How to check for validity of ownership on laptops!
November 25, 2006 11:58 PM Subscribe
Stolen Hardware: Why is it so hard to check for?
As a side hobby I buy and sell laptops from various sources. Often cleaning a laptop up, a fresh install of Windows, and fixing any simple hardware issues can net a small profit.
I often find myself purchasing laptops that might not always pass the 'smell test', but I have no substantial evidence to back that claim up. Maybe the seller needs money for the xmas season. Maybe it was a college subsidized laptop and they want the money. Maybe im taking advantage of someone who thinks their hardware is dead, when it just needs a new harddrive.
Why is it so hard to check to see if a laptop is stolen? I have previously called Dell, and they pretty much accuse you of having stolen property (even though I made it clear I was interested in buying, I didn't have it yet) and suggest you call your local police department to check. I am sorry, but I am not calling my local PD 4 times a week with every random laptop I look at buying. How are they going to know if a laptop was stolen across the country? I have had similar results with Gateway and Apple.
So mefi.. Why is this so hard? I would think Dell/Apple/Gateway/etc would want to make their lists of reported stolen laptops more easily accessible. Why does it take an act of congress (and typically me blatantly lying to customer support/tech support) to figure out if a laptop is legit or not?
As a side hobby I buy and sell laptops from various sources. Often cleaning a laptop up, a fresh install of Windows, and fixing any simple hardware issues can net a small profit.
I often find myself purchasing laptops that might not always pass the 'smell test', but I have no substantial evidence to back that claim up. Maybe the seller needs money for the xmas season. Maybe it was a college subsidized laptop and they want the money. Maybe im taking advantage of someone who thinks their hardware is dead, when it just needs a new harddrive.
Why is it so hard to check to see if a laptop is stolen? I have previously called Dell, and they pretty much accuse you of having stolen property (even though I made it clear I was interested in buying, I didn't have it yet) and suggest you call your local police department to check. I am sorry, but I am not calling my local PD 4 times a week with every random laptop I look at buying. How are they going to know if a laptop was stolen across the country? I have had similar results with Gateway and Apple.
So mefi.. Why is this so hard? I would think Dell/Apple/Gateway/etc would want to make their lists of reported stolen laptops more easily accessible. Why does it take an act of congress (and typically me blatantly lying to customer support/tech support) to figure out if a laptop is legit or not?
If my laptop was stolen, why would I call the manufacturer of said laptop? Do people call Ford or VW if their car is stolen?
These days, even local PD's are getting more involved in (at least corporate and government) PC theft due to security breach notification legislation in more than 30 states. Companies like Absolute software are building local police networks for tracking down stolen PC's that have subscribed to their services (sort of like lojack for cars), so you may have more luck than you think with the cops.
posted by loquax at 12:40 AM on November 26, 2006
These days, even local PD's are getting more involved in (at least corporate and government) PC theft due to security breach notification legislation in more than 30 states. Companies like Absolute software are building local police networks for tracking down stolen PC's that have subscribed to their services (sort of like lojack for cars), so you may have more luck than you think with the cops.
posted by loquax at 12:40 AM on November 26, 2006
I would think Dell/Apple/Gateway/etc would want to make their lists of reported stolen laptops more easily accessible.
I don't see why the burden should be on the manufacturer. And they aren't really in the right position to be able to handle that anyway, after all someone could just log in and report a bunch of random serial numbers as stolen for the hell of it, and Dell would have no way of verifying anything. They would need a live human to investigate each case, like a cop does when filling out a report.
Besides, at the center of this issue is the fact that most petty thefts aren't reported, either to the police or anyone else. Sometimes people don't even have the required information (like the model number and serial number since they didn't write it down or save the docs), sometimes they just feel ashamed, other times they see no point in spending time filling out a police report for something they don't expect to recover.
I think the infrastructure you're looking for just doesn't exist.
posted by Rhomboid at 12:44 AM on November 26, 2006
I don't see why the burden should be on the manufacturer. And they aren't really in the right position to be able to handle that anyway, after all someone could just log in and report a bunch of random serial numbers as stolen for the hell of it, and Dell would have no way of verifying anything. They would need a live human to investigate each case, like a cop does when filling out a report.
Besides, at the center of this issue is the fact that most petty thefts aren't reported, either to the police or anyone else. Sometimes people don't even have the required information (like the model number and serial number since they didn't write it down or save the docs), sometimes they just feel ashamed, other times they see no point in spending time filling out a police report for something they don't expect to recover.
I think the infrastructure you're looking for just doesn't exist.
posted by Rhomboid at 12:44 AM on November 26, 2006
Response by poster: "If my laptop was stolen, why would I call the manufacturer of said laptop?"
If you do this with Dell/Gateway/Apple they will not service the unit (if it is under warranty). Cars have a standard VIN that you can report stolen, and I imagine this might show up on a CarFax?
Theres no standard system that does this for laptops (my dell laptop has bios level support for Absolute.. so i guess there is some movement)
posted by SirStan at 12:45 AM on November 26, 2006
If you do this with Dell/Gateway/Apple they will not service the unit (if it is under warranty). Cars have a standard VIN that you can report stolen, and I imagine this might show up on a CarFax?
Theres no standard system that does this for laptops (my dell laptop has bios level support for Absolute.. so i guess there is some movement)
posted by SirStan at 12:45 AM on November 26, 2006
The police (in England) came to my college and offered me the chance to indelibily mark my laptop with a registration number and phone number for a centralized database where it can be checked. If this were more widespread and in the U.S. you wouldn't have your problem.
posted by grouse at 1:44 AM on November 26, 2006
posted by grouse at 1:44 AM on November 26, 2006
Every Dell laptop has a service tag stuck to the bottom, and Dell do have a record of who they sold that laptop to. I know this, because I had to get them to ship me some replacement RAM under warranty, and they sent it to my old address! I'm sure other manufacturers will have similar systems, and I'm sure you could figure out a standard blatant lie that would get you the current billing address associated with a given system's tag.
As for why this is necessary: seems to me that it's an intersection between two modern embuggerances - the "privacy laws" stupidity and the "calls monitored for quality and coaching purposes" horror. Your blatant lie is needed to allow the arse of your friendly call centre operative to remain comfortably covered.
posted by flabdablet at 7:09 AM on November 26, 2006
As for why this is necessary: seems to me that it's an intersection between two modern embuggerances - the "privacy laws" stupidity and the "calls monitored for quality and coaching purposes" horror. Your blatant lie is needed to allow the arse of your friendly call centre operative to remain comfortably covered.
posted by flabdablet at 7:09 AM on November 26, 2006
Just a thought...but to cover your own behind you could have the sellers sign an agreement that it is their laptop that you are buying and that you won't be held liable if it is stolen property. Not sure if it'll hold up in court.
posted by eatcake at 7:52 AM on November 26, 2006
posted by eatcake at 7:52 AM on November 26, 2006
i used to manage laptops for a large company. one of my jobs was to report stolen laptops to the manufacturer. we had several returned because some unwitting person brough them in for service, they were confiscated, etc. none of the machines we recovered were in good enough condition to reissue to employees.
posted by lester's sock puppet at 7:55 AM on November 26, 2006
posted by lester's sock puppet at 7:55 AM on November 26, 2006
Just a thought...but to cover your own behind you could have the sellers sign an agreement that it is their laptop that you are buying and that you won't be held liable if it is stolen property. Not sure if it'll hold up in court.
That's meaningless.
posted by grouse at 8:20 AM on November 26, 2006
That's meaningless.
posted by grouse at 8:20 AM on November 26, 2006
Simple.
When you first see the laptop, write down the serial number and then say "Okay, got it, just gotta check a couple things. I'll meet you back here tomorrow to pick it up and pay you."
If the seller shows up the next day, the laptop is not stolen.
You don't actually have to DO anything with the number.
posted by rokusan at 8:41 AM on November 26, 2006
When you first see the laptop, write down the serial number and then say "Okay, got it, just gotta check a couple things. I'll meet you back here tomorrow to pick it up and pay you."
If the seller shows up the next day, the laptop is not stolen.
You don't actually have to DO anything with the number.
posted by rokusan at 8:41 AM on November 26, 2006
If the seller shows up the next day, the laptop is not stolen by the person you bought it from. Maybe.
I know you don't want to call the cops four times a week, but have you talked to them at all? Why don't you call the police and talk to a crime prevention officer if they have such a thing, and get the officer's suggestion on what to do. If you can follow the suggested procedure it will at least CYA a bit.
posted by grouse at 10:27 AM on November 26, 2006
I know you don't want to call the cops four times a week, but have you talked to them at all? Why don't you call the police and talk to a crime prevention officer if they have such a thing, and get the officer's suggestion on what to do. If you can follow the suggested procedure it will at least CYA a bit.
posted by grouse at 10:27 AM on November 26, 2006
Could you be proactive? Call the police department now, and explain your business situation. Tell them you don't want to buy anything stolen, and ask if they have a program in place or advice -- on the off chance that someone approaches you with a laptop. Or maybe call a pawn shop in your area and ask them what they do. In my state, at least, pawn shops are pretty strictly regulated. They may have a procedure you can learn from.
posted by croutonsupafreak at 11:25 AM on November 26, 2006
posted by croutonsupafreak at 11:25 AM on November 26, 2006
"If my laptop was stolen, why would I call the manufacturer of said laptop?"
When I worked in AppleCare, we had a procedure for this. Customers sometimes did call in and report their stuff stolen. If someone called in asking for support with a laptop that was reported stolen, it'd show up when we entered the serial number.
posted by drstein at 5:45 PM on November 26, 2006
When I worked in AppleCare, we had a procedure for this. Customers sometimes did call in and report their stuff stolen. If someone called in asking for support with a laptop that was reported stolen, it'd show up when we entered the serial number.
posted by drstein at 5:45 PM on November 26, 2006
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Ookseer at 12:28 AM on November 26, 2006