I HATE THIEVES!!!

[sprint54fan]

What a week. I go in Friday to service a VERY nice and clean tattoo shop, Guy has been opened for over 2 years and I have had my machines in there since he opened. I placed a single head gumball machine and a 4 selection brand sticker machine. Place did just over 50.00 a month every month. No commisson.

Well as I pull up to the strip mall I see  the windows of the place are all covered in brown paper.. and the decals are gone.. I go to the door and sure enough its locked. So I start investigating in the store next door and the guy says the women who owns the whole building runs the liquor store in the strip mall..so I go and hunt her down and ask about the tattoo shop. She tells me the guy got behind on rent for a couple months so she took all his stuff and moved it in storage and rented the bulding to a new tennet, and told the tattoo shop owner to come get his crap. Well I go on to tell her the vending machines are MINE and I would like them back..she wouldnt give me the guys phone number so I was screwed..she said she would call him and try and get my machines but no guarntees...

Well I come to the office and call the cellphone number I have for him and sure enough its out of service..so I go to the police department and tell the officer his name and the guy is friends with the owner..so he tells me to follow him and we go to the guys house. The owner was very nice and assured me he has my machines and he has no problem giving them back to me and I should meet him at 5pm today. Well I waited and waited and went back at 5pm today.. he tells me there is a little problem ..he says the that his storage unit was broken into lastnight and they drilled the locks on  the machines and took all the product and money.. he had the gumball machine in his car but couldnt fit the sticker machine in the car. So I took the machine (they used a screwdriver to get into didnt damage the machine).. I told him I can come back anytime tonight and get the other machine..he said his buddy would have his truck and they would get it and bring the machine to the guys house.he told me to come back at 8pm..so i go back at 8pm and he has this sad story about how he coudlnt ge this buddy to help him and i need to come back tomorrow.. well I just got sick of the crap..so I go back to the police station and have a officer call him and tell him that I want my machine TONIGHT.. well he found another friend to with a truck to go get it.. so a officer and I went to his house twenty minutes later and I got my machine.. the locks were drilled and all the stickers gone and money and money tray.. im not to worried about the stickers and gumballs or locks since I did get the units back..it just pisses me off knowing the guy who drilled the locks was probaly the owner..

So now im going to have to get a money tray, 2 sticker weights, and 2 locks for a brand sticker machine.. anyone here have any of these parts forsale? If so i will PAYPAL you the  money for the parts and shipping.. hopefully someone can help me?

[Mercury]

Not to be judgemental, but I've NEVER met a tattoo shop owner who WASN'T a scumbag!

Just stating my experience.

Glad you got them back! Good to know some cops!

Merc

[zanygames]

Sorry to hear this.

I have had the same issues with arcade games.  Only one time did I have a location actually broken into at night and then they broke into my arcade games as well.  Every other time you know it's the owner or employees.  How would someone come in during business hours and spend 20 mins with lock cutters and drills to get into a machine right in front of everyone and take the cash?  After this happens I end up having to pull out all my stuff.  The employees at one of my best Mexican restaurants stole all the plush out of my crane machine.  $400 or so gone in plush animals.  I had a Mexican bar location actually take my entire stand up touch screen game.  I came into service it and the entire machine was gone. 

[JPVendCo.]

this is totally golpher sheet! there is no way someone would break into his storage unit, HAPPEN to have a drill, take the time to drill it out there, instead of just stealing it and doing that somewhere else.

if thats the story jerk off is sticking with, tell him you want to contact the storage company, because most of them have surveillance, and you want him to go to the police station to make a statement.

you want a copy of the surveillance tape. tell him anyone who spent that much time there, some had to have saw something, or got something on tape.

at least he will know that you know he is full of crap!

[sprint54fan]

I know hes full of crap and I told him that to his face when I picked up the sticker machine..I know he drilled the locks himself cause thasts what i asked him to..why wouldnt they just steal the damn machines instead of stand there for like 20 minutes and make all that noise drilling out the locks.. I mean Im not a damn crook but it doesnt take a genius to come to that.

I know what he thought..he thought I was just gonna go to the shop and see them closed and be like o well he took the machines and then Id move on..but when I have equipment in locations that close I do everything in my power to track the scumbags down that close and take my equipment..I usually get it back..this is the only time I ever got equipment back tho thats been damaged..but I am Very glad I got the equipment back..cause buying some stickers, 2 weights and a couple locks will not be nearly as bad as buying a new or used sticker unit.

I am still looking for a coin tray, 2 locks and key, and 2 sticker weights for a brand 4 column so I can get this machine back out in the field..if anyone has any of this stuff Ill pay through paypal.. either pm me or email: sprint54fan@yahoo.com

thanks!

[sprint54fan]

Found a coin box today so now only need 2 sticker weights and 2 locks with key.. can anyone help or do I need to call and order new from brand?

[lurtsman]

I would have a hard time not getting hit with assault charges after an incident like this. It's a shame the cop is friends with him, and I don't mean to be a conspiracy theorist, but the guy is a scum bag. He's human trash, and if the officer is "friends" with him, it either means he is an informant or he's a dirty cop. I'd say the second is more likely, so even if you had video evidence from the storage company of him drilling out the locks on tape, I don't think you'd get far. I despise this kind of trash, but I would refuse to put my machines in a tattoo parlor. All money is not equal, money that is high risk has a way of disappearing.

[lurtsman]

If you have insurance that covers vandalism and your machines are under the policy, you may want to report it for reimbursement if you think you could get enough to be worth your time. It would also make a record and if the insurance company wanted to inspect it you could direct them to the storage unit to ask for tapes. -Side note, hearing about thieves makes me angry. In part perhaps because I had the misfortune of working at a library with an enormous number of misbehaving adolescents. I've grown weary of dealing with people who have no work ethic, and am running out of compassion.

Just for fun, you might want to see what licenses this guy could be missing and start generously tipping off various agencies to see if you can't get him inspected.