Tuesday, March 25, 2014

It Was Bound to Happen

 

Last night was only the third time we’ve spent the night in a Wal Mart parking lot. We find them to be too noisy, bright, and not always in the best neighborhoods, but they can be a convenient stopover. We had a lot of errands to do in Salinas, CA yesterday, including shopping at Wal Mart, and it was late when we finished. So it was convenient to just stay there overnight.

We’ve carried bikes on a hitch rack on the back of our car during our five plus years of fulltiming and have always been concerned about them getting stolen, but we’ve been lucky so far. We have a couple of heavy duty locks but for some reason last night we got complacent and just had them locked together with one lock but didn’t put the second one around the hitch. When I got up this morning the bikes and lock were gone, plucked off the car which was sitting directly in front of the motorhome. We never heard a thing. Guess we shouldn’t have taken those sleeping pills.

Jim, former claims adjuster that he is, got right on the phone, filed a police report, called in a claim on our RV insurance, and went in to speak with Wal Mart security. We speculated that it was probably someone in security who works with the thieves to let them know when there’s an easy target parked in the lot. Hey, anything is possible!

With only a $50 deductible on personal property the financial hit isn’t so bad, but what bothers me most is just the fact that someone took something that wasn’t theirs to take. Is it too much to ask of people to behave nicely?

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So if you come across a black Specialized Rumor and a white Giant Anthem for cheap on Ebay, let us know.

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And what’s even more irritating is that we are now at Laguna Seca Recreation Area near Monterey, an area with miles of mountain bike trails we were looking forward to riding. In fact the famous Sea Otter Classic mountain and road bike event is held here, coming up in a couple weeks.

Ah, we should have stayed up on the hill with the million dollar view, but such is life….

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22 comments:

  1. What a sad state of affairs. And what a disappointment when you had plans to ride in such a gorgeous area, So sad that people can't be trusted.

    I've heard more than my share of Walmart attempted-theft-of-pick-up-truck stories. I've heard of the attempted thefts in San Antonio and Idaho (of all places).

    Good you have insurance coverage...but who wants to file a claim?

    Take care out there.

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  2. P.S. You might also check craigslist for the stolen bikes.

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  3. We are so sorry to read this post. We can't believe how little consideration people have for each other. We hope someone does see them for sale. It would be great to get justice.

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  4. This is horrible!! So sorry to hear about this. I'm sure there are great bike shops in Monterey...new bikes today!??? Aren't these new bikes that you just purchased before you went to Zion?

    I got a new bike when we arrived here in Cortez, FL and it is a Specialized. I love how light it is and I finally have a bike that really fits me. I can ride like the wind now. John can't get over what a changed bike rider I am.

    You are in such a beautiful area. I hope you are able to enjoy the visit. Keep us posted on the bikes.

    A tip we have discovered about Walmart stays...do a Google maps search for a Starbucks near by. Starbucks are only built in better neighborhoods. We have found that if there is a Starbucks near by, the Walmart has a whole different population. We learned this almost the hard way (long story).



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  5. Oh, that's a real shame. I'm not a Walmart parker either.

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  6. Nooooo!
    So sorry guys :((. You didn't say if you were going to replace them, you better!
    Boonie has a log chain around his bikes, plus they are inside his locked van. It could have been a crime of opportunity given the bikes were only locked together (something we do all the time), but all it takes is a good bolt cutters to cut the best of cable locks. I'm thinking if we ever get new bikes I'll go get a log chain, slip it inside a large hose to keep from scratching the bikes, and the biggest hardened lock I can find, and add to that a motion sensor that alerts my car horn if the bikes are disturbed in any way, and finally a large capacitor that gives electrifies the rest.
    What scum some people are.
    Box Canyon

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  7. A few years ago, a member of the Southeast LD group woke up in a WalMart parking lot to discover his fairly new CRV toad was gone!!
    The police recovered it abandoned a few days later.
    Bob said, lesson learned. Always have the toad connected to the RV before you turn in for the night.

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  8. What a complete bummer. I had my bike stolen from right outside our rig at an RV park (with gated security) a few years ago. Made me so disappointed. Just such a darn shame. Hope you get new bikes soon!

    Nina

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  9. Those were nice bikes and I'm sorry they are gone. It hurts me to read this. Here's hoping for a speedy replacement process. Many people in this world just suck.

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  10. So sorry for your loss. The feeling of violation is awful, I know. :(

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  11. Sorry.

    I hope you update this story, regarding insurance company behavior and the name of the company.

    When I last had "personal possession" coverage with my full-time RVer insurance, the coverage was not complete with possessions stored OUTSIDE the RV. There are good reasons for that of course. But then again, who stores their bicycles or portable generators INSIDE the RV?

    The same partial coverage applies to possessions stored INSIDE your tow vehicle (if you have a travel trailer.) That's because the tow vehicle is not the RV from the insurance company's point of view.

    Bottom line: it's worth looking into the details of your "personal possession" coverage, lest you live with a false sense of security. The same is true for "free" boondocking in casino or Walmart parking lots, with their mighty security cameras.

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    1. We will update on a new post. But I can tell you that the insurance company has already paid in full and we are quite pleased.

      Jim

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  12. What a bummer. I was so sorry to hear that. I always cringe when I have to overnight at Walmart. It might be cheap but in your case it sure wasn't. Let's just hope they catch them.

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  13. Sorry to hear about the bikes. We will certainly remember to lock the bikes everywhere. Really enjoyed your pictures and travels up the coast. We are not sure where we will hit the coast again, but it is now tempting to head over further south. Glad your insurance covered that much.

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  14. Oh no! This is terrible! We have overnighted at WalMart about 10 times, and I always felt so safe. Now I'll be extra vigilant if we ever do it again. What a bummer - so sorry.

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  15. What a bummer. Hopefully you can replace them quickly!

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  16. We dislike Walmart too for the same reasons you do - too light, too noisy - and now me thinks we just won't stay there any more. So sorry to hear this and at a time when you really wanted to use them. Theft always feels like such a violation. Your full timers insurance covered your bikes? Or your auto insurance?? We carry ours on the back of our car so I think I'd better look into this.

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  17. Forgot to ask, what kind of locks do you use that they were able to get the bikes apart?

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    1. Since the lock was missing, too, we assume they took both bikes locked together. At least they were nice enough to undo all the velcro straps and didn't damage the bike rack.

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  18. We are so sorry to hear about the theft of your bikes. It really feels like an invasion of your space when they take something almost under your nose. Glad the insurance came through right away.

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  19. My God..... I plattered on about my woes and look at what you have been going through.... Glad to hear that the insurance came through.... now on to new bikes and bigger badder locks. Don't let the turkeys get you down.

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  20. So sorry to hear about this theft.... I had pulled off the road in New Mexico once and my dogs disturbed my nap with their barking. Some drunk was trying to steal my bike seat! People!

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