Abandoned machines?

[PerformaVending]

I recently posted about an old location of mine in another thread. This got me thinking. The location is a Chinese Buffet with a huge entry area- 10+ feet of useable space. Vendors of every stripe have a presence, including me for a short while. There are at least 6 different operators, running every machine imaginable (I'll add pictures to this thread when I visit the restaurant next) from spirals, to racks (new A&A's to Victor 77's) with triples and doubles commanding huge amounts of space. However, I know at least three of these machines are abandoned. One is a Northwestern Triple Play, it has a bag over it, and the owner explained he called the number, and the line didn't work. After the machine jammed, he put a bag over it. It's been like that for years. I called the number, and looked up the operator through an older phone book, and found nothing. The next machine is an Evervend, with no vendor ID, but again, it has a bag over it, and has been like that since before I started operating in there. The last I'm not sure of. A 5-way rack was literally set up in front of it, and I never got to it. It's been there for a long time, and judging from the dimensions, is some sort of triple machine.

I always thought it was pretty lame that the guy would leave the machines there in their condition, but when I asked him about it once, he just shrugged. Thinking about it now- would it be fraudulent or otherwise illegal to "buy" the machines from him? Should the old vendors come looking, I'd leave plenty of identification for him to fall back on, and I would gladly return their equipment should they ever crop up again. What would you guys do in this situation? (If it is illegal, don't fret- I'm far too poor to buy much of anything right now...)

Oh, "Heath and Son's Vending" of Plover Wisconsin, if you are on this forum, and are missing a Northwestern Triple play, I found it.

[Big Mike]

I would not touch it for any reason. It isn't my machine and I have no idea if it abandoned or not.

This is something I wrote a couple of years ago. My opinion has not changed:

Yes this topic has came up several times over the years and boards. There are many different opinions as you have said and I'm sure none will change. I mean no disrespect to anyone on this board. It just isn't a grey area to me. I know which machines belong to me and which ones don't.

You have all heard it. "Don't take out the BBB. I eat those all the time." Then when you open the machine there is only .25 in it.

"Oh this is your machine? I thought it was the managers"

"I have never seen anyone service this machine" Yep I'm here every 60 days.

I wouldn't believe for a second how long its been since THEY say it was serviced last. Wendi had a police officer try to give her the abandoned NW single in his station. She said no. I know it is abandoned too. I bet there are 50 of them around. They have been empty for 2 years. And they are NOT mine.

[rdendy]

Did a little research on this topic for you, looks like most to every state has a "lost and unclaimed property" set of rules and regulations. In your home state of Wisconsin, and from what I have read, it looks like you or the property owner should be able to report the machines as unclaimed property to the State Treasurer, where they remove the property and store it where it can be claimed by the owner, or my guess is they auction it after a certain time frame, but either way it get's it out of your location and helps the locations owner clean up his space the legal way. Might look at these links 'Wisconsin Unclaimed Property' and 'State Treasurer Unclaimed Property FAQ's'

[lakevending]

The unclaimed property laws primarily refer to thinks like checking accounts and other forms of "cash" goods. Items like vending machines fall under abandonment laws. Here in Ohio, according to my lawyer, abandonment laws are very vague without any clear guidelines, but basically as long as you make every possible attempt to contact the owner of the machine (or other abandoned property), and keep a record of it just in case they do appear at some later date you're in the clear. I personally think it should be up to the business owner ultimately what happens to it though since it's been abandoned on their property.

[rdendy]

The unclaimed property laws primarily refer to thinks like checking accounts and other forms of "cash" goods. Items like vending machines fall under abandonment laws. Here in Ohio, according to my lawyer, abandonment laws are very vague without any clear guidelines, but basically as long as you make every possible attempt to contact the owner of the machine (or other abandoned property), and keep a record of it just in case they do appear at some later date you're in the clear. I personally think it should be up to the business owner ultimately what happens to it though since it's been abandoned on their property.

The way it reads does indicate it's primary function is financial accounts and "cash goods" but the '2011 State of Wisconsin Unclaimed Property Reporting Guide' specifically states "Unclaimed property is a financial OR property asset that belongs to an individual, business or governmental entity." They do handle other "tangible" abandoned property, property code SD03. The second reason I would think they would be your go-to guys is that money is involved, as most of the machines will have "profits" sitting in them that belong to the owner and of course any taxes not paid associated with those. In the end you won't know for sure but I just wanted to give him a place to start, I like the idea of cleaning out abandoned locations, making room for us still in the business.

[havending]

I wouldn't touch it with a 10 foot pole

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[musser]

The abandoned machine thread always manages to pop up doesn't it? They are not yours. I can give all sorts of scenarios as to why a machine might be "abandoned". I am talking to a guy right now about a small route he is trying to sell, his Father In Law passed suddenly, guy is having a tough time finding everything and Mom really needs the money. Maybe the owner is fighting Cancer and is having a very hard time getting around. Maybe the owner had a car wreck and died, his widowed wife and orphan children at a loss as to how to proceed. Maybe the owner just gave up and left the machines full of money for you to have because you are just a swell fellow.

I am sorry, yes there are laws that can probably be used to ones advantage to take someting that is not really yours, but I won't.

[rdendy]

The laws are that it goes to the state for safekeeping, till the owner reclaims it or enough time goes by it becomes property of the state. I don't believe anyone was advocating taking it.

[Big Mike]

The laws are that it goes to the state for safekeeping, till the owner reclaims it or enough time goes by it becomes property of the state. I don't believe anyone was advocating taking it.

I don't believe you are talking about taking it. But.......... This come up every once in awhile. There is always someone wanting to know if its OK to take it. I think that was the original question of this thread.

"I'd leave plenty of identification for him to fall back on, and I would gladly return their equipment should they ever crop up again. What would you guys do in this situation?"

[PerformaVending]

Good to hear. thanks guys- this forum is great for bouncing my "half-baked" ideas off of. I'll definitely get the owner in touch with someone who can help him out in legally removing the machines. As always, thank you all very much for your insight.

[JLM Vending]

We know about how some machines get the boot from a phone call. But what I don't seem to understand is why sometimes a machine will not be serviced for months or years and the business doesn't call you to take it out, they just let it sit there. I have seen this and when i ask the manager they just shrug.

[rdendy]

We know about how some machines get the boot from a phone call. But what I don't seem to understand is why sometimes a machine will not be serviced for months or years and the business doesn't call you to take it out, they just let it sit there. I have seen this and when i ask the manager they just shrug.

That's an interesting observation, indifference, on the one hand there are possibly a lot of machines not in service out there taking up prime real estate, if only the locations owner wasn't indifferent to it. On the other hand I would love to have my machines all in stores where the owner was too indifferent to ever ask me to leave, keeping a steady income stream with less hassles.

[musser]

Now here is a coincidence. One of my route people came in today and said he walked into a location and they said, "wow, its so good to see you!" he asked why and they said that someone had called a couple of weeks ago and told them that "the guy that does your machines died, did someone get the machine yet? We will come get it if it is still there." The location asked who was calling etc and the guy just hung up. A new one on me.