Quick legal question (car "broken" in to)

[AY2043]

So my girlfriend's car was "broken" in to last night while parked at our apartment complex. I came out this morning and found the passenger door wide open and some stuff tossed about inside. As far as I can tell, all that is missing is a Bluetooth device thing, a car charger, a small amount of cash, and a pair of my girlfriends shoes.

Now, I put quotations around "broken" because I'm pretty sure the passenger door was left unlocked (it's an old car with manual locks), as there was no broken glass or any other signs of the car being unlocked somehow. Also, my girlfriend was the last one in the passenger seat (I was the last one who drove), and she had her arms full of groceries last time we got home, and she doesn't remember whether or not she locked it.

So my question for you guys is what should my course of action be? Will I just get laughed at by insurance and the police if I try to file a claim/report? It's only about $100 worth of stuff missing so is it even worth it?

[lakerjoshua]

[Aussiesuede]

FWIW: There is no point in making an insurance claim.

#1) For $100, it's not worth adding to your claims history

#2) If you're not already aware, personal items that are stolen from your vehicle are not covered under a Car Insurance policy. They'd be covered under your renters or homeowners policy.

#3) If you have a zero deductible on the policy, go see your insurance agent immediately and up that deductible to at least $500. The money that you are spending in premiums is higher than the amount you'd pay if you ever have to make a claim. It makes no sense to keep a deductible that low. It's just throwing money away.

As far as reporting? I'd definitely let the management of the Apartment complex know. I would not file an official police report, but I would stop by the PD and file an incident report so they can track if there's a rise in thefts in the area they need to be aware of, or if it was more just a crime of opportunity that isn't of much concern.
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[AY2043]

Thanks for the responses guys. I figured I wouldn't be getting much sympathy from the police or insurance companies, but figured it wouldn't hurt to ask around if I had a leg to stand on here, which it seems like I probably don't haha.

Aussie-- Thanks for your input, the deductible on our RI policy is actually $500, with a limit of $10k. I pay a premium $15 a month or something like that. As far as reporting it, I'll definitely go over and talk to management and stop by the dept. for an incident report when I get a chance. Our complex is right down the street from the PD anyways.

[ringfinger]

If you bought them with a credit card, some credit cards, like I think amex, has some protections there. But you'd have to file a police report probably, and file the claim, etc. Just not worth it for $100 IMO.

[jodeke]

I don't think comprehension pays for items stolen from your car. If you have homeowners file with it. I think it will pay. Hope you filed a police report.
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America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.

[Hammett]

Rest assured there will be one less shoeless person in L.A.
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[PLATNUM]

Not worth it. Chalk it up as a loss and just be more careful next time. Made the mistake of keeping a spare pair of bball shoes in the car along with a nice bottle of cologne...and some tweaker most likely walked by , checked the door and got lucky I forgot to lock up.
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"Dread it, run from it... destiny arrives all the same."

[xxsicrokerxx]

One time I parked at my girlfriends condo. Got something out of the trunk. Closed the trunk (theres a good chance it didn't close all the way). Then left with my girlfriend to the movies in her car. We got back around midnight and I drove home. Wasn't til the morning that I realized my subs/amp were stolen from my car. I spent $250 on the set-up. I was upset but I took it as a loss. Sh1t happens. You just gotta forget about it.

[ringfinger]

Soem credit cards have theft protection if bought the items within a certain window of time.

Other than that, just take one on the chin if its just $100.

[jodeke]

[lakersken80]

File a police report just to give them a heads up. At least it will alert them of a burglar in the area.

[tlim]

Always file a police report. If it was late at night, it might be some junkie who is still up and needs cash for his fix.

That's what the cops say anyway, once they saw the video that we had.

[PLATNUM]

Bumping cuz my wife left my son's Martial Arts bag and sparring gear in the car and it got stolen last night. I RARELY leave my doors unlocked and have a habit of always pressing the alarm button at night before bed just to be sure. But I was under the weather last night and apparently we didn't lock up. I'm pissed.

Contemplating sleeping in the car with a shotgun for the next few weeks.

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"Dread it, run from it... destiny arrives all the same."

[jodeke]