We all do it. We put off the things that we know we need to do. Sometimes there’s a tomorrow and sometimes…well, there isn’t. Sometimes the cost of not doing something is small, like you waiting to get dessert and when you’re ready all of the cake is gone. No big deal. Other times, such as waiting to buy that plane ticket, you will end up paying three times as much.
Securing personal property
When it comes to securing personal property the cost of not doing anything has layers of expense. You may wonder, How can that be? My items are insured and if they are lost or stolen I’ll just call my insurance agent. Well, not so fast. While it is true you can call them and it is true your items are insured, the cost of not being able to recover the lost items may cost you in several ways.
Insurance agencies actually suggest you are being negligent and haven’t done your job. This happens in car accident all the time. It was not your fault, but you are assessed some percentage of the blame.
Without registering the serial numbers, marking property and posting warning signs, in a way, you are participating in the underground black market of stolen goods by not doing enough to prevent such crimes.
Just call yourself a dealer in stolen goods
90% of burglaries are never solved. You are providing quality items that thieves are looking for to resell on the black market. Now that’s a different way to look at it right? You never thought by being negligent you were part of a bigger problem? Insurance companies do. Law enforcement professionals do. Crime rates and the amount of stolen and unrecovered property would suggest you do, too.
So what happens next? Well your premiums could go up, your insurance company could even decide to cancel you depending on the loss and how they feel about it. Police departments have made it very clear what they want from citizens—Operation ID—but citizens won’t do their part.
Most of all, the headache!
So while it may feel like a headache to register serial numbers, mark personal property and post warning signs, think about it like this. What is the cost of taking a half hour on a Saturday versus taking an entire afternoon doing a police report, a few days of work being interrupted dealing with insurance companies and contractors? …and then the cost of increased insurance premiums?
Could you do nothing? Sure! But let’s be honest. I think we all know that it’s time to stop procrastinating and become part of the larger community solution. It’s as easy as 1-2-3.
