---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment I hope what you tell us all works out fine. I have given up all hope in this matter and strongly wish I had the=20 possibility to electrify and fry (on entering my car illegally) all the=20= scum of the past and the future who robbed me of some cars and numerous=20= electronic gadgets inside. The Amsterdam police is still kind of soft on this issue and most often=20= the offenders (most always low life dope heads) are on the street in a=20= few hours, ready for the next 'quick shot'. The most frustrating thing about this thing is that putting them in=20 jail does not help either. American jails are filled to the roof with=20 criminals but it never helped : they keep coming in great numbers. This last year my fine car was broken into for the umpteenth time, with=20= of course everything but everything taken out, and then I found my poor=20= bicycle molested in such a way that it was immediately ready for the=20 junk yard. I now think that the best way to prevent this is to have a very old=20 battered car on the street with nothing but nothing in it. Even then it=20= will be broken into, but at least it does not cost much. Andr=E9 Oorebeek On 15-jan-05, at 12:52, Conrad Hoffsommer wrote: > At 20:36 1/14/2005, you wrote: >> On Jan 14, 2005, at 10:18 AM, Matthew Todd wrote: >>> Dave Nereson <davner@kaosol.net> wrote: >>> -some technicians claim a magnetic sign fastened to their car gets=20= >>> them >>> new business >>> >>> >>> Doesn't the magnetic sign on your car say, "Hi, I am a piano=20 >>> technician, and I have valuable tools to steal. I am also a moving=20= >>> target to get sued." What is everyone's thoughts on this?? >> >> I suppose it depends on where you work -- not too many car break ins=20= >> in the neighborhoods where I work, fortunately. Likewise, the "moving=20= >> target to get sued" seems overly paranoid to me, but your=20 >> neighborhood must vary from my experience. Plus, when you go into a=20= >> risky neighborhood, it just takes a moment to put that magnetic sign=20= >> in the trunk. >> >> Patrick Draine > > > Many years ago, when I was tuning at an old, large church in a=20 > not-so-nice section of a large city, I found that people are going to=20= > break into your vehicle WHETHER OR NOT you have a sign "inviting"=20 > them. > > I found that you are a target: > 1. If they see you get out of the car and you don't look like any of=20= > the indigenies. > 2. If your car doesn't look like it belongs in the neighborhood. > 3. If there is anything visible which looks inviting. > > What I've done since: > 1. Always have my appointment book with me > 2. Always have receIpts from previous tunings that day with me > - the above are now much easier for me to do since I have my RCT on a=20= > laptop and all the above are in it's carrying briefcase. > > Later, at another location, I found that the "target" criteria work=20 > the other way, too. > > I went to a church located in a converted row home, in a really rough=20= > section, which was located directly across from a body shop. I waited=20= > 4-5 minutes before the contact person came to unlock the 4 locks on=20 > the iron bar door and the 3 deadbolts on the regular door. > > I set to work on the piano, after first disconnecting the snare of the=20= > drum in the trap set. I hadn't actually yet set hammer to pin when=20 > there was a knock at the door and the contact went to answer it. In a=20= > few minutes, the contact came to me and explained that one of the guys=20= > at the body shop was inquiring as to who _I_ was. > It was explained that I was OK and was invited there to do work in the=20= > church. > > At that point, I think that I could have had a $100 bill sitting on=20 > the front seat, the window open, door unlocked, key in ignition and=20 > everything would have been there when I got back out. > > Paranoia has it's place, I suppose, but awareness will serve you=20 > better. > > Incidently, I _do_ have a license plate "pno2ner". > ;-} > > > > > > > Conrad Hoffsommer > > Early to rise: early to bed; > Makes a man healthy, and socially dead. > > > _______________________________________________ > pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives > > friendly greetings from Andr=E9 Oorebeek Vita Dura Est ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: text/enriched Size: 4124 bytes Desc: not available Url : https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/pianotech.php/attachments/b0/ba/45/57/attachment.bin ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment--
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