new tv, how much do you spend and do you secure it?

Agencies and other headaches, keys and cleaners, running costs and contracts...in short, all the things we spend so much of our time doing behind the scenes.<br>
Karen&John
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new tv, how much do you spend and do you secure it?

Post by Karen&John »

We need to buy a new tv, (and a blue ray player)
Given the cost of these, do you secure yours to a wall with cables?

Is my planned £500 tv ott?

J & K
zebedee
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Post by zebedee »

No I don’t think you are overspending. A good tv can be an advantage and is useful when the weather is not good.

Securing the TV is also a very good idea(as well as security markings). Ours is (discretely) padlocked onto the wall stand. The lock isn’t visible unless you have a good look behind it. We have just purchased a smart DVD player which allows guests to use Netflix, catchup and other streaming facilities. It might be worth your while considering this option.
newtimber
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Post by newtimber »

It depends on your location.

If someone has time and wants to steal the TV, then they will and cause a lot more damage to your property in the process if you've secured it. Someone who is short of time will be looking for cash and credit cards and mobile phones not the TV which is bulky and hasn't got a high resale value.
Karen&John
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Post by Karen&John »

Thanks for the replies.

I was rather thinking about the guests walking off with the tv and blue ray player.
Would the insurance co. entertain a claim for theft when you have given the "thief" the property keys and the high value item was not secured to the building?
zebedee
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Post by zebedee »

When we first started, our insurance was quite clear that it did not cover theft if there was no sign of a break in.
We have a different insurance company now and the cover is better - the important thing is to check the small print in your policy as cover can vary.

I know some of the ways in which I manage our property is seen by some members of this forum as me being a bit of a dinasaur but I send paperwork out through the post rather than email, and I speak to all the guests at booking. That way I lessen the risk slightly, but you may be targeting a different type of guest, or as said above, be in a different type of area.
It is natural to worry, and the early days are particularly nerve racking. We have all been there.

One tip is to always have your cleaner go in on the day the property is vacated. That way you will be alerted immediately if there has been a problem and can take action.
Nuthatch
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Post by Nuthatch »

I know some of the ways in which I manage our property is seen by some members of this forum as me being a bit of a dinasaur but I send paperwork out through the post rather than email
I do this - I know some guests might see it as a bit old-fashioned, but I see it as a bit of a security check, especially as key location details are supplied with the booking confirmation.

I've never had the TV/DVD player or any other technology nicked by guests, but tupperware, torches, teaspoons and pens are another matter . . .
newtimber
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Post by newtimber »

Nuthatch wrote: I've never had the TV/DVD player or any other technology nicked by guests, but tupperware, torches, teaspoons and pens are another matter . . .
Yes - these are all items that if challenged, the guest can say they packed them "by mistake". It's a bit difficult to say that with a TV...
COYS
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Post by COYS »

I don't know about nicking the telly but I'd definitely wall mount it securely if you can - we have bid farewell to 2 (yes two) in 3 years. One mysteriously gained a screen crack that nobody knew anything about including our housekeeper at changeover & it's replacement lasted little more than a year before it was toppled by our not-so-handyman whilst reconnecting a loose lead.
Since wall mounting it nobody has tampered with the cabling nor knocked it over. Yet.
Other than that I'd agree with newtimber, it would seem a fairly low risk that guests will 'purposely' make off with your tech & if they were so inclined will likely cause way more damage circumventing any security ties.
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Moliere
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Post by Moliere »

newtimber wrote:
Nuthatch wrote: I've never had the TV/DVD player or any other technology nicked by guests, but tupperware, torches, teaspoons and pens are another matter . . .
Yes - these are all items that if challenged, the guest can say they packed them "by mistake". It's a bit difficult to say that with a TV...
Indeed, I think even the dumbest cleaner would notice a missing TV, so it wouldn't be hard to pinpoint the culprits. It is the small stuff like hairdriers, maps and batteries (or famously the entire contents of the larder) which goes walkies.
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russellt
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Post by russellt »

newtimber wrote:the guest can say they packed them "by mistake".
I once had a cheese-slice returned to me in the post, with a note of apology and a lovely review of the cottage. So, 'by mistake', does occasionally happen. But yes, lots of bits & pieces have disappeared over the years, never to be seen again.

TV unlikely. However, we have a streaming music player in the cottage which is high on the list of small, valuable items to potentially disappear. Our cleaner has a watchful eye on it. 8)
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rosebud
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Post by rosebud »

Never considered securing the TV or Blue Ray player...

My insurance covers theft - even if the property is left unlocked.

However teaspoons and Tupperware are another matter.. Buy spares!
ianh100
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Post by ianh100 »

Firstly I would charge a damaged deposit but as has been said the cleaner may not notice damage.

We did have a 3 month old smart TV screen smashed last year by a child's spoon apparently! They were very good and when and bought a replacement, I pointed out the replacement was not the same 4K device and we were lucky that they did replace with identical. We were very lucky, they could have just said keep your damage deposit which would have been a lot more work.

Unfortunately we do find damage later and lots of small stuff goes missing. Even funnier is that new things also appear!
kg1
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Post by kg1 »

No one has nicked our tv but they have taken the laminated instructions!! :shock:
Martha
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Post by Martha »

Teaspoons! No-one steals them surely. Yet they go. For us I am quite sure it's kids eating yogurts etc in the garden or woods and then dropping the spoon. But I've never found any. One for future archaeologists to ponder.

We've never secured our TV but it's huge and would be extremely difficult to steal. Wall mounting is a great idea if possible as it keeps it out of range of kids.
I actually do secure the speakers, because I don't want people taking them outside to the hot tub or bbq area in summer, and I use a thin wire cable for this.

The things that disappeared for us most often were keys. When we had five sets, one per room, they walked on a regular basis. Now I provide two sets and there's a key safe for guests to use, works well, everyone is happy and no more disappearing keys.

The other thing that is very annoying is DVDs which leave in people's computers, not to be discovered until you want to watch it and the case is empty! There's no cure for this really, but I do ask people to check it in the leaving note and that has improved things.
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