A WORD OF CAUTION - Tool theft

[Nanod]

I don't post as much as I should on the fog and I apologize for that but I would like to thank all of you who do!! I gain so much information from you guys I literary read the fog at least 3 to 6 times a day!

I want to share a word of caution with you. I work all through the Dallas/Fort Worth area. More specifically when this incident happened I was working in Fort Worth in the TCU area. Me and my guys were unloading my van to start a new onsite job. We all took our first load in and in a matter of 5 minutes we were back for our second load. Within those 5 minutes, the lowest form of scum had broken into my van and emptied it. They got my Kapex,CMS-GE,TS 55,RO 150, RAS,Domino-500, and a lot more non Festool tools. So I called the cops.They came out, took a report, and to my surprise they actually knew what Festool is. I have carpenter buddies who didn't even know about Festool. So there I was totally bummed out, adding up the amount of money I had just lost in my head, and trying figure out how I was going to be able to do the job with most of my tools gone. A few hours passed and the cops call. They ask me to meet them at this address. The thieves had sold all of Festools to a contractor at another job site a couple of streets away. The cops went around to other job sites in the area and asked if anyone had been by trying to sell tools. The contractor was honest and said he had just bought these tools for over $2000 from some guys shortly before. So luckily I was able to get every Festool back. Still a big loss of other tools. The cops warned me that the thieves told the contractor that they come across Festools all the time. So keep a close eye on your Festools. We work too hard to lose these valuable tools to thieves. 

 

[dfuller]

You're lucky, the cops where I live would never answer that call in a million years - I'm glad you got your stuff back

 

[Paul G]

You're lucky, the cops where I live would never answer that call in a million years - I'm glad you got your stuff back

Same here. My neighbors came home to find a window shot out, all the cops offered was to file a report on their online system.

Glad you got your tools back Nanod, hope they are all still in good shape.

 

[Stephen B]

[size=14pt]

Based on your report Nanod of the statement by the other contractor, I would suggest there is two scums here in this robbery, the thieves and the other contractor who 'purchased' the tools knowing they were stollen.

 

[Paul G]

[size=14pt]

Based on your report Nanod of the statement by the other contractor, I would suggest there is two scums here in this robbery, the thieves and the other contractor who 'purchased' the tools knowing they were stollen.

Did you miss this part?: "The contractor was honest and said he had just bought these tools for over $2000 from some guys shortly before."

 

[wrightwoodwork]

If people didn't buy from these scum bags off the street their would be no need to steel as no market to sell on to. Yes he was honest when the cops come around

 

[AlexThePalex]

Did you miss this part?: "The contractor was honest and said he had just bought these tools for over $2000 from some guys shortly before."

If you pay $2000 for tools to some guys who show up randomly, you ought to know something's fishy. Guess the "honest" man didn't care.

Glad Nanod got all his Festools back. Here too, cops wouldn't even show up, you have to file an online report.

 

[Stephen B]

[size=14pt]

Based on your report Nanod of the statement by the other contractor, I would suggest there is two scums here in this robbery, the thieves and the other contractor who 'purchased' the tools knowing they were stollen.

Did you miss this part?: "The contractor was honest and said he had just bought these tools for over $2000 from some guys shortly before."

[size=14pt]
No Paul, I did not miss that part. He was buying tools from an unknown source,  AND I quote - ' . . . And he had just bought these tools . . . from some guys shortley before'.

H E L L O!  The only tools sold on building sites from unknown persons are usually TOO HOT to handle!  [eek]

When our owner build was at frame stage we had four different white vans (interesting they were all white) come offering heavily discounted tools and white goods. And this in a non metro area. Must be very busy on new housing estates near big cities.  [smile]

Edit: Why would an honest person carry over $2000.00 in cash? Could this even be a robbery to order!?

 

[Paul G]

Edit: Why would an honest person carry over $2000.00 in cash? Could this even be a robbery to order!?

Obviously don't know how a lot of work gets done around here. Cash paid day laborers is very common, doesn't make a person a tool thief. Have had much more cash on me than that. Bought and sold cars, and many other things for cash, including tools, at garage sales, flea markets, auctions, pawn shops, Craig's List, etc. I guess that makes me a thief too.

 

[Stephen B]

Edit: Why would an honest person carry over $2000.00 in cash? Could this even be a robbery to order!?

Obviously don't know how a lot of work gets done around here. Cash paid day laborers is very common, doesn't make a person a tool thief. Have had much more cash on me than that. Bought and sold cars, and many other things for cash, including tools, at garage sales, flea markets, auctions, pawn shops, Craig's List, etc. I guess that makes me a thief too.

[size=14pt]
Glad to see the 'Black Economy' is alive and well in NA as well!  [smile]

 

[Brent Taylor]

I had a break-in to my truck, thankfully my son returned home and spooked them off. I now have to replace my door handle and a few hand tools. That is the reason I changed my address and don't list my tools. Over the years I have had tools stolen from job site ( even when I was only on the other side of a door ) and I had my shop lost in shipping. I know what a pain it can be dealing with insurance companies. I would have liked to have found out if there were other like minded woodworker in my area, we have only been in the panhandle for a few years, but with the scum that is out there not even the FOG is safe and with the internet so full of crooks, it's hard to weed out the good from the bad. I am sorry for your loss, you might want to get a job dog, at least for the fall and winter months. Brent

 

[sae]

Did you miss this part?: "The contractor was honest and said he had just bought these tools for over $2000 from some guys shortly before."

Doubtful that he was being honest. Sounds like he was just trying to avoid getting slapped with a felony receipt and possession of stolen property.

 

[Paul G]

Edit: Why would an honest person carry over $2000.00 in cash? Could this even be a robbery to order!?

Obviously don't know how a lot of work gets done around here. Cash paid day laborers is very common, doesn't make a person a tool thief. Have had much more cash on me than that. Bought and sold cars, and many other things for cash, including tools, at garage sales, flea markets, auctions, pawn shops, Craig's List, etc. I guess that makes me a thief too.

[size=14pt]
Glad to see the 'Black Economy' is alive and well in NA as well!  [smile]

Some people just don't like or accept other forms of payment, often that includes me.

 

[fin]

good one on getting tools back. ive had it a few times too. smashed the back window or drivers window. in the back and away with my stuff. bastards.

last time they got a dewalt drill. a hilti sds drill a stihl saw and they left scruffy dirty footprints all on the drivers chair to remind me theyd been in.

i always chase people that try to sell me stuff. often its gypsies trying to sell me makita drills that are obviously cheap chinese knockoffs or bosch profesional grade tools known as boschmann..... i kid you not.

its an awfull feeling like. and then you get some clever sod saying ohh.... why dont you empty your van and take every thing inside on a night time. then in the morning put everything back in the van before you go to work,......... ermmmmmm ok then... do you know how much stuff i got? do you know i did a 12 plus hour shift yesterday..... would you empty it out if it was your van???

 

[upscale]

Did you miss this part?: "The contractor was honest and said he had just bought these tools for over $2000 from some guys shortly before."

There wasn't any honesty there. This "honest" person knew that these tools would be recognized as the stolen tools and he would be charged with possession. He had no choice except to be "honest".

Looks good on him. I bet he was kicking himself for buying them. If anything, the lucky part of all this was that at least one cop responded to the theft complaint AND he knew the value of Festool.

 

[Paul G]

Did you miss this part?: "The contractor was honest and said he had just bought these tools for over $2000 from some guys shortly before."

There wasn't any honesty there. This "honest" person knew that these tools would be recognized as the stolen tools and he would be charged with possession. He had no choice except to be "honest".

Looks good on him. I bet he was kicking himself for buying them. If anything, the lucky part of all this was that at least one cop responded to the theft complaint AND he knew the value of Festool.

Regardless of what folks imagine his motives to be he's kicking himself, he's out $2,000 due to a poor decision.

 

[Sparktrician]

Did you miss this part?: "The contractor was honest and said he had just bought these tools for over $2000 from some guys shortly before."

There wasn't any honesty there. This "honest" person knew that these tools would be recognized as the stolen tools and he would be charged with possession. He had no choice except to be "honest".

Looks good on him. I bet he was kicking himself for buying them. If anything, the lucky part of all this was that at least one cop responded to the theft complaint AND he knew the value of Festool.

Regardless of what folks imagine his motives to be he's kicking himself, he's out $2,000 due to a poor decision.

If he's that bad at making sound decisions, perhaps the $2,000 penalty will help cure his thinking processes. 

[mad]

 

[upscale]

If he's that bad at making sound decisions, perhaps the $2,000 penalty will help cure his thinking processes.

I'm betting he didn't pay that much. Unlikely he'd be carrying that much cash in the first place. And, most anyone would figure the tools were stolen and bargain the price down to a lower amount.

 

[SS Teach]

Makes one wonder about the non-systainer, non plug-it tools for sale on various web sites.

 

[Kevin D.]

Or maybe that contractor who bought the tools for $2K never actually bought them and it was him or his crew who stole them and that was his BS story to save getting arrested.  [cool]