Nuvi from the car the disk remained, and I always wondered if that was a cue to thieves. My current car GPS sticks to the windshield, and leaves a really light suction cup mark... hmm. Something to think about. Thanks for bringing that up.
This is one of the reasons I like my "beanbag" dash mount. It also moves from car to car much more quickly.

LOL, A zip lock full of rice or beans make a great bag to hold mine...since I couldn't find one to buy.

March 24, 2011

In the new GPS the home address will be the neighbour across the road who is a cop! no not fair to him... I'll use the Timmies around the corner

Try the snotty neighbor who keep letting his dogs drop their waste on your lawn.

March 25, 2011

I'm sorry that this happened to you but I appreciate you posting your experience. I am from a town where we still leave the keys in the ignition in the driveway. This weekend we took a trip to the "big city". Everything, and I do mean everything, is now safely tucked in our hotel room. This includes our four muddy mountain bikes..... But we were nice enough to knock the worst of the mud off first. Even if I might end up borrowing the vacuum cleaner in the morning, I know I will feel safer about it tonight.

Thanks again for sharing your story. Not everyone knows how viscous people can be at times. I would hate for my kids to go through what your family did.

1.9k · March 25, 2011

something to think about before putting a vehicle TB in the car: thieves that know what the vehicle TB screams "there is most likely lots of expensive stuff in this vehicle!"

2.3k · March 25, 2011

something to think about before putting a vehicle TB in the car: thieves that know what the vehicle TB screams "there is most likely lots of expensive stuff in this vehicle!"

Guess i should be concerned about my vanity plates, then: 2CACHE. :blink:

Nah, life is too short. :lol:

--Larry

1.4k · March 25, 2011

i'll remember this the next time i have to park at a motel and haul two camera bags, tripod, laptop, go bag, electronics bag (chargers, gps, phone etc)purse and pillow up two flights of stairs to my room complaining to myself the whole time how heavy it all is.

rsg

I do it every time I travel, I just call ahead and request a first floor room.

2.7k · March 25, 2011

something to think about before putting a vehicle TB in the car: thieves that know what the vehicle TB screams "there is most likely lots of expensive stuff in this vehicle!"

So does my Ham radio licence plate. But really, I suspect 90% of would be theives have no idea what an insect shaped barcode means on a car.

March 26, 2011

No guns in our house but I do have a Lousville slugger that I haven't had the pleasure of swinging in a while. It also doesn't hurt to be 6'1" 250 with the protective instinct of a Lion or Bear.

No guns here either (yet). However, I pity the fool who may come into my house "uninvited". My mastiffs would not like that. Nope, not one bit!

March 26, 2011

My Nuvi manual even stated to wipe the ring off the windshield.

I have my window broken out and Nuvi stolen on Thanksgiving day a couple of years back. Really sucks, I'll tell you. In my case, I left the Nuvi in plain view while I went after a cache in a very upscale neighborhood, thinking that it was a safe area. But in hindsight, that it was an upscale neighborhood was probably why the theives were cruising that area.

My nuvi was stolen out of our car last Christmas Eve. I think the suction cup marks on the windshield was the telltale sign. I plan to keep a box of wet wipes in the car from now on to address that problem. However, it was only while I was learning the features of the replacement nuvi that I discovered geocaching! How bizarre! If my 1st gps hadn't been stolen, I would still be clueless about this! But the addiction has already set in!

March 26, 2011

I like the bean bag option but does it slide around and tip over often?

MoonCat thanks for the advice for future trips. If you see anything in the local hock shop please let us know

I have one with three lobes or wings on it that I got at Source (the store formerly known as Radio Shack) and no, it does not slide around in 'normal' driving. On a narrow, twisty, potholled stretch of heck across northern New Brunswick it did not bounce out of place once. It did not move from it perch on my truck's (1/2 ton) dash when I jumped on the brakes hard enough to dump everything off the back seat and lock the trailer's brakes on the Queen Elizabeth Way near Niagra Falls.

It does easily move over to where the navigator can search for gas stations, food and other important items when on the way through an area. And even more importantly it can be easily hidden from view.

Skisidedown

We was robbed :(

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