Mini Break In....

[thoreau]

well crap. Went out to the Mini this morning to find all the windows smashed in. Upon further inspection - someone broke in - bled all over the back seat - got up front - and found the iPod in the glove box and ripped it out - wiring and all. (the connector was in the backseat covered in blood)

Then - (the police suggested) - he/she got mad and went around the car kicking and denting the body in half a dozen places. I took the car into the Mini Dealer and they don't do body work - so they referred me to a body shop where I dropped my car.

Geico has me covered though - because beyond my $250 deductible they say everything will be covered. So I am without a car for two or three days... and probably making the step to get a parking spot in the building rather than park on the street.

When I moved here I got the set of car rules - don't leave ANYTHING out in your car - and I've followed them religiously. I guess car break-ins are a big city reality - so I'm trying 'not' to overreact and become the anxietinator.

serious feh.

Comments

[dakoopst.livejournal.com]

Blurgh...I know how this feels, having had my car broken into in the parking lot of my own home. I'm glad that your insurance has you covered, and glad that you're ok.

It sounds like the parking space is a good idea.

[jhitchin.livejournal.com]

Sometimes a person will just break in to make sure that there isn't anything of value hidden elsewhere (such as your iPod). I'm glad you Geico has you covered, and I'm really sorry this had to happen to you. :-(

[scream4noreason.livejournal.com]

Oh no,that is really awful!

I always try and remind myself in situations like these to be thankful you weren't present during the break-in/robbery/burglary/random act of vandalism.

[philbutrin.livejournal.com]

ouch! sorry to hear about that :-/

[pdsexton.livejournal.com]

Hugs. It's been a tough year for Minis I know. My dear friend PJ (scarfdisco had his Mini Club attacked by an oak tree a few weeks ago.

[bruinwi.livejournal.com]

A Mini-Cooper may be exotic enough to make a robber think that something of value is in it somewhere.

Isn't it odd that he got pissed over the fact that you left him so little to take? Like he's blaming you for 1) not being filthy rich 2)not being careless about your personal items.

Bitch.

Glad you're OK!

[snousle.livejournal.com]

Sorry to hear that, what a drag. I would personally be totally overreacting - my native instinct would be to want to bludgeon him to death. But something to consider is that whoever broke into your car obviously has a LOT of problems and is more worthy of pity than anger.

I'd be interested to know how Geico comes through with respect to payment. Our State Farm policies are a little pricey, but I'm reluctant to switch because a lot of less expensive companies are tight fisted that way.

[london1967.livejournal.com]

Sorry to hear that Robert. It must have been quite a shock.
*hugs*

[eireangus.livejournal.com]

That sucks, I'm so sorry! Where was your car parked? I think it would be a great idea to get a spot in your building's garage. But, I'm sure it's pricey.

I think this is bound to happen living in SF. It is very frustrating, but I am glad your insurance company is taking care of you and making sure it gets fixed properly.

Keep us posted, and hugs!

[madknits.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you're OK.
I'm not glad your car is battered.

hugs!

[amznbert.livejournal.com]

i hope they saved some of the blood for dna stuff if they catch the bastard

[low-fat-muffin.livejournal.com]

tthey said that this sort of crime isn't the kind they have the resources to investigate - so there was no real CSI scene with swabs and such. LOL!

[surewood31.livejournal.com]

DIY guy. Take it, get it analyzed. Hell, maybe you can (oh, nevermind you have a bf)

[amznbert.livejournal.com]

you dont have to have a csi crime lab to take a bit of blood from something hell even the adaptor that had blood on it could be used as evedence.

[low-fat-muffin.livejournal.com]

well the police said finding someone to match the blood too is like a needle in a haystack considering I was one of a dozen cars broken into overnight.

[urbear]

Not gonna happen. DNA testing takes days to weeks, never mind what you see on CSI, and it's expensive... they're not going to go to that much effort for what I'm sure they consider a trivial crime. And once they get the results, they need something to compare it to; only a small fraction of known criminals are in the database.

[theoctothorpe.livejournal.com]

That totally sucks. I am however, glad you'll be able to get everything fixed with relatively little cost on your end. I'm curious though, why your deductible is so low. Are you choosing to pay a higher overall rate?

[low-fat-muffin.livejournal.com]

yes - I'm paying a higher overall rate.

[joebehrsandiego.livejournal.com]

Robert - Geezus. I would not be nearly as calm as you are this morning.

I have friends who carry Geico and they've been very happy with the care they've received. Wishing you all the best on that.

Most likely you have thought of this already, but ... if you get a garage space, your insurance rate will probably go down (be sure to ask about that). Also, you could probably up the deductible. Between those two things you might save enough on your insurance to pay for most of the secured parking space.

Take care my friend.

[sfleatherbear.livejournal.com]

I'm so sorry to hear that. It really sucks!! Beyond the fact that insurance will cover it, there is the sense of violation and major inconvenience of having to deal with this.

Our chorus rehearsal on Monday nights at 44 Page Street have been fraught with car break-ins, too. I have been lucky thus far but it is getting overwhelming.

[surewood31.livejournal.com]

Probably one of them big oil company execs pissed off about your choice of vehicle.

[ruralrob.livejournal.com]

Yikes! Sorry to hear this, muffinman.

[annoyinghandle.livejournal.com]

Argh. It's just stuff, but it still sucks.

[low-fat-muffin.livejournal.com]

yeah - exactly - it'll be fixed soon - but it's still aggravating.

[notdefined.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry to hear this Robert, that really sucks. Yes, you must find off street parking somewhere. As nice as your building, it is still a high traffic area, right on Market Street. Addicts are everywhere looking for things to pawn to support themselves.

[cecilgene.livejournal.com]

Sorry to hear this! This happened to me twice in 5 months while living in Phoenix, and I just had a crappy Nissan Sentra. This in my "gated" condo community.

People suck.

[tonethbone.livejournal.com]

Sorry this happened to you Robert. Private, off-street parking is a good plan

[beg1n.livejournal.com]

I'm glad this will be taken care of so quickly, but it still sucksucksucks!

[wrascalbc.livejournal.com]

Grrrr...don't you just want to rip someone's balls off when that happens? BTW...we're your Mini's windows dark tinted? I wonder if that can be a deterrent.

[jodfoster.livejournal.com]

Yuck! Glad your insurance will take care of all of it and that you're safe. Bleeding all over the car is just uncool too. Blech!

[blt4success66.livejournal.com]

sorry to hear about the car and the Ipod...

at least you weren't hurt...

HUGS!

[coryblank.livejournal.com]

That's awful news, Robert. I'm glad to hear that Geico is taking care of this promptly for you. I admire how you're remain so calm about all of this.

*HUG*

[hereticsoul.livejournal.com]

That just sucks in the worst possible way. I've had a couple experiences like that. Once in Atlanta, I came out from the baths to find the window of my car smashed and the inside vandalized. It happened again when I lived in West Seattle. I came out one morning to go to work and found a window broken in the car.

I think it's an unavoidable artifact of living in a big city. But tales like this make me a bit twitchy about leaving the BMW parked in our driveway. We live in a decent neighborhood but there are some sketchy areas not too far from us.

[moved.livejournal.com]

Sucks babe. *hugs*

[urbear]

Awww, poor guy. When it happened to me I felt violated and angry... I hope you're coping with it well.

I already had "off-street parking" on my must-have list of housing criteria for my move to SF. I think I need to boldface, underline, and italicize it.

[quillon.livejournal.com]

Sorry to hear this happened to you. I had my last car broken into in Providence. The window could be fixed-- the feeling of violation was worse.

crap is right!!

[kroyd.livejournal.com]

That is a really shitty feeling when you first lay eyes on your car when that happens. Good thing you got good insurance.
Try a protection spell. Can't hurt.
~R~

[abqdan.livejournal.com]

I feel for you. I endured this for years when I lived in London, England. I lived three stories up, and one night heard my car alarm - looked out the window and saw three guys boosting all four alloy wheels. Very organized - had their own jack - and one even waved at me! I lost multiple radios, until I had a removeable one installed, and then still lost windows to vandals. That's big city life for you!

At least it was just THINGs. No-one hurt, so it's aggravating and inconvenient, but not worse. HUGZ

Factoid:

[broduke2000.livejournal.com]

1) Your intruder has a 99% chance of being strung out on Methamphetamine.

2) Hopefully SFPD got some DNA blood samples.

3) The DEA will help by arresting all the Hippie Marijuana smokers they can find. They're good at that.


*Hugs*

[pulsecub.livejournal.com]

Oh, Robert, I am so very sorry to hear that. :( Is a secure garage within your budget? Or at the very least, a car alarm (preferrably one with the De-pelter Turbo installed)?

[starzinked.livejournal.com]

serious feh is right.
i'd be crying all day.
i'd spring for the parking space if you can.

[beastbriskett.livejournal.com]

That just SUCKS!
Not only the inconvenience, but the sense of violation is a tough one to swallow. It's happened to me, too. Glad you've got good insurance!