posted
Okay, so let me preface the following message with this statement: I do NOT want to hear any type of "I told you so" or "Serves you right" comments in light of the information I will provide.
Yes, I know many of you have stated this would happen. I won't deny that. Hell, even *I* knew it was going to happen! It was just a matter of time. And I'm fine with it, now. I just wanted to share the pictures with the world....
That link shows what is left of my car stereo. A few weeks ago, some amateur hoodlums broke into my car and took my stuff. It was bound to happen, I'm not horriby surprised.
I am, however, irritated. And what irritates me about this, you may wonder? Not the loss of the stereo. I mean, that sucks, and I miss my gear, but no. That's not the irriating part. What irritates me is the fact that my gear was taken by people who didn't even know what they were DOING, and were very careless. Looking at the mess they made of my car, and how badly they broke things, there's no WAY that gear came out in good shape. So really, they pretty much stole my shit and most likely f*cked it up in the process. THAT is irritating. If you're going to steal a stereo, at least have enough respect for the equipment to do it well.
And the insurance stuff is nonsense. I mean, seriusly... the insurance companies RUSH to tkae your money, but they sure do drag their feet when it comes time to pay it back.
And they put me under fraud review.
FRAUD REVIEW!
And I understand why, to an extent.... I mean, it's a total of about $6K in loss and damage, so I can see why they want to check everything. But what got to me is the fact that I was told "We are investigating you because it is highly abnormal for a 23 year old girl to claim such substantial stereo loss." Highly abnormal? Maybe. But, as I pointed out to them, it's ALSO highly abnormal for a 23 year old girl to pay an extra $40 a month for coverage JUST FOR HER STEREO, but I do and have for almost 2 years. Furthermore, it's highly abnormal for a 23 year old girl to have all of the boxes and reciepts for such a large amount of stereo equipment, but I do. And I have pictures, SOOOOO many pictures, all of which have been provided to the insurance company. And every employee at every stereo shop in town knows me by NAME. All highly abnormal, yet true.
But I'm obviously making my stereo and it's ensuing loss up.
They implied that maybe I took my stereo. Hello? I mean, I'm sure it's been done in the past, but as I told them, if I was going to take my shit, I would have done a better job. And I wouldn't have busted out a window when it's lower than 40 degrees outside. Hello, that's what a coat hanger is for! And if I'd taken my own stuff just to get a "better" system, odds are good that I wouldn't have FLIPPED out on my adjuster when she told me I was going to get "comparable equipment."
I hate that term. Comparable equipment? Nothing compares to your first set of Phoenix Gold amps. NOTHING. Especially when the ones you had are discontinued and CANNOT be replaced. Comparable, my ass.
So there's that. It's cool though... I'm a lot calmer about it than I expected to be. I'm just mostly irritated about the insurance BS and them dragging this out. Being without music sucks. But in the grand scheme of things, it's not that bad. It's just a stereo, not a life altering catastrophe!
So there's that... my vent for the day... hope you enjoyed!
Registered: Mar 1999
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posted
Yes insurance companies are evil. My car's passenger side is all fucked up from someone side swiping it leaving two long scratches across both doors. It's painful for me to look at my 04 car with that kind of damage. I could take it to a body shop and see if my insurance will pay for the damage, but I'm afraid that the insurance company would only raise my rates even more. Which is bullshit, I might as well put it to use without having to start paying them more afterwards.
I'm not a huge car audio freak like you, my pal Thompson is though. He bought a $3000 audio system for his Focus. All I have is a Pioneer CD player and stock speakers. I have to worry more about repairing the side of my car before spending money on further modifications which for me is performance based. I'd rather spend money on a new GReddy exhaust system increasing horsepower than new speakers.
-------------------- I'm slightly annoyed at Hobbes' rather rude decision to be much more attractive than me though. That's just rude. - PsyLiam, Oct 27, 2005.
Registered: May 1999
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Snay! You suck! You haven't called me in a LONG TIME! Well... I guess I haven't called you either though, so that means I kinda suck, too, but that's okay, 'cause I've been told that most guys like that
Call me or I'll call you.... someday... when we're not both so busy........
Registered: Mar 1999
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"That's why I have a big picture of a shotgun taped to my window and the caption, 'Benelli: Culling the Herd.'"
So... what? Thieves are supposed to look at that and think "well, if there's a picture of a shotgun there, it must mean he's guarding the car with one at this very moment, so we'd better not break in"?
Registered: Mar 1999
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posted
To put things in perspective: about a year ago, someone stole a friend of the family's brand new Avalanche from a "secure employee parking lot". Along with an expensive Harley Davidson CB radio. And several $100 worth of Christmas presents.
Their new Avalanche has been fitted with a $2000 alarm system.
-------------------- I haul cardboard and cardboard accessories
Registered: Mar 1999
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posted
That really sucks, Liz, and you have my sympathies in dealing with the insurance companies. I wouldn't be surprised if part of their stalling is not so much a suspicion against you but not wanting to follow through on the claim.
My sister went through this a couple years ago. She had just gotten a new Civic, and her fianc� (who is a car audio/video installer) had just put in a new system. The car hadn't been back with them but one night before a couple kids kicked in a window and tried ripping everything out of it. They got some of the stuff before my now brother-in-law ran outside with a bat (mainly the dashboard components; they hadn't made it to the trunk yet). The kids had no idea what they were doing; the dashboard was completely ripped up from their prying and pulling.
The really unfortunate part was that the new car was going to have an alarm installed. However, that didn't get done the same day because my brother-in-law and his coworker spent all day on the stereo system and speakers. The alarm was going to be installed the following day.
They also went through hell with the insurance companies. Not a fun time for them.
-------------------- The philosopher's stone. Those who possess it are no longer bound by the laws of equivalent exchange in alchemy. They gain without sacrifice and create without equal exchange. We searched for it, and we found it.
Registered: Mar 1999
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-------------------- Justice inclines her scales so that wisdom comes at the price of suffering. -Aeschylus, Agamemnon
Registered: Aug 2002
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I had an alarm. They clipped the wires. It wasn't a very fancy alarm, I'll admit.
My new alarm is a bit better... and much more expensive... but Car Toys is knocking the price way down for me, and I'll have remote start now, so that's nice
Registered: Mar 1999
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See, that's the thing with car alarms: they're only effective if the thieves can't disable them, and they intend to take the whole car. I mean, they certainly don't get anyone's attention.
Registered: Mar 1999
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What the hell... I hope they catch the bastards.
-------------------- "It speaks to some basic human needs: that there is a tomorrow, it's not all going to be over with a big splash and a bomb, that the human race is improving, that we have things to be proud of as humans." -Gene Roddenberry about Star Trek
Registered: May 1999
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To paraphrase M.A.S.H. 'Goddamn, insurance companies' Sorry about your loss, the amount of info on the stuff you have should have been sufficient for the bastards. Insurance companies drive me nuts, you can be a model gougee for twenty years, make one claim and you somehow become a much higher risk, so they charge you more. My nephew recently bought a house and he went to get insurance. They wanted to charge him $2000 a year for house insurance, because get this, he was a first time house owner. Like he had never lived in a house before and he was going to drive it into a guardrail or something. He was too inexperienced to own a house. The filthy little theives. Who does the title refer to, the people who took your stuff or the insurance company?
-------------------- "and none of your usual boobery." M. Burns
Registered: Oct 2001
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![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif)
And if I'd taken my own stuff just to get a "better" system, odds are good that I wouldn't have FLIPPED out on my adjuster when she told me I was going to get "comparable equipment."![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
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