So much importance on nothing

[JarethsPet]

Story 1: This weekend we were told to pick up a vehicle nearby that was stolen from a bigger city. Car comes back to the shop and a few hours later the owner calls us.

Me: "It's quarter after 9. We close at 10. There are no drivers here to release your car. You'll have to call and talk to someone tomorrow about charges. "
Him: "I can be there in 45 mins"
Me: "Again there is no one here to release your car and we close at 10."
Him: "There shouldn't be any charges..."
Me: "Call back tomorrow and talk to a driver."

When he comes in the next day instead of phoning, he exclaims to everyone that he wants his car back and the Bigger City cops told him he could have it back WITHOUT HAVING TO PAY FOR THE CAR.

I called my boss who instantly started laughing and told me what rates to charge. The owner told me he would be back to pay.

Car arrived Saturday, owner came in Sunday, and today is Wednesday which our shop is closed. Guess who has yet to pick up his car that he desperately wanted back?

(clincher? The keys were in the car when we got it..this car was stolen with it's own set of keys)



Story 2: After picking up from an accident 4 days after christmas, the vehicle came back to our shop. An hour later the owner showed up in hospital gown, zebra print fuzzy blanket and her family. She demanded to be let into her vehicle to get the presents she had in there. I told her that I would get a driver to see if it was ok to go back to our lot which is hazardous. Before he had a chance to do anything, they were already in the back without permission trying to all get into this vehicle. Our policy is you can get out essentials (wallet, purse, medicine) but nothing else til the insurance company is notified and they talk to the manager.

The driver informed them they had to leave the lot they had no permission to be in and they chased him, yelling into the store. He pushed past me to get away and let me deal with it. I told them under no uncertain terms that they had to wait to speak to the manager. She argued with me that she wanted her things now and that she was telling my boss on both of us. TELLING ON THE BOTH OF US. exact words.

Turns out they had also tried to get into the private office next door as well to yell at my driver. Well anyway, long story short they showed up yesterday to get ......the carton of ciggs off the front seat. Not the presents or anything else. Just the carton.

Also, never said a word to my boss.

[sms001]

(clincher? The keys were in the car when we got it..this car was stolen with it's own set of keys)

As I'm sure you know, this is the kind of detail insurance companies LOVE to hear - should the guy become more of an SC.

[protege]

(clincher? The keys were in the car when we got it..this car was stolen with it's own set of keys)

My aunt had her car (a bright red Nissan 200SX) stolen that way. At the time, the car was mint, since she didn't use it all that often--she took the bus and subway (DC's Metro system) to work. Apparently, she had the car in for service one weekend, and since it was in great shape, the dealer had been bugging her to trade it in. Can't prove it, but we think that the dealer made an extra set of keys, and hired some kids to boost it. There was no glass on the ground, and no damage to the car's ignition switch or door locks. At least she got the car back--it was recovered after a minor traffic accident.

Back on topic, you'd be surprised at the number of people that leave the keys in the car or even the engine running when they go into a store for "just a minute." I see it every day at the convenience store around the corner from work. They all seem to think that nobody would steal their vehicle. Yet, it happens.

[Argabarga]

you'd be surprised at the number of people that leave the keys in the car or even the engine running when they go into a store for "just a minute." I see it every day at the convenience store around the corner from work. They all seem to think that nobody would steal their vehicle. Yet, it happens.

It astounds me too.

That truck-over-cliff I posted pictures of, guess how IT got stolen?

Fairly recently a family acquaintance sat down to tell a story, and it was how one day she went grocery shopping, and left her keys in her car when she went inside. And when she came back, it was stolen.

I kept waiting for the payout, but that was the story, someone stole her car because she left the keys in it, and could I believe it???

Like it was the first time in human history such a thing had EVER occurred

Is it surprising the lady in question isn't all that bright?

Luckily, they recovered the car, but by then, the thieves had already stolen everything of value from inside it (radio, some textbooks) too.

[protege]

I kept waiting for the payout, but that was the story, someone stole her car because she left the keys in it, and could I believe it???

...and then you have cars like my dad's beat-up '79 Volvo sedan. He usually left the keys in it *hoping* someone would steal it. Considering that vehicle had massive quantities of filler holding the rear fender together, it's no wonder nobody wanted it

[mathnerd]

My father's old truck was stolen with the keys, but, in his defense, the keys were taken during a home invasion. It was also shortly after a major hurricane and the power was out so the alarm system wasn't armed. Just an all around bad day for him.

[raudf]

...and then you have cars like my dad's beat-up '79 Volvo sedan. He usually left the keys in it *hoping* someone would steal it. Considering that vehicle had massive quantities of filler holding the rear fender together, it's no wonder nobody wanted it

As my dad said, "If you live or work in a bad neighbor hood, get what looks like a beater, but is really good mechanically. Then you can leave the keys in it and not have it stolen." Of course, he also said don't spend a lot on the stereo, because that's the other reason idiots break in.

I don't leave my keys in my car, unless my hubs is sitting in it. Even though my car does look like a beater

[EricKei]

As my dad said, "If you live or work in a bad neighbor hood, get what looks like a beater, but is really good mechanically. Then you can leave the keys in it and not have it stolen."

A friend' of my brother's used to have an old pickup truck that looked like it was in such bad shape that it might *poof* into dust if you blew on it too hard -- this was intentional. It also had a two thousand dollar stereo system in it, complete with a fake, decrepit faceplate that was applied any time he left the vehicle. Nobody ever even bothered to try and boost it.

(clincher? The keys were in the car when we got it..this car was stolen with it's own set of keys)

This is disturbingly common; people getting stuff stolen out of their UNLOCKED (in the middle of downtown) cars is a several-times-a-day occurrence, from what I've seen. (Used to gather mugshots for a newspaper)

[protege]

As my dad said, "If you live or work in a bad neighbor hood, get what looks like a beater, but is really good mechanically. Then you can leave the keys in it and not have it stolen."

Heh. My dad's Volvo really was a beater. 200K and a lack of basic repairs had not been kind to it. Not helping was the V6 engine's reputation for top-end oiling problems. Trying to power away from traffic lights usually resulted in a slow departure...and lots of blue smoke. No way someone would steal that thing

I don't leave my keys in my car, unless my hubs is sitting in it. Even though my car does look like a beater

I don't leave the keys in my car either. Even if I did, unless you can handle a five-speed, it's not going anywhere

[MoonCat]

I love that these morons had to get the cigs out of the car - why not just go buy some more?? It's not like they aren't going to use them even if they get the other carton out of the car!

[mathnerd]

I don't leave the keys in my car either. Even if I did, unless you can handle a five-speed, it's not going anywhere

This reminds me of my favorite "my car was almost stolen" story. (Sadly, there's more than one of those. I live in a high crime area.)

I was coming out of a store and noticed my car being moved...and not by me. I said to the random guy next to me "Holy Shit! Somebody's stealing my car!" Resigned, because even though I'm usually armed, my car simply isn't worth getting into a fire fight over, I pulled out my cell phone and started to call the cops. The would-be thief gets the car mostly out of the spot then bails out. The other guy tackled him and cuffed him. Turns out he was an off-duty cop. When the on-duty cops arrived, they asked the guy why he would go through all that trouble just to abandon the car. The dude's response "I can't drive a stick shift".

Yeah, couldn't you have figured out that it was a stick BEFORE you busted out my window, asswipe?

[MadMike]

My dad used to leave his keys in the car all the time, but then he lives in a small town where nothing ever happens. Still, it used to make me just a little bit uneasy when I'd ask to borrow his car, and he'd tell me, "Sure! They keys are in it!"

Luckily, the worst thing that ever happened to him was that one of his buddies filled the car's interior with empty beer cans while my dad was away. My dad isn't without a sense of humor, and can appreciate a good prank, but that time he was PISSED! I forgot how many trash bags he said he filled, and the worst part is that there's usually a small amount of liquid left in an empty can, and it took forever to get that smell out of the car.

[bainsidhe]

We live in a city with quite a bit of crime. It surprises me how many people leave cell phones, money, GPS's, etc on the front seat in plain view. At least pretend to hide it under a jacket or something.

[Mriswith]

A friend of my uncle accidentally made his car nearly impossible to steal. I can't remember why he was rewiring the steering column, but I do remember that he swapped the starter wire with the horn wire. Now to start the car you have to turn the key on and honk the horn. If you turn the key all the way to start you are actually honking the horn. It's a cheap-but-effective car alarm.

[EricKei]

My dad used to leave his keys in the car all the time, but then he lives in a small town where nothing ever happens. Still, it used to make me just a little bit uneasy when I'd ask to borrow his car, and he'd tell me, "Sure! They keys are in it!"

My Mom used to do that. Freaked me the hell out At the time, tho, she lived in a small house on the side of a small mountain, fifteen minutes awey from anywhere -- and "anywhere" was a town of five thousand people, where literally everyone knows your name after a few months.