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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Bloody lowlife!!

53 replies

Soubriquet · 13/01/2018 08:28

Someone came in to my garden at some point in the night and stole my dh's bike.

I noticed it when I got up to go to the toilet at 1.30 this morning.

He uses that bike to go to and from work.

Just so pissed off that people out there can't be bothered to do things right and steal from others.

On another note....my dog?! The one who barks at a butterfly farting 3 countries away? Slept through the entire thing.. Hmm

I have called the police but they have said the chances of it being recovered are slim.

We can't afford another bike yet..means he is going to have to walk. The 10 minute bike ride is now 30-40 minute walk. Fan-bloody-tastic.

Sorry just needed to rant

OP posts:
Decemberqueen · 13/01/2018 09:13

Our local recycling centre sell dumped bikes for about a fiver.

CourtneyLoveIsMySpiritAnimal · 13/01/2018 09:14

Victim blaming

Yes, exactly. It's why I used to hate that advert that was on tv a few years ago, where it was implied that if you couldn't afford to make your a fortress with lockable double glazing and the latest security systems, it was your own fault that you got burgled Hmm

Sorry to hear about the bike OP. We had some stuff stolen out of back garden in broad daylight once, it sucks.

CourtneyLoveIsMySpiritAnimal · 13/01/2018 09:15

If you couldn't afford to make your house a fortress.

BewareOfDragons · 13/01/2018 09:15

Total crap, OP. I'm sorry.

I had a shiny pretty new bike stolen once. I'd locked it up inside the communal storage area in our building and it was behind another couple of bikes for a few months (I was quite pregnant, so had finally stopped riding). It had clearly been 'spotted' by someone, as they went past the other bikes to get it, cut the lock, and took it. SO cross.

Original poster
Soubriquet · 13/01/2018 09:15

AIBU to send the dog back and get a replacement though? Grin

Surely the little bugger could have barked

OP posts:
dontbesillyhenry · 13/01/2018 09:18

You can get house insurance for a few quid a month

roomsonfire · 13/01/2018 09:18

Go to any second hand bike sellers in your area with a picture of your bike the dealers can keep so if someone tries or has tried to sell your bike they can see that its yours, call the police etc. Its worth a shot.

my local secondhand bike dealer makes taking a picture of the seller with the bike a part of the sale. he wont buy a bike if they refuse. Its his way of keeping track of people who sell him bikes if the police or public come looking for a stolen one.

dontbesillyhenry · 13/01/2018 09:18

Obviously no use now but for future reference

TheFirstMrsDV · 13/01/2018 09:19

Getting our bikes stolen from our THIRD floor balcony was how I found out my dog had gone deaf.
The lift was broken.
They still managed to nick them.

We couldn't keep them in our small flat. I used mine to get to work.
I remember not having home insurance because we couldn't afford it. Its not a nice place to be.
Do shop around though. See if you can get the basics. We started with insurance that didn't cover clothes and things like spills on carpets.

UnsuspectedItem · 13/01/2018 09:19

www.findthatbike.co.uk

Just about to run out so sorry if this has already been posted but this site is great, helps a lot of people recover their bikes

HJ40 · 13/01/2018 09:22

Whoa- no house insurance? I'm sorry it's off topic but please try a find a way even for the most basic cover. It's not vital for replacing nicked bikes but it's vital for if your house bunt down and you lost everything including the building.

saladdays66 · 13/01/2018 09:23

Op, that’s crap. Lots of sympathy from me. Hope you manage to get it back - and yes, have a stern word with your malfunctioning dog!

rachrach2 · 13/01/2018 09:25

I got mine free from a local fb site so keep looking. I'm a member of a local fb group too that just helps people with all sorts of things - if you've got anything like that there would definitely be someone who can help even it's a bike loan.

I'd also strongly recommend looking at contents insurance again, it's not necessarily expensive

Llangollen · 13/01/2018 09:27

I don't think the OP is being blamed. It's just a sad state of the world that you can't leave anything outside without it being nicked. You should be able to, but unfortunately bikes, buggies even kids toys and puppies! will disappear.
Tools left in vans are highly targeted too.

I wish we could booby trap our garden and homes to deter low-life, but we are not allowed to protect our properties in this country.

RB68 · 13/01/2018 09:27

I would second getting building and basics insurance at least, a blogger I follow had a small kitchen fire and it smoked out the whole house, the insurance had just run out and had slipped through the net. They lost pretty much everything including the kitchen itself. I think they managed to keep lots of clothing but had to parcel it out to friends and rellies to wash several times before wearable

MerryShitmas · 13/01/2018 09:28

Cheapest cover I could find for my old home - due to location I presume, was £26 a month.
I could afford it and did use it.
I presume prices have gone up now (this was almost 3yrs ago now) but I can see how £26 is a lot to some people. Some people only have £10 a week for their food, so that's almost 3 weeks of their grocery budget gone in one. As non essentials go it's a pricey one. Pet cover is cheap but car and home insurance has always been quite pricey IMO.
Also, sidenote, but on a few threads where people have posted their details and asked for help reshuffling their finances. Home insurances of £15-30 are not only reasonably common but those people are often told to cancel the insurance as it's non essential.

Unescorted · 13/01/2018 09:29

That is a useful site...notice how many bikes are pictured in the same garden with the white wall and step down from the scruffy lawn.

DrDreReturns · 13/01/2018 09:30

If the op is renting she would only need contents insurance.
It's rubbish op, I lock my bike at the station and pray no one will nick it, despite locking it securely.

Neverender · 13/01/2018 09:31

That's shite. It might be worth asking your friends if they have a bike you can borrow as I know lots of people who have bikes (in their garage) and never use them. DH had three motorbikes stolen from central London. It's crap and it's very disruptive. Flowers

Fekko · 13/01/2018 09:33

It won’t your premiums go up if you claim? So is it worth it?

As for keeping it indoors - hahahahaha! We don’t all live in large homes!

Zaphodsotherhead · 13/01/2018 09:33

If you rent (like I do) landlord has the insurance that covers the building burning down.

I can't afford house insurance either, OP, so I feel your pain. 'A few quid' is more than a lot of people have at the end of the month'.

Zaphodsotherhead · 13/01/2018 09:34

And also some landlords won't let you keep bikes etc indoors.

MerryShitmas · 13/01/2018 09:36

That's another thing - if op rents she can't get home insurance anyway.
I think you can get contents only insurance which may be good depending on price but you'd be a mug to insure the landlords house (even if you could).

Original poster
Soubriquet · 13/01/2018 09:39

We are renting yes

Thanks for the find my bike website. Never seen it before. Will have a good look.

We can keep the bike indoors...but it is a severe trip hazard as our kitchen is tiny and next to the bathroom (downstairs toilet). Means getting up in the night hard work.

It's usually kept outside the kitchen window, locked up with the back gate locked.

They have climbed the bloody fence, broke the lock on the fence!! And broke the bike lock too.

It was a decent bike so worth reselling on..if they can. We have offered a reward on selling sites hoping the person who stole it finds it too hot to handle and brings it back trying to claim the reward. Unfortunately we live in an area with a lot of rivers..so it's a good chance it could be swimming with the fishes too

OP posts:
SheepyFun · 13/01/2018 09:51

You have my sympathy - at a previous house (also rented, no contents insurance) we had the bikes chained outside the front, as we didn't have rear access. They were very well locked, and as they were on the street, thieves couldn't risk spending too long trying to take them. So they took parts off them instead. With tools. We then kept them in the living room, but we didn't have DC at that point, to fiddle with the bikes, hurt themselves and get filthy.