(Topic ID: 302909)

Alert! Stolen Pinball TMNT - Update!!! It has been recovered!

By tigzzz

2 years ago


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  • 340 posts
  • 161 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 1 year ago by JethroP
  • Topic is favorited by 46 Pinsiders

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#51 2 years ago

Someone local needs to contact her business and go undercover, if possible. Or at least try to get more information. I guess all that's needed is the plate number of the truck. Try to act like a legit customer to get them to bring the truck to you for a pickup.

#52 2 years ago

Need to find this guy...thinking Big Worm or The Wolf?

Big Worm. (resized).jpgBig Worm. (resized).jpgThe Wolf (resized).jpgThe Wolf (resized).jpg
#53 2 years ago
Quoted from Yelobird:

Sorry if this was already answered but how long ago was this picked up? It’s possible (unlikely) they are doing a dozen pickups along that extended route. UShip is not expedited freight. Similar to a few other pin shippers they tend to hold freight till they have other arranged stops. Just a hope.

It’s wishful thinking but I think the OP has said the shipper can’t be reached. They have disappeared like a fart in the wind. Not a good sign if that is the case. But yes many shipping companies are backed up. I will say this as I recently bought an arcade and had to ship. It was my first time shipping a game. I used Beltman and I received it in 7 days. So not too bad. Sad to hear this happened but I would highly encourage anyone to use a reputable shipper and avoid budget shippers just to save a couple bucks for a game that costs thousands of dollars. Well worth the peace of mind. Tracking info is legit and updated real time. Once the game was picked up I could go online and see where it was at all times. A well established company is also insured and you have a better chance of filing a claim if there is an issue/damage. You can up the insurance amount for very little if the standard insurance included does not cover the value of the game/item. That was the first question I asked is if the shipment is ensured and got that handled upfront with the shipper.

Hope the seller/buyer get this game back!!!

12
#54 2 years ago

So use Uship, and give your pinball machine to strangers; amateurs with no insurance (?) and no accountability.

This seems like a poor idea. Not worth whatever meager "savings" are provided here.

Thanks for warning anybody who might be on the fence about this.

Use professionals. I've shipped hundreds of games via NAVL and never once have they been stolen. "Gig economy" and "pinball shipping" are not words that should go together.

#55 2 years ago
Quoted from Pickle:

It’s wishful thinking but I think the OP has said the shipper can’t be reached. They have disappeared like a fart in the wind. Not a good sign if that is the case. But yes many shipping companies are backed up. I will say this as I recently bought an arcade and had to ship. It was my first time shipping a game. I used Beltman and I received it in 7 days. So not too bad. Sad to hear this happened but I would highly encourage anyone to use a reputable shipper and avoid budget shippers just to save a couple bucks for a game that costs thousands of dollars. Well worth the peace of mind. Tracking info is legit and updated real time. Once the game was picked up I could go online and see where it was at all times. A well established company is also insured and you have a better chance of filing a claim if there is an issue/damage. You can up the insurance amount for very little if the standard insurance included does not cover the value of the game/item. That was the first question I asked is if the shipment is ensured and got that handled upfront with the shipper.
Hope the seller/buyer get this game back!!!

Again just wondering the time frame. Fly by night Uhaul shippers don’t have schedules. I have seen some like this take over a month that’s why I wondered When it left.

#56 2 years ago
Quoted from Yelobird:

Sorry if this was already answered but how long ago was this picked up? It’s possible (unlikely) they are doing a dozen pickups along that extended route. UShip is not expedited freight. Similar to a few other pin shippers they tend to hold freight till they have other arranged stops. Just a hope.

I was going to say it's a long shot but if they were 9 hours late for pickup maybe they're 9 days late for delivery?

#57 2 years ago

With My apologies for sharing an older experience, in the beliefs it might help.

I have had a few experiences with the FBI, and Interstate Laws involving theft.

While I never had any full compensation for the Massive losses, The Only arrest, can from
persistent "pestering" of an Agent who was empathetic, but in a respectful manner.

Bringing it to any local media, or public attention even further is a choice for OP.

Sadly, there are many many cases of theft, and extra self steps, are often needed.
It is frustrating and maddening, but I hope you prevail.

#58 2 years ago

I sure hate to hear this for the OP. If you don't already have an internet social media presence, you might consider one.
Our local news had a story on not long ago of a family who's food trailer was stolen. They put the word out on social media and was able to pretty quickly locate their stolen property. A pin might not be quite as easy to spot as a food trailer but something to consider.

39
#59 2 years ago

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#60 2 years ago

Coffee coming out of my nose^

#61 2 years ago

We are talking about this modded TMNT pro sold on 9/30. (sold 26 days before thread was started, but no mention of how long the shipper has been MIA)

https://pinside.com/pinball/market/classifieds/archive/121801

U-Ship has been around since 2003 and I know others have successfully used them to move pins as mentioned in other shipping threads. Here is a recent review from a car site that describes their service and compares them to other methods for shipping cars and gives them 4 out of 5 stars. They reference U-ship negative reviews such as the price was higher than the quoted amount and 'I got a charge for tolls when they moved my boat trailer'. Obviously shipments can get lost or destroyed with ANY shipper, but that is never discussed in their article.

https://www.motor1.com/reviews/485199/uship-reviews/

#62 2 years ago

You need to give a SSN# to register with UShip, I think it wouldn’t be too difficult to track these people down.

#63 2 years ago
Quoted from Jaybird815:

You need to give a SSN# to register with UShip, I think it wouldn’t be too difficult to track these people down.

Does it have to be a real SSN#?

#64 2 years ago
Quoted from CrazyLevi:

Does it have to be a real SSN#?

You’d hope they would run it, they are a fairly large outfit. But you never know.

115
#65 2 years ago

The CEO of Uship is an old colleague of mine. We worked together at Internet Security Systems a little over 10 years back. I have emailed him asking if there is anything else that Uship could potentially do that could help narrow down this search. They are just a broker, but maybe there is some more information that can be gathered to help you and the pinball community track this scumbag down.

As I type this, he has responded. Can you provide me with the following via PM?
Yeah we can assist, can you provide the listing Url and account email that the shipper used to list the item on uShip?

#66 2 years ago
Quoted from Insanity199:

The CEO of Uship is an old colleague of mine. We worked together at Internet Security Systems a little over 10 years back. I have emailed him asking if there is anything else that Uship could potentially do that could help narrow this down search. They are just a broker, but maybe there is some more information that can be gathered to help you and the pinball community track this scumbag down.
As I type this, he has responded. Can you provide me with the following via PM?
Yeah we can assist, can you provide the listing Url and account email that the shipper used to list the item on uShip?

This is awesome, I really hope this works out. Sorry that this has happened to both the seller and the buyer

30
#67 2 years ago
Quoted from Insanity199:The CEO of Uship is an old colleague of mine. We worked together at Internet Security Systems a little over 10 years back. I have emailed him asking if there is anything else that Uship could potentially do that could help narrow this down search. They are just a broker, but maybe there is some more information that can be gathered to help you and the pinball community track this scumbag down.
As I type this, he has responded. Can you provide me with the following via PM?
Yeah we can assist, can you provide the listing Url and account email that the shipper used to list the item on uShip?

Pinside more useful than the FBI…doesn’t surprise me

#68 2 years ago

Anyone else remember Shipping Wars? It was an obviously staged show about people who were contracted out by U-Ship to bid on moves.

#69 2 years ago

Uship might be able to track an IP address if they were dumb enough to not use a VPN.

#70 2 years ago

Seller, serial number of the game? I urge you all to document the serial numbers of your games!

38
#71 2 years ago

Just to keep you all up to date, Kris, their CEO gave me the following update after I provided him the requested information:
"Having my head of customer ops doing some investigation and will follow-up shortly to see what we can do."

#72 2 years ago

I bought a BSD from someone in SC and he also had a game stolen using UShip in the Ohio area. Another example here is enough for all of us to permanently avoid them.

#73 2 years ago

I have used Uship once and got lucky in my opinion. Star Trek LE Michigan to NC for $250. Guy showed up at like 1am to pick up which pissed me off. Thank god the seller blanket wrapped the game for me and all the shipper had to do was handle a hand truck. Driver showed up, also early morning hours at my house with a trailer that looked half way fallen apart and I could smell the burning oil from his truck when he started driving up my street. Game arrived perfect, but man was I nervous.

#74 2 years ago
Quoted from J_Striker:

Driver showed up, also early morning hours at my house with a trailer that looked half way fallen apart and I could smell the burning oil from his truck when he started driving up my street.

guessing he is trying to make a living !

#75 2 years ago
Quoted from J_Striker:

I have used Uship once and got lucky in my opinion. Star Trek LE Michigan to NC for $250. Guy showed up at like 1am to pick up which pissed me off.

1am!!!!!!!!!! I would have called the cops at that hour.

#76 2 years ago
Quoted from insight75:

1am!!!!!!!!!! I would have called the cops at that hour.

J_Striker Doesn't Call Da Cops.....

#77 2 years ago
Quoted from jasonp:

J_Striker Doesn't Call Da Cops.....

#78 2 years ago

I’ve used Uship a couple times but not recently. An eBay customer used the cheapest bid once, and this guy shows up in a snowstorm, with a busted ass pickup truck, no cover, no wrap, etc. was just going to drive it from Baltimore to Cleveland like that. I sent him away with no game LOL

#79 2 years ago
Quoted from Yelobird:

Again just wondering the time frame. Fly by night Uhaul shippers don’t have schedules. I have seen some like this take over a month that’s why I wondered When it left.

Yeah it's been 12 days as of today. I, like you, am trying to cross my fingers and stay hopeful that they are just picking up a bunch of stuff along the way and are just poor communicators, but it is sad to see that neither OP nor the company can reach them via phone.

I have shipped many times, and for me, while pricy yes, I've never used a budget shipper and have always used Michelle with STI/CRST (with only the rare debacles of bent legs and such like that, but always getting/receiving my game with shippers that have tracking information packets on hand in triplicate). For my location, it aways seems to take a couple weeks to get and give games, etc, so the timeline isn't too far off from my personal experience. That said, these shippers had a full load in their cab, so it looked like this was probably one of their last pickups before heading back to Colorado or wherever along the way.

Again, I appreciate everyone commenting and jumping in on this thread for OP. An absolutely terrible scenario, and I'm sure that he, and I for sure, appreciate everyone's eyes on the case.

#80 2 years ago
Quoted from Insanity199:

The CEO of Uship is an old colleague of mine. We worked together at Internet Security Systems a little over 10 years back. I have emailed him asking if there is anything else that Uship could potentially do that could help narrow down this search. They are just a broker, but maybe there is some more information that can be gathered to help you and the pinball community track this scumbag down.
As I type this, he has responded. Can you provide me with the following via PM?
Yeah we can assist, can you provide the listing Url and account email that the shipper used to list the item on uShip?

Solid move, Sir!
I'm sure OP will be very very happy to communicate with you via PM. Thank you!!!! Excellent work!!!!

#81 2 years ago
Quoted from wxforecaster:

Seller, serial number of the game? I urge you all to document the serial numbers of your games!

Unfortunately, as I scoured through all of my pictures, there was no picture of the serial number, although I do agree with you completely that it is a smart idea to document a record of that number.
Given this case, which is unfortunate and an outlier, moving forward, at least for me, I am going to document the serial numbers of any games that are going out. There have been many excellent suggestions on this thread thus far as it relates to the safety and follow-up of shipped games, and this is another one.

#82 2 years ago

One idea that came up is the use of a tile to track the machine during transit. I would not worry about it using NAVL but if I wanted to use Fastenal or U-ship-you bet I would invest in a $15 tracking device and tape it under pf? You could have buyer send it back to you in mail. I do think you will need to find serial number somehow? May ask original buyer? If this goes through insurance or police/court they will need a serial number.

Also wanted to post the phone number for Michelle/Judy at NAVL for those who are concerned about shipping safely:

1(877) 432-2646

#83 2 years ago

Supposedly if it does turn up (ie someone buys it) OP should be able to reclaim the pin(?).

#84 2 years ago
Quoted from rai:

Supposedly if it does turn up (ie someone buys it) OP should be able to reclaim the pin(?).

If it does turn up and we know about it, that means the buyer had some knowledge of it being stolen through this thread as well. In that case the prospected buyer having knowledge should agree to meet and make the deal which will most likely not be at the sellers residence more likely they'll want to drive the game to buyer and have the (non uniformed) police on standby when they show up with the stolen machine.

Win for the OP, a win for Pinsider's helping each other out and a win overall for the pinball community everywhere. Not counting the huge relief the seller will have, in addition to helping Uship out who might also have a case in bringing charges forward against them as well.

#85 2 years ago

Wasn't there an insurance option?

#86 2 years ago

So who lost the money? Buyer or seller?

#88 2 years ago

I’m sorry but this has opened my eyes, I’ll never hire some dude with a truck (maybe not even owning a truck) to transport a pin. There is no one to sue here.

If it was a real shipping company you’d have the pin or a settlement (am I wrong?).

#89 2 years ago

Could it really be as simple as tracking down Brett White at his street address and phone number listed???? There are two addresses listed with the DOT, both seem to be residential house, neither address is an empty lot, or invalid addresse, etc.

#91 2 years ago
Quoted from mcuzz:

So who lost the money? Buyer or seller?

Buyer is the OP, and he had organized this shipping and has unfortunately lost his money on this deal.

This link above goes to an individual, but I'm not sure how they relate to this case (while he could have been using an alias, sure, gentlemen's name who came to pick up the game was named "Russell," and I did not pick up on the ladies name that was with him). This fellow linked above is named Brett White and appears to run a freight shipping company out of some town called Michie, Tennessee with a 731 area code. I'm not sure if the OP had any interaction with this company through this Uship site? Otherwise I don't see the relation of this individual, this link, and this particular case.
Maybe OP can state as to whether or not this information is helpful. Maybe he can chime in?

I know that the phone number that the lady was using, who was also present at game pick up was: 1 912-571-1320. 912 is a southeast Georgia area code, per Google search...but goodness knows where either of them are originally from...

#92 2 years ago
Quoted from ChipScott:

I know that the phone number that the lady was using, who was also present at game pick up was: 1 912-571-1320. 912 is a southeast Georgia area code, per Google search...but goodness knows where either of them are originally from...

Any law enforcement agency investigating this should have access to run that number through CLEAR (or alternative LE database) to get the subscriber and carrier info, then it’s an easy subpoena or search warrant to get the full subscriber info and phone records.

#93 2 years ago
Quoted from riggy469:

Any law enforcement agency investigating this should have access to run that number through CLEAR (or alternative LE database) to get the subscriber and carrier info, then it’s an easy subpoena or search warrant to get the full subscriber info and phone records.

Good thinking, and i'm glad I saved that number!
I made sure to pass that number on to the OP. I'm sure he passed that information on to the individuals investigating this case.

#94 2 years ago

Assuming they are busy with first admendment matters:

Screen Shot 2021-10-28 at 10.26.22 PM (resized).pngScreen Shot 2021-10-28 at 10.26.22 PM (resized).png

#95 2 years ago
Quoted from rai:

Supposedly if it does turn up (ie someone buys it) OP should be able to reclaim the pin(?).

Yes, title does not transfer on stolen property.

Now, if this were a different scenario, it might play out differently.
For instance, if someone buys a pinball machine form you and agrees to pay you at a later date and never does, that falls under bad debt, not stolen property.
For this reason, in business I will often write on an invoice "title does not transfer until paid in full".
In this case it disappeared in transit (presumably stolen), the buyer of the machine is the legal owner if he paid for it.

#96 2 years ago

The name listed from uship is Brett White and it seems likely that there is a connection with the Brett White Transportation LLC. Thank you for that bit of sleuthing it could turn out to be very helpful. I haven't heard a peep from anybody about this yet.

#97 2 years ago

Not sure if this helps at all, I really hope you find your pin.

Brett White Transportation LLC
Agent Name
WILLIAM BRETT WHITE
Agent Address
5901 HIGHWAY 22, MICHIE, MCNAIRY COUNTY, TN, USA
Directors / Officers
WILLIAM BRETT WHITE, agent

#98 2 years ago

If that info is right, the city judge/attorney's contact info can be found here: https://www.mtas.tennessee.edu/city/michie

Looks like a very small town, might be worth an email.

#99 2 years ago

Someone should pay this guy a visit...I can just picture it now-Knock knock-door opens-'Hello Brett I am with the Pinside Price Police and I understand that you have a TMNT game that needs to be returned to the shipper and I am here to pick it up.'

-Then a blank stare comes from his face in disbelief. 'We can do this the easy way or the hard way?'

11
#100 2 years ago

Just be careful if anyone decides to pay them a visit. If they're willing to steal someone else's property, who knows what else they're willing to do.

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