Angry and violated!

[connieg]

Yesterday my son discovered someone broke into our storage unit and stold numerous things and broke several things while ran sacking the unit. I know times are hard for people, but come on, do they really need to steal. Luckily my home owners insurance will cover most of the loss, but some items, like my son's laptop and camera, which had Addison's birth photos on it, can never be replaced.
The kicker here, I own the self storage buildings. We do random checks everyday, our unit had been relocked and the slider was in the right position, so until we opened it, we was clueless. There was a couple of units the slider bar wasn't in the correct position, but the lock was relocked and a few the locks left unlocked. Looks like 12 units possibly got hit. I spent the evening trying to contact the tenants. Business was slow, this will probably hurt us even more.
FYI, during the investigation, I was informed that Master Locks are the easiest locks to get into. Apparently their locks are made in series with a limit amount of keys, so many of the locks use the same key. All of the units that were hit were using master locks. Also there is a device being sold on the internet that fits into any locks keyhole, you give it a good hit and the lock opens. The best locks to use are the combination type that you set your own combination.

[maureenreynolds]

I'm so sorry to hear you had this happen Connie. There is no understanding some people.

[tdavenport]

I'm so sorry, Connie.

[dugarner]

I am sorry, too. I don't use a storage unit, but I would automatically think those are a better bet than storage at home. I hope this doesn't affect your business too much. I did know that the key locks are not very secure; like garage door openers, there is much smaller number of possibilities for the keys than with a combination lock. Still, bolt cutters will get you through any of those in a pinch.

We had someone break into our house over Christmas many years ago and they went through each room and took a couple of things from each room. In our storage room, they took my dress blue jacket from the Naval Academy and DH and my varsity letter jackets from high school. In the bathroom they took my backup asthma inhaler; from my daughter's room they took her Christmas dress and a toy. From our bedroom they took our Playstation from the closet, and in the kitchen they took a half-empty bottle of bourbon and a full bottle of rum. In the living room they snatched a handful of DVDs and then took off.

Nothing of monetary value, but I cannot replace my dress blues, nor can my husband and I replace our varsity jackets. It made us feel dirty, violated, furious, and confused. Some stupid kids walking along the road just decided to come in and take our stuff. They probably threw everything but the Playstation in the dumpster on their way home.

I am so sorry. I feel terrible for you. I hope you feel better soon!

[iUma]

Dear dear Connnie... my dial up companion....this is so awful. Having had a few things stolen...right off my porch!! I can relate to how disturbing this is. And when it is your business...even worse. I'l be thinking of you and sending peace and stamina.

[Elena]

So sorry Connie! I am so sad you've lost photos of Addison. Thanks for the tip on the safest type of lock.

[KerryMac]

Goodness, that is so terrible for you. You have a right to feel angry and violated. I don't know what gets into people's heads.
I hope your business is not negatively impacted by this. Take care of yourself...

[ValerieP]

I am so sorry to hear that-it is hard these days to feel secure without someone else violating your space!

[earlofoxford]

I'm so sorry to hear this, Connie -- especially about the pictures of Addison.

[MIDA78466]

Oh so sorry to hear this. It must be awful to go through this.

[FlowerGirl]

That is sad -- I'm sorry for you guys. Good to know about the locks though.

[SharLamb]

I join those who are grieving with you. We are in the midst of a situation in which we have become the victims of a very evil person too (our financial adviser defrauded us of our entire savings/investments). It is very hard to understand how people can be so evil, but it is a fact of life. I pray for the recovery of the photos, and even more, for your peace of mind. Bless your heart.

[connieg]

Oh Shar, how horrible! It's terrible when you work a life time, skimp and save so you can afford to retire only to have it all taken away from you. I hope there is some way to recover your losses and the evil person pays for his wrong doing.

[susiecw]

Connie, I'm so sorry. I have never understood how a person feels entitled to someone else's property or money. I hope this doesn't hurt your business.

And, Shar, I have heard of this happening to others, and I'm so sorry it has happened to you.

Susie

[Julie DeGuia]

So sorry this happened Connie... to you, your clients and your business! Hope you get the "business side" sorted out soon, but what you lost personally is a shame.

[LoriS]

it's a tough thing to get over... our home was broken into about 6mos after we moved in... we know it was the framers or workers from the house next door! They either did it or tipped off a friend who does that kind of thing.... we left w/baby, babysitter, dog, etc, etc on a friday at 5pm and a neighbor said she saw someone driving away w my car at about 5:45.. he even closed the garage door for us! Anyway, it was a scarry thing.. what if we hadn't taken the dog with us? We have a security system now and now the neighborhood is built up and everybody knows everybody... we feel much safer. But WHAT A HEADACHE with the insurance co... replacing all our tv's, speakers and tech stuff!!! Thankgoodness they didn't get my computer!!! I think they filled my car to capcity.... but it looked like they were coming back.. but since the neighbor saw them & made eye contact... they didn't come back.

Sorry about your loss!!! Good luck with everything!!!!!!!

[dorah]

So sorry, Connie, to hear this sad news. It makes one feel so angry and violated when they suffer a break in. Really sorry that you lost the photos of Addison.

[SharLamb]

Thanks for your concern. One of my LOs was therapy about this, but I was unable to explain it at the time. Our (contingency-basis!) attorney has cautioned me about what to say publicly. It looks like there is a very good chance of at least partial recovery, but for now we are living as if Social Security is our only source of income (& how secure is THAT????). Which is why I've had to by pass the awesome sales and a couple of the very cool classes offered here at DD (this all happened shortly after I joined DD). But please don't feel sorry for me. We know in Whom our real security lies, and we'd way rather be "us" than "her." She's already been nabbed by the Feds for mail fraud, and there is more to come. She will be in jail a long time.

But Connie.....you had your STUFF touched by evil--your private place invaded, and that is a horrible feeling. It happened to my DH's parents the day we were holding a 40th wedding anniversary party for them IN OUR HOME! The thief knew they were going to be away all afternoon at the party and took advantage of their absence. We all felt violated for months afterward...not to mention frightened and angry.

On the other hand, we've learned that "stuff" is just that. And I know you would rather be YOU than the person who did this to you.

May I suggest a fabulous digital art page to work through some of your pain? It really does help. We are so blessed to have this tool at our fingertips.

[Blossom]

Such a horrible experience Connie.

Haven't experienced thiefs myself, but my parents had a break in their house almost two years ago while they were sleeping. My sister was also spending the night there - and their dog was home too, but didn't make a sound. They had no idea that someone had been in the house, until my dad came back from waking the dog and saw that the door of their garage was open. And their Range Rover was gone. He rushed into my sister in the shower - do you know where the car is ? Nope. And then they found my mothers purse and laptop gone from the hallway.

They called the police. One policeman heard about it on the police radio - and as he know my parents and where they lived he knew what car to look for, and met it a couple a few minutes later. There was a high speed chase on the freeway with erratic driving from the driver so the police slowed down. The guy turned of the road and hit another car. Luckily the others didn't get hurt. My dad's Range Rover was evaluated as a wreck afterwards.

The police says they are sooo lucky that they did not wake up during the break in as they were under influence of drugs.

Others in our town have experienced the same during the past two years from other thieves... everyone feel so violated after understanding that they have been robbed in their home while they were there. A nightmare.

[Crystal]

oh no! I am so sorry to hear this! I don't know what is wrong with some people to stoop to stealing. Makes me mad and sad at the same time.

[shhbabymine]

so sorry connie, i know how horrible it makes you feel after such a thing, especially sorry to hear about photos that wont be able to be replaced, when i relocated here i lost everything i owned in a storage unit fiasco like yours.... i was a state away and didnt know until i had a check returned uncashed saying i no longer needed to pay for my unit as it was emptied out... its a gut wrenching feeling.... i pray for peace for you and your business to not suffer at the hands of those who are out there to do such wrong...

[nativescrapper]

Sorry to hear this Connie, people are stealing like crazy all over the place. When the gas price was up...someone stole our diesel gas from our storage. (We had several cans worth of diesel for our backup) They probably thought it was regular gas so they probably ended up ruining there vehicle. Its just sad these days.

[DonnaNJ]

So sorry to hear of everyone's bad luck.. I'll keep you both in my prayers

[Lynn Grieveson]

Oh no,. how horrible. So sorry to hear of you (and everyone else) who has suffered at the hands of these lower-than-low people.

[readstoomuch]

I am so sorry Connie . . . what a mess this is for you. I hope that there might be clues that can lead the police to the people that did this to you, your business and to the others involved.

[deanie]

Oh, Connie, I am so sorry to hear of your plight. We have had a few bicycles stolen from our garage in California, probably by neighborhood kids, but nothing as intrusive as this. My son had his old Pathfinder stolen from in front of his house recently. Fortunately the cops found it a mile or so away. Just don't understand how someone can do these things...

[jk703]

Sorry to hear this Connie.... pictures are an especially hard loss! People can do the worst things!

[ang66]

Sorry to hear this. What a terrible thing to happen. My daughter had her home broken into when she lived in the city and it was so traumatic for her. We are living in such scary times now. The pictures are such a great loss.

[anke]

there are some nasty people out there! I am so sorry for you Connie, not only for your personal things that cannot be replaced, but also for your business. I hope things will work out in the end.
Shar I can't even imagine how you must have felt! That has taken away your sense of security! I hope you will be able to recuperate some of your investments

[kathie02]

Your feelings are totally justifiable, what a rotten no-good thing to happen. Hope they catch the thieves and sorry that you lost your photos.