HAPPY NEW YEAR...not so much.

Got a call about 1100 this morning from the police that our rig had been broken into at the storage yard, along with several others. Went out there expecting to find the BH trashed, but fortunately, the physical damage is relatively minor. Only things missing are the two televisions. The crooks pried the outer door latch until it snapped, broke the door glass, cut the inner screen, and unlocked the deadbolt. They went through every cabinet they could open (no battery), but didn't "toss" the place. They ripped the large TV arm from the thin wall board it was mounted to, but left the Samsung receiver behind. Looks like they got frustrated with it. For some reason, the coffee maker and the table cloth that was on the dining table were on the ground outside. I was able to close out the door window by removing the inner frame, broken glass, and cutting a double sheet of acrylic to fit in. Left a note for any future banditos.

I've sent a fax and e-mail to my insurance agent with all of the details, along with filing an online claim with the parent company. Monday morning should be a major round of telephone tag.

Other than getting the TV's replaced, I can repair all of the damage myself. But since I found a pretty good leak at the hydraulic pump tray while I was out there (not associated with the incident), I might let the insurance and dealership deal with it.


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sorry to hear about this.. but at least no one was hurt and the damage can be repaired. So aggravating tho!!

Bummer John! I assume it wasn't a gated or secured facility? Let's see now, that was a 32" LED-LCD in the living room right? And a 26" in the bedroom? Not to mention all the HDMI cables. I hope the insurance co. does you good. Sorry to hear of this mess. I suppose it could have been worse but still a huge inconvenience.

Actually, Ray, it is a gated, security code entry facility. And surveillance cameras. Talked with the manager who was there taping visqueen on several other rigs. He said the camera didn't pick them up with enough resolution to be much help, but the cops had a copy or were going to get one of the tape. He also mentioned that the cops found a cache of electronics in the field near the place and were checking it for fingerprints, etc.

I'd go with the idea of a 32" and 26", but if they look at the spot in the bedroom, they'd arrest me for it. The 19" barely fit in there. But, I can see an upgrade of the living room TV in the future.

While I was out there, it looked like close to a dozen 5'ers and TT's got hit. Seemed like any one that had a glass window in the entry door got targeted. The Cameo across from us, with a solid door, was not touched.

Sorry to hear about it. At least they didn't destroy the door trying to get in. I keep mine in a secured fenced facility with limited access hours, cameras, lights, audible alarms and an onsite manager. In addition it's in a nice quiet rural area.....and they still have a problem once in awhile. I hate thieves! Like the sign, wonder if it will help...Good luck..Don

Sorry to see this, John. I'm pretty sure Southern MI Prison just outside of Jackson has a place for whomever did this. Let's hope they find there way down that way.

Thats a real bummer. Hope you had a good New Year otherwise. Hate thieves. Give em a good thump if you ever catch them.

Sorry about the bad luck. I had a similar incident in a secure facility about a year ago with my old SOB. I believe someone had master keys because only scattered units were hit. They took everything electrical and every thing not nailed down inside (about $3000 worth). Insurance was a pain, but after getting paid off we ended up with the new Elk Ridge. Nice upgrade from 17 year old Damon but that one was paid for. Hope the rest of the year goes better

Thieves just are just the lowest of low lifes. Even though your Heartland was not on your property you feel like you personally have been violated. Let's hope that your insurance will come through and make you whole. I have been fortunate to be able to have any RV we have owned to be at least parked on our property. Now our toy hauler is housed in an enclosed shop.

Get her fixed ASAP and get back to RVing.

Thanks for the sentiments, but after reading about past occurances on these forums, I kind of figured not if, but when. So, although P.O.'d, I'm not reaching for the Maalox over it. Probably 'cuz I was expecting to find the rig trashed and didn't.

My previous experience dealing with Foremost on an $1100 damage claim with the TT was pretty easy, so hopefully, this will be the same.

As for prison, etc., I kind of prefer the Saudi method of rehabilitating thieves. Cut off the right hand so they have to eat and wipe with the left.

So sorry to hear about this John. Like the others I hope insurance will not be a hassle and you'll be made whole.

Makes me want to go look at mine tomorrow. Although it's on the back of my property and under a large carport, and covered, doesn't mean they can't hit it.

I think you are spot on about using the Saudi method of dealing with thieves. We sure have a lot less of them if we did.

Sorry to hear this John and Lets Hope that THEY Don't Make it to Prison after being Captured

My local rv dealer here in Saskatoon insists that when you drop off your rig for service work that you remove your LCD tv's because they are the primary target of thieves. They then also recommend that you leave your outside door unlocked so that the thieves will not damage your door only to find that there is nothing inside. My wife had a real issue with leaving the trailer unlocked even if it was inside of a fenced dealership yard, but I was the one dropping it off so that is what I did. No problems. Other than the tv's there generally isn't a lot of things worth a whole bunch in a rig unless the thieves get ignorant and trash the place. Even inside the shop on a uninhabited farm yard where I store my rig now I lock the shop door but leave all doors unlocked so anyone can have a look-see if they want. Mind you taking out these tv's is a PITA, but better than the alternative.

Best of luck with your insurance claim John.

I noticed that many rigs in the yard at Ron Hoover's, here in the valley, had had their TV's removed when we did some viewing last year. They have a fairly substantial fence around their yard.

I was hedging on pulling the TV's out of the rig, but it looks like I hedged when I shoulda hauled. But leaving the doors unlocked in outside storage, regardless of the fence, is way too far out of my security comfort zone. It's not something I'm willing to do.

Sorry to hear about your misfortune. It is a sad statement of the scumb in our society these days. I like the Saudi justice idea a whole lot.

I really find it hard to comprehend the mind set (an oxymoron) of these slimeballs. I guess there is something to be said "you are a product of your environment"

On the brighter side I am a firm believer in karma. So it's just a matter of time . . . . .

Good luck on your upcoming dealings with the insurers, etc.

I would be tempted to leave it in the hands of them and the storage facility owners.

All the best. Stand sure.

Sorry to hear about your breakin. I had one earlier this year but had taken the TV out. They used a crowbar on the door and ripped it apart. Cost of replacing the door was $750, glad it was only the glass in yours. The dealer where I bought my Elkridge said that they had 2 TVs stolen during the day while they were open this summer.

gwalter said:

Sorry to hear about your breakin. I had one earlier this year but had taken the TV out. They used a crowbar on the door and ripped it apart. Cost of replacing the door was $750, glad it was only the glass in yours. The dealer where I bought my Elkridge said that they had 2 TVs stolen during the day while they were open this summer.

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Sort of belies the idea of removing the TV's at the end of each season, since they're probably illiterate (until they get access to a prison law library) and can't read the sign that they've been removed anyway.

Very sorry to hear about this, John. We got the same call last winter. Fortunately for us I had already taken the TV out. I don't believe in leaving electronics out in the winter so I got lucky. Also they didn 't harm the door - only broke the door's window and tore the screen. They also tore the cover a bit since it had an ADCO cover on it at the time. Because of the "limited" damage we ended up just paying for it ourselves instead of going through insurance. Nonetheless, the feeling of being violated was huge. Ours was also a fenced facility but they did not have security cameras at the time. They changed that after this incident for what it's worth. Good luck with the recovery.

Pete

Just to make myself feel better, I went out to the rig this morning and removed anything of any value to me. Stuff like my fishing gear, downrigger, auto-inflate life jackets, tools, 50A cord, and the two color printers we had out there. Individually, nothing of any great value, but to replace it all at once would be a major expense.

Earlier, I thought the Cameo (no door window) across from us was untouched. Wrong. They took out one of the rear windows on the opposite side. 5'ers, TT's, and a couple of Class C's. They hit them all, even the old relic next to us that hasn't moved in a millenia.

Only good thing is I was able to get the window closed off yesterday, while it was sunny, light breeze and low 50's. Today, it's overcast, 20F, and the wind is considerably stronger.

Speaking of windows, should anyone else need to replace one, the size to fit in the frame holders is 12 1/2" wide x 21 1/4" tall. The only thing holding the glass in place are some tiny plastic tabs of the frame and the two pieces of the frame screwed together sandwiching it. If you ever have to do it, alone like I did, Gorilla tape the outer frame to the door before you remove the screws. Otherwise, it can be a nightmare. Once I saw the outer frame move after pulling a couple of screws, I grabbed the tape.