This is England 2010

It's just another Thursday morning and as usual, Simon and the team arrived on site at the current project they are working on.However, on arrival, it turns out it's not just any other Thursday. The secured metal container (in a fully lit car park) was cut open last night with a significant welding tool and completely ransacked. Everything is gone apart from a pallet of cement and a couple of pairs of work boots. Every single tool that was being used daily as part of the routine work was loaded up (oh, and the ramps were taken too!) onto a truck and whisked away. Apart from the monetary side, the inconvenience is huge as anyone who has experienced this knows, so no mixer, generator etc etc to use = no work on site being done today = additional inconvenience.It's over 3 hours since the incident was reported and we're still waiting for the boys in blue to come and have a look.Check your insurance everyone - make sure you are up to date and adequately covered. How secure is your livelihood?

My workshop, along with 6 others on the same industrial estate, were broken i to about 3 weeks ago and cleared of everything. Insurance dont want to know as the doors were ot to the relevant quality???! About 6 grands worth taken from me but after talking to a coule of insurance companies over the last few weeks unless i have more than 10k worth of equipment im not going to bother. Insurance company were happy to tell me that if i ensured for instance 4k worth of equipment and it was purchased brand new and stolen the next day the most you would be paid out is 2.5k. Move this 3 years down the line and with insurers depreciation rates and the cost of your premiums you would have covered your replacements within 3 years without insurance.

My current feeling is to set up a direct debit in to an account ready for the next time this does/may happen.

p.s I know how you feel with the lack of interest from the boys in blue - sent one officer down to take a list of stolen gear 5 hours after reported gave us a crime reference number and dissapeared never to be heard from again :(

Replies

PRO

Phil Voice September 16, 2010 at 12:49pm

Oh no Jill.

This sort of thing appears to be becoming so frequent.

This happened to us several times and I know how distressing it is.

It's good advice to check insurance cover.
Jill Foxley September 16, 2010 at 3:54pm

Thank you for your kind comments. Our insurers now tell us that a strong, metal, securely padlocked shipping container is not a secured building so we are uninsured for this five figure loss. Be aware people!
Makes you wonder why you even bother to try and earn an honest living.
Thomas James September 16, 2010 at 4:45pm

So annoying and sad, especially when insurance companies take stances like that.
Jason Felstead September 16, 2010 at 4:55pm

Thats bad news, sorry to hear about that, i know how you feel, and its even worse when the insurance wont cough up, I had a wolf 150 chipper which was padlocked to the back of the wagon, i only had it a week and overnight they came along and cut through the lock and drove off with the chipper. id keep an eye out a see if anything pops up on evil bay
Jill Foxley September 16, 2010 at 5:53pm

Latest update is the Police may or may not come out in the next few days depending on their 'rest days' rota.
Am I alone in feeling disheartened and disenchanted with my daily endeavours, if any progression of my business can be whisked away with a welder and deemed so insignificant?
Jill Foxley September 16, 2010 at 6:45pm

Thanks, Gary. What hacks me off so much is it takes a good number of jobs to recoup the profit that was invested after all the fixed costs are paid for.
PS Note to self: Stop moaning, woman!
PPS Note to fellow juicers: Apologies for the rants today - I'm off for a hearty glass of red and will try to curb my annoyance overnight.
Simply Business September 17, 2010 at 9:30am

Hi Jill, sorry to hear this. Your comment about insurance is an important one.

The most made mistake about business insurance is that policy holders think they are covered for their work tools when they take out liability insurance. However, tool cover is an extra cover, not something that is included in every policy.

Example, if you want to cover your work tools for 2000 pounds and you're business is located in London, the cover would be around 100 pounds.

We've teamed up with Landscape Juice Network so don't hesitate to contact me if you're unsure about your cover.

Good luck with the whole matter and I hope you will be in business as soon as possible.

Jasper
Simply Business insurance
Ian Power September 17, 2010 at 10:39am

My workshop, along with 6 others on the same industrial estate, were broken i to about 3 weeks ago and cleared of everything. Insurance dont want to know as the doors were ot to the relevant quality???! About 6 grands worth taken from me but after talking to a coule of insurance companies over the last few weeks unless i have more than 10k worth of equipment im not going to bother. Insurance company were happy to tell me that if i ensured for instance 4k worth of equipment and it was purchased brand new and stolen the next day the most you would be paid out is 2.5k. Move this 3 years down the line and with insurers depreciation rates and the cost of your premiums you would have covered your replacements within 3 years without insurance.

My current feeling is to set up a direct debit in to an account ready for the next time this does/may happen.

p.s I know how you feel with the lack of interest from the boys in blue - sent one officer down to take a list of stolen gear 5 hours after reported gave us a crime reference number and dissapeared never to be heard from again :(
PRO

Geoffrey King September 17, 2010 at 5:52pm

Why not paint / etch onto said tools,

This spade (tool name) was stolen from Geoff's Gardening (your name).

We used this tactic in the builder's merchants, rather embarassing for culprit builder coming to the trade counter with stolen tape measures, etc.
PRO

Gary RK September 17, 2010 at 7:06pm

As mentioned in Mark's stolen item thread, suggest you add the items to Landscape Juice's Stolen Kit List...

http://www.landscapejuice.com/2010/02/garden-and-landscaping-equipm...

Might raise visibility and help show hotspots etc ....