Rising Petty Crime
Maybe you’ve seen the headlines lately which shout how petty crime is on the rise?
Or maybe you’re like Melissa and been on the receiving end of this with a smashed rear quarter glass and a stolen handbag in the middle of a sunny Sunday afternoon at the beach? Or this lady in Lyttelton who had her bag stolen and her bank accounts drained?
Either way, it’s a sharp crack-to-the-ribs reminder that while we live in a spectacular and largely safe, country, these things do happen and it’s up to use to ensure we’ve got the peace of mind we need.
For some of us, it’s more laissez-faire and we hope for the best, and for others we’re insured to the hilt, most of us are somewhere in between. Whatever your preference is, this is just us sharing a real life example and a reminder to check in and see if you’re covered to a level where you feel comfortable.
For Melissa, it was a late March, sunny Sunday in Ōtautahi (Christchurch)– mid afternoon, she was soaking up the sun on the beach at Spencer Park after a decent walk along the sand when she was approached by a man with his phone out, asking if she was the owner of a certain make/model of car. She was.
The man then showed Melissa the picture on his phone of the smashed window. He explained that he had been approached by a family who had gone to their car, noticed two men run off from the vehicle and saw the smashed window.
This family then approached several people close to the car park to see if it was their vehicle, it wasn’t, but one of them, this man, decided to find the owner.
This was a powerful reminder of how lovely Kiwis are and when things happen like these, two bad eggs are the exception and there are so many wonderful people ready to help.
Luckily the family interrupted the thieves and there were no other vehicles damaged. Not so lucky for Melissa though who then had to go through the process of heading home to vacuum the smashed glass, file a police report, claim insurance, organise replacement glass, navigate a week with no eftpos cards and the likes! But, keeping it all in perspective, it’s not the worst thing that can happen and thankfully no people or animals were hurt.
What was interesting and relevant for us all though was that while Melissa’s insurance company is actually really good and helpful, completing the insurance claim and trying to track down copies of receipts and the likes was a nightmare. It was also a test to recall exactly what was in the handbag, wallet and what keys were on the key ring too.
It really outlined the need to:
1. Have the right level of insurance for you
2. Not leave any valuables in a vehicle
3. Keep a picture, details or receipt for possessions or assets over a certain value
Once the master list started to form of what had actually been taken, the next challenge was finding receipts or proof of purchase for the more valuable items - what a hard task that was! Most receipts had gone straight in the bin, a few items had been gifted, and the odd one like airpods, thankfully had a receipt in email. It could mean without these though, especially for the higher value items, your insurers may not provide cover.
Holdmine does allow you to quickly take and add a picture of the item and/or receipts. A friend also suggested tipping out your bag contents (handbag, man bag, laptop bag, school bag, whatever one you use to transport your wordly possessions each day), and taking a picture of it to help recall should this happen to you. We’re thinking that would be a good idea every six months or so, along with a copy of all the keys on the key rings and label them. In Holdmine you could then upload the pic, write a quick note and there you have it – one minute of effort now to make life a lot easier should this happen to you.
Please do check in on your policy, cover and excess, and keep your valuables on you.
This post is part one of two, in the second post we will share tips to keep your assets and finances safe as where the poor lady in Lyttelton had money stolen, Melissa managed to avoid that. Timing and luck were on her side, and so was technology so we will share the practical steps you too can take to minimise the impact for you too.
