Pushchair stolen at Center Parcs - advice please??

wealdroam

snapping_crocodile wrote: »

Jus out of nosiness, what is the unique feature of your buggy?

With respect, I think the OP should not answer that question.

If the identifying feature is removed, how will OP prove the buggy is hers?

narabanekeater

ask if they will take a cheque for payment and request the address to send it to?
or pay via paypal and get the persons name and try and find them on the electrol register?

Fuzzy_Duck

Personally I doubt the woman was a thief. With that many pushchairs it's highly likely she had an identical pushchair to you, popped her baby in it and left. It just seems so unlikely that a woman thief would be carrying a baby around whilst nicking pushchairs.

That said it's still possible she was an opportunist, saw a nicer pushchair than hers and took it. Might be worth finding out if any pushchairs were abandoned that day?

I know you've already learnt your lesson the harsh way but don't leave anything unattended you don't want to lose, even if no one else has bothered locking their stuff it's not worth the risk. Central Parcs did more than they needed to lending you a pushchair and giving you a voucher so I would just accept it graciously and concentrate on finding your pushchair. Good luck. Whether she nicked it or took it accidentally I can imagine how angry you must be at losing it.

molerat

Fuzzy_Duck wrote: »

Personally I doubt the woman was a thief. With that many pushchairs it's highly likely she had an identical pushchair to you, popped her baby in it and left. It just seems so unlikely that a woman thief would be carrying a baby around whilst nicking pushchairs.

Read post #62.

And yes women do take children to nick anything. It is a known fact that a woman struggling with a child in a buggy cannot be a criminal / thief.

squashy

A quick note re slings- my DD is 2 and a half and we use one of these http://www.connectababycarrier.com/ (suitable from birth)

We rarely use her buggy as she walks mostly now but she can come up for a ride if she is tired or wants a better view. I agree about those awful bag slings, beware beware beware.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

For anyone else -

Wouldn't hurt to carry one of those cable locks and pop it through the back wheels when leaving an expensive buggy unattended. It makes it too much effort to nick compared to the one next to it, as it would have to be dragged rather than wheeled. And it's just a small thing to add to the gumpf you have to lug around with a small child - stick it in the luggage compartment bit (the bit where you can stick a bag of potatoes)

BUT fwiw, when working in travel insurance, whilst skis were technically left unattended when outside a caf!, we would pay the claims where they were nicked because there wasn't a reasonable alternative, although they can't be locked up at all. If you have to take a child, you need a buggy. Perhaps next time, a cheap one would be better if you aren't happy with a cable lock?

Fuzzy_Duck

molerat wrote: »

Read post #62.

And yes women do take children to nick anything. It is a known fact that a woman struggling with a child in a buggy cannot be a criminal / thief.

Ah. I had read the OP's post but didn't understand it first time round. Re-read and now see the heading which explains all.

Oh I know they do. There are plenty of shop lifters that use their buggies to hide their takings, and the baby must have been a good way of fooling other people that it was her pram she was using. Nevertheless I had hoped it was simply a case of mistaken identity for the OP's sake.

OP, have you contacted eBay about it?

andrealm

Fuzzy_Duck wrote: »

Personally I doubt the woman was a thief. With that many pushchairs it's highly likely she had an identical pushchair to you, popped her baby in it and left. It just seems so unlikely that a woman thief would be carrying a baby around whilst nicking pushchairs.

That said it's still possible she was an opportunist, saw a nicer pushchair than hers and took it. Might be worth finding out if any pushchairs were abandoned that day?

I know you've already learnt your lesson the harsh way but don't leave anything unattended you don't want to lose, even if no one else has bothered locking their stuff it's not worth the risk. Central Parcs did more than they needed to lending you a pushchair and giving you a voucher so I would just accept it graciously and concentrate on finding your pushchair. Good luck. Whether she nicked it or took it accidentally I can imagine how angry you must be at losing it.

But surely if it was an innocent mistake the person would have taken it back when they realised? I know I would have, because I'm honest and wouldn't keep someone else's buggy. Besides, you would want to go back and try and find your own buggy, wouldn't you?

Anyway, why are we assuming it was a female thief? I see men pushing buggies all the time, it could just as easily have been a man.

Fuzzy_Duck

Firstly the buggies were identical- there are some differences but OP can't say what they are- if they are very small differences whoever took it may not have noticed.

Secondly it was a woman in the CCTV video clearly taking OP's buggy.

Thirdly OP has already come back and said that her buggy is now on eBay, which makes it almost certain the woman in question did steal it to sell on. I didn't realise this when I posted my first comment to this thread.

marleyboy

Fuzzy_Duck wrote: »

Personally I doubt the woman was a thief. With that many pushchairs it's highly likely she had an identical pushchair to you, popped her baby in it and left. It just seems so unlikely that a woman thief would be carrying a baby around whilst nicking pushchairs.

With respect,had this been the case, then surely there would have been an identical buggy remaining. Buggy thefts are quite common where I come from, anything that can be sold, if left to opportunity, will be taken and sold on.

It is not unknown for Women thieves to use a baby for distraction, its just as possible she got an accompanying partner to push her original buggy out for her "empty", or she could have easily had a toddler walked in with her and pushed out by her.