The case of the abducted Jacobsen... it's a MYSTERY!
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Author: NurseDaddy
Date: 19 Dec 2005 11:59 am
We know I got my new Ariens, and that replaced the old Jacobsen 321 that my neighbor had given me when he bought a new one.
So I left the Jacobsen outside along side my garage (in plain sight) until I figured out what I was gonna do with it.
It barely worked. It lost its scraper bar. It got all rusty sitting out there.
At some point in the last two days, someone helped themselves to it. It's gone.
Now, if they'd rang my doorbell or left a note, I'd have told them they were welcome to it. Not likely I'd be doing anything with it anyway, but still.
To just help yourself? That's balls.
I am thinking about calling the nearby OPE dealer and telling them if someone brings it in for repair, they should call me. That and if I hear it in operation on a snow day in my neighborhood I'll certainly have to do something about that. It's not the loss of the unit, it's the fact that someone just took it.
If they helped themselves to the machine outside the garage, what's next, the machine in the garage? The door's locked, but you can see in through the windows. Do I really have to chain my machine down inside my garage? Along with everything else I do not want to lose?
I know I left the old one outside for all to see, and I don't really care that I don't have it anymore. But I've left other things out there before, without a problem. It's just the fact that whoever it was could have at least asked me, instead of stealing it.
Nice. Real nice. BALLS.
ND
UPDATE: IT GETS EVEN BETTER!!
I'm studying for finals, so I often find I can read my notes better if I'm out walking around with them. We needed to return some movies to Blockbuster, so I took my notes and headed over there. I'm walking past a service station around the corner, when I glance up from my notes for a second and see a snowblower sitting along side their fence. Sure enough, it was the old Jacobsen. I asked a couple of the mechanics where they got it, and they did not know. Then the owner came out and said some guy in his 60's came walking up the street with it, and wheeled it over to the service station and asked if they could get it running for him. I've taken it home, put it in my garage, and I'm waiting for the owner of the station to get the guys name and number for me. When the guy comes in he's not going to confront him. We'll see what happens.
I feel like putting it right back where it was, chained to an old 350 cubic inch engine block that's there, with a sign on the blower that says
NEXT TIME, JUST ASK.
Un#@$%ing believable.
BUT WAIT! THAT'S NOT ALL!
I just got a call from the guy that brought it to the service station. He said that he found it at the curb about 9 blocks away from my house. I know exactly where he's talking about. There's a middle aged man with mental disabilities that lives there and he scours the neighborhood looking for other people's junk. He brings it home, and his parents throw it away. Sometimes it's good stuff. I myself have - sad to say - taken a few things from that curb. If the guy that brought the old Jacobsen in to repair really did find it at the curb in front of this guys house, then it's someone else that needs to be reminded it's not nice to take people's stuff. I guess that's why some of the stuff they put out is nice -- he's been stealing. IF that's not really how it happened, this guy's looking for a scapegoat and he blamed the mentally handicapped guy. I'm thinking that might be what happened, because he told me that he wanted to "give the blower to the mechanic for him to use at his shop". The owner of the service station says he only "knows of" the guy, he's not a regular customer.
Hmm... it's a regular mystery now, isnt it.
Time to just let it go. I think I'll put the Jacobsen at the curb now. Unless anyone here wants it.. it's FREE! LOL
ND
Author: Bill_D
Date: 19 Dec 2005 12:07 pm
You should get a dog. I can leave everything right at the end of my driveway worry free as my Rotties just sit in hiding waiting for someone to slowdown and take a peak. :twisted: That is really ballsie ofd someone to do to you though!!! Maybe you should call your local police and report it anyways though.
Author: bontai Joe
Date: 19 Dec 2005 4:34 pm
Nurse daddy,
Glad you found it. Maybe the kindly old gent (did he have a white beard?) was gonna fix it and bring it back with a red bow on it? :lol: I'm curious to see how this turns out.
Author: Paula
Subject: Re: The case of the abducted Jacobsen... it's a MYSTERY!
Date: 19 Dec 2005 4:51 pm
NurseDaddy wrote:
Then the owner came out and said some guy in his 60's came walking up the street with it, and wheeled it over to the service station and asked if they could get it running for him. I've taken it home, put it in my garage, and I'm waiting for the owner of the station to get the guys name and number for me. When the guy comes in he's not going to confront him. We'll see what happens.
I feel like putting it right back where it was, chained to an old 350 cubic inch engine block that's there, with a sign on the blower that says
NEXT TIME, JUST ASK.
Un#@$%ing believable.
BUT WAIT! THAT'S NOT ALL!
I just got a call from the guy that brought it to the service station. He said that he found it at the curb about 9 blocks away from my house. I know exactly where he's talking about. There's a middle aged man with mental disabilities that lives there and he scours the neighborhood looking for other people's junk. He brings it home, and his parents throw it away. Sometimes it's good stuff. I myself have - sad to say - taken a few things from that curb. If the guy that brought the old Jacobsen in to repair really did find it at the curb in front of this guys house, then it's someone else that needs to be reminded it's not nice to take people's stuff. I guess that's why some of the stuff they put out is nice -- he's been stealing. IF that's not really how it happened, this guy's looking for a scapegoat and he blamed the mentally handicapped guy. I'm thinking that might be what happened, because he told me that he wanted to "give the blower to the mechanic for him to use at his shop". The owner of the service station says he only "knows of" the guy, he's not a regular customer.
Hmm... it's a regular mystery now, isnt it.
Time to just let it go. I think I'll put the Jacobsen at the curb now. Unless anyone here wants it.. it's FREE! LOL
ND
Sounds like the old man is looking to blame the mentally handicapped guy....his stories don't match. What a crummy thing to do.
What about donating it somewhere instead? Just because the old guy lied, I wouldn't want to give it to him...would hate to reward him for lying.
Author: NurseDaddy
Date: 19 Dec 2005 5:23 pm
Paula,
Now that I'm thinking about it, the stories the old man gave do not match up indeed...
The shop owner said the old man wanted to know if he could get it running for him.
The old man said he wanted to give it to the shop owner.
Then why did the old man call me and say "the shop owner says you took my blower"
And if you were going to donate a piece of equipment to a shop that you dont frequent but still appreciate, would you make them fix it for YOU, but then give it to them? Why would you make them spend time, labor, and parts on something they might not even want. I think I'd just drop it off and say "it's yours, do what you will with it. Merry Christmas."
He says he pushed the blower from where he found it a half a mile away, but it took him a while. I think he found it at my house, and that he pushed it around the corner to that shop.
Where's Lt. Columbo?
Where's Gil Grisham? I want CSI here now.
Blaming the mentally handicapped guy... how sad is that.
Author: Highwind
Date: 19 Dec 2005 7:21 pm
Did the garage owner say if they told the old man if they would try to fix it? Or did they tell him that was not their line of work?
If they said "no", maybe he was abandoning it there or going to come and get it later?
He had some nerve to call you about taking his snowblower, unless he didn't know you were the owner, which is likely. Did he seem surprised or hesitant when he told you about wanting to give it to the garage? Would make me believe he was making up the story to you when he found you were the original owner.
The parents of the mentally disabled man had better be careful about throwing out things he brings back. They should first get him to tell them where he got it so they can check with the owner. If it isn't garbage people might file theft charges, and they'd be accomplices, I'd presume.
Snowblower theft is not uncommon around here. I chain mine to the tent trailer, so they get a two-fer-one special if they want either one that bad. As mine isn't easy to wheel, it isn't easy to steal.
Author: Garandman
Date: 20 Dec 2005 5:38 am
You know what they say - "Lights, locks, dogs, guns..."
Author: Paula
Date: 20 Dec 2005 10:08 am
NurseDaddy wrote:
Paula,
Now that I'm thinking about it, the stories the old man gave do not match up indeed...
The shop owner said the old man wanted to know if he could get it running for him.
The old man said he wanted to give it to the shop owner.
Then why did the old man call me and say "the shop owner says you took my blower"
And if you were going to donate a piece of equipment to a shop that you dont frequent but still appreciate, would you make them fix it for YOU, but then give it to them? Why would you make them spend time, labor, and parts on something they might not even want. I think I'd just drop it off and say "it's yours, do what you will with it. Merry Christmas."
He says he pushed the blower from where he found it a half a mile away, but it took him a while. I think he found it at my house, and that he pushed it around the corner to that shop.
Where's Lt. Columbo?
Where's Gil Grisham? I want CSI here now.
Blaming the mentally handicapped guy... how sad is that.
You left out Inspector Clouseau...
:wink: :wink:
I figure what goes around, comes around...people like that usually bring misery onto themselves...whether in loneliness because nobody can stand 'em or being surrounded with people just like him who he knows he can't trust because they ARE just like him. One way or another, it comes back to them. If it were me though, I just wouldn't want to reward him for lying by putting it curbside. Perhaps there is a boys ranch or something similar in your area that would like to do the repairs themselves and then have a working snowblower plus the knowledge gained from fixing it? Just an idea. :wink:
Paula
Author: Bill_D
Date: 20 Dec 2005 10:10 am
Put it back out there in one of those kiddie pools filled w/ an inch of water, hooked up to 2 car batteries in sequence, hot to the handle. That'll teach 'em. :twisted: