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Nov. 12, 2012, 5:01 a.m.
11/13/2012
By Mike Garrison
LiveRC.com
Today is Monday, therefore I feel it is necessary for a rant. My rant for this Monday is directed towards all of the R/C thieves in the world. I get online this morning only to read that our friends at CML Distribution in the UK have been broken into and robbed over the weekend. In addition, I got a text from a friend who had some stuff stolen at his local track this weekend. This got me thinking and quite frankly got me mad.
Over the past several years I have seen and heard of more and more theft in the R/C community on local, regional, national, and now worldwide levels. The issue has become such a problem some chat forums now have a thread category of "STOLEN" for victims to post and hopefully find their stolen R/C equipment.
It is bad enough that strangers off the street come along and steal things, but what makes me even more mad is the RACERS who steal from other racers! As a racer most would know that a set of tires is not "just a set of tires", a motor is not "just a motor". Did I mention they should know the high cost and low "used sale" price and performance they will receive?
At one time when going to the R/C races you could pull up, leave your car unlocked, leave your pits for lunch, leave your stuff setup overnight, and there was never an issue. Today, it feels as though we need double security locks on our cars, you always send one guy to pickup lunch while the other watches your stuff, you bring a giant box to pack and unpack every night, and STILL there is a greater threat of someone swiping your stuff than ever.
While were on a soapbox about R/C theft, I figure I might as well hit a topic that, as a former small business owner in the industry, really burns my biscuits. Another form of theft which I feel is no better than stealing someones actual equipment is racers who buy, buy, buy but saying "I'll pay you later". If you plan to actually pay later that isn't usually an issue as we are all racers and it is nice to help someone out, BUT when your name, your picture, and/or your "tab" is hanging on a company or hobby shop wall under the "Wall of Shame" section for never paying, never attempting to pay, and/or returning, you are no better than someone who walks up and steals something off a pit table (in my opinion). Whatever goods you "bought" cost money for whatever company or hobby shop you bought them from. They were nice enough to let you have it now and pay later...so do just that and PAY for your stuff.
On the flip side of that, if you are a company and a customer pays for YOUR product...send it to them! Lately I've heard more and more stories of new companies who gladly accept credit cards, PayPal, money orders, and any other form of payment, yet don't seem to grasp the idea that customers are paying for products, not donating to your kids college fund.
There is no excuse on the face of this earth that will convince me that flat-out stealing, skipping out on paying for what you "bought", and/or scamming customers is understandable.
I am currently working to assemble the WRCPD. The WRCPD is also known as the "Wheelchair R/C Police Department" which will punish every R/C thief with one smashed foot at a time...
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