Locked TB

[+Goldenwattle]

TB7MWJH  I have a TB in my possession that when I went to place it in a cache (actually, it is in a cache now) I found it had been locked and I couldn't log it to say I have released it. I also checked my last log and I can't log that either to make a note of where the TB has been left. It appears it hasn't been on my list for awhile. Weird; I don't understand it.

I did pick this TB up at the end of a MEGA off the table and I know it was receiving 100s of Discovered logs, and this is the only reason I can see for the CO locking it, as they were annoyed by all those logs. But the result now is, I can't log it into the cache where I left it.

I didn't even know TBs could be locked.  I have messaged the owner and if I don't hear from them I will likely return to the cache and if the TB is still there, pick up the TB and throw it away. Shame, as it's a nice TB, but if no-one can log it, what use is it?

Photograph of TB (the donkey) in the cache where I left it.

[+Max and 99]

9 minutes ago, Goldenwattle said:

I have messaged the owner and if I don't hear from them I will likely return to the cache and if the TB is still there, pick up the TB and throw it away. Shame, as it's a nice TB, but if no-one can log it, what use is it?

Shame on you if you throw away someone else's TB.

[+Goldenwattle]

14 minutes ago, Max and 99 said:

Shame on you if you throw away someone else's TB.

But what if I don't want it to remain on my Inventory. I can't get if off my inventory, I can't log it off , I can't make a note on it. It's LOCKED. Tell me why I must have it stuck on my inventory for all time? Tell me what use a TB is that no-one can log. Unless it's unlocked, I can see the TB being picked up, found it can't be logged, dumped into another cache, and wander from cache to cache without any logs. It ceases to be a TB when it can't be logged.

Edited July 2, 2019 by Goldenwattle

[+Goldenwattle]

Okay, reply from CO. They reckon they didn't lock it and will see if they can unlock it. Hopefully it will be worked out and have a good outcome, as it's a cute TB.

 

Added: sorted.

Edited July 2, 2019 by Goldenwattle

[+TriciaG]

I realize the issue is resolved, but wanted to offer a suggestion for future situations like this.

 

Rather than possibly throwing away the TB, I'd suggest contacting HQ, explaining the situation, and asking them to remove it from your inventory. That seems like a better possible solution than throwing away someone's TB.

[+Goldenwattle]

12 minutes ago, TriciaG said:

I realize the issue is resolved, but wanted to offer a suggestion for future situations like this.

 

Rather than possibly throwing away the TB, I'd suggest contacting HQ, explaining the situation, and asking them to remove it from your inventory. That seems like a better possible solution than throwing away someone's TB.

That is what I planned to do to get it off my inventory, if the CO didn't respond. Fortunately the CO did and fixed the problem. However, if HQ wouldn't unlock the TB ( they might say it is property of the CO and it's up to the CO) it wouldn't solve the problem that no-one would be able to log the TB in any form. It would then be no better than a trinket in a caches, but very annoying for those that picked it up.

[+cerberus1]

9 hours ago, Max and 99 said:

Shame on you if you throw away someone else's TB.

 

I've probably pitched a dozen over the years.   None locked, but all illegible.

Some of those tags get really banged-up if folks put 'em in with swag, instead of with the log .  

All get emails.  We even send out a second, and wait a few weeks more ... but eventually all we've found in that condition went to circular file.

Those illegible trackables were being found and just dumped in yet-another cache, when others found they couldn't do anything with it either.

I believe we're placing the onus on the TO ,  rather than keep a string of cachers confused over a trackable the owner no longer cares about.

 

 

[+cerberus1]

52 minutes ago, Goldenwattle said:

That is what I planned to do to get it off my inventory, if the CO didn't respond. Fortunately the CO did and fixed the problem. However, if HQ wouldn't unlock the TB ( they might say it is property of the CO and it's up to the CO) it wouldn't solve the problem that no-one would be able to log the TB in any form. It would then be no better than a trinket in a caches, but very annoying for those that picked it up.

In the future with similar...

 If the TO doesn't respond and you're planning to give it a pitch, you should take responsibility ... own it. 

 You have caches archived.    Send it to one of your archived caches and mark it "missing" (with a good note why you've marked it "missing"). 

It's now out of your inventory.

[+Goldenwattle]

32 minutes ago, cerberus1 said:

In the future with similar...

 If the TO doesn't respond and you're planning to give it a pitch, you should take responsibility ... own it. 

 You have caches archived.    Send it to one of your archived caches and mark it "missing" (with a good note why you've marked it "missing"). 

It's now out of your inventory.

I didn't think to try marking it as missing, but if the TB is locked I wonder if that is possible, as you can't log it, or even write on your old logs. I couldn't write a note though, as if the TB is locked, you can't write a note, or any log.

Edited July 2, 2019 by Goldenwattle

[+cerberus1]

53 minutes ago, Goldenwattle said:

I didn't think to try marking it as missing, but if the TB is locked I wonder if that is possible, as you can't log it, or even write on your old logs.

 

I just thought about that myself.  Tried it, then remembered it's one of my own, so not the same.    Duh... 

I'll lock   TB22278 after you Grab it.  Give it a try, and all we'll have to do is delete some stuff afterwards.  

Maybe lock forbids marking it missing, when writing a note to your own cache.  If so, I'd think that's a shame.

You shouldn't have to hold onto another's trackable just because they're done with it...

Edited July 2, 2019 by cerberus1

[+kunarion]

36 minutes ago, cerberus1 said:

Maybe lock forbids marking it missing to your own cache.  If so, I'd think that's a shame.

You shouldn't have to hold onto another's trackable just because they're done with it...

 

That seems like a rare situation.  In the case of not being able to set an Inventory to its existing state (no TB or whatever), It could be something for HQ to adjust.  I'm guessing that there will be some strangeness to the logs regardless of how the system handles it.

[+Max and 99]

11 hours ago, Goldenwattle said:

But what if I don't want it to remain on my Inventory. I can't get if off my inventory

That would be super annoying! But throwing it away doesn't get it off your inventory.

[+cerberus1]

8 minutes ago, kunarion said:

That seems like a rare situation.  In the case of not being able to set an Inventory to its existing state (no TB or whatever), It could be something for HQ to adjust.  I'm guessing that there will be some strangeness to the logs regardless of how the system handles it.

Yep.

We'd go through heck when TOs from another country would keep putting their "missing" trackables back into our caches (and into inventory again).

I marked it missing.  I'm the CO.  It's not there.     

Each time, it took a note that we're contacting HQ to get this to stop (harassment) before they'd quit it.  

Sad if you have to get HQ to fix the accuracy of your caches just because the TO  is ticked off...

[+kunarion]

2 hours ago, Goldenwattle said:

That is what I planned to do to get it off my inventory, if the CO didn't respond. Fortunately the CO did and fixed the problem. However, if HQ wouldn't unlock the TB ( they might say it is property of the CO and it's up to the CO) it wouldn't solve the problem that no-one would be able to log the TB in any form. It would then be no better than a trinket in a caches, but very annoying for those that picked it up.

 

It should be a very special situation where a "locked" TB would be in play.  It's suitable not for most TBs.  Maybe a TB that is a clue for a cache, especially a TB securely attached to something, then it might be appropriate to "lock" it.  The TB is then used only as a way to access clues.  Something like that?

[+cerberus1]

20 minutes ago, Max and 99 said:

That would be super annoying! But throwing it away doesn't get it off your inventory.

 

True,  but you shouldn't now have to be stuck with a trackable forever just because the TO has a case of the butt...

When would a good time for it to go bye-bye be good ?  A year ?  Two ?

Would the TO expect it to finally go into a cache when their divorce is over, or feel better ?     I'm not playing that  kind of side game...

Edited July 2, 2019 by cerberus1
cann't spllell

[+Max and 99]

I'm glad to see that everything worked out!

[+Goldenwattle]

10 hours ago, cerberus1 said:

 

I just thought about that myself.  Tried it, then remembered it's one of my own, so not the same.    Duh... 

I'll lock   TB22278 after you Grab it.  Give it a try, and all we'll have to do is delete some stuff afterwards.  

Maybe lock forbids marking it missing, when writing a note to your own cache.  If so, I'd think that's a shame.

You shouldn't have to hold onto another's trackable just because they're done with it...

Done, I have it now   Lock away...

Edited July 3, 2019 by Goldenwattle

[+Goldenwattle]

Did the experiment with cerberus1's TB. I 'found' the TB and then 'placed' it in one of my caches. Cerberus1 then locked the TB. After which I attempted to mark it as missing. I didn't see anything happen, so I tried again. Still nothing appeared to happen. It is still on the list of the cache I placed it in. So it appears that although the Mark Item Missing button is there and can be clicked on, it is locked too and stops this from working. Interesting experiment.

This would be very annoying for a person who had a TB in their possession, or in one of their caches, if the TB was then locked by its owner. Unless HQ came to the rescue, that TB would remain forever in the cache's or geocacher's Inventory, with no way of removing it.

[+Max and 99]

1 hour ago, Goldenwattle said:

Did the experiment with cerberus1's TB. I 'found' the TB and then 'placed' it in one of my caches. Cerberus1 then locked the TB. After which I attempted to mark it as missing. I didn't see anything happen, so I tried again. Still nothing appeared to happen. It is still on the list of the cache I placed it in. So it appears that although the Mark Item Missing button is there and can be clicked on, it is locked too and stops this from working. Interesting experiment.

This would be very annoying for a person who had a TB in their possession, or in one of their caches, if the TB was then locked by its owner. Unless HQ came to the rescue, that TB would remain forever in the cache's or geocacher's Inventory, with no way of removing it.

I agree that HQ should remove it from your inventory in this case.

 

[+Goldenwattle]

21 minutes ago, Max and 99 said:

I agree that HQ should remove it from your inventory in this case.

 

Fortunately I am sure that cerberus1 will remove it this time, now the experiment is complete .

[+cerberus1]

Yep, an annoying coin (it's too big) that hasn't been touched in eleven years.    

Thanks Goldenwattle.  Odd that it even shows in the inventory to mark it missing (but won't allow).  For some, insult to injury maybe.