Time for Tags… or Tiles

[MadMax]

It’s my own d@mn3d fault. I should have hopped on this train immediately upon it emerging. Maybe my Midwest naïvety is to blame, that overly-trusting, farmboy nature that leaves doors unlocked and the keys in the ignition (or on the seat) of vehicles cuz’ ya just might have to use it or move it. 

This tragedy had befallen several of my colleagues over the years – such as @Mr Ump – but it had avoided me. Sure, I had had my wallet lifted out of my (unlocked) car while refereeing a soccer match, two days before I was to fly back for Thanksgiving 🤬, but nothing painfully big. 
Until May 15, 2022. Ugh 😩. 

There I was, in my house, disassembling my desk, bed, and dresser to load them into my vehicle so as to take them to storage for the summer, and I had my garage door open. One of my other lines of work is to perform home renovation, so I have an entire arsenal of tools, all arranged and contained in about half a dozen Milwaukee Packout units. 
You can see where this is headed. 🫣

While I was inside, someone ran up the driveway, into my garage, grabbed and rolled away two of my wheeled Packout toolboxes… which held about $3000 worth of my Milwaukee power tools. 😭

After filing the police report, and the police reviewing the neighbors’ Ring camera footage, and submitting a list of all the tools’ serial numbers… I began kicking myself. Once for not closing the garage door in between loading trips… but twice for not having purchased and installed AirTags / Tiles on the boxes so as to hunt these b@$tards down and beat them to death with my tile hammer!!!

Which I still had!!!

🤬

So my not-so-quick-tip is, invest in either AirTags or Tiles. If you have an iPhone, AirTags are incredibly simple and effective. If you’re an Android -user (I’m sorry), Tiles are equitably similar. They’re not as seamless and easy to manage as AirTags, but if you have a Tile Pro in your array of Tiles, they do have insurance coverage for items any of the Tiles were attached to. 

Don’t just stash your umpire gear, loose, in the back of your car. Get a gear bag, arrange it within that gear bag, and then stick an AirTag / Tile in or on the bag (preferably with a bank ink bomb and a micro-speaker that queues “Gotcha a$$hole!” if tampered with). And on the gear bag topic, it doesn’t have to be this overly expensive, overly elaborate gear bag (such as, say, a Wilson 🤮). You want one as effective and nondescript as possible, and with an AirTag / Tile attached to it or in it, track those insidious thieves down and mete out some justice!!! 

Make them have to wear the gear they stole, and stand in front of a pitching machine with the heat cranked up to 100° and a soundtrack of screaming kids on a loudspeaker over their shoulder! 

[JonnyCat]

As a general contractor, I feel your pain. It pisses me off to no end when I hear about this crap happening.

Hopefully you can get them back. I'm wishing you the best.

[MadMax]

1 hour ago, JonnyCat said:

Hopefully you can get them back. I'm wishing you the best.

They’re long gone. Of the 8 power tools (and related accessories; bits, drivers, blades, et. al.), spread between 2 tool boxes, I have had 7 reinstated. 3 have been donated by a Milwaukee Tools rep who took pity on me. The last tool will be the toughest, because Milwaukee ceased making it, but it was a fave. I was especially pi$$ed because they also jacked my 3’ level, which had been one of the first tools I had bought myself when I started doing environmental design, and did an internship in a gallery. 

AirTags (or Tiles). I (we) want to be able to track these lecherous b@$tards down. 

Those are just tools. Could you imagine how apoplectic I’d be if my umpire gear disappeared??! It’s all been hand selected and customized!! 

[ArchAngel72]

Late to this one sorry, but yeah  Thieves should be publicly stoned.  nothing worse or more infuriating than having the stuff you make your living with taken by someone who just wants to turn it for a quick buck and probably a high. 

 

[MadMax]

Good, robust gear bags + AirTags / Tiles, guys. Get them. 

Tuck an AirTag/Tile into your gear bag. Attach an AirTag/Tile in a silicone holder onto your harness of your very expensive CP. Stick it on the back plate of your very expensive HSM. Do something. I've got no vested interest in selling you on these items; I merely want to prevent the tragic possibility / eventuality for you, because it sucks. 

Your gear is too essential to our line of work.