Stolen tools..

[Jeff Horton]

I am impressed Bruce. My experience has been quite the opposite and most of the folks I have talked to too.

[Bill Fields]

All good advice--I'm doing th edigital camers/CD thing now.

For me, it is more about REMEMBERING what I had--rather than "proving it".

Think this thought--"Could/would I remember all my stuff/tools/guns/cameras/stereo/jewelry/etc/etc. if someone said "make a list--and don't come back for seconds".

ME: "--oh, I forgot the Incra 1000SE, and the---".

I DO keep a pretty complete hard-copy file of Owner's Manuals and the like.

We hope this theft/fire never happens to you or us--the hassle factor is aboslutely beyond any physical loss!

BILL

[Bruce Benjamin]

I am impressed Bruce. My experience has been quite the opposite and most of the folks I have talked to too.

I guess it's just either where you live or maybe who your agent is.
I've had State Farm in both Portland, Or. and in a few Northern
California locations and with the exception of two occasions, rock chips
on new paint and the value of a totaled Jeep-Both resolved in my
favor, I've been treated as I would hope to be. In fact, I don't think
I've ever known anyone who's complained about State Farm. I guess
we've just been lucky. I know they are rated higher than most. I hope
if I ever have to replace any tools whether from theft or accident that
they continue their 24 year streak. This thread has inspired me to
start taking a complete household inventory and I'm using one of the links
provided in this thread for software. Thanks to that poster for the link.

Bruce

[Ed Blough]

I have had claims for a house fire (totalled) and burglary with two different insurance companies and both were handled fairly.
When our house burned to the ground we found we had severely unestimated the value of the contents and the insurance just paid the max. Learned that lesson! On the burglary some low life walked into my garage and carried out a brand new compound mitre saw, 35 year on compressor and all my "fine" carpentry tools. Since I had just bought the mitre saw I handed the insurance company the receipt everything else they had to take my word for it and they did. Total claim was $1800 which they paid no questions asked.
Lost a lot of my grandfather's planes, chisles, tools that simply can't be replaced.
My biggest complaint is nobody makes compressors like they did 35 years ago. It was a Sears with a cast iron compressor and 20 gal tank. I bought one that looked just like it and nearly jumped out of my socks when I turned it on. Sounded like a baleing machine with a cat stuck in it.
Took that one back, spent nearly a month trying compressors for sound. Finally bought a PorterCable "oilless" that was quieter than an anything on the market oiled or oilless.
Ed

[Tyler Howell]

Pictures....
I have an Excel model I built and have been using for years. Started with Visi Calc in the 80s on my Comadore Pet.

Price, model, SN, date of purchase and lots of pictures all on CD.
I keep those in my safe deposit box with the family jewals.
I had a break in some years back and the police man about wet himself when I produce a print out of al the lost items. As did the insurance man when I had pictures and receipts.

[Kevin Herber]

Pictures....
I have an Excel model I built and have been using for years. Started with Visi Calc in the 80s on my Comadore Pet.

Price, model, SN, date of purchase and lots of pictures all on CD.
I keep those in my safe deposit box with the family jewals.
I had a break in some years back and the police man about wet himself when I produce a print out of al the lost items. As did the insurance man when I had pictures and receipts.

I can't wait for the replies regarding Tyler keeping the family jewels in a safe deposit box....

-- Kevin

[Jeff Horton]

I can't wait for the replies regarding Tyler keeping the family jewels in a safe deposit box....

-- Kevin

I was thinking that had to be painful.

[Phil Ordway]

A good way to store your info is to send it to youself at one of the free email programs. Gmail which I use has unlimited storage space. You can send your inventory with pictures and documentation and recover the info any time if you lose your own data storage. I like gmail. The downside is that your data is electronically read (Google is not the only one - all emails are read electronically) and Google ads are put on the right side of your emails based on key words. The upsides are unlimited storage, Google search within your saved emails, an excellent spam filter and no more filling up your own storage space. You can use it anywhere. I'm currently in Brisbane, Australia. I don't know if invitations to gmail are still necessary, but if they are, I have lots. Email me and I'll send them out.

[Dave Lehnert]

The MS Money program also has a inventory list built in. You can also link your photo's to the items in your list.

[Gail O'Rourke]

Good thread and yes I will make a list....I have some photos of my shop on my website, so that will spark my memory too...

Great news - I did find the drill...it was in the food pantry with the papertowels and dry goods. Why? Who knows, but glad that it turned up.

[Richard Wolf]

Good thread and yes I will make a list....I have some photos of my shop on my website, so that will spark my memory too...

Great news - I did find the drill...it was in the food pantry with the papertowels and dry goods. Why? Who knows, but glad that it turned up.

Glad you found the drill, it eases that violated feeling!

Richard

[Larry Norton]

I have Erie Insurance. When the tornado destroyed our home, I figured it was going to be a big job getting receipts and everything I needed to prove what I lost. When I asked my adjuster what he needed, he told me to write everything down and the present value. If I replaced it, I would get 100% of the replacement costs. If I didn't replace it, I would get 80% of the replacement value. That was all I had to do.

Since I had full replacement costs on my policy, it not only covered the costs of the tools, it covered the replacement cost of the house entirely.

Please check your policy and make sure you have replacement costs on it. It's only a few dollars more a month, and worth every penny. My policy was for $133,000 for the house, it cost $170,000 to replace it like it was, and they paid every penny. We didn't have to pay anything.

As a side note, we were featured in a story on Erie's quarterly newsletter. That was pretty neat!

[Jeff Horton]

From what I have seen total losses like house fires and tornadoes don't seem to be a problem to collect on typically. My neighbors house burned and they had no problems to speak of. Just slow.

The problem was remembering everything that they had.