Delivery men stole my things

[Iwantmypension]

I admit I am absent minded and easily stressed so it took me a week before I realised a camcorder, a valuable Nikon camera, jewellery and musical box and an ornament had gone missing.
The delivery men were from a well known trusted store. At first they were furious having to lug up furniture to my flat because it wasn't on their papers but after being in my room, changed their attitude. One stood in the doorway of my bedroom, preventing me from entering and I was too intimidated to ask him to move.
I just want to warn other ladies who live alone to have someone there when workmen or delivery men are due. I am devastated as all the footage of my child is lost for ever.
The police say they can't do anything because there are no witnesses so it's now up to the store but I don't hold out much hope. Also, I'm so stupid, I didn't take photos of my possessions or take out insurance because I'm on a low income and didn't think delivery men from a reputable store would steal. I'm so sad, I can't eat or sleep.

Well, the store's head office have said they questioned the 2 men who obviously denied stealing my things, looked at CCTV at their depot and looked at the tracker on the van. They're satisfied that the men are innocent and have closed the case. They didn't even contact me. Someone from a women's support group phoned on my behalf during the week.

The men weren't amateurs. They probably called a friend and passed over my things en route to their next delivery place.

Please let everyone know you need at least 2 people in your own home to watch each delivery man as they're so good at distracting you. This wasn't some small company: this was a well known, reputable store that you've probably ordered from at some point.

The only thing left for me now is to talk to my MP and raise awareness to prevent this happening to others.

You could try and locate your camera and then potentially other items by using "Stolen Camera Finder".

www.stolencamerafinder.com/

Hope it works for you.

Thanks, that's a great link for future reference! Unfortunately, one digital camera's photos disappeared when my pc died so I can't follow that up. This was before I knew about the cloud etc. The 2 yr old camera was a present bought for a relative and hardly used and never uploaded. The other cameras used film so not sure why they took them. The footage of the Handycam and H4n recorder were all on tapes which they took. I really liked taking pictures and videoing but wasn't very good at uploading.

I think you should go back to the police and say you want to report a crime. Even if they refuse to investigate.
This is outrageous.

Did you say they took your window keys @Iwantmypension ? Have you managed to replace these? That would worry me more to be honest.

The police gave me an incident and crime number when I thought it was just the vase that was stolen. I did contact them several times when I realised more things were missing, but they weren't that interested. My valuables were in 3 boxes so it's taken me a while to remember. Basically, the police won't do anything because although it is 'home theft', the men had a right to be there. As there's no CCTV and I didn't witness them stealing, they won't do anything apart from making notes of the serial numbers I did find. They left it to the store - who, of course, believed the men. They even tried to get my review off Trustpilot but it was reinstated.
MP listened and promised to make some phone calls but never heard back from her.
Victim Support were great at explaining why I froze and didn't follow the first man in. I'd been blaming myself for allowing this to happen.
It's upsetting to think they've got away with it and will probably try it again. Pretty sure they were professionals. They're in an ideal position, working for a reputable company whilst 'casing the joint'. No wonder this store is losing once loyal customers!
So please be wary and warn people who might be vulnerable to this type of theft.

Yes, @passtheharibo, replaced. They're for the window lock restrictors so can only be used from the inside. I've warned the neighbours too.

did they take all three boxes or just certain items from inside three boxes?
why were the items boxed?
is it possible there is another explanation for the missing items?

Unfortunately there are just some nasty people out there. I'm sorry you had to meet some. You assume when you let people into your personal space that they're trustworthy. You can't blame yourself though. It does make me angry that the police and firm weren't interested.

@Ivebeenaroundtheblock Six plastic boxes fitted under the sofa bed, along with other bits and bobs. I kept the most valuable things there and moved them by the window to make room for the men. The smaller interesting looking boxes I moved to another room but had to give up on the rest due to health problems. They took two which were hidden beneath a mountain of duvets and blankets. The third was at the bottom of a stack. There were stools in front. I think they emptied the contents into their workbags and pockets without sorting because some of the items just had sentimental rather than resale value. I believe the first man smashed the boxes. They're very lightweight and one smash would destroy them. That would account for all the hammering I heard. The second guy kept me talking while the first hammered.
No one else had access to my flat and I'd recently changed the lock. The boxes weren't there the following day but it didn't register that they were missing because I was so used to not seeing them. They took things that wouldn't immediately be missed. I say 'they' but I'm sure it was the first man stealing and the second covering for him. Literally blocking the door to the bedroom.

Hi, @passtheharibo, I've always kept watch or hovered with delivery men or workmen but, in this instance, I felt threatened yet told myself it was fine: It's a big company, priding itself on customer service and wouldn't employ dodgy people. How wrong I was!
I thought the police would have at least taken fingerprints as they'd emptied my spare purse (hidden!) and chucked the contents (just receipts) under a stool but no, not important enough. Suppose it's cutbacks.
Thanks so much for everyone's support. There are nasty people out there but also, many nice ones too!

A bit late but this is absolutely disgraceful and so sad you couldn't get your things back.

Thanks so much for raising awareness on this issue, definitely going to be a bit more vigilant and careful, and will make sure family are as well!

Thanks, Safeseat. I'm glad if this helps even one person. It's really difficult to watch both delivery men if you're alone. One will distract while the other steals.

This kind of theft usually doesn't make the news unless something dreadful happens, as we've seen recently, and the burglar's past record is brought up.

It happened in late January and even now, I keep realising something else is missing.