Ok so I haven’t had this problem yet but I was thinking what would you do if your gear (cages for example) where damaged or stolen on a job? Do you put the cost of the gear on to the costumer or do you eat it as just part of doing business (like in fur trapping)?

Client is responsible for the safety of equipment while it is on the clients property. Losses to be reimbursed at full replacement value.

In my contract it states customer is responsible for security of the traps. I may also request a refundable deposit if I feel the area is sketchy.

It's about 50/50 with us. My thought was that if we got reimbursed for every cage we left where someone could easily snatch it, (usually kids) we would have unhappy customers and become even more sloppy.

We have never had a cage stolen that was chained and locked, so if I set a cage in a crappy neighborhood and don't chain it, why is that the customer's fault? ( If he lived in a better neighborhood, he may not need us in the first place )

I recently did a job at a yacht club where everyone was a potential thief or at least a tree-hugger. I hid my cages accordingly and had no problems. Stolen cages were, are, and always will be, a great learning experience. ( Even if you get reimbursed )

good point Paul, but its better too have it in the contract and play it safe. I can always choose not to charge them

Having had this happen and having reimbursement in the contract, I can say first hand that just because it says so doesn't mean you'll get it. In my case, it was a commercial client on commercial property. I filed a police report for the theft of 3 brand new SafeGuard 12 x 30 traps and billed the client for the loss.

The client refused to pay the charge stating it was an insurance matter on my end. As the amount was way below the deductible, I never filed a claim and ate the loss. Since it was a commercial client, I kept my mouth closed and upped the bill the next time they needed service to cover my loss.

What this taught me was 1)just because you have a contract giving you rights, you still may not have any, 2) put some sort of monitoring device or stake/chain to the devices even if you've been there previously with no problem, 3)don't expect any help from the police as they see this as a very minor issue, won't even visit where the theft occurred, and almost wonder why you're reporting it not understanding (or caring) that since your name is on it you are response if someone else uses it and 4) anytime you use equipment in areas that have zero surveillance, use the equipment you can afford to loose.

Eric, this sounds like a couple of decent paragraphs, at least, in WCT. Not hard for me to believe every word and a great warning for the new guys that cannot really afford to have this happen to any great extent.

My guess is that the majority of these misinformed thieves feel that they are actually doing good.

Chain them like a bike and they'll almost certainly be there in the morning.

I go along with Paul on this one.

If I get that uneasy feeling I cable and lock the traps to something solid. If there isn't anything solid nearby, I use cable stakes.

I must admit though that I don't do it all that often any more. Apartment/condo complexes are where I do it the most.

I'll do you one better. If I get any suspicion whatsoever something of mine might not be there in the morning I don't leave it. If my client and I cannot secure my equipment I walk away.
Eric is right, you can print it out in bold twenty point and sign it in blood but collecting is whole nother rodeo. Enforcing the contract may cost more than the new traps. Look up the phrase Pyrrhic Victory.
Putting it in writing merely serves as fair warning to take what we do as a real service and that we are business men and women.

BTW I also have it in print that a failure by the client to properly safeguard is grounds for immediate termination of service without recourse. Fair warning that you get hit in the pocket book AND they get to keep their problem animal goes a long way to getting their full attention and cooperation.

I do a lot of business in a college town and have to deal with tree huggers all the time. I to state from the beginning that the client is responsible for any and all traps set on their property. Once a couple of college kids came up and stated that they would do whatever it took to make sure I didn't catch anything in the cages I had set on an adjoining property. After the police had a nice little chat with them I figured the matter was closed. Came back the next day to find one of my cages smashed with a squirrell in it (it was dead). Home owner stated she saw the kid trying to release the squirrell and when he couldn't figure out how to open it he jumped up and down on it. Said she was afraid to call the police because of retribution. I went to the college kid and told him I had witnesses who saw him destroy the trap and if he didn't pay for it right then I would call the police. I was sort of hoping he would refuse so I could press charges against him, but needless to say I got my money and had no more problems with them. Its amazing the lengths these idiots will go to trying to do what they think is right.

This issue will raise a trapper's blood pressure! Landowners/clients do not seemed to be effected by this LIKE IT EFFECTS US! I learned to hard way most of the time and now like Paul mentioned I chain up if I feel that UNEASY feeling. Still getting over having ver a dozen colony traps stolen from a job three years ago!! Will never forget the client's "Don't bother me with this trivial issue "demeanor. GRRR

A lot of good insight thanks

Yeah it is, thanks much.

Chains wont hold anything...I had 2 Koro beaver traps ripped after someone cut my (heavy duty chains) took my traps and the chains...I was working for a town....Goodbye 800.00 ...never even so much as got an ..Im sorry...picked up my gear and never returned and never will

Joe, what you had was a professional theft and there is no way that any of us are safe from something like that.

( I had three guns stolen out of my car many years ago and there was no sign of a break-in. Again, professionals. )

Professionals do this for a living and despite what you see on TV, none of their jobs are banks or jewelry stores.

If they got ten cents on the dollar for your Koros, they still got beer money with very little risk. How do I know this stuff?

When you work in a factory, you get a chance to met ex-cons and some of them get very chatty after a few adult beverages.

I have worked in a factory....crack money