park plus parking lot in ortigas

[gts]

From phipo site:
http://www.pinoyphotography.org/foru...?topic=14797.0

"Since I got my hands on my SLR, it never left my side. To the point wherein it was always with me wherever I went, as I was afraid of missing an opportunity shot, and at the same time, these were my babies and a big part of my life that it just had to be with me to document my life travels. I have changed a few things for the glory of photography like always parking under the shade and looking for parking with the tightest security, who wouldn’t?. Un-begotten to me, storing all my gear in a single place would be a crucial decision with an effect I’ve never fathomed.

Last night, May 23, 2007 between approximately 9:00 – 10:00 in the evening, my car window was smashed and my WHOLE camera bag containing ALL my gear was stolen.

I had just arrived around 9pm, barely making it to my radio show Counterflow at Nu107 in Ortigas. Since my job required me to be there for an hour show every Wednesdays, I had routinarily parked at an open, paid parking lot called PARK PLUS, which is adjacent to the building which houses Chef and Brewer Café and the radio station. I arrived there at 9pm and proceeded to do our radio show with my good friends James Deakin and Pacho Blanco. After the show, an hour later, we then proceeded to the parking lot to continue our conversation and to chat a bit as like we always did every week. To my horror and disbelief, I saw my left passenger window smashed and my whole camera bag gone. I was literally just a few cars away from the reception booth since I was a bit of an o.c. when it came to safety. I couldn’t believe that everything I had freaking worked hard for was gone. I had lost my new tarmac pro 5 which I had recently purchased to house my 5 lenses and my d80 camera and accessories like my sb600 flash, chargers, batts, sd cards, remote, extra cam batt, polarizer’s and filters.

I then reported it to the police and preceded to their Pasig headquarters to secure a police report which didn’t do much good to alleviate my sadness. I really felt cheated with these pay parking lots and their ”get out of jail” clauses like they are “not liable for theft” considering you are parked in their vicinity and under their watch. What disgusts me the most is that my car was just 4 cars away from the booth and I hadn’t been gone that long. They make hundreds of thousands a year, charging steep prices for parking your car and we in-return would entrust our cars and valuables, thinking that we were paying for safety and security. They demand payment upon entry and they don’t follow through at their end, collecting away and no security in return? I should have just parked in the side streets, since there wasn’t that much of a difference anyway. I had called their main office, and as you would expect with opportunistic business people, management magically disappears and to this hour, I still haven’t received a single call from the company. What kind of a business is this? Not to my amazement, there wasn’t even a single security guard on the site except for the lady in the reception booth.

I have been trying to be positive about this whole incident but I am just at a loss with words. Hard earned cash for my gear, gone in an instant, after all the safety precautions. You really never know what can happen no matter how hard you try to prevent things. We may not be able to predict what may happen but I would like to impart what lessons I have learned from this incident, so as to save next person for heartache like this. If you have a camera bag or anything valuable for that matter, the trunk would be the best place to keep it. As much as possible just bring the lens that you would require to use and not the whole line-up. Just bring everything when you really have to. As for pay parking I really don’t have the words………………………….."

[ILuvDetailing]

very sorry to hear that bro... its a big loss

have a question, are your windows tinted? based on your story you, i assume that you left your gear on the passenger seat, and if your windows have no tint valuable things inside your vehicle are in open view of would be theives. And they have a method of breaking your windows without using brute force, I won't say it here for obvious reasons. Lets all be vigilent and as much as possible not leave any valuables in plain view, no matter how "safe" the area is.

better yet have manyak tints installed

[wac3]

do you have an alarm installed on your ride? maybe you should strongly consider installing one after that sad incident.

[Bogeyman]

Sad to say, nearly every parking lot (indoor and outdoor) has the same alibi; all they offer is the space, so that's all you pay for. Crappy deal, I know, but that's the best they can come up with. The part about actual security, they leave it to the owner or worse, the insurance company.

Honestly, the poster was a bit remiss in leaving his gear on the passenger seat, where it sits in plain view and offers a tempting opportunity for theft. Hindsight is always 20/20, and as he said, the trunk would have been a more logical storage space. Never mind if he has to miss a number of 'opportunity shots'; better that than permanently missing the entire gear. Putting on window tints, as ILD suggested, is another good idea.

And if you really must leave your larger valuables inside the car, be sure to make them as obscure as possible. Place them on the floor, and cover them with a jacket, blanket or any sizeable piece of cloth. If you can hide them under the seats, so much the better. Whether I park indoors or outdoors, the drill is always the same: keep money and valuables hidden from view, and NEVER leave the parking ticket/proximity card in the car. Don't let those high fences, thick walls and roving guards lull you into a false sense of security.

This is one of the more expensive learning experiences I've read about. But, as they say about other misfortunes, it could have been worse.

[j_avonni]

Sorry to hear about your loss.

My first rule in parking : Never leave anything valuable inside your car.

Even in a parking lot or building full of security guards, there's no assurance that your car and valuables are secured/protected.




:toma: 2950

[oliver1013]

Sorry to hear that bro..madalas din ako magpark sa mga pay parking sa ortigas dhayum ngayon ko lang nalaman wala palang kasilbi silbi yung mga bayad natin.

[///MPower]

Wow. That really sucks, man. I'm sorry to hear it.

This is why you alway lock stuff in the trunk, at the very least. I'm sorry to have to say it, but leaving anything in the car's cabin is not even close to being called a safety precaution.

[claRkEnt]

Usually, perpetrators of those window-break thefts use vans. They park close beside the target car since they only need a small space to open their sliding door.

This job would be over in a couple of seconds and off they go!

[HIFI]

Sorry to hear about your loss.

Marami talagang magnanakaw sa mundo. Wala pa akong tao na kilala ng never ninakawan sa buong buhay niya.

But we have to remember that most pay-parking spaces, only gives you a false sense of security. We have to be vigilant, and take every possible precaution to protect what is ours. (reminder to self....I should put up an insurance business).

I understand your frustration, and it's good that you're venting this out....one way or the other.

[umzzzzz]

Tch tch tch... nakikinig pa naman ako noon sa NU last wednesday evening...enjoy ang discussion especially nung napagusapan ang nimbleness of the starlet ... but sir, you never should have left your D80 in the open...

This is one of the more expensive learning experiences I've read about. But, as they say about other misfortunes, it could have been worse.

Buti na lang your car is still there.

[IMm29]

Hmmm... Sorry to hear about your loss, Bro. If I recall correctly, the Supreme Court was supposed to have issued a ruling about Pay Parking establishments being liable for theft, and the like. If they charge for parking, they should also be liable for theft, etc. I don't know if there was a petition against the ruling tho.

[j_avonni]

I passed by Ortigas this morning and saw the Park Plus location.

It's not secured to park there especially at night. The place is really open. The area is not really fenced. It has small posts and, I think, chains. Anybody could get in & out of the area without passing entrance/exit.




:toma: [SIZE="2"]2966[/SIZE]

[ermitanyo]

i park in that parking area almost everyday. it's not really secure. that's why i always make sure i park in the area where most people pass by.

good news is that they already have a photo of the suspect captured by their security cam. yes.. they have a security cam. the girl at the entrace showed me the screenshots. hopefully they'll be able to capture that bad cheetah. wag lang sanang mabasa tong post ko baka hindi na pumunta sa parkplus parking.

[Driv3er]

yes never leave anything i mportant or expensive in the car. My friends BF lost his laptop in pretty much the same way.

[HIFI]

Hmmm... Sorry to hear about your loss, Bro. If I recall correctly, the Supreme Court was supposed to have issued a ruling about Pay Parking establishments being liable for theft, and the like. If they charge for parking, they should also be liable for theft, etc. I don't know if there was a petition against the ruling tho.

Yan yata yung kaso sa Kamayan, valet parking...yun at nawala yung kotse.

Kamayan/Triple V group was held liable for the lost.

[mhelskie]

mahirap talaga pag natatanaw ng tao kung ano ang nasa loob ng oto natin, i sometimes bring ng wife's laptop to the office and i always make it a point na ilagay sa trunk ang laptop, tapos sa sobrang kapraningan ko, naka security cable pa ung laptop

let's all be vigilant and pro active against any possibilities of theft

[XTO]

sorry for that terrible loss. you mentioned that you always bring it along
so it's very possible that there was an inside job. somebody who knows what
time you arrive etc. well, it seems window smashing are their new style
these days. i remember an x5 parked at alex car restoration with broken
right rear pass window. tsk tsk - another victim most likely.

[Yoda]

I'm just wondering why didn't he take his photo equipment with him? Is the bag too large? Mahirap bang dalhin? I'm sure he must have his reasons. I'd never leave something like that in the car, kahit pa dito sa garahe namin naka-park.

Not to defend parking lot entrepreneurs, but I believe what we're paying for is space, nothing more. Throw security into the mix and it probably won't be profitable for them anymore, not unless they jack up their prices to cover their insurance costs.

[Driv3er]

saka friend ko nanakaw yugn Ipod nugn nakapark dun sa may Mcdo area sa Macapagal. glass cutter ginamit para makapasok. Mala cat burglar na ang petty pinoy thieves!

[mazdamazda]

Sad to say, nearly every parking lot (indoor and outdoor) has the same alibi; all they offer is the space, so that's all you pay for. Crappy deal, I know, but that's the best they can come up with. The part about actual security, they leave it to the owner or worse, the insurance company.

Honestly, the poster was a bit remiss in leaving his gear on the passenger seat, where it sits in plain view and offers a tempting opportunity for theft. Hindsight is always 20/20, and as he said, the trunk would have been a more logical storage space. Never mind if he has to miss a number of 'opportunity shots'; better that than permanently missing the entire gear. Putting on window tints, as ILD suggested, is another good idea.

And if you really must leave your larger valuables inside the car, be sure to make them as obscure as possible. Place them on the floor, and cover them with a jacket, blanket or any sizeable piece of cloth. If you can hide them under the seats, so much the better. Whether I park indoors or outdoors, the drill is always the same: keep money and valuables hidden from view, and NEVER leave the parking ticket/proximity card in the car. Don't let those high fences, thick walls and roving guards lull you into a false sense of security.

This is one of the more expensive learning experiences I've read about. But, as they say about other misfortunes, it could have been worse.

+1 on this.

That's why when I have to leave my laptop in the car, it is in the trunk area and is fastened to a tie-hook via a laptop cable. Then I also lock the glove compartment so that they can't pry away important documents such as the OR/CR of the car.