protecting your goods

[hparrott]

I came across an inreach explorer for sale. It seemed to good to be true right off the bat because of the price. After corresponding with the seller, the red flags were there (no manuals, never activated, no power cord, selling for a friend, knew nothing about it, wanted quick sale etc. etc).

So, after getting the IMEI number from the seller I called garmin. Garmin did confirm that the inReach had been reported as stolen by the registered owner, and they confirmed they live in my hometown. However, of course they cannot tell me who the owner is/was.

I advised garmin of why I was inquiring about this unit, and they told me they have the email of the owner and that they would attempt to contact them via email to advise them I was reporting their device was up for sale. Whether they were able to contact them I'll likely not know.

I reported this to the local RCMP detachment but they RCMP said it will be time consuming to sort this out since the device was not reported as stolen in their database. With the IMEI number provided to them, I figured surely they can speak with garmin and get the proof of ownership from the person who reported it to Garmin but it isn't so "easy". The RCMP have to of course go through the proper channels of obtaining this information through Garmin, IF they choose to pursue it. The RCMP are busy busy busy and do have to obviously prioritize files.

The item is still for sale. It was fb and is now on Craigslist so sadly it will probably sell fast. The new owner will lose their money and find they can't activate a subscription. Hopefully someone on here doesn't inadvertently buy it and lose their money. Or maybe the person who lost theirs will see....

My point of this whole rant is make it easier for expensive items to be returned to you should you lose them or have them taken from you. In the event someone does try to do the right thing and return it to you, if the RCMP can't track you down then you might not get it back. It's all too often that people on her report stolen items of high value and while thieves aren't honest, there are people who are and if you record your serial numbers and report your stolen goods, you will at least have a chance at getting them back.

[emerson]

I suppose the owner could buy back their own gear. Suck to have to though.

[tipper]

I suppose the owner could buy back their own gear. Suck to have to though.

They could buy it back with a baseball bat full of spikes?

[scotty30-06]

^^^^^^see now that just makes more sense.

[Surrey Boy]

If the state fails to administrate justice, the imperative falls to the individual. Ethically, you are right to deal with this apart from the Crown.

[New Bow Hunter]

Post the craigslist ad so any of our members can steer clear of purchasing it. A member may also fan out to friends to ensure this unit is not sold.

[Wild one]

People slip and fall all the time some are extra clumsy so the fall over and over again

[hparrott]

Post the craigslist ad so any of our members can steer clear of purchasing it. A member may also fan out to friends to ensure this unit is not sold.

If you go to buy any used inreach, check the IMEI number with garmin formally delorme. No different than buying a used cell phone. Don't assume that just because they give you the IMEI that it won't come up as stolen either because they may hope you aren't really going to check. It's on Abby cl.