Some B@stard just tried to nick my bike

iclestu

I was on my way for a fun ride this morning. Had covered about 12-15 miles and stopped at a morrisons to go in for a well-earned sausage sandwich from the cafe.

I returned to the bike 20 mins later to find someone had tried to nick it. The rear wheel is horribly bent where they appear to have been trying to lever the coil-lock into snapping. Seems either they were disturbed or the coil-lock did its job because at least the bike was still there.

Bast@rds! Completely ruined my day. Ruined my wife's day (who had to leave her frined's kid's birthday party to come play 'support vehicle'). No idea what the repair bill will be yet.

AARRRGH :evil:

Flasheart

Some real low-life scum about for sure :evil: . Glad you didn't lose it though

AndyManc

I've got to run in and out of shops if I'm using my bike, most of the time I try to avoid it.

Write a letter to Morrison’s, tell them about their environmental responsibilities, that they should be encouraging cyclists in their store, mention CCTV , etc etc .

They could quite easily supply safe parking for bikes, in fact, all stores should do it.

I was in ASDA the other day and this woman was pushing her bike around the aisles putting stuff in the front of her basket :shock: , maybe we should all do that


.

iclestu

AndyManc wrote:

Write a letter to Morrison’s, tell them about their environmental responsibilities, that they should be encouraging cyclists in their store, mention CCTV , etc etc .

Was considering it. I actually ran into the store when i found what had happened and got directed to the security guard who came out, looked at the bike, told me there was no CCTV coverage of the cycle stand (despite my bike being parked right next to the 'CCTV is recording' poster) and buggered off back inside. Didn't so much as offer to call the cops.

Don't expect that there is much that either him or the cops could have done, but was still a bit p1ssed off with the 'just another day' attitude.

suzyb

iclestu wrote:

AndyManc wrote:

Write a letter to Morrison’s, tell them about their environmental responsibilities, that they should be encouraging cyclists in their store, mention CCTV , etc etc .

Was considering it. I actually ran into the store when i found what had happened and got directed to the security guard who came out, looked at the bike, told me there was no CCTV coverage of the cycle stand (despite my bike being parked right next to the 'CCTV is recording' poster) and buggered off back inside. Didn't so much as offer to call the cops.

Don't expect that there is much that either him or the cops could have done, but was still a bit p1ssed off with the 'just another day' attitude.

The cctv doesn't cover the cycle stand...WTF.

Our nearest ASDA has a cycle stand and I assumed it would be covered by CCTV. Obviously that's not a cert.

shoulder_of_orion

You could try setting a honey trap for them....

Leave your bike in the Morrisson's car park unlocked. I find that a covered pit with sharpened stakes at the bottom, placed strategically near the closest exit works well. Alternatives, if digging a pit is not possible, are the net trap (like in Return of the Jedi when the Ewoks trap Luke and co.) or the massive boulder trap a la Indiana Jones.

iclestu

Shoulder of Lamb wrote:

You could try setting a honey trap for them....

Leave your bike in the Morrisson's car park unlocked. I find that a covered pit with sharpened stakes at the bottom, placed strategically near the closest exit works well. Alternatives, if digging a pit is not possible, are the net trap (like in Return of the Jedi when the Ewoks trap Luke and co.) or the massive boulder trap a la Indiana Jones.

I like it, then when we catch one of the little buggers we could stick one of thier heads on a spike next to the cycle stand as a warning to others.

lm_trek

Supermarket security is a joke! i should know i work for one!

So far a few staff have had there bikes stolen from work, we can't give the cctv footage if there is any to anyone except the police (data protection and all that!)

Certain supermarkets won't even do c2w for there staff!

Only hope is other customers will spot and say something as the scumbags try to steal the bike!

biff55

as an electrician it would be irresponsible to suggest electrifying the bike by hooking it up to the mains supply :twisted:

Mr Sworld

lm_trek wrote:

So far a few staff have had there bikes stolen from work, we can't give the cctv footage if there is any to anyone except the police (data protection and all that!)
!

I thought the data protection act gave you specific rights to request CCTV footage?

cee

Mr Sworld wrote:

lm_trek wrote:

So far a few staff have had there bikes stolen from work, we can't give the cctv footage if there is any to anyone except the police (data protection and all that!)
!

I thought the data protection act gave you specific rights to request CCTV footage?

I thought that you could request it under the freedom of information if you were in the footage.....

in this case, the segment you are interested in you are definately not in it...

freehub

You should see the bike storage at the Morrisons in Selby, it's over 10 years old, metal so think you could snap it with your hand and it's all rusted what a disgrace.

Mr Sworld

cee wrote:

I thought that you could request it under the freedom of information if you were in the footage.....

in this case, the segment you are interested in you are definately not in it...

Oh yeah...... Doh! :oops:

chuckcork

lm_trek wrote:

Supermarket security is a joke! i should know i work for one!

So far a few staff have had there bikes stolen from work, we can't give the cctv footage if there is any to anyone except the police (data protection and all that!)

Certain supermarkets won't even do c2w for there staff!

Only hope is other customers will spot and say something as the scumbags try to steal the bike!

I assume if they are saying this they are actually providing the footage to the Police, and not just using it as a cynical excuse to do nothing?

iclestu

Right - what do you guys think of this?

Did I miss anything?

Mr Marc Bolland
Chief Executive
Wm Morrison Supermarkets PLC
Hilmore House
Gain Lane
Bradford
BD3 7DL



Dear Mr Bolland,

I read with great interest your recent comments on your company’s stance on corporate social responsibility, and in particular, your endeavours to reduce carbon emissions on your company’s website. I would hope that you would agree that your company could make significant inroads into such an aim by encouraging customers to arrive at your store by bicycle rather than by private motor car? Sadly, my recent experience at your store on York Road, Doncaster will likely put me off arriving at any of your stores on my bike again. It may well put me off bringing you my custom at all.

When I arrived at your store on Sunday at 10.15am, I found a cycle stand in a public area with a large poster telling me that CCTV operated in the area. So far so good. I chained up my bike in this presumably secure area and proceeded into the store where I had some breakfast in the café before buying some supplies from the main store.

On returning to my bike about 45mins later I discovered that someone had attempted to steal my bike and in doing so had damaged the rear wheel beyond repair (presumably in attempt to lever the bike against the chain to try and force it into snapping). Having made this discovery, I rushed back into your store and was directed towards the security personnel. The security guard came outside, I showed him my bike and pointed to the CCTV poster and said “well at least they are on camera, perhaps the police can get them”. To my utter shock the security guard proceeded to tell me that the CCTV does not cover the cycle stand and only covers the car park and entrance to the store. He proceeded to demonstrate the precise coverage area by standing at the point where the coverage started. It is worth noting that this was a considerable distance from your poster declaring that CCTV was operating and my bike – parked ‘securely’ underneath that poster!

I was astounded by this, but was even more dismayed when the security guard simply disappeared back into the store having cheerily imparted his knowledge about the CCTV coverage. No offer to telephone the police. No offer to telephone someone to help me get home. Nothing. Just another day, huh, Morrisons?

I wonder what reaction there would have been if I had reported an attempted theft of my car? I would, at least have expected the store to have contacted the police. Then again, they would have some CCTV footage to share with them if it took place in the car park. Bicycles and their owners clearly do not command the same protection from Morrisons.

Cyclists suffering from such incidents when visiting your stores are perhaps unique in their vulnerability. Motorists generally have insurance policies and breakdown cover that will transport them home should some horrible incident like this happen. Public Transport users and pedestrians are, by definition, all but immune to the theft of, or criminal damage to, their mode of transport. The cyclist however faces a difficult problem of getting a bicycle home or to a bike shop for repairs.

I invite you to try transporting a bike with a wheel bent so far it won’t turn at all for more than a few meters! I was 15 miles from home when your staff member turned his back and cheerily went back to his role of protecting your stock and your motorised customers without so much as the offer of a use of a telephone or an offer to contact the police.

In my opinion, such a lack of security, concern and even empathy for me in this horrible situation does not fit well at all with your company’s stated aim of reducing carbon emissions. Nor, frankly, does it sit well with any form of concern for customer care!

If you would really like your company to reduce its carbon footprint then surely you must embrace transport by bicycle? In order to do so I would expect a customer visiting your store by bicycle to benefit from at least the same security precautions and safeguards afforded to motorised customers. I would be very grateful if you could give me your thoughts on this assertion and your thoughts on how well your store in Doncaster helped me deal with my problem.

It is worth noting that if I thought for one second that CCTV did not cover the cycle stand I would not have left the bicycle there, lock or no lock. I am extremely disappointed and feel deceived by Morrisons because, as stated above, there was a poster explaining that CCTV was operating. Surely it is reasonable for me to expect that the CCTV footage would cover a cycle stand right beneath the poster!? Would you also agree that this is a reasonable expectation and that you should accept some responsibility for the misleading placement of the poster?

I cannot and do not blame Morrisons for what is, at the end of the day, a criminal act. That said, I would have expected you to have taken reasonable steps to minimise the risk of such a crime taking place and to protect me and my belongings whilst visiting your store. CCTV coverage would be a huge deterrent to a would-be bike thief. Perhaps positioning the cycle stand in front of a glass front to your store to provide greater visibility would help too?


It would be mere speculation to suggest that any of these measures would have prevented the crime that I was a victim of on Sunday, but nonetheless I feel cheated by Morrisons. I feel as though your company, by its security presence, CCTV warning posters, etc. led me to believe that there were more safeguards protecting me from crime on your premises than were actually present. I feel that, as a cyclist rather than a motorist, I was not afforded the degree of protection I should have been. I would be grateful if you could give me your views on this and whether you believe that your company should consider making a contribution to my losses as a result?

I look forward to your reply.


Yours Sincerely,

Wallace1492

Excellent letter. Look forward to you posting the reply that you get.

AndyManc

Very good, you must have done this before

squired

Good luck with your letter. Too many of these places have provisions for cyclists, but don't take them seriously. A couple of weeks back I had an appointment at a hospital. As I had to get to work after the only real option was to cycle, and they had bike racks. To my surprise, the bike racks weren't actually secured to the ground,so I ended up having to lock my bike to the sign naming the hospital. I was actually half hoping a security guy would come over and tell me I couldn't put my bike there, but unfortunately I never saw one.

Next time, go there, lock your bike and then sit nearby (as out of sight as possible) to see if anyone turns up and starts trying to take your bike.

lm_trek

chuckcork wrote:

lm_trek wrote:

Supermarket security is a joke! i should know i work for one!

So far a few staff have had there bikes stolen from work, we can't give the cctv footage if there is any to anyone except the police (data protection and all that!)

Certain supermarkets won't even do c2w for there staff!

Only hope is other customers will spot and say something as the scumbags try to steal the bike!

I assume if they are saying this they are actually providing the footage to the Police, and not just using it as a cynical excuse to do nothing?

The police have to physically come into the store and request the footage, they have to have date, time and location they want, normally its an easy job. Ive seen in the past the police request footage and there is nothing there.

When the lads at work had there bikes stolen, there was no footage, as the bike stand was literally under the camera and they don't look down!!

iclestu

Just got back from the lbs. Unsurprisingly needs new wheel. Damage is going to be £35*

Much more annoyingly I will not get the bike back until Thursday. Will post my letter to Morrisons today and see what they say.

On a positive note. Felt much happier at this lbs, which I just found, than the previous one I encountered (discussed here: http://www.bikeradar.com/commuting/foru ... highlight=). The guy in this new shop just seemed to exude professionalism, looked about 40-50 but somehow just seemed like he had been bike fettling for hundreds of years! Totally irrational basis for determining his worth, but what can I say? I just trust him.

So I at least have the silver lining that i now have a lbs that I feel comfortable with!

*no 'mavic - xtralite, superslic, carbonfiber, £300 per oz' rims here for the bike tarts to get a semi over. Nope, cheap and cheerful all the way for me, my friends - screw-on flywheel, 'lead-based alloys'. No problem!

secretsam

...I've got the solution to my wasp hatred*: take one bike thief. Dress in all over jumpsuit. Unzip front of jumpsuit. Introduce wasps (a quantity of) to jumpsuit internals. Do up zip. Stand back and watch, whilst saying "Nick my bike now, you..." etc.

Then smash their hands with your D-locks.

Right - now I'm off to buy my copy of the Daily Mail

* see my response to thread on wasp in helmet

iclestu

SecretSam wrote:

...I've got the solution to my wasp hatred*: take one bike thief. Dress in all over jumpsuit. Unzip front of jumpsuit. Introduce wasps (a quantity of) to jumpsuit internals. Do up zip. Stand back and watch, whilst saying "Nick my bike now, you..." etc.

Then smash their hands with your D-locks.

Right - now I'm off to buy my copy of the Daily Mail

* see my response to thread on wasp in helmet

It seems to me that this solution more addresses your hatred of bike thieves than wasps, buy hey ho. Scum is scum whether insectoid vermin or wasp!

secretsam

iclestu wrote:

SecretSam wrote:

...I've got the solution to my wasp hatred*: take one bike thief. Dress in all over jumpsuit. Unzip front of jumpsuit. Introduce wasps (a quantity of) to jumpsuit internals. Do up zip. Stand back and watch, whilst saying "Nick my bike now, you..." etc.

Then smash their hands with your D-locks.

Right - now I'm off to buy my copy of the Daily Mail

* see my response to thread on wasp in helmet

It seems to me that this solution more addresses your hatred of bike thieves than wasps, buy hey ho. Scum is scum whether insectoid vermin or wasp!

Fair point...I know, make them eat the wasps after. Then do the D-lock thing.

sharm1969ca

oh c'mon guys! if were going to resort to them tactics then lets just cut open his ball sack and fill it full of maggots and tie his hands behind his back lol. feckin scum! lol!

secretsam

sharm1969ca wrote:

oh c'mon guys! if were going to resort to them tactics then lets just cut open his ball sack and fill it full of maggots and tie his hands behind his back lol. feckin scum! lol!

Release the wasps!! The wasps!!! Igor, my medicine, now!!!!!

<<slathers and gibbers in corner, foaming at mouth>>