Mark It As "needs Archived", Or "didn't Find It"?

[+royta]

When does the cache approver get notified that something is amiss with a particular cache? Should we send a message to the owner, or should we choose the option that notifies the cache approver? Should we start with the message, and wait a week for a response? If no response, then choose the option that notifies the cache approver?

 

We have a ton of urban caches where I live, and we have had plenty of rain and strong winds. I think a lot of the cache owners need to check up on their caches since I'm sure a few of them have been swept away.

 

I looked for one last night with no luck. All searchers since the beginning of December have had no luck with this particular cache. I marked it as a "Didn't Find It", but I also sent a message to the cache owner.

 

What do you think?

 

edit - By the way, what option does notify the cache approver?

Edited January 7, 2005 by royta

[+Sputnik 57]

I recently marked a SBA on a cache. Several experienced prior cachers marked DNF, and gave extensive details of their hunt. The cache owner (who has moved, so cannot service the cache) had posted a couple of "spoiler" notes, hoping the cache would be found and adopted. It was nowhere to be found.

 

If the owner isn't putting status notes on the page, and the cache is MIA for numerous experienced cachers, when earlier it was found regularly, I would probably submit a "needs archived" so that an approver could step in. I would still e-mail the owner with what I had done and why.

[+Renegade Knight]

Unless you have specific knowledge of the hide you should not mark an SBA when you suspect the cache is gone. I've gotten irate notes from cachers with hundreds of finds about my missing cache only to go out there and find it safe and sound right were I left it.

 

There are exeptions. If you are hunting a 1 difficulty cache that has had no DNF's for the first year then suddenly the last 5 logs are DNF's that's a good sign something is up. However even then I'd email the owenr (who also should have a clue there is a problem from the logs) rather than a SBA.

 

The SBA is for when you are sure there is an issue.

[+BlueDeuce]

The SBA is for when you are sure there is an issue.

Yep.

 

Most SBA occur when there is no response from the owner. I would only do one if I had found the before and went back to verify it's gone. If I think a cache I haven't found is likely gone (after reading a long series of DNF), I'll pass a note to an approver and let them make the decision.

 

But again this usually only happens when the owner hasn't responsed. I would give them at least three or four weeks before thinking something is up.

[+NightPilot]

The only SBAs I've posted were where I found the cache, or at least the remains. In these cases, I've found the container, or part of the container, but the cache was basically destroyed. If I can't find it, then I assume I'm just not looking in the right place and let someone else worry about it. But if I find the lid of the container and nothing else, I'll email the owner with the information, and if he doesn't reply within a reasonable time, then I'll put a SBA note on the cache page. This has only happened once, and the others were archived by the owners quickly, some replaced, some not. I always try to contact the owner before posting a SBA note, even if it's obvious that no maintenance is being done just from reading the page. I figure it's worth one last effort before going that far.

Edited January 8, 2005 by NightPilot

[+briansnat]

Unless you have specific knowledge of the hide you should not mark an SBA when you suspect the cache is gone. I've gotten irate notes from cachers with hundreds of finds about my missing cache only to go out there and find it safe and sound right were I left it.

 

That's true, but when you see a cache that always found easily, then has a sudden, unbroken string of DNFs, I think a SBA is in order. I had no qualms about logging a SBA for this cache, which I think is a good example of what I'm referring to.

[adampierson]

Given that others can't seem to find the cache and attempts to contact the owner have not yielded a response. I would make one more attempt to find the cache then log a SBA, if you can't find it.

[+JohnnyVegas]

I had someong log a SBA on one of my micros because they were the second pearson not to find it, (Well I have some Micros the very experiance cachers have had trouble with) Another reason they postes a SBA was because no one had found the cache for a month. Were I live we have over 5,000 caches to search

Zip code 94945. soe cache here go 6 months or more with no finds, but they are there in most cases.

[Aushiker]

That's true, but when you see a cache that always found easily, then has a sudden, unbroken string of DNFs, I think a SBA is in order.

Mmm. I don't think it should make a difference. To me a basic courtesy is to contact the owner or let the owner make the decision.

 

If you had done this to one of mine I would not be happy at all. If a cache of mine gets muggled, I go out and revisit the cache area and look at my options - rehiding the cache maybe close by, changing to a micro or virtual or archiving. But the key point is, it is my decision. I am the one who went to the trouble of putting the cache together and getting it out there.

 

To me is it a basic courtesy to notify the owner of my experience and let them decided. I don't assume that I am in a position to make those sorts of decisions about others caches.

 

Regards

Andrew

[Aushiker]

Most SBA occur when there is no response from the owner. I would only do one if I had found the before and went back to verify it's gone. If I think a cache I haven't found is likely gone (after reading a long series of DNF), I'll pass a note to an approver and let them make the decision.

I agree. This is the approach I take and actually did this past week for an out of state owner. The cache was there, even though two experienced geocachers had not found it. The second DNF had suggested archieving!

 

Regards

Andrew