Goddamnit. I freaking hate people sometimes.

[Lyric]

We don't have a functioning dryer in our house, so in order to do laundry, we wash clothes here and then put the wet stuff into a bag and carry it to the laundromat that's about a quarter-mile up the hill from us. The bag we use is a duffel bag that's meant for carrying hockey gear, so it's enormous. It's also a "Nike" brand bag (we bought it two years ago for a trip to Florida) so we've always been careful to tuck the bag away into one of the pay-lockers in the room while the clothes are drying; it cost us $60, and we both know damned well that there are idiots who'll steal anything with a Nike logo on it.

And that is precisely what happened. ThinkBlue1966 went up to go retrieve our laundry from the dryer, and found that our clothes had been pulled out of the dryer and scattered everywhere, the trash can had been overturned, and every single locker had been thrown open and/or broken into. Of course, the asshole(s) stole our bag.

I am so freaking MAD right now. That was the only bag we had, other than our backpacks, which aren't nearly big enough to carry laundry in (unless you want to make four trips up that hell-hill a day.) We had to use trash bags to get the laundry home, and of course they developed holes and tears on the way home, so now they're useless for anything else. Dammit, we're struggling enough as it is, and we didn't need this crap. We don't have time to sit up there and guard our stuff for hours at a time--we're both trying to find jobs.

I know it probably seems small in the grand scheme of things, but it's really a big deal for us. Trash bags that are "good" enough to carry wet laundry in without breaking are expensive, and another duffel bag (even a non-Nike one) of that size is also going to be expensive, and I am just so mad I could scream. :grr:

Oh yes--when ThinkBlue1966 reported the theft/vandalism to the park managers (the laundromat is owned by our mobile home park) they expressed their sympathies and then pointedly reminded us of their "No Liability" clause. We pointedly informed THEM that they need to put a damned camera in there. :grr:

[Oeditpus Rex]

1. Humans suck

:hug: :hug:

[joneschick]

2. do you have access to an Army suplus store

cheap big duffle bags. Years ago I remember SCA guys using them for their weapons bags. So sorry your neighbors are shits. :hug:

[Lyric]

3. I think so, and we'll look into it.

But the canvas ones with the shoulder straps (the kind we'd need) are still gonna be $40. Grrrr.

I'd like to go leave a nasty note in there, but then *we'd* probably get in trouble with the landlords.

[Midlodemocrat]

4. Jeez, that sucks. So sorry.

TM's backpack was stolen at Busch Gardens last week, from a locked locker. Apparently a ton of that going around.

:hug:

[Lyric]

6. I just remembered that!

If it had been a matter of someone stealing something like food or even *clothes*, I could understand. Hell, we're poor--times are tough for the trailer park crowd. I get that. But stealing a laundry bag, just because it has a Nike "swoosh" on it? I mean, that's not exactly a necessity of life.

We'd have never gotten a stupid Nike bag, but that was the only kind that Dick's Sporting Goods had at the time we got ours, and nobody else in town had bags big enough for 8 days' worth of clothes for three people. :(

[Midlodemocrat]

7. I think I have a big wrestling bag around here somewhere.

If I can find it, I'll send it to you guys. It holds a ton of stuff. I think it's an Everlast. Never used.

[Lyric]

8. Oh wow, Midlo--that would be awesome.

It would save us having to buy twice as many trash bags, that's for sure.

Ugh. I'm still just flabbergasted at this. :hug:

[Midlodemocrat]

10. When my son gets home, I'll get him to look for it.

[Lyric]

11. Thank you, dear.

:hug:

[Whoa_Nelly]

5. So f'd up

Sorry this happened to you all! :hug:

Maybe check eBay for a new bag at a low price?

...or other sites that sell duffel bags at discount?
http://www.duffelbags.com/index.php/site/category/?name=duffelsrollbags

http://www.luggageloft.com/shop/?shop=1&cat=5

[KSinTX]

9. Saying they're not liable isn't the same as NOT being liable

They took money to provide a safe area for you to keep these things. Putting up a sign in denial doesn't necessarily let them off the hook. Depending on your laws, there could still be a small claims case there. They must exercise reasonable care and if you can demonstrate that there was a similar situation in the past you might be able to argue they were put on notice by it. Even if there wasn't, you could still have the "reasonable person" arguement.

Good luck to you. Being ripped off leaves a horrible sense of violation.

[commander bunnypants]

12. PM me

I got some old duffel bags from when I was in the navy.

Want one. You only live a stae away

CB

[LynzM]

13. PM for ya, dude

[Lyric]

14. UPDATE: Interesting new development

Apparently whoever vandalized the laundry room and stole our bag *also* broke into the mail room (which is in the same building, but behind a separate locked door) and did some vandalizing. When the landlords saw that, they called a postal inspector, who in turn called the police, and they're fingerprinting the place as we speak. So there might be some justice done after all. We told the landlords that we'll gladly talk to the police if they need to know what we saw; apparently, we were the first to find the mess. If the police find the culprit, maybe they'll also find our bag, although they'll probably keep it for evidence if there's a prosecution. Ugh.

ThinkBlue1966 suspects that whoever it was might have been looking for stimulus checks. We shall see. I bet this convinces the management to install a security camera in there, though.