Truck Broken Into

[Kevin D.]

Sorry to hear of your break-in.  I've been robbed, and it sucks!  [sad]

Good luck dealing with the insurance company.  The way some of them are, it can feel like you've been violated a second time. [mad]

And watch out for second helpings.  Some thieves will target the same victim a second time knowing that all the stuff has just been recently replaced.  Don't leave your security the way it is.  A second theft and your insurance company may dump you like a hot potato after paying out the second claim, or raise your premiums to the moon.

An interesting aside related to someone mentioning GPS trackers.  A friend of mine was telling me how he had a couple of work buddies who bought a couple of gas fireplaces real cheap that "fell off a truck".  One of them went and installed it, and shortly thereafter had the cops knocking on his door.  Apparently, they have trackers in those likely if they were scooped off of construction sites I assume.  The two had to cough up who they bought it off of, and relinquish their fireplaces, but did not face any charges, although I think myself they should have.

 

[mastercabman]

I've had my trucks broken into so many times over the years I lost count a long time ago. Looked into a policy and it cost about the same as replacing the tools. Tool replacement from loss averaged about $2000 annually when I was on jobsites full time. No idea what a policy would cost now. Since I spend very little time on urban jobsites these days it isn't a big issue anymore for me. I don't leave squat in my truck though either. Load and unload religiously.
Sorry to hear about your loss. I know the feeling all too well.

Is that insurance premium? Or tools replacement?

 

[Holzhacker]

Tool replacement

 

[mastercabman]

Tool replacement

I was going say WOW! That's a lot of money for insurance!
I'm always careful with my tools.I park as far as i can go on my driveway and i have installed motion detection lights.
When the lights comes on,my dogs goes crazy and barks really loud.How's that for an alarm!
A few years back,before the dogs and lights,i had my truck broke into,but did not take much.My trailer got hit too.But at the time i was not using it and there was nothing of value in it.

 

[Sparktrician]

When you buy insurance, be sure that you understand the difference between "replacement cost" and "actual cash value".  It will make a difference on your premiums.  Many people buy "actual cash value" assuming that it means what it will cost to buy the same thing again, but it's really a depreciated value that saves the insurance company money and costs the consumer more after the loss.  Be sure to ask for "replacement cost" insurance which covers everything, and not a depreciated value. 

[smile]

 

[mastercabman]

When you buy insurance, be sure that you understand the difference between "replacement cost" and "actual cash value".  It will make a difference on your premiums.  Many people buy "actual cash value" assuming that it means what it will cost to buy the same thing again, but it's really a depreciated value that saves the insurance company money and costs the consumer more after the loss.  Be sure to ask for "replacement cost" insurance which covers everything, and not a depreciated value. 

[smile]

I do understand it,but if i loose everything,i still get $10,000 to go get what i need.

 

[GPowers]

I do understand it,but if i loose everything,i still get $10,000 to go get what i need.

You must replace with a similar tool if the exact model is not available.  You can not have a drill stolen and replace it with a router.

My insurance required a list of every thing that was stolen, with the model number,  make,  estimated purchase price, date of purchase and estimated replacement cost.  Then they  write a check for the depreciated  cash value. At that point you have up to 12 months to buy the replacement and turn in the receipt to get the difference between the insurance cash value and the value on the receipt.

I went out and made sure the estimated replacement amount was the exact price of the item on the shelf at the store or on-line retailer that i was going to buy. Also made sure the retailer had a good return policy so I could adjust my purchases after I got the full replacment value from the insurance. 

 

[Sean7a]

That's totally sad, and maddening...

I had my house cleaned out during a 2-week business trip a few years ago.

I didn't even have a phone to call the Police and this was before cell phones were smaller than a bread box. It is a horrible feeling but in the end, you will realize that it is just stuff and they were likely just punks.

My condolences,

Tom

GreenMonster, so sorry to hear.  It's a crushing feeling - very sobering.

Tom, I had my house broken into last November.  Turned my room upside down.  Took about $80 worth of change that was sitting on my dresser and not a cent more of anything else.  They destroyed every room that they went into.

Things like this really make you take a step back.  It's just utterly shocking, the capacity that people have, to do some really terrible things.  It's amazing what sheltered lives (at least myself) we live when I consider how something as simple as a residential burglary makes me feel / effects me.  It truly is nothing in the scheme of things that occurs on a daily basis throughout the world.

 

[mastercabman]

I do understand it,but if i loose everything,i still get $10,000 to go get what i need.

You must replace with a similar tool if the exact model is not available.  You can not have a drill stolen and replace it with a router.

My insurance required a list of every thing that was stolen, with the model number,  make,  estimated purchase price, date of purchase and estimated replacement cost.  Then they  write a check for the depreciated  cash value. At that point you have up to 12 months to buy the replacement and turn in the receipt to get the difference between the insurance cash value and the value on the receipt.

I went out and made sure the estimated replacement amount was the exact price of the item on the shelf at the store or on-line retailer that i was going to buy. Also made sure the retailer had a good return policy so I could adjust my purchases after I got the full replacment value from the insurance. 

It must be very different in the west,because here they just need to know what it's going to cost to replace what you lost.
Insurance does not require any information of the tools.You do need to have a police report that shows what tools was stolen.
$10,000 worth of tools is what it is.doesn't matter if it buys me 3 tools or 20 tools it's $10,000.
How do they know what was in your truck?How do they know what you added since you got your policy?
It doesn't matter,it is what is going to cost to replace the tools.

 

[Kevin D.]

That's totally sad, and maddening...

I had my house cleaned out during a 2-week business trip a few years ago.

I didn't even have a phone to call the Police and this was before cell phones were smaller than a bread box. It is a horrible feeling but in the end, you will realize that it is just stuff and they were likely just punks.

My condolences,

Tom

GreenMonster, so sorry to hear.  It's a crushing feeling - very sobering.

Tom, I had my house broken into last November.  Turned my room upside down.  Took about $80 worth of change that was sitting on my dresser and not a cent more of anything else.  They destroyed every room that they went into.

Things like this really make you take a step back.  It's just utterly shocking, the capacity that people have, to do some really terrible things.  It's amazing what sheltered lives (at least myself) we live when I consider how something as simple as a residential burglary makes me feel / effects me.  It truly is nothing in the scheme of things that occurs on a daily basis throughout the world.

I still have the odd bad dream that I'm living where I was robbed 15 years ago and in my dream I'm either about to be robbed and I know it, or my doors are compromised and thieves are lurking waiting to rob me.  Don't laugh, I just had one a couple of weeks ago.  You wake up upset and think about it all day even if you did go back to sleep.

They used to give the death sentence if you stole a man's horse.  Nowadays the punishment for thievery/burglary is a slap on the wrist IF they ever get caught.  Curse all those criminals. [mad]  Hope they rot in hell.  [smile]

 

[peter halle]

I do understand it,but if i loose everything,i still get $10,000 to go get what i need.

You must replace with a similar tool if the exact model is not available.  You can not have a drill stolen and replace it with a router.

My insurance required a list of every thing that was stolen, with the model number,  make,  estimated purchase price, date of purchase and estimated replacement cost.  Then they  write a check for the depreciated  cash value. At that point you have up to 12 months to buy the replacement and turn in the receipt to get the difference between the insurance cash value and the value on the receipt.

I went out and made sure the estimated replacement amount was the exact price of the item on the shelf at the store or on-line retailer that i was going to buy. Also made sure the retailer had a good return policy so I could adjust my purchases after I got the full replacment value from the insurance. 

It must be very different in the west,because here they just need to know what it's going to cost to replace what you lost.
Insurance does not require any information of the tools.You do need to have a police report that shows what tools was stolen.
$10,000 worth of tools is what it is.doesn't matter if it buys me 3 tools or 20 tools it's $10,000.
How do they know what was in your truck?How do they know what you added since you got your policy?
It doesn't matter,it is what is going to cost to replace the tools.

I think that proof is the biggest issue.  Tool insurance is expensive because there is a lot of fraud.  Loan your buddy a tool and then claim that it is stolen kid of situation.

When I was investigating, the insurance premiums dropped tremendously if I supplied the brand, model number and serial number to the insurance company as part of applying for the policy. 

Peter

 

[JLB builders LLC]

I have an Insurance policy for my company and to add $10,000 tool replacement was $175 extra. This also covers my Work trailer if broken into or a tree falls on it. If I leave a tool on a job in a locked house and it is broken into and taken it is also covered. $175 a year is worth it and divided up into 4 payments with my policy is pretty much unnoticeable.  Sucks when assholes steal your tools.  [mad]

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

I don't know how much extra it cost me.

I know my 2 million dollar GL policy with all the extra's is like 850 a year. 

 

[Tinker]

A friend of mine in the excavating biz painted all of his tool handles Red.  A bunch got stolen, so he painted them all green.  They continued to disappear.  he finally painted every thing bright floresent pink.  End of problem
Tinker

 

[PeterK]

I use pink or purple tape or paint on my work tools and no one touches them! It works great.

 

[JLB builders LLC]

I don't know how much extra it cost me.

I know my 2 million dollar GL policy with all the extra's is like 850 a year. 

Sounds about right.

 

[mastercabman]

I don't know how much extra it cost me.

I know my 2 million dollar GL policy with all the extra's is like 850 a year. 

Same coverage,and i pay $635.00 a year.Including tools insurance.

 

[greenMonster]

So any suggestions on where to get a custom made brand...like the kind used on horses? (preferably electric/doesn't need to be stoked over a fire)
I want my name, email and tel#

Decided I might as well go the whole 9yards

 

[Alan m]

there is a company that makes a sort of ID code dot that is glued onto the tool etc( alpha dot maybe, something like that) they sell you a tube of pre mixed up epoxy with little balls with the unique code on them. that code is on file as belonging to you. its suposed to be fairly indistructable and hard to remove.

 

[greenMonster]

sounds interesting, got any more info?