One-time Cacher Steals Bug

[Cassius_Clay]

This cacher has done a total of five caches, all on the same day, and collected a total of one TB - ours.

It's our first TB, and we were hoping to get it around to a bunch of universities. Unfortunately, this man or woman has been holding onto the bug for more than three months. We've emailed them several times, but no response.

The cache is in the Syracuse area, and the cacher said something about placing the TB in Ontario. Perhaps they liked our SU mascot and decided to take it for a souvenier. I don't know. Here's the TB page.

The only kind of sad thing is that we hoped to get it to the St. Louis area by earlier April, but prospects are dwindling.

Is there anything else I can try?

[+Eric K]

This cacher has done a total of five caches, all on the same day, and collected a total of one TB - ours.

It's our first TB, and we were hoping to get it around to a bunch of universities. Unfortunately, this man or woman has been holding onto the bug for more than three months. We've emailed them several times, but no response.

The cache is in the Syracuse area, and the cacher said something about placing the TB in Ontario. Perhaps they liked our SU mascot and decided to take it for a souvenier. I don't know. Here's the TB page.

The only kind of sad thing is that we hoped to get it to the St. Louis area by earlier April, but prospects are dwindling.

Is there anything else I can try?

Seeing that user only logged onto their account Nov 9-11 2004 they may have lost their interest in geocaching.

 

It also could be possible that once spring weather hits they may become interested and start caching again.

 

Best bet would be to send them a 'nice' e-mail asking if they will be able to move your bug along.

 

(editing for spelling)

Edited February 13, 2005 by Eric K

[Cassius_Clay]

That's the problem. We first emailed them (and very nicely) in December. No response. I emailed them once more (still nicely) in January. I still have had no response, despite pleading for one. This is the problem with Geocaching.com's profiles - without their e-mail address, I don't know whether it's just that I'm not getting through their spam filter or not.

[+BlueDeuce]

I've seen bugs drop in their first cache and then disappear without being logged out. At least you have a chance of the cacher waking up and replacing the bug.

 

The only advice I can give is ping them (send an email) every three months then after maybe a year just re-release the bug with a copy tag.

 

Sorry I can't give you more hope. It's the nature of the beast.

[+YuccaPatrol]

My first and favorite travel bug has also been kidnapped by a inactive newbie.

 

Best advice is not to release any travel bugs that you won't get upset when they get stolen. . .

[+zoltig]

Yeah. That has happened to many a cacher. I too have had several TB's bugnapped and despite emailings and a plea to other cachers who may by chance know this person, there really is not much else you can do.

As Eric K said- "Seeing that user only logged onto their account Nov 9-11 2004 they may have last their interest in geocaching."

I did have one cacher turn one of my bugs loose after almost a year and a half. I had emailed them for awhile then gave up. Imagine my surprise when I had opened my email and saw that the bug was placed.

[+bigredmed]

My first and favorite travel bug has also been kidnapped by a inactive newbie.

 

Best advice is not to release any travel bugs that you won't get upset when they get stolen. . .

Sad, but true.

[+welch]

Does this sound same-old, same-old?

Is there anything else I can try?

Yes, pretty much. Try them a couple more times over the next 3-6 months but otherwise not much left.

 

hmm....

do you happen to have a voodoo doll and a chicken?

[+zoltig]

hmm....

do you happen to have a voodoo doll and a chicken?

 

Ya know, you may be on to something, Welch.

[+vds]

This cacher has done a total of five caches, all on the same day, and collected a total of one TB - ours....Is there anything else I can try?

Had the same happen to me, a cacher who found This bug on one of his 5 finds in a 3-week period before apparently getting out of college for the year in 2003 and it was gone forever. Guy hasn't logged on since. Sigh. It had moved around pretty well, was on its third cross-country trip.

 

Had another that disappeared with over 12,000 miles on it. The last hider dropped it in a cache that was muggled immediately.

 

My last bug disappeared from a cache and had just the tag mailed back to me, they'd found it 45 miles from its last resting spot. The tag was reborn as another TB, dropped in Central Washington, and then 'again' was discovered 100 miles away in another cache four months later. That finder held it for almost a year (had some personal reasons to take a cache hiatus) and it was magically found 'again' 10 miles away from the last location. Amazingly that finder was from the state the bug was trying to get to, the bug's now floating around the caches in the Everglades.

 

You can't really predict anything, nor expect much, if you launch a TB. A very high percentage of them go missing, especially coins.

[+brodiebunch]

I would email them monthly. I had one of my first TB's held for six months. Earlier this month I believe, it was dropped off into another cache.

 

Get a new TB dog tag with the same goal and start again.

[+YuccaPatrol]

My lost bug is one the move again! yay!

Edited February 18, 2005 by YuccaPatrol

[+Sparrowhawk]

This gives me a really great idea for a travel bug. Maybe someone else can do one. :

 

TB should be called "The Travelbug-napper VooDoo Doll".

 

The bug is supposed to give bad juju to all bugnapping geocachers out there.

 

It should be a soft doll with a frowny face on it. When cachers get one, they stick pins in it, take pics of themselves aiming weaponry at it, etc.

 

What do you think?

[+Colorado Cacher]

Once again I would suggest that their account be suspended until they can learn to respect the others they play with. I had one held for six months also.

[+Eartha]

Once again I would suggest that their account be suspended until they can learn to respect the others they play with. I had one held for six months also.

This is a truly bad idea. Just how would someone log a travel bug if they are suspended. Not everyone gets out every single weekend. MANY people have responsiblities that take priority in life. Please be patient. Have a little faith and go read the pinned TB threads at the top of the list. This idea will not happen. The only thing that gets a person banned is total disrepect of others. You do not know what is going on with the other cacher, until you have walked a mile in their shoes. Yes a few months is long to some people, but to others, getting out on a hike every couple of months is all they can do. Does this preclude them from palying the game? No. There will be no suspensions. Period.

[+SpankytheWizard]

I kind of agree that a total suspension is a little harsh but there must be some way to enforce a little bit of etiquette into the whole process. How about making it to where they can't post finds until they either release or update the status of TB's in their possession? When I saw the *14 day notice pop up on a TB I was holding I did what it said - provide the owner with an update. I am extremely new to geocaching and on one of my first finds I removed a TB from a cache only to find out that its mission was something I could not help with. I learned not to remove a TB unless I could help it on its way! If you want to record the TB to build up your numbers then just write its number down and do a quick pickup and drop right back into the same cache. You have your hit count and the TB is not hanging out in limbo. I have my first 2 TB's out in the wild and the first person to pick them up has had them for close to a month. No emails to explain the delay or what he has planned. (and I bumped into him while geocaching this past weekend [nice guy] and he assured me he was putting them back out that day - he hasn't) Even if you can't fulfill its mission drop it back off so someone else can. I won't let this discourage me though. I am having way too much fun with this hobby.