Message Forums

You know what makes me really seeth?  We work hard, we pay all our bills and we abide by the law - both state and moral, we save up for years to buy a caravan to provide the type of life for our kids so they can experience the level of freedom that we did in our childhoods.

We spent two years collecting everything we could possibly need for our van.  On the week we load it up ready for the off, some people of questionable parentage come along and steal it fully loaded.  They have probably never worked an honest day in their lives and what really gets me is that they had been watching me and the kids coming and going and knew exactly what time to hit us.  The hitchlock and wheel clamp and chain were professionally removed, locker locks and door locks drilled out and to add insult to injury, the whalloped the gatepost on the way out.

The contents policy has paid out and I have a meeting with the loss adjustor tomorrow for the caravan insurance although what he is expecting to see I don't know - a big space where the caravan once was?

I seriously question whether it is worth the heartache of having a replacement only to see the same thing happen again.  and what do we get?  Inflated insurance premiums.  The police didn't even bother coming out. It was Smartwatered too and still that didn't put them off.

If we had spent another £500+ on a tracker, it probably would be back with us by now.  £500 is a lot of money when things are tight but for the pleasure of finding the scum that did this a week before we were due to go away for our summer hols (try explaining that to the kids!) I would love to have had the benefit of hindsight.  Just leave them with me and a cattle prod for a few hours.....

Are top notch wheel clamps, hitchlocks and chains really worth the price when professionals can remove them in no time at all? Or should be buy cheap ones that act as visual deterrents and spend the real money on a tracker?  OR should every house be fitted with CCTV - Thoughts?

Hi annielou, What Bloo** Scum Bags, Think you are being to lenient with the cattle prod, couple of hours, that’s to short a time, (a week at least would be more appropriate), beginning to think that you would need the raised stop ramps on drive way, razor wire and a 12 gauge. I know that nothing is theft proof, and a lot of high end security devices, will only slow them down a little, the tracker looks a good option till they find a way round about that, there was a thread on here some time ago, that used stick on numbers on roof of van (car registration number), matching van to car, helped track van from air, think it had some other form of tracking device. Security – A Tracker and good reasonably priced security devices. I have CCTV, that is only good if they are recognised or caught (proof of the deed) and end up in court.( The 12 gauge may be best option 2 bangs and end of criminal career, only half kidding). Did your neighbours not see any thing? Just saw your post about neighbours. If my van was being moved and I was not there the phone wires would be red hot. So Sorry for you.Hope you get it all sorted quickly and are able to get away soon.