Cues/case stolen

J

Jross

Registered
Hi, I realize I havent really posted here much but I cant even begin to describe the utter disgust I'm in right now .
Not only over my loss but at the human race in general. I went to the close by bowling alley tonight for some friendly gambling with a few friends of mine, one of them posts here (deadstroke89) .
Anyway I get there at around 11:30 and at some point between around 1230ish and 130 My case which was about 20 feet from where I was playing (yes im a moron) with a Paul Mottey and a Predator 4k6 walks off, along with a few spare shafts and 2 jump sticks also in it. There are cameras there but the guy said I'd have to speak with the owner tommorow, and that he wasnt even sure if the cameras were really even recording or not. Whats sad is whoever took it is probablly some dumb kid, who will sell it for 50 bucks not having a clue as to what they've got in there possesion. Anyway this happend in blacksburg VA, so if anyone in the area reads this or posts here and knows anything about it, im offering a reward , and ill leave it at that. Thanks.
 
Hang in there, it's a lot like losing a pet... a very expensive designer pet. Best of luck with the man hunt.
 
Jallan said:
Hang in there, it's a lot like losing a pet... a very expensive designer pet. Best of luck with the man hunt.
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I don't see how it's anything like losing a pet. How could you put a price on a living being that's part of the family? It's just a material possession.


Jross, I feel for you...I hate f@#$# theives!! If you have house insurance, you can be reimbersed for the value of the cues. Your Mottey may turn up sooner or later.
 
ABall said:
I don't see how it's anything like losing a pet. How could you put a price on a living being that's part of the family? It's just a material possession.


my joke was in bad taste for a public forum... i meant no offense and apologize.
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I would inform all the pawn shops and give them pictures and all of the info possible and you might get lucky. Most people steal for drug money. Unless they know for sure what kind of cues are in the case.poolrod.
 
ABall said:
I don't see how it's anything like losing a pet. How could you put a price on a living being that's part of the family? It's just a material possession.

Breeders put a price on pets every day, but I hear what you guys are saying.


Keep your chin up man, those cues might turn up somewhere....do you have pics?

I had my car stolen from right outside my bedroom window...15ft max....had my pings in the back along with my snake skin George 2x4, break stick, and my custom Josswest!....that sting lasted MONTHS!

btw, the Camden police found the car...and laughed at me when I asked if my cue ase was found....then laughed again when I told them what it was worth :rolleyes:

Gerry
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Losers

Sorry to hear about this. Other measures are to tell the cuemaker (Mottey) in this case. If there is anything identifiable about your cue, he will probably see it again over the next years and may remember.

Also, post pics here if you have them.

Watch e-bay. Lots of thieves are computer savy but dumb enough to list the stolen item immediately.

If it has not been discovered before the Derby City Classic, look for it there or put the word out to the venders. Joe Salazar, Bill Grassley and others, in my experience, are honorable and will help you get your property back if it can be identified. Give the cue buyers a heads-up before anyone gets stuck with your stolen cue and so they can keep an eye out for you.

File a police report locally. Good luck.
 
poolrod said:
I would inform all the pawn shops and give them pictures and all of the info possible and you might get lucky. Most people steal for drug money. Unless they know for sure what kind of cues are in the case.poolrod.
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Very good advice. Make a police report! And the bowling alley has insurance too. Don't hesitate to ask for the name of their insurer and file a claim with them. Go to all pool halls in the area and give them a full description of the cues and case. OFFER A REWARD FOR A MISSING CUE! And post it prominently in the bowling alley or anywhere nearby where the thief may live. 7-11's and liquor stores are good locations. Make it a decent reward (like $200), and say "No Questions Asked" for the return of the missing cues and case. Offer the thief an out, say that it may have been taken in error.

Your cues will not be easy to sell! And the perosn who stole them may be looking for money for drugs. The $200 will look pretty big to them. Don't be surprised if someone calls you and says they found your case in a dumpster or some story like that. In fact, go first thing in the morning and check the dumpsters around the bowling alley! Do it!

Don't give up hope! You may be able to get your cues back if you act fast. I've recovered two using some of the same techniques.

Whoever the thief is, he will show your cues to other people. Pretty soon, several people will know about them, and they will see your posters. If it's a kid, he is wondering what to do with them right now.
 
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Does anybody make a device that will send signals to a gps or something? I'd love to have a device in my case that I could turn on when I go out with the case, leave it on till I come home.
 
Thanks for all the advice guys. Jay- one question. Is it possible to actually get money from the BA's insurer in that manner? I didnt think they could be considered liabel.
 
I seriously doubt that any dealers at any shows, or even concerned pool players, will get involved with returning your stolen cues, should they fall in their lap. Recently, an identical situation occurred, and when the cue was returned to the owner, the good samaratin was almost arrested and the reward withheld.

The only way I would get involved, is if the reward and the return of the cue was handled through a well known 3rd party. The reward should be posted in advance and a stipulation that the 3rd party escrow promise not to reveal the reward recipients info to the victim.

Then, and only then, would I think this once bitten az crowd MIGHT get involved.

Rg

Ps. I'd see if proficient billiards might play the 3rd party role, for a fee of course.
 
Jross said:
Thanks for all the advice guys. Jay- one question. Is it possible to actually get money from the BA's insurer in that manner? I didnt think they could be considered liabel.
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It's possible that it may get them to look at the tapes from their cameras. Usually if you see a video system in place, it is being recorded. If the police get involved, they may have no choice. And yes, they can have liability if you can prove negligence on their part. They may settle with you if you take them to Small Claims court.

But try the other things I mentioned first, AND NOW!
 
I really feel for you Jross, and hope that there's a happy ending, but that's a long shot I think. One thing this thread has done for me is drive it home that I cannot take my eyes off my cue case. I often have 2 or 3 nice cues with me. Without a prior appraisal, I don't think my homeowners would cover over $1000 of loss, but that would still be better than nothing.

Not long ago, I bought a break cue at the pool room and had no room in my case. The Pro Shop was depleted of stock, and I was asking around to see is anyone had a case either for sale or loan. One of the regulars, the unemployed type, said, "I'll get you one before the end of the night" . I asked if he had one and he just grinned and said that he'd 'find' one. I immediately told him to forget it, but later I told the owner and his nephew that could explain the rash of cue theft they had been dealing with. They discussed barring that person, for a series of incidents, but to my knowledge that hasn't happened. I don't think they have enough proof of criminal wrongdoing. In any event, it was a wake up call for me as was this.

I really wish you some luck Jross...Tom
 
Jross, I feel terrible for you, and I sincerely hope that you get them back soon, in good condition. This will help me and others be more aware of how easy this can happen. I know that I haven't been paying as much attention lately, and need to tighten things up.

One of the things that I don't like, is pawn shops selling their higher end cues on eBay. It doesn't seem right that a scumbag can pawn a hot cue, and the pawn shop sends it 2000 miles away, never to be seen by the locals, that know who owns what cue. The cue business is a small community especially among people that pay attention to cues like I do. I would spot it immediately. Those days are going away with the pawn brokers selling their crap on eBay. I recently saw a Meucci on eBay from Fast Pawn in Denver, and I can assure you that the cue was badly warped, which was not disclosed in the listing, and the pics made it look like a nice cue. I feel sorry for the guy that "won" the auction. It surprises me that eBay allows pawn shops to sell this stuff, when everybody knows that they buy stolen items.

Your homeowners insurance should cover this cue. If you don't have the invoice, maybe you can get a letter or email stating the value from Paul Mottey. A recent claim I had with the postal service on a damaged George case finally got resolved by me getting an email / letter of value from one of the "experts" on AZB.
 
Well I called the owner of the place and he said he'd review his cameras but he wasnt sure that they covered the area where my cues were sitting, He told me to call him later this evening to see if he'd found anything, although I half wonder if he will even look, which is terrible of me to say without reason I guess. As it stands I'm printing flyers now to pass out to the local league offering a 300 dollar reward no questions asked for my cues and case, hopefully something turns up.
 
I had a similar situation and I got lip service. I am about 99% sure no one looked at the tape or maybe there wasn't a tape at all to look at.
 
Sorry to hear about this. Honesty and loyalty are the two most important character traits IMO. A thief violates both of those and is among the lowest of the low to me.

But as was mentioned above, check your home owner's policy. You might get them covered there. If they won't cover this, get your other cues/next nice cues listed on the policy. I had to list my firearms and get a separate policy because of the number and amount. But it's worth it in the event some low life decides to borrow one of them.

This goes for everybody out there.....periodically take pictures or video of the contents of your house. Write down make and model of all electronics, firearms, jewelry, etc. Take pictures of those items. Keep this information in a safety deposit box. I have a record of all my serial numbers, model numbers, and pictures on my laptop. I also have a copy of an excel spreadsheet with all this information and pictures attached at my insurance agent's office. I also keep a copy in my safety deposit box.

take this opportunity to learn form the mistakes of others.

Best of luck to you on recovering your property, and if not, hopefully your insurance will reimburse you.
 
Jross said:
Well I called the owner of the place and he said he'd review his cameras but he wasnt sure that they covered the area where my cues were sitting, He told me to call him later this evening to see if he'd found anything, although I half wonder if he will even look, which is terrible of me to say without reason I guess. As it stands I'm printing flyers now to pass out to the local league offering a 300 dollar reward no questions asked for my cues and case, hopefully something turns up.
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Post these flyers where people can see them! And now they have tapes! It doesn't have to be where you were, just the exits! If they have tapes, they will find the guy. You must be a bit more proactive. If you really want it all back. Time's a wasting.
 
I am truly sorry for your loss.
That being said I would like to put out a word of caution if you are going to deal with an insurance company. Do not, even in passing, indicate that you have ever made (or lost) money with your cue.
My company (Farmer's) has a caveat that says that this fact would put the item in question in another category that is not covered by my basic homeowners insurance. A fact I found out about when I inquired about insurance on my guitars. Insurance is available I'm sure.
I'm sure that there are folks out there with insurance companies that don't have this issue...I am just relating my experience.
Just be very careful. Insurance companies don't make their money by "paying claims" and unless you are asking the right questions they don't like to volunteer the information....after all it is all covered in the small print that you are expected to read and understand.
 
ABall said:
I don't see how it's anything like losing a pet. How could you put a price on a living being that's part of the family? It's just a material possession.


Jross, I feel for you...I hate f@#$# theives!! If you have house insurance, you can be reimbersed for the value of the cues. Your Mottey may turn up sooner or later.
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Well, I got a new cue stick for my wife.

Best trade I ever made!

Now back to the thread. Sorry, bud. Hope you find the culprit.

Stones
 
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