Visit our Popular Forums

pmclemore · 01-03-2008, 04:53 PM

I'm so happy you got your TV back in relatively short order (but an eternity in any case).

Karma in helplessness.

Pat

FreshAir · 01-03-2008, 04:59 PM

So glad that your truck was recovered. Hopefully that will be good karma for you.......as did to me ala my earlier post.
Neil.

Mikethefixit · 01-03-2008, 05:50 PM

Dreamweaver
No leave unlock, no key in Igniton .Of course U know thats an automatic cancel on your insurance. So Glad U got it back with minamual damage. We work so hard for what we have and it gaulds me when people steal from not only me but anyone. BEST of Luck to U in the comming year
Roger

LJH · 01-03-2008, 06:00 PM

yahoo!

Jim Foster · 01-03-2008, 06:08 PM

So glad you got your truck back, and in pretty good condition.

We had a car stolen in Fresno, Ca a number of years ago and it was recovered the next morning, sans tires and stereo.

Ganglin · 01-04-2008, 06:21 AM

Maybe think about installing one of these..?

GPS Tracking Systems | GPS Fleet Auto Tracker Systems by Rocky Mountain Tracking

**moosetags** · 01-04-2008, 06:46 AM

I would like to know about where you parked also. Figuring that I can use the excercise, I have been parking at Wal-Mart way out by the road.

safari57 · 01-04-2008, 09:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ganglin

Maybe think about installing one of these..?

GPS Tracking Systems | GPS Fleet Auto Tracker Systems by Rocky Mountain Tracking

Gary

I've got a buddy who has the Hemi-cuda he bought brand new in 1970 tucked away in his garage. The last time it was driven was when his wife took it to work to show people she worked with and some dude followed her home and was very aggressive about seeing the car. They put it away and have not had it out since (1979) although now that he's retiring this year he intends to "play" with it now and then. Anyway, a couple of years ago his insurance agency determined that they would no longer insure the car unless he put a GPS tracking device on it, which he has done, as well as a couple of other neat cars he's acquired over the years. By doing so his insurance costs actually went down enough to cover about 50% of the annual GPS fee and his own piece of mind went way up so a win-win.

I've been thinking of doing this with my collector cars and the Airstream as well so appreciate the information you provided very much.

Thanks,
Barry

DreamWeaver · 01-04-2008, 03:28 PM

Insurance adjustor came out today. I am again impressed with Progressive Insurance Company. Everything I wanted done will be covered and they are going to detail the truck inside and out. Their recommended repair shop was the local dealer; also my preferred shop. Truck should be ready next week.

Police and insurance rep claim the pattern they are seeing is that these theives simply use stolen vehicles to either joy ride, party, or commit other crimes. They usually use the vehicle until it runs out of gas and then abandon it. Insurance rep handles 3 to 4 claims a day in Pinellas County, and there are three reps that only handle stolen vehicles.

Interestingly enough, the St Petersburg Police will give away a free Club to prevent theft to Dodge/Chrysler owners. I guess these models are easy prey.

Thanks to the many responses and views to this thread. Its nice to know that all of you care enough to take the time to respond...even though I have never met any of you in person yet.

Regards

Steve

overlander63 · 01-04-2008, 04:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DreamWeaver

Interestingly enough, the St Petersburg Police will give away a free Club to prevent theft to Dodge/Chrysler owners. I guess these models are easy prey.

Thanks to the many responses and views to this thread. Its nice to know that all of you care enough to take the time to respond...even though I have never met any of you in person yet.

Regards

Steve

Steve, if you haven't already, take the police up on their offer of a Club. Also, at 2 minutes the thieves were taking their time, they can be gotten in 90 seconds with no sweat.
Now that you've found out about it, I was beaten and robbed less than a mile from that Wal-Mart. It was the only fight I've ever lost, they whacked me from behind with a bat.

Cracker · 01-04-2008, 04:58 PM

For the record - this particular Wal*Mart is located in one of the higher crime areas in St. Petersburg, Florida (Pinellas County) unless the statistics have changed dramatically in the past three years! I wish that there was some way we could get a capsule presentation of the places we plan to visit as to crime rates. It might not help much but I, for one, would be a lot more cautious if I knew I was in a questionable area. This is one Wal*Mart that I would never stay at overnight! I don't even know if they allow overnight parking - but with the possibility of not being able to get into Ft. DeSota, some might consider it as an alternative - and that would be a bad idea!

SilverRanger · 01-04-2008, 05:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cracker

...I wish that there was some way we could get a capsule presentation of the places we plan to visit as to crime rates. It might not help much but I, for one, would be a lot more cautious if I knew I was in a questionable area. ...

I haven't had a chance to really check this site out, but it may be of some value. We had something similar to this in Delaware, but was much more detailed and only available to law enforcement personnel.

Crime Tracker - from TBO.com

DreamWeaver · 01-04-2008, 06:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SilverRanger

I haven't had a chance to really check this site out, but it may be of some value. We had something similar to this in Delaware, but was much more detailed and only available to law enforcement personnel.

Crime Tracker - from TBO.com

Seems like this site only has data up to 2006.

DreamWeaver · 01-04-2008, 06:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cracker

This is one Wal*Mart that I would never stay at overnight! I don't even know if they allow overnight parking - but with the possibility of not being able to get into Ft. DeSota, some might consider it as an alternative - and that would be a bad idea!

This Wal Mart is IMO no more dangerous than any Wal Mart that I have stayed at from Jackson Center, Ohio (Interstate 75) to Tampa Bay, FL.

I have lived here for more than 15 years and have seen many things in this city (including racial riots years ago).

I in no means wanted to portray this as a bad place to visit; as I feel that Ft Desoto and the surrounding areas are some of the best that FL has to offer.

There were 3 or 4 SOBs parked in the lot when the theft happened. At least 2 of them had their doors open at the time.

I was working at the time and simply stopped by to pick up a cover for my cell phone.

The bottom line is that this or any crime can happen anywhere. There are desperate people everywhere; and desperate people do desperate things.

Again, thank y'all for the interest in my misfortune. I'm thankful; it could have turned out much worse.

Steve

Cracker · 01-06-2008, 12:56 PM

Steve:

We'll have to agree to disagree - with several comments. I, by no means, meant to imply that Ft. DeSota itself is in a high crime area. I personally think that it is one of the greatest campgrounds in the U.S., St. Pete beach is a fun place, and the Skyway fishing piers are great. I wish that I could be there tommorrow. My comments are specifically addressed to the location of the subject Wal*Mart itself - and they are strictly based on my own observations and opinions. I would not hesitate to shop there and I'm surprised you had a problem but, again, I would be very cautious about overnighting in the parking lot - even if they allow it.

Big Dee · 01-06-2008, 01:13 PM

i didn't fare as well as steve. my beautiful TV, a sierra denali with quadra steer, was stolen early thanksgiving morning. it had a lot of stuff in it too like my laptop. it was never recovered.

allstate treated me well and didn't try to lowball me. so now i have a nice new truck (but alas, no quadra steer) with 5 years of payments. joy!

safari57 · 01-06-2008, 02:17 PM

Big Dee

Sorry to hear about your truck. It's always a real bummer when this stuff happens.

I heard on our news this morning that the Govt Insurance Corp of BC has issued a warning about the high rate of truck thefts. Most notably the newer Ford F series and Dodge trucks appear to be the ones most commonly stolen. They are urging owners to acquire and more importantly, to then use, the steering wheel Club and to make sure it's visible.

Barry

Big Dee · 01-06-2008, 02:31 PM

thanks barry. yea obviously it ruined my thanksgiving holiday. san jose has had a huge increase in its crime rate mostly due to auto thefts, something like 25% increase in auto theft. they are hiring like 20 more police officers just to work auto theft. one of those things you think "will never happen to me."