emalloy

If the devices have connection to the internet, they may be able to be traced by the police, if you push for it. A friend's kid had an ipad stolen and got it back when the robber turned it on and police were able to locate it.

socialworker

If I am to believe the ads that I hear on TV, some CC companies pay for items purchased on the CC that are "lost or stolen".

cd

So sorry! Hope you were able to manage somehow.

5alive

harmatic, also sorry for this unfortunate twist to your vacation. You are right--a theft is better than an injury car accident etc. Please post back in a few weeks and tell us how it turned out. Hoping for the best for you all.

nytraveler

I cannot imagine the police force of any sizable area wasting time tracking down an iPad. When my car was stolen I got a 3 minute interview and forms to be filled out. Gone is gone - and police have real crime to worry about (people not toys).

november_moon

"I cannot imagine the police force of any sizable area wasting time tracking down an iPad."

Once upon a time in a land far, far away...ok, it was last year in San Jose, CA...someone stole an iPad. The iPad had a tracking ap on it and it was tracked to an apartment not far from where I live. The police went to the apartment to see about the iPad. While they were there, the police decided something just wasn't right (in addition to the stolen iPad, which was in the apartment). They ended up searching the apartment and found a huge stash of meth - this ended up being the largest seizure of meth in the history of the US.

So yes, sometimes the police do go out to track down a stolen iPad - and holy-schmoly, some people are stupid.

easytraveler

Why would someone who had a huge stash of meth bother to steal a "cheap" iPad? n-m, You're right, that's really stupid.

havmatic: sorry this happened to you. Yes, please do come back and let us know what the end result will be.

If it's any comfort to you, on a trip, I take few things that I can't afford to lose. If my suitcase is to be left unattended (this includes being checked in), then everything of value goes into my backpack and goes with me everywhere. Well, maybe not the chargers.

Best of luck retrieving your belongings.

harvmatic

Thanks to all for your concern. This happened to my daughter and her family,not me personally, but they are getting over it. Not being there to help them was agonizing for me, but mostly I was just thankful that were not hurt. I don't expect the police to spend time looking for stolen electronics, with all the other more serious crime they need to investigate.
The damage to the car lock was covered under the rental insurance they had purchased and the van was replaced. I am aware that some Credit cards cover theft,(Discover card is one), but unfortunately, generally only for 90 days after purchase. Xmas gifts would unfortunately be just outside of time limit.
Once they get back home, they will follow up with their homeowners' insurance and keep their fingers crossed. Luckily, their Disney tickets were not stolen and they are having beautiful weather. I will post a follow up when I have some more info.

One more thing my daughter mentioned was that the car rental rep told her the same thing had just happened to a woman from Bolivia, who had just spent $8000 on electronics at Best Buy. She stopped somewhere on the way back to her hotel and when she came back to her car, the lock had been drilled and everything was gone. Sounds as if the thieves lie in wait near electronic stores, and trail the intended victims. Such a sad state of affairs.

nytraveler

No sure where in the car everything was - but when on the road everything should always be in the trunk - with nothing visible inside the car.

Caveat: Again this is something that is obvious to me as a New Yorker - you NEVER leave anything visible either parked on the street or in a garage - but apparently is not the rule in some places.

harvmatic

I agree with you, nytraveler, but they were stopping to eat enroute to their hotel from the airport. There is no way to travel in an SUV with 5 people's luggage and not have it visible. I know that's like an open invitation to wouldbe thieves, but they would have felt secure parking a locked car close to the resteraunt entrance. Lesson learned.

ncounty

If cell phones were stolen, you can call the carrier and they will deactivate them and mark them as lost or stolen so they are never usable. I had recently lost mine and learned this; good to know.

easytraveler

harvmatic: thanks for the update.

Things like this are very hard to get over. One of my nephews got the car radio stolen out of his locked car. To this day he's not over it.

Agree with nytraveler that best not to have anything showing in car, not even a newspaper.

This is probably a good warning to other travelers to go to the hotel first and check into their rooms with their luggage - no matter how hungry!

tarfan24

Along the lines of a thief 'lying in wait', a tip I learned many years ago is to put your valuables, purse, electronics, etc. in the trunk when you leave your home or wherever and not when you arrive where you can be observed. I rarely carry a purse any more but when I leave work and know I will be making stops enroute to home, everything goes in the trunk when I leave work except my small id holder and phone which I carry in.

5alive

Tarfan, you are right to hide things before arriving at your destination. One problem with minivans and some SUVs is that there isn't a separate locked trunk. A dark blanket could help obscure things if they are deep enough below the back window.

My own thoughts for people reading this thread in future:

1. If you have a laptop or more expensive device, find out how much it is to add a specific endorsement on your homeowner's policy and what the exclusions are. It may be worth doing.

2. If you keep your email logged in on a smart phone, remember that once your phone is stolen, someone else now has access to your email. If you have this happen and haven't taken precautions, change your email or other passwords IMMEDIATELY.... Longterm solution: My son has set up his phone so that no one else can log into it.

ncounty

great points about the email access being a vulnerability, 5alive. I changed my password the next day when I thought about that. I now have a password for the smart phone so that they hopefully wouldn't be able to access it.

KyleBurrel1979

Contrarious to what all people have said before I post this, I think you can go to the company that rented your car and claim to them. Normally they have insurance for this kind of things or do you have travel insurance? Did you contact the police so you have a written prove from the authorities that this horrible thing happened to you? They are going to ask you about these kinds of things. Something similar happened to me once in another state and fortunately the car was insured. They never reimbursed me the total amount I lost but they gave me something. So you better ask.

nytraveler

This is a risk common around the world - and I'm not aware of rental agencies reimbursing people for their lack of care (assuming the luggage was in sight). That's simply not something it's safe to do anywhere - even you local mall.

harvmatic

I agree with you, NYtraveler,that leaving items on display inside your car, is inviting trouble, but can you tell me how to hide luggage for 5 people in an SUV, when you stop to eat, enroute from the airport to your hotel?

starrs

A good question, but how is another party responsible for that loss?

Dukey1

You can actually get what is known as "Personal Effects Insurance" from rental agencies for the contents of the rental car but there are many limitations as to what is and is not covered.

I suspect the majority of people wouldn't even consider it and as for those people who continually tell you that you should only use the insurance your credit card offers, who knows?