Its very unfortunate that your detector was stolen . How did it get stolen ? An owner of any significant property item should have theyre drivers licence scribed with an electric scriber on the item . These electric scribers are cheap to buy and can ID your item.So if you went and bought your item back before you pay ,you phone the cops with your id on it you pay 0,and your on your way.
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I think I found my stolen Excalibur...
- Thread starter MHirschmann
- Start date
Win the bid - give negative feedback ; does anyone insure their detectors? Cameras can be insured; also - LoJack - you can LoJack almost anything that is electronic - I'm not sure how you would go about lojacking a MD, but I bet it can be done if there is any kind of memory stick/chip in the machine at all. Best of luck - I'm going to take photos of my MD's, including the Serial Numbers, any identifying marks that make my machines unique, and talk to my insurance man to find out what it will take to get them insured - at the prices of MD's, theft isn't a "small crime" anymore.
MHirschmann
Member
Well here is the end to the story. The detector was sold to someone new and its gone. All the police said was they are sorry that they couldn't help me more but they don't have the resources to track down every lost item in the west palm beach area. The seller has not denied one single time to me that he knows my item is stolen, nor has he denied anything that I have accused him of. It's amazing to me that people get away with crimes like this, in front of everybody's face, and nobody has the time/money/desire to do anything about it. Whatever, i have given up. I appreciate everyones input on here and I guess this is just how it goes sometimes. I will ask my insurance agent about insuring my machines going forward, but they did not cover them under homeowners. I am sure I can get a personal articles policy on them and I will let you know what I find out about that as it seems some of you are thinking about getting something like this as well. Thanks for your help and I wish I could have had good news for you on this one, but thats just the way the cookie crumbled this time. Maybe I will find something really cool soon that will make up for all this drama. HH -Marc
MHirschmann said:Well here is the end to the story. The detector was sold to someone new and its gone. All the police said was they are sorry that they couldn't help me more but they don't have the resources to track down every lost item in the west palm beach area. The seller has not denied one single time to me that he knows my item is stolen, nor has he denied anything that I have accused him of. It's amazing to me that people get away with crimes like this, in front of everybody's face, and nobody has the time/money/desire to do anything about it. Whatever, i have given up. I appreciate everyones input on here and I guess this is just how it goes sometimes. I will ask my insurance agent about insuring my machines going forward, but they did not cover them under homeowners. I am sure I can get a personal articles policy on them and I will let you know what I find out about that as it seems some of you are thinking about getting something like this as well. Thanks for your help and I wish I could have had good news for you on this one, but thats just the way the cookie crumbled this time. Maybe I will find something really cool soon that will make up for all this drama. HH -Marc
Marc, Maybe the person that bought it will at least let you know who the check was made out to, or if it was paid by PayPal I would think they would want to help you.
I know that it's too late now, but if you had won the bid for the excal, Ebay would have provided you the sellers contact information. That includes the sellers name and address. At that point you would of had real information to take to the police. There is no way I would I have paid for the detector after winning. Winning was only to obtain the sellers information
Marc, I insure my photo equipment - not a professional, but I have professional equipment, and it's not cheap to replace it - my insurance is for "replacement value" because some of the lenses aren't made anymore - or if they are, I sure can't afford them new. I also have an excel file that has the make, model, serial number, who I purchased something from, cost, and any other notes like peculiar features. Then I take a photo of the items.
I will be talking with my insurance company about doing the same for my metal detectors - I don't have a lot of them, but I like what I have, and want to keep them. If something happens to them, I want them replaced. I don't remember how I had this done in terms of details, or what the form is called (it is not through my auto insurance though, it is specifically for photography equipment) for my photo equipment - but the premium in rolled into what I send them - it was a minimal addition cost for the peace of mind.
It's really a bummer that this happened. But by sharing this, and finding out more later and letting people know how it pans out, you are helping others take some precautionary steps. Good luck and let us know how this turns out for you.
I've never seen any of the MD dealers offering theft insurance - but they might have some leads for you.
I will be talking with my insurance company about doing the same for my metal detectors - I don't have a lot of them, but I like what I have, and want to keep them. If something happens to them, I want them replaced. I don't remember how I had this done in terms of details, or what the form is called (it is not through my auto insurance though, it is specifically for photography equipment) for my photo equipment - but the premium in rolled into what I send them - it was a minimal addition cost for the peace of mind.
It's really a bummer that this happened. But by sharing this, and finding out more later and letting people know how it pans out, you are helping others take some precautionary steps. Good luck and let us know how this turns out for you.
I've never seen any of the MD dealers offering theft insurance - but they might have some leads for you.
MHirschmann
Member
Thanks for your input paul. Stirring up the entire police department and putting them in front of the cameras for a metal detector sounds a bit stupid to me. Sorry for putting it so bluntly. There is no "blame culture" going on here. A low-life stole my stuff and the police has better things going on then finding my metal detector. I can understand that. Am I happy about it, no, but I am understanding. Do I think it is worth holding private meetings and press events over, absolutely not. I have done everything I can. I have contacted ebay (they dont care). I have contacted paypal (they dont care) and I have contacted the police with all the evidence (and they have more important things going on). CASE CLOSED. I have not been "on my butt" as you mentioned at all. For the first few months after it was stolen, I regularly called all the pawn shops in the area and checked craigs-l and ebay on a regular basis. Also, "local government officials" could care less about a guys metal detector. Sorry if I am taking a jab at you but I feel your message was downright offensive after everything I have done to try and get this machine back. The good information that has been on this thread include people's advice to get their machines insured and to write down all serial numbers. My problem is with nobody else than the thief. I know the police has better things to do, I was just disappointed they couldn't help given all the proof I provide but at the end of the day I am glad they are protecting us from "real crimes" instead of using their resources to recover stolen valuables.
Lets get off the topic of my machine forever. I don't want to hear about, nor do I think anybody else does at this point. Lets just take the lesson learned from this and leave it be. I have seen a few others post about their stolen detectors and they weren't insured either. It seems that once these machines get stolen, we just need to assume regardless of whatever we do, we will not get them back. If we do, great surprise, but lets assume we won't. Now, whats the next best thing, lets figure out, in the event of this happening to us, how can we get our detectors covered so that we can get them replaced?
At the end of all this, all I can say is, write down your serial number (just because, if for no other reason) and speak with your insurance agent about coverage. My insurance company would have been the only place that would have helped me in this situation but I was not aware of that before this all played out the way it did. I also don't think this is a "one-time" event as I think the police in most major areas are generally too busy to deal with something like this.
Ok, I'm done now. I promise not to speak about this topic anymore. Good luck everyone. I wish you the best of luck on your upcoming hunts and I hope none of you ever have to deal with a situation such as this.
HH -Marc
Lets get off the topic of my machine forever. I don't want to hear about, nor do I think anybody else does at this point. Lets just take the lesson learned from this and leave it be. I have seen a few others post about their stolen detectors and they weren't insured either. It seems that once these machines get stolen, we just need to assume regardless of whatever we do, we will not get them back. If we do, great surprise, but lets assume we won't. Now, whats the next best thing, lets figure out, in the event of this happening to us, how can we get our detectors covered so that we can get them replaced?
At the end of all this, all I can say is, write down your serial number (just because, if for no other reason) and speak with your insurance agent about coverage. My insurance company would have been the only place that would have helped me in this situation but I was not aware of that before this all played out the way it did. I also don't think this is a "one-time" event as I think the police in most major areas are generally too busy to deal with something like this.
Ok, I'm done now. I promise not to speak about this topic anymore. Good luck everyone. I wish you the best of luck on your upcoming hunts and I hope none of you ever have to deal with a situation such as this.
HH -Marc
ShellsbytheShore
New member
If the Excalibur is yours and you can prove it, then I would do something about it. I'd say that if the police dept doesn't seem to care, there's a reason why - it may be out of their hands because it's not their jurisdiction (I think someone said that if it crosses state lines, it's an FBI issue.) You can contact the FBI and submit your case online & they'll call you back. Also, it seems to me that I heard somewhere that most states will not allow that man who has your Excalibur to keep it just because he purchased it from a thief: If he purchased stolen goods then the onus is on him for purchasing stolen goods whether he knew it was stolen or not. (IF he purchased it. I think he's lying but that's just my opinion.) Personally, I think that contacting the FBI & inundating them w/proof would be a good idea because e-bay is a worldwide site and people from across state lines are probably bidding on that item. If he's fencing your goods using e-bay, then he's probably fencing other stolen goods & your phone call may be what the FBI has been waiting for. Who knows? They might even 'purchase' the item in order to nail his thieving arse down. That would be nice!
Please keep us posted on how things are progressing if you take this further! OK?
P.S. If you purchased the Minelab directly from a dealer, wouldn't the dealer have written down the serial # & who he sold it to for his records & for the warranty?
Please keep us posted on how things are progressing if you take this further! OK?
P.S. If you purchased the Minelab directly from a dealer, wouldn't the dealer have written down the serial # & who he sold it to for his records & for the warranty?
Finderskeeper
Active member
Get the serial number and send it to Minelab and report to them that it is stolen. Minelab, if it ever comes to them for repairs, will notify you and return it to you. The buyer might get angry but hey, he's receiving stolen property.
I've heard of that happening with White's detectors too. Most manufacturers will if given the chance, make it right.
I've heard of that happening with White's detectors too. Most manufacturers will if given the chance, make it right.
Have you tried contacting the buyer? Look at the seller's feedback, The buyer may have left feedback, if so, the buyers ebay ID will be shown. You should be able to get in touch through ebay. After that, it would depend on what the buyer is willing to do, although the seller may have removed the serial # if it is a paper tag.
And if the seller gave you the serial #, you know you found your stolen unit, you don't have to say you think you did.
And if the seller gave you the serial #, you know you found your stolen unit, you don't have to say you think you did.
ShellsbytheShore
New member
Someone suggested that it might be covered under your automobile insurance. Was it stolen out of the vehicle? I didn't see a post that said it was (maybe I missed it.) If it was then it MIGHT be covered under automobile insurance but otherwise I wouldn't think so - it's not an automobile nor attached to one. I would think that only your home owner's policy might cover it. When in doubt, ask your insurance agent; however, remember that any claim you make - or report (whether you make an actual claim or not) - could, & usually does, increase your insurance rates. If your insurance company knows about it, they can't just 'un-know' it, so be careful what you tell them. You may get the cost of your Minelab covered by claiming it on your home owner's policy but your policy may go up by that amount or more - for the life of the policy.
TURNMASTER
Active member
The police department should be ashamed of themselves. All the info needed to make a recovery and no action taken.
Jeff
Jeff
MHirschmann
Member
Thank you all for your posts. This whole thing is water under the bridge for me at this point. No offense but this will be my last reply to this thread. Everything is what it is. I have spoken with Minelab and they are making every effort to keep an eye out for it. Minelab customer service has been tremendously helpful and have communicated with me directly to help me be successful with this recovery. I leave this final post on this thread with saying 3 things:
1) Insure your equipment. All this could have been avoided if I had insurance on my machine.
2) Don't expect the police to help you. If they do, great, but don't expect their help as a standard. The sad reality is theft seems to be low on their priority list.
3) Minelab customer service is amazing! They did everything they could to help me out. If only the police had cared a little more we would have been successful. THANK YOU MINELAB!!!! I have never received the level of customer service that Minelab gave me in this situation. This ordeal was my problem, not theirs whatsoever, so I couldn't believe that Minelab customer service contacted me and did everything they could to help me out, it really was amazing and I am very grateful. Minelab is above and beyond a standup company and I can't thank Darin and Jeff enough for their help. I also want to thank Randy (Digger) for his help. He did a tremendous amount of work to help me together with Darin and Jeff at Minelab and I am very grateful to all of them for their help!
I hope none of you ever have these issues, but lets take what we learned from this and move on. This topic is beyond dead. Thank you all very much.
Happy Hunting and Best Regards,
Marc
1) Insure your equipment. All this could have been avoided if I had insurance on my machine.
2) Don't expect the police to help you. If they do, great, but don't expect their help as a standard. The sad reality is theft seems to be low on their priority list.
3) Minelab customer service is amazing! They did everything they could to help me out. If only the police had cared a little more we would have been successful. THANK YOU MINELAB!!!! I have never received the level of customer service that Minelab gave me in this situation. This ordeal was my problem, not theirs whatsoever, so I couldn't believe that Minelab customer service contacted me and did everything they could to help me out, it really was amazing and I am very grateful. Minelab is above and beyond a standup company and I can't thank Darin and Jeff enough for their help. I also want to thank Randy (Digger) for his help. He did a tremendous amount of work to help me together with Darin and Jeff at Minelab and I am very grateful to all of them for their help!
I hope none of you ever have these issues, but lets take what we learned from this and move on. This topic is beyond dead. Thank you all very much.
Happy Hunting and Best Regards,
Marc