An interesting story...

[crimson_menace]

So last week, I'd recieved my paycheck for working some wicked overtime for the pay period. I worked my normal 80 hours, for the 15 day period, plus a covered shift, and holiday pay for had working christmas.

Good times. So's I take my hard earned four digit paycheck to cash it at the wal-mart not too far from my work. And then I head out to Best Buy.
I'd been needing a laptop for some time now, so's I headed over to the computer side of the store to do some browsing, then it caught my eye:

It was an Acer Aspire 5520. A glorious little machine. A glossy black casing, with the silver Acer badge in the middle of it. It was decent, a gig of ram, 80 gigs of HDD space, a good video card, and processor, with wireless capabilities. A good find, for $800 out the door. I'd also purchased World of Warcraft, due to a buddy of mine getting me flat addicted to it.

So, I'd been enjoying this little peach, WoWing it up, and surfing the net endlessly (my first actual personal comp ever) for a week now, and I get a call from my roommate yesterday that changed my outlook on things for awhile.

"The apartment's been broken into, and your laptop, and half of my cd's were stolen," she said. Glorious. Just ****ing glorious. A week old laptop, down the drain, and I've yet to make the first payment on it.

I'm living with my girlfriend and roommate, and the place had only been vacant for a couple hours. Everthing was locked up, but I'm thinking they just picked the lock, not too hard. No windows broken, and the doorjam wasn't forced.

Ha. And to top it off, I called Best Buy today, to see if the plan I had purchased was to cover this, and the dude said it didn't...but the associate who sold me the thing said it did, but the corporate guy said the store dude 'rang it in wrong' ...weak.

So a little while ago today, I call the Apartment manager, to see if the Renter's insurance covered break in's and stolen property, and she said we didn't have any. "WTF?!?!?" I screamed in my head, when I realised what had happened on this level. Since I moved into this place, there had been a switch in the management here. Due to complaints from renters saying that the manager's duties hadn't been fulfilled, and such. Leading me to believe that she'd pocketed my insurance cash for the few months that'd she'd been managing here. Which isn't unrealistic, because the same thing's happened to other tenants here.

So, in a nutshell: my place gets broke into, and my laptop gets ripped off. Best Buy and the Apartment management refuse to pay for any of it, and I get screwed.

I did, however, file a police report, so if/when the bastard who stole it, decides to pawn it, I'll at least be able to get it back. If they pawn it.

It's a great life, isn't it folks?

 

[Turbo Lag]

Damn that must hurt Hope the police can catch this nuthead.

 

[Mark T]

Ha. And to top it off, I called Best Buy today, to see if the plan I had purchased was to cover this, and the dude said it didn't...but the associate who sold me the thing said it did, but the corporate guy said the store dude 'rang it in wrong' ...weak.

So a little while ago today, I call the Apartment manager, to see if the Renter's insurance covered break in's and stolen property, and she said we didn't have any. "WTF?!?!?" I screamed in my head, when I realised what had happened on this level. Since I moved into this place, there had been a switch in the management here. Due to complaints from renters saying that the manager's duties hadn't been fulfilled, and such. Leading me to believe that she'd pocketed my insurance cash for the few months that'd she'd been managing here. Which isn't unrealistic, because the same thing's happened to other tenants here.

First thing, if the guy who sold you the machine said it had insurance to cover theft, then that's what you should have. I would write to the store the manager and also get advice from trading standards.

Do you have an agreement (can be verbal or written) with the rental of your room? Check to see if there is any mention of contents insurance. If there is and you have paid a premium it is the responsibility of the new management company to make sure that insurance is still valid. If the previous management company took your insurance cash and run, then try and track them down.

 

[Loon]

That was the only thing they stole? Because of your PSN ID I assume you have a PS3 and it was still there? What about your girl's and room mate's stuff, was any of it gone?

Sounds suspicious.

 

[DustDriver]

i think your girlfriend has hidden the Laptop + the cd's she didn't listen to
to liberate you from that evil game called WoW 💡

i have a 1 year theft insurance on my laptop, so wouldn't really be a problem for me.

 

[zoxxy]

That was the only thing they stole? Because of your PSN ID I assume you have a PS3 and it was still there? What about your girl's and room mate's stuff, was any of it gone?

Sounds suspicious.

+1

 

[crimson_menace]

That was the only thing they stole? Because of your PSN ID I assume you have a PS3 and it was still there? What about your girl's and room mate's stuff, was any of it gone?

Sounds suspicious.

That's what I said. It was in the living room, sitting on the arm of the couch. Not five feet from a gamecube and a ps2 sitting on the floor in front of a 26" tv.And beside the couch it sat on, was this desktop i'm typing to you on.

They didn't even hit the bedrooms, where my ps3 is. It's like they knew exactly what they were looking for, but nobody (I think) has seen it.

The whole thing is just weird. :b

 

[GrumpEone]

It is good that you filed a police report, just in the case that the laptop is found as stolen property. But chances are the laptop will never make it to a pawn shop, probably it will just get sold on the street, for probably around $100.

If the Best Buy associate told you, that if it was stolen, it would be covered under the replacement plan, then you have a legitimate reason to complain to the Store GM. In addition, I would go above the store-level management and start contacting those in Corprorate. Because, if it not covered, then the salesperson lied to you, just to get the replacement plan sale. Also if that is the case, and you cause a big stink about it, persistantly contactacting higher and higher people within corporate, they will work something out with you, if for no other reason to keep you as a customer.

As for the old management running off with your insurance money, you have another legitimate complaint, and if you have proof that the money was paid, you should be able to at least get that back from the old management company (as long as the company still exists), or if the old management can provide proof that they did redirect the money to a insurance company, you should still be covered even though the rental is under different management. Also when management was transferred over, did you have to sign a new lease? If so your only recourse would be to track down the old management company.

All that said, the situation seems very suspicious. With no forced entry, it sounds like an inside job. How well do you know your roomates? I'm not saying they had something to do with it, but keep an eye on them, and any friends that they may bring over.

Also, you mentioned that they may have picked the lock, so I am assuming that you do not have a deadbolt on any entry doors, you should remedy that asap. But the whole thing seems fishy.

One more thing, get your own rental insurance, it is not expensive at all, and it's more reliable when you aren't going through your landlord/ rental management company.

Anyway, I hope things get better, and your stuff is either located, or replaced. Have some Good Luck (for a change).

 

[Sureboss]

That's what I said. It was in the living room, sitting on the arm of the couch. Not five feet from a gamecube and a ps2 sitting on the floor in front of a 26" tv.And beside the couch it sat on, was this desktop i'm typing to you on.

They didn't even hit the bedrooms, where my ps3 is. It's like they knew exactly what they were looking for, but nobody (I think) has seen it.

The whole thing is just weird. :b

Could you have been followed back? Wouldn't surprise me, that or the person was spooked by something/someone whilst in your flat.

Did you pay for the machine in cash or by card? If by card I take it America doesn't have the insurance for credit card sales we have?

 

[Keef]

That's what I said. It was in the living room, sitting on the arm of the couch. Not five feet from a gamecube and a ps2 sitting on the floor in front of a 26" tv.And beside the couch it sat on, was this desktop i'm typing to you on.

They didn't even hit the bedrooms, where my ps3 is. It's like they knew exactly what they were looking for, but nobody (I think) has seen it.

The whole thing is just weird. :b

A lot of break-ins are committed by people you know or people you interact with, and that know where you live. Possibly a person that's been to a party or something at your apartment? It's more likely it could have been somebody from your own neighborhood. They might have seen you leave and gone to see if you left the door unlocked and voila, they found what was in that big box that said "Acer" on it that they watched you bring home the other day. And nobody else thought anything of it because people are in and out of your place all time.

Maybe you could have some fun and sue your landlord!

Also, I don't think I've ever been in a person's house that didn't have at least a deadbolt lock, or one of those slidey ones. You can't pick those from the outside.

 

[Danoff]

Sounds like there are several issues here:

1) As others have said, if Best Buy sold you theft insurance, you'd damn well better get it back out of them - regardless of how they rang it up.

2) As others have said, if you paid for renter's insurance and they stole your rent money, you need to at least threaten to file a lawsuit.

3) If you don't have a deadbolt on your door, and you have complained to your apartment manager about the deadbolt and nothing has been done, you need to threaten to sue there as well... and they should cover your stolen property.

I believe it's against the law to rent to someone an apartment that doesn't have a deadbolt on the front door. I've rented apartments that didn't and installed one myself. But it's technically the landlord's responsibility to provide one. You may have to complain, but you should.

Edit:

[off topic]
4) If you have to make payments on the laptop in order to buy it. Don't buy it.
[/off topic]

 

[GrumpEone]

Also, I don't think I've ever been in a person's house that didn't have at least a deadbolt lock, or one of those slidey ones. You can't pick those from the outside.

Actually, you can pick a deadbolt from the outside, the majority of lower-end deadbolts have only 5 or 6 pins/ levers to align. Lockpicking tools are not all that expensive, and are relatively easy to improvise, as long as you understand how a deadbolt cylinder works.

But chances are, nobody picked the lock, or they would have taken everything of value. (by a professional thief)

Anyway, your pretty much going to have to threaten to sue everyone involved to get any results. But I would start with Best Buy, because they, most likely, have the biggest pockets.

 

[Danoff]

But I would start with Best Buy, because they, most likely, have the biggest pockets.

It's a dilemma, because it sounds like he might have the best case against whoever it was that stole his renter's insurance money.

Meh, just go after both of them.

 

[GrumpEone]

It's a dilemma, because it sounds like he might have the best case against whoever it was that stole his renter's insurance money.

Meh, just go after both of them.

I know from experience, that normally if you piss and moan enough, those large retailers normally bend, and possibly will replace the system, just to keep you as a customer. The key is to b_tch to the right people at corporate. Also I know for a fact, that Best Buy does a lousey job of training thier employees, except for management, all the (store level) associates are part-timers, and are not expected to stay that long. But they do have an extremely good discount.

But, due to there being no forced entry, the rental insurance company probably would fight tooth-and-nail not to cover it. After all, they are insurance companies.

Yeah, It looks like he should go after the old management co, the new management co, and Best Buy. And also keep an eye on his roomates.

 

[crimson_menace]

Thanks guys. I think I'll give Best Buy a call in the morning. I do have a deadbolt on the front door, and I doubt it could've been anyone with a key. I live with my girlfriend of nearly 8 years, so I know without a doubt it wasn't her. My other roomie has been a friend of the family for years, so again, not likely to have the cojones to rip it off.

There are a couple suspects, however, and they will be interrogated immediately, for they were seen leaving from my entrace area with something hidden under their jacket. (they're both quite fat, so them hiding something underneath a shirt is quite obvious)

though without prints, I can't prove they did it, so I'll just 'talk' to them, and see if they'll spill it. A shady bunch, and I'll be moving here shortly.

Thanks for your concern.

 

[Boundary Layer]

That really sucks, but it certainly sounds like it could have been worse. Hopefully one of those suspects mentioned turns out to be the culprit.

If not though, I wouldn't be at all surprised if it turned out to be a neighbour that took the stuff. This was the case with my girlfriend's sister just before Xmas - the tenant living a floor immediately above her broke in and took her jewelery, Social Distortion cd's, all her dvd's, three t-shirts, a pair of shoes, a frozen chicken, a computer monitor, $50, and a 26oz bottle of Crown Royal. Not unlike your situation, they left a lot of other valuables alone and all the gifts she had bought (an iPod among them), which at the time were still unwrapped. ...kind of odd.
Another neighbour saw the upstairs tenant entering the stair well (with t-shirts and the chicken of all things), so when my gf's sister started asking around the building the thief was identified. Knock on a few doors and see if anyone saw or heard anything - people are quick to dismiss things as normal unless you let them know that it might not be.


Also, just to get you a little more paranoid, check around your place for hidden cameras... there have been cases here of crooked landlords who would monitor apartments and then they (or a friend) would enter when no one was home, then take stolen goods to a storage unit to be sold a few months later. It's most likely not the case, but you mentioned that the previous landlords weren't the most scrupulous individuals, and the fact that there was no forced entry would make me at least a little suspicious.

 

[crimson_menace]

Thank you guys, so much for your input. I've been going over some of the possibilities with my girlfriend, and all of this makes good sense. Thank you all again. 👍