Embarrassing, frightening, unerving experience

[Coolcats]

You will all think “What a prat.”

I suppose I am a bit lax about security, I don’t know whether my strong optimistic nature leads me to have a sense of invulnerability, or that I am as described above.

On returning from about half an hour in the E Leclerc in Perpignan there was a momentary feeling of puzzlement, which led me to ask my wife “Why did you put my sterling wallet and the passports in your handbag?”. I had found the handbag on the seat by the hab door. That puzzlement was quickly replaced by the realisation that we had been 'turned over'.

It was quite a tidy job, cupboards opened, make-up bags upturned on the bed, the floor storage area hatch opened.

It seemed nothing had been taken - not the two iPads, nor the guitar, and bizarrely not my wife’s handbag, which had been stuffed with the passports, and the credit cards removed from my sterling wallet and Maggie’s purse.

It was only after the shock receded and we began to hide (ha ha) things away again that we realised the only thing that had been taken was the cash in my wallet and her purse - not a large amount of money at all.

Why hadn’t they taken that potentially valuable haul in the handbag?

The real puzzle is this. When we returned, and I activated the remote key fob, if I had forgotten to lock the van, that action would have locked it, and we couldn’t have got in initially. And if I had locked it, how did they get in? There was no sign of damage, anywhere.

And why leave the handbag there, as if ready to snatch, and shut the door. It was almost as if we were being taunted. They could have taken it, but didn't.

Of course now I will be much more rigorous. It could have ruined this whole trip.

It might be a south west France thing!! Whilst not the same as you we left our bikes at a tram station outside Montpellier and on our return someone had levered the battery off Mrs B’s ebike. Sometimes it’s just your turn.



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Have to say I was pretty relaxed until our home was burgled, there is a ‘sacrificial’ set of keys to a vehicle an old duff Apple Mac but everything else is secured away and a hidden safe for keys. We don’t have Rolex or jewellery. We also have an alarm on the home and all vehicles now have a tracker.

I feel for you and hope all is well for the future, unless you have to don’t claim on insurance as it will rocket for next year

 

[maison]

We run a bright red ratchet strap across the cab passing through the door “arm rests”.

If an attempt to break or operate the door lock is made the doors still can’t be opened. Being bright red it is highly visible from outside to act as a visual deterrent.

We can only do so much to protect our vehicles.

 

[Bramidan]

I believe they have a plate inside the door now to prevent it, from around 2021 I think.

I have a 2022 Ducato, is there anyway to know if the plate has been fitted on mine.
If you are replying please don’t tell me to drill a hole to check!

 

[Nanniemate]

I have a 2022 Ducato, is there anyway to know if the plate has been fitted on mine.
If you are replying please don’t tell me to drill a hole to check!

Drill 2 holes

 

[Ian_H]

Is this weakness on all ages of Fiat Ducato or do the newer ones have a different lock structure to stop this?

I recently asked if any members had newer vans (2020 on) that had been spiked and had no confirmations....

I

Post in thread 'Do 2020 and later Ducato locks still get spiked?'

Sep 9, 2024

From the lack of responses of any victims, it looks to me like spiking of 2020 onwards Ducatos cannot be much of an issue
Or nobody is talking to me

• Ian_H

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[buzz1]

we have drop down beds front and rear , if we feel abit uncomfortable with location , we will drop beds down and it prevents entry through windows and passenger door (Aclass ) only door vulnerable would be habitation door, and course 1 roof sky light .
I’m Same as most people I think basically if they want to get they will ,
I keep a axe close by just incase I need to chop wood .

 

[Badknee]

Even if just nipping into a supermarket I lock the cab deadlocks and use the arm thing across the cab door. So far the visual deterrent has worked and there's been no break in attempts

We’ve just had deadlocks fitted

 

[L' Hobo]

There's an extraordinary program I watched on BBC iPlayer on BBC Scotland called 'Confessions of a teenage fraudster' who managed to get over 2 £million by the time he was 20 from people's credit cards without in many cases even having the credit cards. He lived it up for 4 years travelling around the world first class, staying in top hotels, spending £1000 on a bottle of champagne and even sending a second one to a neighbouring table! The story is told by the fraudster himself. Having worked in a call centre on leaving school he knew all the tricks and was very clever on the phone, very slick and convincing, impersonating hotel managers and even an official from the Canadian embassy to immigration when he was to be extradited back to the UK! After seeing the error of his ways and spending time in prison he now works for major companies fighting fraud. It's in 3 parts and I ended bing watching all 3. It's a stunning series well worth watching

When I came shoreside, one of my many jobs was Senior Rental Rep (the Americans love their job titles) for Hertz Truck Rentals at their Euston Depot. (Assistant Operations Manager really) and we operated over 300 Trucks and vans including all the Evening Standard and Daily Mail vans.

Hertz then, had a policy of overbooking by 20% to cover cancellations and no-shows.
and if we didn't follow this policy, you would soon be looking for another job.

This was about right Monday to Friday when most of the rentals were companies BUT, at the weekends it was horrendous because, on Saturday & Sundays, nearly all the rentals were private customers moving house etc and 98% arrived for their vehicles.

To try and cover this overbooking,
I had arrangements with the 2 or 3 cafes up the road, so that if ANYONE came in with my signed business card, they could have anything to eat that they wanted but not served too quickly.

I took into my office both mornings, a 200 carton of cigarettes, bags & bags of sweets for the kids and papers & magazines for the parents, anything to bide away the waiting time for a vehicle, any vehicle, to return to Euston or any other depot in London.

Eventually, all bookings were covered but Monday mornings the telephone complaints would start and it was my job to deal with the most difficult.

Thank goodness, one of the Reps was an Actor, and when he was resting (which was most of the time) he would find part-time work with me so that, when an angry customer demanded to speak to my superior, he would put on the appropriate voice and be my boss, chief mechanic and even female secretary on one occasion!

After about a year, I got promotion and his range of characters had had been perfected to such a degree that he was rarely out of work on radio.

Sorry about the verbal diarrhoea but I hope it shows that, when there a will to achieve something from a simple job in a call centre, anything is possible!