Entertainment For Lively Minds
The Bastards
Posted by Richie B on 12 June 2010 - 1:49am.
Just been burgled. Goodbye laptop, goodbye six months of work, goodbye 200 quid in cash. We were next door at the time. I blame the squirrels.
- More from Richie B.
- Login or register to post comments
-
My deepest sympathies
It's happened to us on a couple of occasions...
officer Dibble
More laid back than Nicolas Anelka. Still not here. Does anyone know whether I can claim for the mp3s?
Some tips
We came home to find loads of stuff missing and a hole in the back door about 5 years ago so I know how hard it is, it's upsetting me just to think about it now.
The police were quick to arrive and dealt with it very well I thought.
Two things we learnt:
1. Insurance companies will pay out if you keep insisting. The loss adjusters assigned to us eventually want to get the case closed, they seem to work on the principle that you need a settlement now and you'll take what's on offer. If that's not the case then keep badgering. We had some jewellery taken and they wanted to give us limited use vouchers in it's stead, (if we wanted cash they would knock 20% off) we eventually argued the toss and got the whole amount of the claim in cash (it would have been easier to have claimed 20% more in the first place - our initial honesty about what was taken didn't allow us any negotiating room).
Don't accept anything from them if it's not what you want. The laptop they wanted to send me didn't have a few features that were on the stolen one so I did a bit of research and told them which model fitted the bill, as they couldn't find a cheaper model that did the same thing I ended up with quite a swish new one.
2. People, and I mean lots of people, will tell you that once you've got your new stuff from the insurance company, the bastards that came yesterday will be back. Well that certainly isn't a given so don't worry about it.
On the MP3 front, I got our insurers to agree to pay for any new software if the installation code was lost on my stolen laptop. Fortunately I didn't need to get that clause to kick in but the principle was there and I don't see why MP3s are any different.
Repeat victimisation
No it's not a given, but it is a fact that a high proportion of burglary victims do suffer another break-in within six months. I've worked as a crime analyst, so I'm not basing this on anecdote.
It's not simply that you have replaced your valuables, it is also the fact that burglars are lazy and they now know the lay out of your property. Your immediate neighbours are also at higher risk, because adjoining houses tend to have similar layouts.
So do spend money on improved security measures. The police cut back on crime prevention officers a few years back, but your local council might have CPOs / security advisers under Crime Reduction Partnership arrangements (some do, but not all) who can advise you on the best target hardening measures.
Sympathies indeed, Richie.
I was burgled (or "burgularized" as the Americans insist on saying) about 3 years ago. The house was for sale and we had an open house one Sunday afternoon. A known local druggie came into the house and unlocked the spare bedroom window. She came back during the week and took every DVD, all my guitars all the power tools, a couple of watches (the Rolex was fake, by the way. Cost a tenner in Kuala Lumpur) and a couple of expensive books. She even took the linen hamper which presumably was used to ferry her haul out to her truck.
The police said she took things that she could easily convert into cash to buy drugs. Fair play to them though - they got all my guitars back and they caught the thief.
I know it's not much consolation for the lost work and the lost mp3s, but hopefully the insurance will cover it.
well we're not dealing with Moriarty here either
But I've just had a massive row with the missus too. Will be posting from my Blackberry for the forseeable.The morons left my wallet but took her purse. Like that is my fault. Police have been. Time for bed methinks thanks for the support folks.
The Swine...
Happened to me in the last 12 months. You can get anything from itunes back if you give them a call. They can also freeze your account.
That's bad news
You need to check all your online info: depending on your password security, if they can get on to your laptop, and log on as you, they could be accessing your bank accounts, on here posting as you, reading your emails, buying things on amazon, clearing out paypal etc.
Assume the worst there - get cracking on changing passwords.
It depends where you bought the mp3s - emusic let you re-download things you have bought.
You have my sympathy - it's a horrible feeling.
Their are some right little s*its knocking about.
So sorry to hear you've had the misfortune to encounter one of them.Hope you and your GLW are back on an even keel now.She probably just needed to vent.
Our neighbour here in NZ
interrupted two burglars the other day and gave them a Joe Pesci style kicking. The local cops "persuaded" the hapless thieves that it was definitely not in their best interests to press charges for assault.
I'm not too sure what to make of that but I'm pretty certain he won't be visited by them again.
It's an awful thing to happen to anyone. Amazingly in 25 years of living in a very iffy part of north London I was only burgled once and even then they only managed to get away with a broken CD player. I was more pissed off with the fact that it had a copy of Solid Air jammed in it than I was with the broken-in door.
Bastards indeed
Try not to let it ruin the weekend Richie.
I think they are all arseholes
but it is so prevalent because once again the punishment is so mild. It happened to me once but fortunately the burglars specifically targeted electrical goods so they only took my tv and video recorder which were easily replaced. They did something strange though that after the event i found amusing. They broke in through my kitchen window and in the back garden they set out 4 place settings using 4 plates, knives, forks, dessert spoons and cups/saucers!!
i don't to ebanking
It's my last concession to Luddism thank goodness. Now for a new front door...most of my mp3s were from Amazon so will check with them (password changed)
More info
By coincidence we had a chat about our contents insurance at the B Soc this morning and the current Nationwide policy covers iTunes downloads losses up to £1000. The cynic in me suggests that they've done a deal with iTunes and the artist won't benefit much by additional downloads. Hopefully your policy covers them as well.
The police will do bugger
The police will do bugger all, particularly if your car is broken into, however, if you get caught going a couple of miles over the speed limit you will be prosecuted with great relish. It is generally easier to enforce minor transgressions by the law abiding than chase down the real toe rags. We had our copper overflow pipe stolen from our boiler recently, the metal was probably worth about 3p but they caused over £100 of damage.
Not my experience at all
The local police (Leeds) have been prompt, efficient, sympathetic; and collared two out of the three burglars who've targeted my gaffe.
Flogging's not good enough for them
Hope they catch them.
The law should be that criminals are punished for their crime and be made to compensate for 100% of your losses/damages financially. The naysayers will say that such criminals have no funds/assets but I say this debt should remain with them until they do, in much the same way as students who take out loans to fund their education have to pay off this debt when they are working. No free legal aid either.
Nah. Not tough enough.
The Mexican drug cartels have the right idea; find a disused mineshaft, preferably over 600 feet deep, toss the morons in there. Job done. Don't even need to waste ammunition.
When my flat was burgled (my 18th Birthday present from my parents; an acoustic guitar, and other precious things, in case you're interested) I fell asleep for weeks fantasising about the horrible things I would do to them if I ever found out who they were. I dreamed up scenes of horror that would make Tarantino tremble and blanche.
Try not to let it get to you Ritchie, it's unhealthy.
Take comfort in the thought that their lives are almost certainly meaningless and dull, and they will never amount to anything as long as they live, having already surrendered all dignity and grace by their scummy actions. Hopefully one day someone like me will catch them, and will do unto them ghastly things that will make them regret they ever drew breath.
I don't believe in God, but there are times in life when I feel very Old Testament.
An old friend of mine took matters into his own hands
at our local pub when we found ourselves in the company of the guttersnipe who'd turned his gaff over a couple of weeks previously.He got chatting to the arsehole and waited till it was the dickheads round.As the little shit had his grubby little hands full on his return to our table their was bugger all he could do when my mate stood up and felled him with his chair.Sweet.
My sympathies
It's happened 3 times to me. The all-consuming rage it induced in me every time was not a good feeling at all.
However, my experience of the police has been very positive - round within 10 minutes every time, even though the perps were long gone. And I had SOCO out at 11:30pm on a Sunday night once. And best of all, on two occasions they caught the scotes responsible.
The two CID gents who made the second collar were good enough to contact me with a very entertaining account of it too; which I thought was genuine "victim support".
soco have told me
That burglaries increase during the World Cup as people go out a lot apparently. I never knew how expensive doors are, jeez.Thanks all for your sage advice.
Richie
I feel for you, I really do. All crime hurts but the anonymity of the thief whose actions shatter your illusion of having a sanctuary causes a particularly bad sting. Hope you are at least reunited with your missus and your music.
I echo all the sympathies and anger
Expressed here on your behalf. That nice man Boo Hewerdine has just written something which might cheer you up...
Boo Hewerdine's Blog Thing: Day 98 - Ransom Note http://boohewerdinesblogthing.blogspot.com
So sorry to hear this
How very rubbish.
Lots of sympathy to you and Mrs B