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Some dredge of society decided to destroy the driver side window in my almost new Scion xA and steal my bag with my laptop and tools in it. The worst part is I'm at 230 miles on this tank and just below the half mark, and was very excited about it. I could just feel my mileage flying out the window (no pun intended) as the air beat against me on the way home.

After calling my insurance though I found out I somehow have a $750 deductible! All dollars I do not have right now, of course. I am due out on a client's site tomorrow morning at 7:00 AM with screwdrivers in hand to move a hard drive around. It's shaping up to be a wonderful night. I need a drink, I don't remember a day this bad in a long time. Every shop that would sell my screwdrivers is closed, making it even better really.

Oh, and after calling the minneapolis police I was told that I should go home and file a claim online, and that it's impossible to catch someone who did that. Just perfect, glad my tax dollars are out there working for such fine law enforcement officials.

Sorry to whine folks, I'm just incredibly disheartened, and very much overwhelmed.

Cory

Totally understandable. Someone swiped a radio out of my car. I knew the police would tell me exactly what they told you.

You go and report the crime and they put it in their books and do nothing about it and when budget time comes around they say "look at all the crime we have to deal with, give us money for bigger raises."

I'm sorry to hear that, celsmore. The world is full of doodyheads.

That doesn't mean we give up on anything, though. Let's make a plan:

1) Get that window taped up tonight so that you don't catch cold on your morning drive. You can't afford to be sick right now.

2) Try to get a good night's sleep. It will pay off big time.

3) In the morning swing by somewhere to get yourself a good cup of coffee or tea, then swing by any store between your residence and the client's where you can pick up the tools you need.

4) Once you finish up with your client call your insurance company to find out how they want you to go about getting estimates.

5) When getting estimates arrange with the shops you talk to that they'll over-quote to get your deductible out of the way. I know, I know, some will call this dishonest, but if you show me an honest insurance company... I choose to level the playing field rather than be victimized by it.

6) Go with the shop that offers YOU the best deal, and get your ride back in shape.


You should be able to finish steps 5 and 6 over just a few days. I bet you won't even be ready for a fill-up yet by the time you're back in business. :Banane09:

Very sorry to hear about that celsmore. The inconvenience is bad enough even when it happens to a vehicle you don't care about, but it's 100 times worse if you care about it as much as you clearly care about your Scion xA.

This might help your spirits: I had an ancient Chevy C10 pickup and left work one day to discover that someone has smashed the passenger side window to steal a lousy aftermarket AM-only radio that some previous owner had mounted under the dash. It wasn't even locked (I never left anything of any value in it) because the lock on the driver's side didn't work and the passenger side door was jammed shut.

But there was a silver lining: in order to replace the window, the glass shop had to fix the door, and insurance paid for everything. So the net result was a plus: a working door!!!

Never understood why this old truck was so attractive: in previous separate incidents the battery had been stolen and the seat slit. The battery incident was particularly depressing. I had worked late so at 11pm I was unable to get home, which was about 25 miles away. The campus police (I work at a university) were remarkably unhelpful, so I phoned a co-worker who, bless him, agreed to drive me home. On the way home I found out that he never drove at night (he had recently arrived from India) and so had no idea what the high and low beams were. I was so afraid something terrible would happen to him on his way back to his place.

If someone damaged to my beloved Insight I would be as upset as you.

P.S. techni-tool.com is a great source for electronics tools. They sell Wiha screwdrivers, expensive but save time by not having to deal with stripped heads.

You go and report the crime and they put it in their books and do nothing about it and when budget time comes around they say "look at all the crime we have to deal with, give us money for bigger raises."Bottom line I'm so disenfranchised with police at this juncture it's ridiculous. At least in the suburbs they at least show up to take the report.

Bailout and Lightfoot, thanks for the kind words and the advise.

I haven't seen techni-tool before. I do a lot of laptop repairs, so in the past I've just taken to buying a dozen or so of the cheap sets and always keeping two in my bag, so I could just switch immediately when one wears out. Sadly, I was on my last two screwdriver sets when this happened, so I don't have any in my drawer at home.

I'm heading out to brave the elements, and head to work! Thank goodness for 40 degree mornings :)

Really sorry to hear about that, and I hope your belongings are made whole again soon. Having someone do that is one of the worst feelings possible, but you can't let it drag you down too much. BailOut has the right idea: make a plan, get yourself set back up again, and move on as soon as possible.

What a bummer!

Did you check both auto insurance and homeowner's? The latter will probably cover the stolen contents, and the deductible may be lower.

I'm really sorry to hear this . I also know the pain of people being stupid. Last year when I still I had my Mazda 626 some old guy hit my car and took off. My girlfriend's mother live in a retirement village and I was working on their computer when I heard a bang. I ran to the window and saw the guy drive away:eek: I was bare foot and the ground was icy and couldn't give chase. The cops took the report and nothing happened. I paid the 500 dollars deductible. Car was fixed and looking real good. Two weeks later while at the gym taking my Krav Maga class somebody hits my car in the same exact spot doing even more damage than the first accident My pressure went off the charts. I totally feel your pain. The only advise I can give is to stay calm and try to think positive. If you ever catch the guy/girl crazzy glue all their locks shut.

One month later I purchased my Scion XB and couldnt be happier.
I hope all works out.

celsmore, hope things turn around for you soon. Had a laptop stolen from my truck a few years ago - laptop less than 6 months old. The same model was no longer available, so I was "forced" to accept a new one with larger hard drive and faster CPU.

Watch out for that silver lining - it's there somewhere!

Bob

Heh, well turns out I have no deductible on glass! So that will be taken care of tomorrow.

The only downer is that my car policy doesn't cover stolen property unless it's part of the car. My renters insurance claim that they only cover stolen property if it happens at my residence. So I have a complaint filed with them, and hopefully if I scream loud enough I'll get it covered. I specifically requested coverage for theft from vehicle as well.

Oh well, at least my baby will be whole again soon :)

Good news on your glass!

Read the fine print of your renter's policy. I'm no insurance expert, but every renter's and homeowner's policy I've ever had covered theft of personal belongings from places other than just my residence. I've never had to ask for that coverage; it's been part of the standard policy.

Some examples: Many years ago I also had a car broken into, with a number of personal belongings stolen. All covered. A laptop I had stolen from a hotel room in Paris two years ago was covered.

I'm so sorry you had to go through this experience. :( Hope you managed to salvage your morning and are making progress on the to-do list.

Just wanted to pass along that I added computer coverage to our homeowner's policy when my daughter started college. It was extremely cheap, like $25 a year IIRC and it follows the computer/laptop wherever it goes, AND ALSO extends to anything that requires a computer interface including printer, external drives, and even things like her iPod and digital camera. I'm told that it covers "mysterious disappearance" as well since I was concerned about theft in her dorm. Just something you might want to look into in the future.