Package Theives

I just bought a new car (build thread coming soon) and it immediately broje down because my life sucks. It needs an ignition switch. I ordered one from rock auto for $90 I don't have and it arrived in time to be stolen off my front porch yesterday.

No video, no witnesses. What recourse do I have? is It even worth filing a police report?

The thing that pisses me off most is its an ignition switch and two spring isolators. It has no real value to anyone who doesn't have my car broken exactly the way mine is, you can't pawn them so they're probably already in a dumpster somewhere...

I figure I'll watch craigslist for the next couple days and if they turn up I'll contact the seller and beat him to death with a sackful of doorknobs.

Its rampant.  Even if you have a camera it needs to record the license plate to have a chance of catching the criminals. 

Side notes:  

1)  A new business opportunity for someone who can come up with a outdoor package receiving box with a one way door, can be bolted down to the concrete and robust enough to resist simple attacks by the opportunistic thieves.

2) I started having my packages delivered to where I work.   It works for me because we have a fairly small office area in front of our fabrication shop, I realize if you work at a large complex its not as viable.

AClockworkGarage said:

I just bought a new car (build thread coming soon) and it immediately broje down because my life sucks. It needs an ignition switch. I ordered one from rock auto for $90 I don't have and it arrived in time to be stolen off my front porch yesterday.

 

No video, no witnesses. What recourse do I have? is It even worth filing a police report?

The thing that pisses me off most is its an ignition switch and two spring isolators. It has no real value to anyone who doesn't have my car broken exactly the way mine is, you can't pawn them so they're probably already in a dumpster somewhere...

I figure I'll watch craigslist for the next couple days and if they turn up I'll contact the seller and beat him to death with a sackful of doorknobs.

Contact Rock Auto.   Tell them that tracking says the package was delivered but you can't find it.    Let them & UPS/FEDEX deal with it.  They'll send you another.

Yeah, file a claim with the sender and/or shipper.

I, too, have all my packages sent to work, including MY NEW GRM T-SHIRT BOUGHT ON CYBER MONDAY OR SOMETHING.  My mail box is 300' from the house, through the woods.  I've had USPS personnel rubber band packages to the mail box flag, UPS personnel leave boxes at the street, etc.  I gave up and just have it all come to work.  Worst problem I had with that was a mail-person that marked the package as delivered on a Saturday but left it in her truck.  Monday, tracking says delivered, no package and the upper receiver was too large to fit in the lock box.  I wait for Monday's mail.  No package.  Tuesday I start the claim process with Midway USA, BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE DEPT. EVAR, and they say, no problem, I'll get another one out to you this afternoon.  Then the mail comes and the mail lady leaves the upper.  She didn't work Mondays, so the upper was left in her truck as some other carrier worked the route and she delivered it Tuesday, despite having listed it as delivered on Monday.  Anyway, the take-away is have it sent to work.

Have it delivered to work, or have them hold at the terminal.

The 2nd one is definitely not convenient, but is it more or less convenient than having the package stolen and having to deal with that?

May not even have been stolen. I’ve had packages shown as “delivered” show up the next day or two. As far as I can tell it’s something to do with smart post where when FedEx hands it to the usps they say it’s delivered. Then the usps gets it to you and it’s really really delivered. 

Or someone stole it. 

This just happened to me last month, I did have cameras and know who did it. 

Anyways, this is what I did:

1. I called UPS and told them what happened, did not mention the camera as the thief left the envelope. They said since I was not their customer (I bought a case from Apple and they shipped it), I should call Apple and deal with them. Apple could in turn make a claim and get up to $100 back. 

2. I called Apple and told them what happened. They sent me a new case no questions asked. 

3. I then dealt with the clown that took it separately - owner of a roofing company that was redoing my roof. He drove a 2018 Silverado crew cab that is probably worth north of $50k and stole a $30 case for a phone that was not in the market yet. 

I would call Rock Auto and see if they can help you place a claim with the shipper. 

One thing to keep in mind- there has been an epidemic of "delivered" packages. Ot being delivered. A lot of pressure is being put on package delivery services- and at least in the case of the USPS, they've been busted fudging deliveries to make quota. 

It was a fed ex package.

In reply to Slippery :

Did you call John Law?  I would have...after the SOB finished my roof.   

I had the exact opposite happen last week. Ordered  a part from FCP Euro. Received the package and then two days later got the email saying my package had been shipped.

jharry3 said:

Its rampant.  Even if you have a camera it needs to record the license plate to have a chance of catching the criminals. 

First thing to try is a large sign on your porch that says: 

"Smile! You're on camera (and so is your car) - have a nice day."

There are 11 cameras covering my house, shop and yard.  6 are hardwired and record to a DVR with in my closet, 5 are Cloud based and record to off site storage. Both systems have battery backup to keep things running if we lose power. Some of the cameras are blatantly mounted in plain site, others are less noticeable. There is signage requesting visitors to smile for the cameras. 

My guess is the crooks are going to shop elsewhere. 

AClockworkGarage said:

It was a fed ex package.

Sometimes those are delivered by USPS for the "last mile," if it's FedEx smartpost.

spitfirebill said:

In reply to Slippery :

Did you call John Law?  I would have...after the SOB finished my roof.   

Dude, I would've deducted $500 from my payment and said, "charge for stolen package per attached photo." and attach a color print of his theft.

Do it.

Everybody wants to ship to my PO box even when I don't want it too....

dculberson said:

spitfirebill said:

In reply to Slippery :

Did you call John Law?  I would have...after the SOB finished my roof.   

Dude, I would've deducted $500 from my payment and said, "charge for stolen package per attached photo." and attach a color print of his theft.

I might even be tempted to say, "Thanks for the free roof! Or would you prefer the community to know you're a thief?"

Although, that might be able to be considered blackmail/extortion I guess.

Ed Higginbotham said:

Do it.

that guy lives like 3 streets away from me.

Ton of that going on in my parents neighborhood right now. I made a habit of having stuff shipped to my work years ago due to the area I lived in

My mail carrier started scanning 2 day prime packages as delivered when they just drive by and leave them in the truck for a couple days.  My postmaster doesn’t care.  

I’d definitely call rock auto customer service right away

Theives will be theives. Even if they are your neighbors. It is just now the opportunity to swipe a valuable package from a porch is more frequently available. If 1 % of all deliveries were stolen regardless of year and we now purchase 200 times more things to be delivered relative to 20 years ago the 1% is now more noticeable!

As many have said just ask Rock Auto to send you another one. 

Had my O2 sensors from RA left outside my apt door today by FedEx but I have a retired gentleman downstairs pootering about and the box was small enough to be out of view from the front door.  So in my first month I've not worried.  Plus it's a four unit building high up off the street on a surprisingly quiet cut from the main notorious drag.  Although there goes the 'Nash Bridges' sirens a blarin' past my window as I type. 

Slippery said:

3. I then dealt with the clown that took it separately - owner of a roofing company that was redoing my roof. He drove a 2018 Silverado crew cab that is probably worth north of $50k and stole a $30 case for a phone that was not in the market yet.

Textbook kleptomaniac.

I am glad I live where I do. I've never had to deal with package thieves.