STOPPING THIEVES AT THE WORKPLACE

June 28, 2005

    I bought a Huffy Tundra at Wal-Mart. I also bought a Bell armored cable. My bike was stolen from a bike parking rack where I work. The thief tried to cut the cable on both ends. When that didn't work, he cut the red-colored part and yanked the cable out of the lock’s shaft. (It’s clear the cable didn't get cut at all, it’s armored stuff. The cable got wiggled out of place and forced out.)
    Could I hold Wal-Mart or Bell responsible? I did file a police report and a work incident report. The whole thing was videotaped. Also, at work we had three bikes stolen in a period of four days. A camera was on all of them as well.
    What do you think I should do with a situation like this? Thanks.

Vince O.

Vince:
    Don’t take this personally, but you had a cheap lock. Thieves can break cheap locks easily. You might not have wanted to spend enough for a good lock because your bike didn’t cost that much. But if you wanna park and keep your bike you’ll have to get a good lock. My book, Urban Bikers’ Tricks & Tips, describes how much to spend on locks and recommends specific kinds.
    Manufacturers and sellers of locks don’t guarantee that a thief can’t break your lock, so you can’t hold them responsible. Makers of high-quality locks, however, will (with restrictions) pay you for your stolen bike. Again, my book gives details.
    Having a camera on your employer’s parking area works only if someone watches it constantly—so they can catch the thief in action. If you want to help restore your coworkers’ desire to bike to work, you might wanna get them together and (a) ask your employer to let you guys park your bikes where someone can see them, and (b) teach your coworkers about what kinds of locks will make it harder for thieves to do their dirty work.

Mr Bike

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