Jumping the gun

[+K13]

A cache I visited recently was essentially destroyed. I made note in the log and went back the other day (yesterday maybe?) to rehabilitate it since I live nearby. I wound up finding that the cache had been gotten into again and half the container was now missing, which I wasn't prepared to replace during that visit. Then I went to check on another cache in the area that had been moved when I first found it and learned that it was moved again and the log removed from it. I didnt have a log small enough to fit in it.

 

When I got home, I found myself in a position where I had to log not just my first "Needs Maintenance" but, my first two. As of today, my schedule has changed so getting back to fix these myself just isn't possible in the near future. Worst of all, both those caches were owned by the same person.

 

I've posted DNF's, several times despite having only logged 24 of the caches I've found. I'm fine with that. But having to log "Needs Maintenance" really bothered me since I feel I should have been better prepared to fix them myself - after all, that's the right thing to do, isn't it?

 

Why are you doing maintenance of another person's cache(s)? The finder's responsibility is to write a log describing the experience. It is the responsibility of the cache owner to maintain their cache, especially when the Needs Maintenance log type is reported.

[+pkohler01]

Why are you doing maintenance of another person's cache(s)? The finder's responsibility is to write a log describing the experience. It is the responsibility of the cache owner to maintain their cache, especially when the Needs Maintenance log type is reported.

 

I sometimes walk my dog through that area so I was going there anyway and thought it was the nice thing to do.

[+NeverSummer]

Why are you doing maintenance of another person's cache(s)? The finder's responsibility is to write a log describing the experience. It is the responsibility of the cache owner to maintain their cache, especially when the Needs Maintenance log type is reported.

 

I sometimes walk my dog through that area so I was going there anyway and thought it was the nice thing to do.

This is veering off topic, but did you ask the owner if they wanted or needed the help?

 

You should email the owner directly and let them know that you performed the maintenance on their cache. If they don't answer, be sure to say something in a note or Needs Maintenance log so that there is a record of how this cache is doing, and how it will be maintained.

 

You can also ask if the owner would like to let you adopt the cache if they are unable to take care of it regularly. Mention that you live in the area and can take it over. If you notice that the owner is no longer active on the site (see their "last logged on" date in their profile, and note when they have last found and hidden a cache), and you can't get a reply from them when you email directly, post a NA log, and you can take the cache over by creating your own, new listing for that site.

 

There is no sense in repairing a cache for an owner who is no longer taking their responsibility for maintenance seriously. If you're doing the maintenance for them, you may as well be the new owner so that you can continue to respond as you did for any issues that come up.

 

That's just my opinion...

[Clan Riffster]

But having to log "Needs Maintenance" really bothered me since I feel I should have been better prepared to fix them myself - after all, that's the right thing to do, isn't it?

In my opinion, no. It's not necessarily the right thing to do.

When I find a cache in disrepair, my first thought is to ask 'Why?', and proceed accordingly. It's been my experience that the vast majority of caches which are in poor shape have reached that state due to poor container choices by the cache owner. Picking a crappy container is a matter of ignorance or apathy. Either the owner does not know that a particular container is unsuited for the given environment, or they don't care.

 

If you fix a cache placed by an ignorant cache owner, you rob them of the opportunity to learn that their container sucks. Thinking all is well with their selection, (Film cans must be great!), the end result is them hiding even more crappy containers. If you fix a cache placed by an apathetic cache owner, you top them of the opportunity to learn that using crappy containers leads to increased maintenance trips. Thinking all is well with their selection, (Yeah, it sucks. But someone else will fix it when it fails!), the end result is them hiding even more crappy containers.

 

Don't be a crappy cache enabler.

 

Now, if I determine that an icky cache got that way through no fault of the owner, my next question would be regarding the container's current state. For instance, if some past finder didn't put the lid on right, the container could be perfectly viable, once the contents are dried up. I might very well make simple repairs, in a case like this.

[+Guwisti]

You looked for it, you didn't find it = DNF

 

You looked for it, you found it, something was broken/missing = Needs Maintenance

 

You looked for it and there is a parking lot where there used to be a tree = Needs Archive

 

I have a cache with 2 good beacons, one obvious, one not so obvious. The first on (a tree) is so in your face that people don't look beyond it. When they trimmed the tree, everyone logged that it was missing, needed maintenance, needed archiving because the obvious beacon made them assume it was gone.

 

That is a very good way of wording it! I'm going to save this and use it if that's ok with you.

[+Sharks-N-Beans]

You looked for it, you didn't find it = DNF

 

You looked for it, you found it, something was broken/missing = Needs Maintenance

 

You looked for it and there is a parking lot where there used to be a tree = Needs Archive

 

I have a cache with 2 good beacons, one obvious, one not so obvious. The first on (a tree) is so in your face that people don't look beyond it. When they trimmed the tree, everyone logged that it was missing, needed maintenance, needed archiving because the obvious beacon made them assume it was gone.

I didn't waste one second looking = Needs Archive My link