Theft of goods from car in driveway

[JustinP1]

OP said:

I only started buying and selling on eBay a couple of weeks ago. My problem is would they consider this to be business use and invalidate my claim? I can't really afford to lose £800 worth of stock having just started, it's most of my investment gone out of the window!

As John said.

Further to that it doesn't actually matter if he makes £10 or £1000 a week, and it doesn't matter if he'd made any money yet either.

As I said before, the OP's concerns are well founded. He will have to convince his insurance company that he keeps £800 of brand new, boxed trainers in his car, but has no intention of selling them.

I hope that they're all his size.... :getmecoat

ETA: There are home insurance policies that do not cost the earth that cover business assets and stock that are kept in or brought incidentally to the home - Hiscox do at little or no extra cost.

Edited by JustinP1 on Wednesday 18th November 10:14

[arsenalmorris]

shambolic said:

TBF to OP I have a few mates that "trade" and swap trainers and own 50-60 pairs of adidas. In fact one of them sat outside a store in Glasgow on Friday night to get a Limited edition pair on Saturday.
Some older ZX models can for for hundreds of pounds

I also collect Adidas trainers too, Have some worth lots and over 80 pairs, (see the new shoes thread) When i move house i will be sure to do it a few pairs at a time so its not stock

Edited by arsenalmorris on Thursday 19th November 23:52

[lbc]

arsenalmorris said:

I also collect Adidas trainers too, Have some worth lots and over 80 pairs, (see the new shoes thread) When i move house i will be sure to do it a few pairs at a time so its not stock

Edited by arsenalmorris on Thursday 19th November 23:52

I have one or two pairs of trainers, and use them for running or fixing the car, rather than looking cool in a shell suit outside a northern night club.

[pinchmeimdreamin]

arsenalmorris said:

I also collect Adidas trainers too, Have some worth lots and over 80 pairs, (see the new shoes thread) When i move house i will be sure to do it a few pairs at a time so its not stock

Edited by arsenalmorris on Thursday 19th November 23:52

Do you sell them for profit though ?

[V8LM]

pinchmeimdreamin said:

Do you sell them though?

FTFY.

[4rephill]

97lude said:

I have deleted my initial message from this topic.

Is that because it didn't suit the version of the story that you're telling your insurance company?

TBH, reading your original post:

97lude said:

Hi,

To cut a long story short, last night someone broke into my car without using forced entry, spent a few minutes having a look inside and then proceeded to empty my boot of 23 pairs of trainers! Our CCTV isn't very clear but you can see the lights of the car turn on at approx 3am and someone inside the car with a torch having a rummage around and then opening the boot, clearing out the items and then driving off. The CCTV isn't very clear, you can't make out the the face or see their getaway car but you can definitely tell that there's someone in the car.

I have filed a claim with my home insurance company and have sent them paperwork and invoices for all the trainers (they are completely legit before any questions), I only started buying and selling on eBay a couple of weeks ago. My problem is would they consider this to be business use and invalidate my claim? I can't really afford to lose £800 worth of stock having just started, it's most of my investment gone out of the window! I wasn't doing it to make serious money, only making around £10-£15 on the side to subsidise the cost of my trainer purchases. Would Direct Line still consider this to be business use, or can i argue it's a genuine hobby as I do enjoy collecting trainers and I'm not really doing it as a proper business? I have obtained a crime ref number from the police who said they can't really do much without clear footage and now the claim is currently with the insurance assessor.

.....it does seem to come across as though you're attempting to perform a blatant insurance fraud and are changing your story as you go along to try to get away with it! (A word of advice: It's always best to try to stick to one story only as multiple versions of the same story tend to get insurance companies suspicious! )

97lude said:

Any advice appreciated.

Thanks

Okay:

1) Stop trying to pretend you're not running a business when you blatantly are (Just because it's done through Ebay doesn't mean it's not a business!)

2) Try running your business legitimately and declare it to HMRC - You'll look like less of a dodgy pkey that way!

3) Stop trying to commit insurance fraud by lying to your insurance company about your lost stock "collection".

4) Find a more secure place to store your stock "collection".

5) Stop being ageist and having a pop at those on here who have seen through your plan to defraud your insurance company and your follow up lies to try to justify your story.

You need to realise that if the old fogies of PH can see through your story this easily then an insurance investigator isn't exactly going to need to do much overtime to do the same!

6)

97lude said:

Also another strange thing is that my passport was in my car overnight too.....

Don't leave your passport in your car!

7)

97lude said:

......For some reason they didn't take this or the 8th sitting next to it!

Drugs are for mugs you muppet!




Right! - Time to get My trainers on ( Brand new Nike Free 4.0 Flyknit iD from a guy at a trainer party! - Only £25! Bargain!), and get back to My job at Direct Line - I've got a fraud report to file! (Looks like I'll be home early tonight! )

[97lude]

4rephill said:

97lude said:

I have deleted my initial message from this topic.

Is that because it didn't suit the version of the story that you're telling your insurance company?

TBH, reading your original post:

97lude said:

Hi,

To cut a long story short, last night someone broke into my car without using forced entry, spent a few minutes having a look inside and then proceeded to empty my boot of 23 pairs of trainers! Our CCTV isn't very clear but you can see the lights of the car turn on at approx 3am and someone inside the car with a torch having a rummage around and then opening the boot, clearing out the items and then driving off. The CCTV isn't very clear, you can't make out the the face or see their getaway car but you can definitely tell that there's someone in the car.

I have filed a claim with my home insurance company and have sent them paperwork and invoices for all the trainers (they are completely legit before any questions), I only started buying and selling on eBay a couple of weeks ago. My problem is would they consider this to be business use and invalidate my claim? I can't really afford to lose £800 worth of stock having just started, it's most of my investment gone out of the window! I wasn't doing it to make serious money, only making around £10-£15 on the side to subsidise the cost of my trainer purchases. Would Direct Line still consider this to be business use, or can i argue it's a genuine hobby as I do enjoy collecting trainers and I'm not really doing it as a proper business? I have obtained a crime ref number from the police who said they can't really do much without clear footage and now the claim is currently with the insurance assessor.

.....it does seem to come across as though you're attempting to perform a blatant insurance fraud and are changing your story as you go along to try to get away with it! (A word of advice: It's always best to try to stick to one story only as multiple versions of the same story tend to get insurance companies suspicious! )

97lude said:

Any advice appreciated.

Thanks

Okay:

1) Stop trying to pretend you're not running a business when you blatantly are (Just because it's done through Ebay doesn't mean it's not a business!)

2) Try running your business legitimately and declare it to HMRC - You'll look like less of a dodgy pkey that way!

3) Stop trying to commit insurance fraud by lying to your insurance company about your lost stock "collection".

4) Find a more secure place to store your stock "collection".

5) Stop being ageist and having a pop at those on here who have seen through your plan to defraud your insurance company and your follow up lies to try to justify your story.

You need to realise that if the old fogies of PH can see through your story this easily then an insurance investigator isn't exactly going to need to do much overtime to do the same!

6)

97lude said:

Also another strange thing is that my passport was in my car overnight too.....

Don't leave your passport in your car!

7)

97lude said:

......For some reason they didn't take this or the 8th sitting next to it!

Drugs are for mugs you muppet!




Right! - Time to get My trainers on ( Brand new Nike Free 4.0 Flyknit iD from a guy at a trainer party! - Only £25! Bargain!), and get back to My job at Direct Line - I've got a fraud report to file! (Looks like I'll be home early tonight! )

This is the last message I'm going to post on this thread.

This is not a case of insurance fraud, I had trainers taken from my boot. If I had any intention of committing insurance fraud, my £1200 Macbook (which alone is similar to the total value of the theft), £3800 Rolex, £650 Gucci watch and £500 Citizen would also have "been stolen" from the car, along with my Ray Bans which were actually in the car but they didn't take. I don't have the time or inclination to commit to trainers as a business. Whether it's relevant or not, I earn more than most of the people posting on this thread through my existing business which takes up 6 days a week of my time, which I can only imagine will grow rapidly over the next couple of years if growth is consistent with previous months, so I don't need any surplus income. I have no need to commit insurance fraud, I'm simply attempting to be reimbursed for a genuine loss which I suffered. There was a genuine reason for the trainers being in my boot which I've explained to my claims handler, the ball is in their court to determine whether it's genuine or not. There's four ways they can interpret the events:

1) Dispute the theft ever occurred despite CCTV
2) Acknowledge the theft occurred as there's CCTV footage but deny that the trainers were actually taken
3) Acknowledge the theft occurred, agree that trainers were taken, deny my claim as a few of them were surplus to mine and my friends requirements so were due to be sold on eBay for a few quid profit in the event that nobody wanted to take them off me
4) Acknowledge that the theft occurred and reimburse me for a genuine loss which I have suffered

I hope common sense prevails and they choose option 4. It's not a huge amount of money, I make that in four days (or two good days) so although I can afford to take this loss, I shouldn't have to.

[Charlie1986]

How do you know what we earn? we only pointed out the facts to you.

[JustinP1]

97lude said:

There was a genuine reason for the trainers being in my boot which I've explained to my claims handler, the ball is in their court to determine whether it's genuine or not.

If you've told the truth, and from what you've said you have, you have then you've done nothing wrong.

Hopefully the constructive advice on here steered you in that right direction.

[SydneyBridge]

and we need an update on the outcome

[Evanivitch]

97lude said:

Whether it's relevant or not, I earn more than most of the people posting on this thread through my existing business which takes up 6 days a week of my time, which I can only imagine will grow rapidly over the next couple of years if growth is consistent with previous months, so I don't need any surplus income. I have no need to commit insurance fraud, I'm simply attempting to be reimbursed for a genuine loss which I suffered.

97Lude said:

I can't really afford to lose £800 worth of stock having just started, it's most of my investment gone out of the window!

The important part of lying is it has to be believable and consistent.

[Vaud]

Evanivitch said:

97lude said:

Whether it's relevant or not, I earn more than most of the people posting on this thread through my existing business which takes up 6 days a week of my time, which I can only imagine will grow rapidly over the next couple of years if growth is consistent with previous months, so I don't need any surplus income. I have no need to commit insurance fraud, I'm simply attempting to be reimbursed for a genuine loss which I suffered.

97Lude said:

I can't really afford to lose £800 worth of stock having just started, it's most of my investment gone out of the window!

The important part of lying is it has to be believable and consistent.

I partly see the OPs point - this is possibly a side line, to fund pocket money/drugs/watches. Whatever. Bit of weed that isn't be sold doesn't bother me, nor does the OPs wider salary.

But I would be a daft insurer if I paid out as the OP hasn't taken basic precautions to protect his stock, and whilst it might not be a main business, it is "for profit trading" - even if it is a sideline, bit of fun.

[V8LM]

97lude said:

This is the last message I'm going to post on this thread.

This is not a case of insurance fraud, I had trainers taken from my boot. If I had any intention of committing insurance fraud, my £1200 Macbook (which alone is similar to the total value of the theft), £3800 Rolex, £650 Gucci watch and £500 Citizen would also have "been stolen" from the car, along with my Ray Bans which were actually in the car but they didn't take. I don't have the time or inclination to commit to trainers as a business. Whether it's relevant or not, I earn more than most of the people posting on this thread through my existing business which takes up 6 days a week of my time, which I can only imagine will grow rapidly over the next couple of years if growth is consistent with previous months, so I don't need any surplus income. I have no need to commit insurance fraud, I'm simply attempting to be reimbursed for a genuine loss which I suffered. There was a genuine reason for the trainers being in my boot which I've explained to my claims handler, the ball is in their court to determine whether it's genuine or not. There's four ways they can interpret the events:

1) Dispute the theft ever occurred despite CCTV
2) Acknowledge the theft occurred as there's CCTV footage but deny that the trainers were actually taken
3) Acknowledge the theft occurred, agree that trainers were taken, deny my claim as a few of them were surplus to mine and my friends requirements so were due to be sold on eBay for a few quid profit in the event that nobody wanted to take them off me
4) Acknowledge that the theft occurred and reimburse me for a genuine loss which I have suffered

I hope common sense prevails and they choose option 4. It's not a huge amount of money, I make that in four days (or two good days) so although I can afford to take this loss, I shouldn't have to.

I don't think anyone was suggesting the theft never happened. The fraud accusations arose from the thought of telling the insurers it was not stock from your business that was stolen.

Perhaps they were.

[ging84]

He's gone from, can't afford to take an £800 loss, to earning more than most people from an existing business

that's absolutely fine then, as the successfully established business which makes lots of money which if it is isn't drug dealing, will presumably have all the right insurance so cover this.

[skodaphile]

Sole trader?

[Vaud]

skodaphile said:

Sole trader?

Genius.

[V8LM]

Put a sock in it. This tread has run far enough.

[pinchmeimdreamin]

Have some sympathy, the guy has had some trainers Nike'd from his Puma poor thing.

[V8LM]

He's had to Reebok his appointment to Converse with his broker and explain why the thief couldn't Karrimor.

[berlintaxi]

A real sneaker thief.