Douchbags have stolen my water meter, pipes & taps!

Just got a call from the tradie on site doing the renovation, apparently overnight someone has taken the water meter, cut off the connecting pipe from the hot water system to the water meter and all the garden taps .... what would they do with it?! can they get money for it or is it just some vicious joke?

The water meter is on the side of the house which is not fenced off.

The hot water system and garden taps are behind the house (backs onto the backyards of a set of units next door) and someone would have had to pushed open gate to get in there.

Tradie suspects they wanted to take the hot water system as well, but there was a full tank of water in it so quite heavy and electricity is connected.

I have called the police who said they might do a report.

Currently waiting to speak to someone from the water company ...

Has anyone had this experience before?

I'm guessing either the water company will come out and fix it and send me a bill? How long will this take? The works were nearing completion but without water meter and water connection works cannot continue ... it's very disappointing ...

Or I have to pay my plumber to somehow fix it?

Thanks guys.

 

Happened in Sydney a few years ago when gold / metals were exy. Brass and copper = $.
I don't like it. This sorta thing never used to happen.

 

Was it ashmont or Elizabeth or albury?

 

Would anybody do a reno in these places?

 

I have no copper left at one house as it was all stolen - they did kindly leave the HWS system which was strange!

 

There's definitely some Douchebags out there that'll take anything from anyone, little regard for soft consequences/sentences, So what's a few weeks locked up in a 3 star resort with free room & board.

Think your situation sux, consider this (Mason was son of my old neighbour) -
Mandurah mum appeals to cemetery thieves for boy’s stolen memorial

 

Ask the Elizabeth mega thread.

 

That's the pits.

 

Probably stolen for its scrap metal value.

Common several years ago when copper price was sky high (over 8K per tonne).

A friend reads water meters for Syd Water and he saw this happen in industrial areas where the meters are huge and heavy.

Can't remember who bears the cost of new meter but probably the customer.

Maybe an insurance claim will force police to investigate.

Wouldn't be surprised if there are other victims of this low act.

Hope they catch the f wit.

 

Yeah scrap money

A previous workplace kept similar scrap to put towards their monthly bbqs.... BBQ include
included sausages.... Steak, prawns, beers, salmon, subway sandwiches for workplace equality, even fruit.
Then management came and ruined the party!! And a few SMSF!

 

Chuck in some schrapnel for the BBQ.
What about the beers?

 

Can he tell the future or only your future bills?

 

Yeah lol. He predicts dog bites when he reads the meters in Mount Druitt esp as some meters are in the back yard guarded by a pitbull lol .....and all the others are roaming the streets.

 

Went to a bucks night near @datto's years ago. There was a copper who rocked up but she was a stripper too. She didn't accept just any scrap metal, strictly notes only if you know what I mean

 

Ah^^^^ that's the one that grabbed my night stick.

 

I did!!!!

 

Fairly sure this is a semi organised crime, not localised. When I worked in the electrical business anecdotes were many different parts of the country experiencing these thefts. The wholesalers loved it because they used to get to sell the cable twice.

 

I had all my piping stolen a couple days after settlement a few years back when scrap was worth more. Realistically it still would have been worth bugger all as the weight wouldnt have been much, seems so pointless to me the time/effort taken to $$ made seems a bit off. Happily a good mate of mine who is plumber/gas fitter replaced it all for materials cost only, but still money I shouldnt need to spend

 

What did you do this time?