A great day ruined

[Midnite-CTD]

I'll appologize right now if this gets a little long, but I have to let it out!

Spent the last couple of days getting the new TV ready for her first pull, new mud flaps, nerf bars (DW desn't like jumping! ) and my detail guy installed some rock guard on the hood for me on short notice!

I was under the truck, tightening the last bolts on the new nerf bars when I hear a beeping coming from the TT which is on the curb so we can load up. No big deal, was gonna change the batteries in the detectors anyway, and sure enough, the smoke detector is what's making the noise. Easy fix, I had spare batts in the trailer already...

As i'm closing the doors, I remember the little guy next door had a small incident the day before and ran into the tires and the plastic fender on the TT and there was some black marks. Again, no big deal really, i'm sure they would come off and it was an honest accident, so I take a look to see how bad it was gonna be. That's when I noticed the scratch.

It's too high to have come from him, and even his older brothers bike doesn't reach that high? A little more looking reveals more, and deeper scratches all the way down the side!! Even on both of the doors!

Sometime last night, someone with nothing better to do decided to key up my trailer!!! And what can I do, report it? Technically my trailer is parked illegally, so i'm not sure I wanna make a big deal to the authorities who, for the most part, look the other way when it comes to our rv's in this town...

To those who read all this, thanks for listening I just needed to tell someone who would understand the frustration!

[num1dgh]

That is horrible! We do leave our MH out front sometimes when we want to make an early start in the morning. Are you sure that it's illegal for you? In CA you can leave a trailer or RV on the street for 72 hours before it must be moved . . . we used to occasionally leave the boat and trailer out a day or two.

So sorry that happened.

[RickO]

So sorry to hear that Jay. Don't you wish you could catch someone... just once? Jerks.

Rick

[Hurricane Owner]

Insurance will take care of it. Since you werent driving it, and it was parked, it should be covered with no deductable. Be ready to have it sit at a shop for a few weeks, at least. Make sure you report it soon though, dont wait till you return.

[TXiceman]

Some people are so jealous of anything that they don't have...so they damage yours...real low life scum bags.

Ken

[wa8yxm]

While this won't help the past. IN the future if you park near you house, Pick up a video camera, one that is either motion senistive (Web cams often are) or one that can record for a LONG time on a tape or memory device.

Point it at the trailer and let it catch the )@(#$@ in the act.

[Gary RVRoamer]

Since it is vandalism your insurance will probably require a police report. I would not be afraid of reporting it, illegal or not, if that is the case. Improper parking does not negate the fact that a crime was committed against your property, any more than it would if your car was stolen while illegally parked.

[Ed S]

Jay,
I am sorry for you.........work hard to buy what you want.......take care of it and some ##### comes along ............

[Diplomat Don]

Jay....Move the trailer and call the police for a report. When they ask, tell them it was parked in front of your house a couple of nights ago and someone keyed. You didn't immediately report it until you were advised by your insurance. You may be surprised. Sometimes the little turds who did it are caught at another location and police are often looking for all the damage they did that night. They may even have parents who can pay for damage.

[Grimesy]

My motor home was parked in my driveway and on separate occasions it was keyed. Same thing to my truck while parked in front and in the driveway. Have a goofy neighbor and pretty sure he is culprit but can't prove it----yet. To make matters worse went to pick up wife at hospital and some clown keyed her freshly detailed Lexus. Heard there was a slightly off keyed woman who was doing it to luxury cars as revenge because she didn't have one----Sigh. We also have a nut case in town who puts paint in empty oil bottles and leaves them on the street so they get run over and the car and street get sprayed. Been caught twice so haven't heard from him or her lately. Good thing I am no longer working the beat.

Don, WIT 70041

[Midnite-CTD]

Thanks guys. Decided I am going to report it, especially since it will be going back to the storage lot right away anyway (No trips for a month or so ) Found out there was quite a bit of damage doen around town that night, including the dismantling of the stonework on the sigsn to a new subdivision a block or so from our house.

Guess I should have elaborated a little though about the illegal parking. The trailer has been curbside for the better part of three weeks! We had such a wet spring that the storage lot countinuously emailed us asking us not to bring units in because the yard is too soft. I had tried a while back and ended sunk in up to the axles... good thing they don't charge me very much!

[njs42]

If it happened to me I would have to write a much longer story to get settled down.

Take a deep breath (my wife is right about this) call the police and your insurance company.

I simply cannot abide someone damaging the property of others--there is no excuse in the world. I wish you well--------and I know your wife will appreciate the nerf bars. This too shall pass.

[Dave and Jaime]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hurricane Owner Insurance will take care of it. Since you werent driving it, and it was parked, it should be covered with no deductable. Be ready to have it sit at a shop for a few weeks, at least. Make sure you report it soon though, dont wait till you return.

It will be a comprehensive claim, not a collision claim, but don't assume that it has "no deductable." The deductable will be whatever you decided to accept when you bought the insurance. Could be zero, $100, $500 or whatever. So check your policy first. If you have a $1000 deductable, you may want to get an estimate before reporting to see if it is worth having a reportable claim on your record (and increase rates). But, depending on your finish, a couple long scratches could be many thousands of dollars to repair. A ten inch scratch to my full body paint cost over $4000 to repair due to the fact that there were 4 different colors to match in pattern.

[Melmoses]

Suggest two things we have done to protect our coach: bought a wild game camera (Wildcam) which cost about $100 and straps to a tree or pole. Takes great pictures day or night (we have a 32 GB card in it so have to replace the card every 2 weeks and replace the batteries every 3 weeks) AND buy motion sensor lights to replace any dockside light or the light by the door of your rig. The light went on and the camera took a series of 5 pictures of the guy who came toward our rig in a campground. The light scared him away but I knew exactly who he was from the picture. The pictures had the time and date stamp if I had needed it. It is terrible that you have to watch out for thieves and vandals