Java Fern STOLEN! :(

2340 Views 17 Replies 11 Participants Last post by mistergreen, Oct 29, 2016

Acro

Discussion Starter · Oct 20, 2016

I just have to rant . . .

I saved up some money, in preparation to aquascape in my 29 gallon aquarium. I found a seller that had some beautiful rare Java Fern. I placed my order for some Thread Leaf Java Fern, Trident Java Fern, Thors Hammer Java Fern and a set of 3 stainless steel aquascaping tools! The package was shipped and I waited . . .

The day came when the plants should have arrived and I didn't get a package. Not thinking much of it, I figured it would arrive the following day. That day came, and no package. So I dig up the tracking number to try and discover the whereabouts of my Java Ferns and . . . the package was confirmed "Delivered" two days ago! :icon_eek:

Heartbroken I contacted the seller, maybe it was shipped back to him? It wasn't. The next day I visited the post office. Everything went smooth on their side of things. It was from my porch that the Java Ferns had vanished.

To make things worse, it was the 2nd package of live plants that disappeared this month (the other being a carnivorous pitcher plant)! I found out that my sweet old neighbor also had a package vanish from her porch two weeks ago.

I've lived at my place for 3 years and never had a problem with package theft, now I've had to get the post office to hold my packages so I can pick them up directly. It's sad. I'm heartbroken about the plants I've lost. I doubt the person who took them knows anything about their care.

Anyway, I just needed a place to rant, to people who understand.
Thank you for reading. :crying:

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sfshrimp

· #2 · Oct 20, 2016

Damn, that sucks. We have a big problem with this in San Francisco also. Luckily, I have not experienced it first hand. This is however a very easy problem to correct. All you need to do is put a bait box with some really smelly poop, and a handwritten letter that says "next time it comes with a bullet", set that up on the porch and videotape the culprit. I doubt they will return. If they do, run outside and beat the hell out of the person or call the police who will gladly do the job for you.

Acro said:
I just have to rant . . .

I saved up some money, in preparation to aquascape in my 29 gallon aquarium. I found a seller that had some beautiful rare Java Fern. I placed my order for some Thread Leaf Java Fern, Trident Java Fern, Thors Hammer Java Fern and a set of 3 stainless steel aquascaping tools! The package was shipped and I waited . . .

The day came when the plants should have arrived and I didn't get a package. Not thinking much of it, I figured it would arrive the following day. That day came, and no package. So I dig up the tracking number to try and discover the whereabouts of my Java Ferns and . . . the package was confirmed "Delivered" two days ago! :icon_eek:

Heartbroken I contacted the seller, maybe it was shipped back to him? It wasn't. The next day I visited the post office. Everything went smooth on their side of things. It was from my porch that the Java Ferns had vanished.

To make things worse, it was the 2nd package of live plants that disappeared this month (the other being a carnivorous pitcher plant)! I found out that my sweet old neighbor also had a package vanish from her porch two weeks ago.

I've lived at my place for 3 years and never had a problem with package theft, now I've had to get the post office to hold my packages so I can pick them up directly. It's sad. I'm heartbroken about the plants I've lost. I doubt the person who took them knows anything about their care.

Anyway, I just needed a place to rant, to people who understand.
Thank you for reading. :crying:

.

Reactions: 5

PlantedRich

· #3 · Oct 20, 2016

With Christmas coming soon, this will become more common, I'm afraid. The local folks have a habit of following the various delivery trucks and then just circle back to pick up the package. I watched while one was stolen from my neighbor's front step. The car pulled up and a girl got out and walked down the block a couple doors past as if looking for a number and then headed back to the car but on the way did a quick step over to the porch for the package. The guy receiving the package was on his way down the stairs and I ran out to yell at them. Another neighbor bounced a piece of wood off the car but they got away anyway.
I doubt that will be enough to scare them for long. We also lost the contents of a package in the USPS sorting center in Dallas. From there the empty box went to Federal Way, Wa and they notified us they would contact us if/when they found the contents! All we recovered was the shipping label cut from the box.

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sfshrimp

· #4 · Oct 20, 2016

It's pretty easy to catch these types of people, and yes they are coming now Christmas is near!

A lot of them will return to the same sites. Even small signs saying smile, you're being monitored remotely will provide enough of a warning to avert this bad behavior.

You can also use a GPS bait box and track where they are going. You can even tie the box to a hidden chain or use remotely detonated explosives to scare them off.

There's are some pretty funny videos of using bait bikes on youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hemDUlBAiEE

PlantedRich said:
With Christmas coming soon, this will become more common, I'm afraid. The local folks have a habit of following the various delivery trucks and then just circle back to pick up the package. I watched while one was stolen from my neighbor's front step. The car pulled up and a girl got out and walked down the block a couple doors past as if looking for a number and then headed back to the car but on the way did a quick step over to the porch for the package. The guy receiving the package was on his way down the stairs and I ran out to yell at them. Another neighbor bounced a piece of wood off the car but they got away anyway.
I doubt that will be enough to scare them for long. We also lost the contents of a package in the USPS sorting center in Dallas. From there the empty box went to Federal Way, Wa and they notified us they would contact us if/when they found the contents! All we recovered was the shipping label cut from the box.

PortalMasteryRy

· #5 · Oct 20, 2016

Acro said:
I just have to rant . . .

I saved up some money, in preparation to aquascape in my 29 gallon aquarium. I found a seller that had some beautiful rare Java Fern. I placed my order for some Thread Leaf Java Fern, Trident Java Fern, Thors Hammer Java Fern and a set of 3 stainless steel aquascaping tools! The package was shipped and I waited . . .

The day came when the plants should have arrived and I didn't get a package. Not thinking much of it, I figured it would arrive the following day. That day came, and no package. So I dig up the tracking number to try and discover the whereabouts of my Java Ferns and . . . the package was confirmed "Delivered" two days ago! :icon_eek:

Heartbroken I contacted the seller, maybe it was shipped back to him? It wasn't. The next day I visited the post office. Everything went smooth on their side of things. It was from my porch that the Java Ferns had vanished.

To make things worse, it was the 2nd package of live plants that disappeared this month (the other being a carnivorous pitcher plant)! I found out that my sweet old neighbor also had a package vanish from her porch two weeks ago.

I've lived at my place for 3 years and never had a problem with package theft, now I've had to get the post office to hold my packages so I can pick them up directly. It's sad. I'm heartbroken about the plants I've lost. I doubt the person who took them knows anything about their care.

Anyway, I just needed a place to rant, to people who understand.
Thank you for reading. :crying:

.

That sucks!

It is the time of the year again where packages are being stolen from peoples houses. They know that christmas/holiday packages are now being sent out and the holiday online shopping season is in full swing.

So if you have a package or parcel coming in then make sure you pick it up as soon as you can or make sure someone is going to accept it.

Varmint

· #6 · Oct 21, 2016

People suck.

I'm not sure if this is an option for you, but my coworkers send their packages to work so that the delivery guy hands it to someone.

Doogy262

· #7 · Oct 21, 2016

another option may be to have the pkg.held for pick up at the post office.

goodbytes

· #8 · Oct 21, 2016

Doogy262 said:
another option may be to have the pkg.held for pick up at the post office.

^This

That's what I do for all the more expensive things I buy online, but nobody steals packages in my neighborhood anyway. Probably because we're outside city limits and it'd be a hassle to drive out there.

Acro

Discussion Starter · #9 · Oct 21, 2016

sfshrimp said:
All you need to do is put a bait box with some really smelly poop . . . set that up on the porch and videotape the culprit. I doubt they will return.

I did think about making a "bait" box, like you suggested. I could easily rig up a camera too, then just hand the video over to the cops.
Don't know if I'll get around to it, but it's definitely an idea.

PlantedRich said:
With Christmas coming soon, this will become more common,

I didn't even think of that . . . but I guess, like stores that already have Christmas decorations up, everyone is getting ready early.

sfshrimp said:
There's are some pretty funny videos of using bait bikes on youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hemDUlBAiEE

Baha! I saw their bait purse video after watching that . . . I need to figure out how to make one of the bait purses, but in a box!

Doogy262 said:
another option may be to have the pkg.held for pick up at the post office.

Yep, that's exactly what I arranged after losing that 2nd package.

Anyway, I had a delivery of fish arriving today and I picked them up at the post office. Some Guppies, some Minnows and a pair of Convict Cichlids. The box was soggy, and the bag containing a pair of convict cichlids, sprang a leak. The Convict Cichlids were dead . . . what's up with my luck recently???

At least the minnows and guppies were in good shape.

I know I'm still venting a little, but thanks for the replies and support! It's nice to vent to those who understand.

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Leon Pham

· #10 · Oct 21, 2016

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQmlUAIbcXA

Check out this video! It made me chuckle and it should make you feel better! =D

sfshrimp

· #11 · Oct 22, 2016

Leon Pham said:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQmlUAIbcXA

Check out this video! It made me chuckle and it should make you feel better! =D

Vinegar and baking soda? Wonder what mechanism they used.

Acro

Discussion Starter · #12 · Oct 22, 2016 (Edited)

Leon Pham said:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQmlUAIbcXA

Check out this video! It made me chuckle and it should make you feel better! =D

I did laugh, thank you. lol

For some reason I feel bad for the person who got pranked. But I guess they got what they deserved.

As for the dead cichlids, the guy is going to make it up by sending me some plants. Plus I'm really enjoying the minnows and guppies that did make it. They are beautiful. Although they are "beginner" fish, I've never kept them. So things are improving. Thanks again, to everyone who replied or sent a positive thought my way!

.

sfshrimp

· #13 · Oct 22, 2016

Acro said:
I did laugh, thank you. lol

For some reason I feel bad for the person who got pranked. But I guess they got what they deserved.

As for the dead cichlids, the guy is going to make it up by sending me some plants. Plus I'm really enjoying the minnows and guppies that did make it. They are beautiful. Although they are "beginner" fish, I've never kept them. So things are improving. Thanks again, to everyone who replied or sent a positive thought my way!

Bump:

I did laugh, thank you. lol

For some reason I feel bad for the person who got pranked. But I guess they got what they deserved.

As for the dead cichlids, the guy is going to make it up by sending me some plants. Plus I'm really enjoying the minnows and guppies that did make it. They are beautiful. Although they are "beginner" fish, I've never kept them. So things are improving. Thanks again, to everyone who replied or sent a positive thought my way!

.

I wouldn't feel bad. If you are a thief you have tremendous upside profits with a very serious recourse. Most likely the guy took a shower and decided to formalize a more sophisticated game to support his habit.

Hoppy

· #14 · Oct 22, 2016

The retail world is changing fast! The mail room at my apartment complex had a small area set aside for packages. When I first moved here about 2 1/2 years ago that area was plenty big for the packages. A year ago they built a new mail room in a different building, much bigger. Now the packages even overflow that area at times. Amazon didn't used to deliver rapidly. Now, they can do next day delivery, and FedEx and UPS are beginning to compete with Amazon, which is still growing. Someone needs to solve the package stealing problem quickly or the whole retail economy will shudder to a stop!

sfshrimp

· #15 · Oct 22, 2016

It goes beyond that. There is ecological debt with this amount of cardboard being shipped - it can't be recycled fast enough. There are also weight load issues that the USPS is now carrying "extra" packages. It's kind of like an aquarium, but in real life. Big, big carbon foot print, but instant validation.

Hoppy said:
The retail world is changing fast! The mail room at my apartment complex had a small area set aside for packages. When I first moved here about 2 1/2 years ago that area was plenty big for the packages. A year ago they built a new mail room in a different building, much bigger. Now the packages even overflow that area at times. Amazon didn't used to deliver rapidly. Now, they can do next day delivery, and FedEx and UPS are beginning to compete with Amazon, which is still growing. Someone needs to solve the package stealing problem quickly or the whole retail economy will shudder to a stop!

Acro

Discussion Starter · #16 · Oct 28, 2016 (Edited)

UPDATE!!!!!

So my postman arrived at my door today with a package I wasn't expecting . . .

He tells me that the fellow who works on the off-day had a package left over and it had been in his truck "for a while". My postman was upset because he knew I had been missing two packages. It turns out the box with Java fern wasn't stolen, it just had been riding around in the back of a truck (even thought it was marked "delivered")!!!! The box was marked 10/15/16 and it arrived today 10/28/16. :icon_eek:

So I take the box in, and quickly open it up. First I see the aquarium tools I had ordered, nice long stainless steel, 2 tweezers and scissors, heavy and right on top of the wrapped java fern. Great, they had been squished all this time. Then I unwrap the plants, open the bags and . . . what? . . . PERFECT! They plants were alive and well and beautiful!

They are now sitting in a bowl waiting to be dipped. Tomorrow they'll go in my tank! I'm thrilled and thankful the plants made it to me, alive and healthy.

Thank you all, for the positive thoughts, I know they helped those plants make it here alive and well!

.

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TINNGG

· #17 · Oct 29, 2016

Sometimes you wonder about the mail carriers. I reported one last year for just...tossing packages out the vehicle window. I'd waited around all day for a package to be delivered, went out to get in my car to go somewhere and found the box just lying beside the driveway. Another time, the package was just laid on the trunk of my car.

Unfortunately, this route has like, 3 different people running it (at least) so I never know who is going to deliver. At least they aren't heaving things out their car window now (or making excuses as to why they neither delivered, nor left the pickup slip they said they did according to tracking - had that happen once too)

Is good that it turned up.

mistergreen

· #18 · Oct 29, 2016

It is a federal crime, maybe put up a camera and send evidence to the cops next time it happens.
***
I just read you got your package... Yeah, The post office screw up once in awhile. I've had that happen once or twice.

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