Police going OTT!

[Deleted member 15344]

Yes, I gave the insurers and the police the full facts. No, I don't know where it is, but someone else's possession is a pretty good guess. It was a Bushnell two lens rangefinder so I don't think it blew away or got carried off by a magpie. Someone may have put it in their bag & forgot about it, but it's been 10 days now &, don't forget, the next pair on the tee left the course immediately after playing the hole I left it on, before I had a chance to ask them if they'd picked it up. The police will have spoken to them, they know who they are.

This is my last word on the subject. Nothing more to add.

And I'm just saying I don't count that as a theft.

And I just hope it won't effect your next premium when it comes to renewing your insurance.

 

[DAVEYBOY]

This doesn't seem to sit with me well

You lost your item through your own fault by leaving it unattended and walking away

So you want to claim it stolen and the insurers want a police report number

So did you tell them you left it and walked away ?

Is it really something that should be covered by insurance and possibly be a reason why insurance increases

This doesn't seem to sit well with me :rofl:

Oh dear oh dear :rofl:

What are you going to do about it Phillip?

 

[stevie_r]

And I'm just saying I don't count that as a theft.

You might not but the law does,

'A person is guilty of theft if he dishonestly appropriates property belonging to another with the intention of permanently depriving the other of it; '.

Finding something unattended does not give you the right to claim it as your property.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I think the OP has been perfectly reasonable. I have Carrick Neil cover as well. If he has been upfront and told them he accidentally left it but it has now been picked up but not handed in and got a crime number then if the insurers decide to pay out he's conscience is clear. I have to be honest and say 10 days is more than enough time for anyone who has "forgotten" about it to have rectified the situation. Had I found it or any equipment on the course, I would have handed it on the day. In my opinion it has been stolen and so he's right to claim

 

[Deleted member 15344]

You might not but the law does,

'A person is guilty of theft if he dishonestly appropriates property belonging to another with the intention of permanently depriving the other of it; '.

Finding something unattended does not give you the right to claim it as your property.

I think it's more the insurance claiming

Not aimed at the OP specifically but claiming on insurance through your own fault seems to be very common in all aspects in regards household goods etc and that appears to drive up the premium costs

I dropped a telly a year back and it stopped working - seen people claim for that - but should we really be able too ?

Same in this instance - something gets lefts behind and then goes missing - should we be able to claim when it's our own fault the item has gone missing ?

 

[Imurg]

I think it's more the insurance claiming

Not aimed at the OP specifically but claiming on insurance through your own fault seems to be very common in all aspects in regards household goods etc and that appears to drive up the premium costs

I dropped a telly a year back and it stopped working - seen people claim for that - but should we really be able too ?

Same in this instance - something gets lefts behind and then goes missing - should we be able to claim when it's our own fault the item has gone missing ?

Err....

If your cover is for theft, loss or accidental damage than Yes!
If I drop a TV and I have accidental damage cover then I'm going to claim.
Why wouldn't I?

 

[stevie_r]

I think it's more the insurance claiming

Not aimed at the OP specifically but claiming on insurance through your own fault seems to be very common in all aspects in regards household goods etc and that appears to drive up the premium costs

I dropped a telly a year back and it stopped working - seen people claim for that - but should we really be able too ?

Same in this instance - something gets lefts behind and then goes missing - should we be able to claim when it's our own fault the item has gone missing ?

If the terms of your policy permit it then yes, that's why you pay the premium for that policy.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

If the terms of your policy permit it then yes, that's why you pay the premium for that policy.

Didn't mobile phone insurance stop it from happening ?

I know people used to regularly claim for lost mobiles etc but I'm sure you could only claim if it has been stolen hence the need for a police.

It just seems very open to abuse possibly

 

[ColchesterFC]

I think the OP has been perfectly reasonable. I have Carrick Neil cover as well. If he has been upfront and told them he accidentally left it but it has now been picked up but not handed in and got a crime number then if the insurers decide to pay out he's conscience is clear. I have to be honest and say 10 days is more than enough time for anyone who has "forgotten" about it to have rectified the situation. Had I found it or any equipment on the course, I would have handed it on the day. In my opinion it has been stolen and so he's right to claim

It should be for someone that plays 2 or 3 times a week or even every weekend but what about more casual golfers? My last game was at the end of January and my clubs have sat in my garage since then. I've had no reason to look through my bag so if I had picked something up then in all likelihood it will stay there until I get back out on the course sometime in April.

 

[Foxholer]

Err....

If your cover is for theft, loss or accidental damage than Yes!
If I drop a TV and I have accidental damage cover then I'm going to claim.
Why wouldn't I?

My view on this too.

Otherwise insurance would only be for criminal activity! Or damage by kids!

The excess covers the 'my fault' bit.

Fraudulent claims don't happen as often as some Newspapers would have us believe either - and the consequences can be severe.

 

[delc]

On Sunday I accidentally left my rangefinder on the tee of a par 3 at a course we were visiting. Unbelievably, it was not handed in and consequently I had to report it stolen to my insurers. They needed a crime number so I phoned the police. "When do you want to be seen" they asked. I said all I wanted was the crime number but they insisted they had to send an officer to see me. I subsequently completed a statement and at the end the officer asked me how, as a victim, it made me feel, was I upset, traumatised etc? I said that apart from wanting to set about the perpetrator with a sand wedge I was OK.

This morning I got a letter confirming that the crime was being investigated and that my details had been passed to Victim Support Services, who would provide me with counselling if I needed it!

I know they are just following procedures but I feel as if I have wasted their time. Turns out that if I had just said it was lost it could have all been done over the phone. However I knew precisely where I left it and it wasn't there when they sent a greenkeeper back to look for it, so it was stolen.

Don't think I'll bother with the counselling, I'm over it now.

One of the problems these days is that the Police seem to more concerned with Political Correctness, rather than actually solving crimes and catching villains! Bring back The Sweeney!

Unfortunately you need a crime number to make an insurance claim, so you have to put up with all this rubbish! :mmm:

 

[bladeplayer]

For the record im glad the OP got sorted out as it is a valuable piece of equipment , as usual a couple of things seem to have gotten lost through the post & if my question was a precursor of this i apologise as i have already done earlier to the OP

(1) In fairness the OP was not about the item going missing, it was about the police going OTT in their actions , it seem a policy rather than common sense kicked in and taxpayers money and police time was needlessly wasted , by the police themselves not the Op might i add & we seem to have gone away from that ..

(2) I think Phil was hitting at the same as i was in my original question , it was probably the wording of the OP, to me & its only my own opinion if i leave something behind me i class that as losing it , not it being stolen from me , & if as Imurg says i have loss on my policy i then claim it on that grounds , but not as stolen .. IMO

I appreciate that people should hand things up if found , i try teach my kids that , i also try teach my kids to be responsible for their own actions but society has changed and we have to accept whether we like it or not , some people wont hand things in .. so we have to mind our own belongings ..

As said earlier i was not having a go and apologised if it seemed this way , im glad the OP got sorted , i just have a different way of looking at things ..

 

[Maninblack4612]

An interesting sequel to my sorry tale. Thought I may as well put the case for my stolen / lost rangefinder on EBay since I had no use for it. Got a message from a caddy wanting it urgently. He caddies for Charlie Hull, 26th in the world & only 18, they're off to the U.S. at the weekend. Look carefully, you might see it on Sky!

 

[Joff]

And be's scouring ebay to look for second hand rangefinder cases?

 

[drdel]

The treatment you received was much more than I had.

A few years back some-one attempted to steal our Range Rover from the drive. They broke the steering wheel from the car in an attempt to break the column lock. When I telephoned the cops they asked me to "drive it to the station..." because the scenes of crime boys weren't in on a Saturday morning" !!!

I asked how they thought I might drive it without a steering wheel - all he said was "Well OK here's a crime number for your insurers" - I never heard another squeak from them.

I did get my own back when I was asked to make a speech in Brighton at a ACPO (the Association of Chief of Police Officers) conference and used this experience as an example - there was a very red faced CoP for the local cops in the audience - revenge was sweet !!!

 

[DaveM]

Glad it's all sorted mate. Just ignore the on here. Just take a bit more care in future. As I said glad it's sorted enjoy the new one.