I let a thief in my house

RenegadeT

RenegadeT

no shirt,no shoes,no dice
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Mar 24, 2005
Location
Stokesdale-Greensboro
I think some workers grabbed $20 from my Jeep parts fund. :mad:

We are having hardwood floors installed in our living room this week, so there are random guys roaming our house. Our bedroom is on the first floor adjoining the LR, so we are basically living upstairs and in the kitchen. Plus I'm gone working all day, wifey's busy with the 3 lil crumbsnatchers all.

I knew it would be a bad idea to leave my cash "hidden" in such a cliche spot like the underwear drawer, but my faith in honest decent people got the best of me. Just to make sure, I counted it up Sunday night, a couple hundreds and some twenties.

Monday night, the hardwood is all laid, I counted my stash, everything is good. Today, I got home, the hallway and entryway are and taped up with plastic to prevent polyurethane fumes from entering the rest of the house. I check my Jeep stash and I'm one 20 short! I've re-counted a dozen times, tore apart my dresser to make sure. I'm in such disbelief, I'm almost making myself doubt the figure I came up with sunday and monday night.

What would you do? I thought about setting up a mousetrap or just laying all our kitchen knives in the drawer, but that was just me being angry. I want the fawkers to finish the job, and finsih it well, so I kind of don't want to rock the boat. I'm gonna call the super and let him know, I'm not looking for anything in return. Obviuosly I shouldnt have tempted fate, my parts cash is in my pocket now.

So if I try to get someone to come off their price here, now you'll now why :beer:
 
That kind of crap just pisses me off. My whole career has been construction untill just recently and the people who do this kind of :poop: are the reason why when I went into an occupied home I would have a homeowner breathing down my neck watching me like a hawk. Not real fun conditions to work under. It just goes to show what society has come to nowadays. I've been in houses with digital cameras laying out, cash, credit cards and check books on the kitchen table and all sorts of jewelery just laying around. I'm one of those people myself. I leave my windows rolled down when I go into stores and at home, shop unlocked, tools laying all over the Jeep and whatever else you can think of. I forget that not everyone was raised properly to know right from wrong and respect for others. I would put Monopoly money in the drawer just to let them know that you know. The kitchen knife thing does have a good sound to it though. If it was my home it happened in I would be calling the contractor and telling them that I would be finding another company to finish the work and he will not be getting paid for anything and that if they want their money they can see me in court. That's just me though. I tend to go off the deep end on these sort of things. Bottom line is it has noting to do with the dollar amount it's the principal of the matter.
 
Yea, set up a game camera. You can get them at wal-mart right now. get proof before rocking the boat and then put it on their a$$
 
I thought about staying home and watching the fawkers, but that will kill 4 vacation days and be way too boring. Our BR is split off from the house by the workzone; its in/out of the window then around the house to the front door to get anywhere else.

We've swept the house and kind of stashed some of the more valuable and sensitive stuff, more than it was this afternoon. What gets me, is that I did move my parts fund out of view to the back corner of a drawer; it was not visible, but still (too easily) accessible.

I'm almost inclined to ban the 3 guys who worked here today from coming back. In my intial anger, I thought about telling them we'll be finding another company to finish. We are really inconvienced by this, and really just want them to hurry up and finish, so prolonging the misery doesnt sound too appealing. Like you said, its not the $20, its the lack of consideration, like I woulndt notice the difference between cinco or seis 20's.

game camera wouldnt work, the damage is done, hopefully lighting doenst strike twice.
 
lock your BR door or ask your wife if she borrowed a 20. Not saying im skeptical im sure the fokers took it but i would cover all bases before confronting them.
 
y2kcrawler said:
lock your BR door or ask your wife if she borrowed a 20. Not saying im skeptical im sure the fokers took it but i would cover all bases before confronting them.
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they need the bedroom door open because the hardwood ends under the door. Wife doenst know much about the jeep money. Of course I talked with her before I ranted on the interweb.
 
If they took once then they will look to see if its moved. if not then they will get more. I would have proof and then call the cops. If they are hispanic then maybey illegal and get deported. if you can get some of them deported Ill pay you back the $20 myself:lol:
 
blazeproc said:
If they took once then they will look to see if its moved. if not then they will get more. I would have proof and then call the cops. If they are hispanic then maybey illegal and get deported. if you can get some of them deported Ill pay you back the $20 myself:lol:
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I emptied my drawer and left it open. I thought up a more devious plan, making a ducttape ball full of razor blades, but I overslept, gotta run to work. It was 3 Hispanic dudes who were here yesterday, another thing I thought of was coming home dressed as an immigration officer. I'll call their super on the ride into work.
 
So you knew there would be strangers in your house and yet you still left the money there? Sorry but that is just stupid
 
Are you certain you counted it right the first time? You most likely counted it once maybe twice before. I would leave it there write down the serial numbers and use the camera. Come home and check the drawer again. If missing then just call the cops to search for the serial number on them before they leave the house.
 
set up a camera and put a note in there for them next time. Short pay the bill by $20 and you have your $$$ back. Let the super know and get them the fawk out of your house ASAP. Keep your $$$ and valuables somewhere else.
 
Franklin said:
So you knew there would be strangers in your house and yet you still left the money there? Sorry but that is just stupid
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Thanks for the useful input :fuck-you:. I actually hid the stash in preparation for strangers coming in the house, they had to fumble thru a few things to get at it. Stupid, in hindsight, probably, but at least I caught them before the work was done, and was able to pinpoint the day it disappeared.

gmcjimmy88 said:
Are you certain you counted it right the first time? You most likely counted it once maybe twice before. I would leave it there write down the serial numbers and use the camera. Come home and check the drawer again. If missing then just call the cops to search for the serial number on them before they leave the house.
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I'm sure I counted correctly Sunday before anyone came, then confirmed Monday after the first crew had been there to lay the hardwood. Tuesday was a different crew who did the sanding. I talked with the job manager (not sure of his real title), he appreciated the call. It surprised me he only knew the crew leader, the other 2 guys must get picked up at the temp office/home depot each morning. He said he would talk with the crew leader (who has been with them for a while) and see if he had any new guys. I told him we wanted different people to finish the job, those guys arent allowed back. He understood, didn’t offer much, but seemed concerned. He or the owner does a quality walk thru at the end of the job, that should be interesting.

rockcity said:
set up a camera and put a note in there for them next time. Short pay the bill by $20 and you have your $$$ back. Let the super know and get them the fawk out of your house ASAP. Keep your $$$ and valuables somewhere else.
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I don't know Spanish, no note-writing for me. Already considered short-paying, we'll see how it all plays out.
 
This story hits home pretty hard for me because I do hardwood floors. One thing I noticed in the previous threads is the mention of the hispanic workers. I only employ Americans, and they are dependable. I don't think having hispanics walking into a customer's home is profesional. For the record, there are just as many American dirtbags as any other, but the impression is better. When I have work done I make sure all involved are Americans, and all of you should too. Don't let price rule your decision. .20 cents on 1000 sq/ft is only $200, and you can communicate with your labor.
 
d420fazer said:
This story hits home pretty hard for me because I do hardwood floors. One thing I noticed in the previous threads is the mention of the hispanic workers. I only employ Americans, and they are dependable. I don't think having hispanics walking into a customer's home is profesional. For the record, there are just as many American dirtbags as any other, but the impression is better. When I have work done I make sure all involved are Americans, and all of you should too. Don't let price rule your decision. .20 cents on 1000 sq/ft is only $200, and you can communicate with your labor.
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*shrug*

My flooring guy was a hispanic....and did the absolute best work I have ever seen.

Are you refering to illegals?
Or all hispanics?
I'm not ready to say no hispanic can lay floor, nor am I ready to say no black person can hang sheet rock....or white person pull wire.
 
d420fazer said:
I only employ Americans, and they are dependable. I don't think having hispanics walking into a customer's home is profesional. .
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So what is your definition of an American...... Moron?:shaking:
Most hispanic Americans are of Native american decent weather that be north,central, or south america. they are more american than most of us White, Black and Asian folks
American
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

American may refer to:
American (plural Americans)
  1. A person born in, or a citizen of, the United States of America.
  2. An inhabitant of the Americas. More often this is specified as either North American, Central American or South American.
My son is Mayan American Indian (AKA Hispanic) and a US Citizen and I take great offense to that statement.
 
d420fazer said:
When I have work done I make sure all involved are Americans, and all of you should too.
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:shaking:

I consider myself hispanic (although you'd probably never know it looking at me) and that is extremely offensive.

You're obviously not very well informed on the general accepted meaning of "American" either.
 
Franklin said:
So you knew there would be strangers in your house and yet you still left the money there? Sorry but that is just stupid
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Better yet, you left your wife and 3 children there, not paying any attention to them.
 
lockedup5 said:
White, black, hispanic whatever. A thief is a thief and they need fingers and hands removed. And not by a doctor.:lol:
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Ill :beer: to that
 
sorry, let me apologize and re-state my position. I don't employ individuals that can't speak English fluently and legibly. The guy that mow's my lawn has hispanic origins, but he speaks well and is a citizen. I mean no disrespect toward any hispanic, and like I told renegade, there are just as many white american dirtbags out there.
 
RenegadeT said:
huh? are you implying wifey should've been watching over the workers better?
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NO, just saying that if I was worried about them taking money, I wouldn't have left my wife and 3 kids at home with them.
 
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