We've just had a thought here: if your car had been at home at the time, and the burglars had taken the car, you'd be covered. I'm not sure whether you'd be covered under your contents insurance, or your car insurance.
So: because they took the keys, and can come back to take the car at some later date, committing the theft of your car in stages, you're assuming(*) that you're not covered. This might not be true. It's probably worth asking your relevant insurers, anyway.
(*) Maybe you're not assuming, and they've already given you the run-around. In which case, you should tell them "they suck". In big letters. And my apologies.
In particular, what would it cost to do nothing, and claim once the car's stolen? If we pretend that you haven't already admitted you know the key has gone missing?
Unless you can't claim on the vehicle insurance if the car is stolen using the spare key, the insurance company ought to create an incentive for its customers to change the locks if the spare is lost. So the excess to change the locks "should" be less than or equal to the excess on car theft. Unless, as I say, they just don't insure you for theft-using-the-key (presumably including car-jacking, mugging you for the key, etc.)
But mostly securing the method of entry. It's expensive and ugly (bars!), but it's the only burglary prevention mechanism that does much good as far as I can tell.
House alarms provably help (proved in the US, anyway), but they don't work significantly better than fake alarm-boxes stuck to the side of the house.
They don't reduce the number of burglaries, they just encourage people to burgle your neighbours. For whatever reason, some proportion of burglars are alarm-shy.
Fake webcams, and a sign saying 'Burglars are being filmed'?
At one of my jobs, we had a persistent cutlery thief*. A fake camera trained on the drawer in question cleared that problem up pretty quickly.
*(At one point we were down to a single Studio Fork, and there was serious discussion about adding the Studio Fork as a meeting room in Outlook, so people could schedule time with it)
Comments 19
Have some more hugs and sympathies.
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So: because they took the keys, and can come back to take the car at some later date, committing the theft of your car in stages, you're assuming(*) that you're not covered. This might not be true. It's probably worth asking your relevant insurers, anyway.
(*) Maybe you're not assuming, and they've already given you the run-around. In which case, you should tell them "they suck". In big letters. And my apologies.
Reply
Unless you can't claim on the vehicle insurance if the car is stolen using the spare key, the insurance company ought to create an incentive for its customers to change the locks if the spare is lost. So the excess to change the locks "should" be less than or equal to the excess on car theft. Unless, as I say, they just don't insure you for theft-using-the-key (presumably including car-jacking, mugging you for the key, etc.)
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So that next time there's a break in the burglars will get really sore ears. That'll learn 'em.
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So you think Sentry Gun is the way to go?
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But mostly securing the method of entry. It's expensive and ugly (bars!), but it's the only burglary prevention mechanism that does much good as far as I can tell.
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They don't reduce the number of burglaries, they just encourage people to burgle your neighbours. For whatever reason, some proportion of burglars are alarm-shy.
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At one of my jobs, we had a persistent cutlery thief*. A fake camera trained on the drawer in question cleared that problem up pretty quickly.
*(At one point we were down to a single Studio Fork, and there was serious discussion about adding the Studio Fork as a meeting room in Outlook, so people could schedule time with it)
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