Laptop locks lacking

June 9, 2006 2:15 PM

Two coworkers of mine just had their personal laptops stolen. They were both locked using Kensington-type cable locks. Whose gonna pay for this?

The locks in both cases were completely unharmed, and were found in the 'locked' position. The Mac Book Pro that was heisted left bits of its case behind. This includes what appears to be a thin piece of metal that Apple uses to reinforce the locking mechanism. Thus it does not seem that the person picked the lock (they really didn't have time to either), but snapped them out of the laptops.

It appears from the warranty/gaurantee on their locks that due to the fact that the locks did not fail, but the computer cases did, my coworkers are not eligible for any sort of compensation from the lock manufacturer. The fault appears to be with the computer manufacturers (Apple and Sony) for not providing cable lock slots of adequete strength.

I turn to you, oh wise and cunning MeFi, for help. Do my coworkers have a chance of receiving compensation from anyone? Why don't laptop manufacturers engineer lock slots that can withstand some minimal applied force?

Thanks in advance for all of your help.
(Yes, a police report has been filed.)

posted by istewart to Computers & Internet (8 answers total)

Well, if they were stolen from your workplace, your work's insurance should cover the cost of new laptops.

If they were stolen from the people's homes, either their homeowners or renters insurance, or possibly still your work's insurance, will cover it depending on their employee status (contractor, full-time, etc.).

I just had to deal with this issue a month or so ago myself. It sucks.
posted by misanthropicsarah at 2:20 PM on June 9, 2006

"Why don't laptop manufacturers engineer lock slots that can withstand some minimal applied force?"

• it is essentially an impossible task, make the lock and mount point strong enough and the cable becomes a weak point.
• Manufacturer's are trying to save weight. 3-400 grams for a substantial plate would significantly increase the mass of most laptops.
• when users forget the combination/loose the key you want the locks to be defeatable for the determined user without damaging the laptop.
• laptop style locks are a deterrent aimed at honest people. IE they are to stop some guy wandering by your office when you step out to pick up a print job from easily making off with your laptop under his coat.

They maybe covered under either the business' or their home owner's policies.

"It appears from the warranty/guarantee on their locks that due to the fact that the locks did not fail, but the computer cases did, my coworkers are not eligible for any sort of compensation from the lock manufacturer"

This is why the "Club" can make those ridiculous warranty statements. It takes several minutes to cut through a "club" and about 10 seconds to cut though a steering wheel.
posted by Mitheral at 2:26 PM on June 9, 2006

PS: If you have one of those locks for your laptop install the shims if the lock came with it to take up all the slack. The shims make it harder to pry the lock off the laptop.
posted by Mitheral at 2:29 PM on June 9, 2006

Where'd they get stolen from?
posted by k8t at 2:39 PM on June 9, 2006

Response by poster: k8t: The laptops were stolen from a research lab at a university.
posted by istewart at 3:24 PM on June 9, 2006

they really didn't have time to either

If they're the cylinder kind, "time" is about a minute with a toilet paper roll. Just sayin'.

(And yeah, the answer to "Who's paying?" is "them, or their insurance company"; the guarantee on locks is marketing, not insurance.)
posted by mendel at 6:45 PM on June 9, 2006

I work at a University too.. policy is: you bring it in, it's your problem. It gets stolen, also your problem.

Thankfully, my current work area is very well secured (24/7 access control, hardened glass windows, and on the third story of a building, panic buttons, etc), but many work areas at the University aren't.

Hence why you have two friends without laptops.
posted by theducks at 4:15 AM on June 10, 2006

I work in a University IT department, and we provide those locks to all of our employees with laptops - with the caveat that they will NEVER hold up against an even halfway determined thief. The only thing they're good for is prevention of crimes of opportunity - if someone sees your computer has ANY kind of lock, they're less likely to bother taking it.
posted by sluggo at 5:30 PM on June 10, 2006