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Theft in Gym
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AmyC


Posts: 2
Joined: May 2013
Post: #1
22-05-2013 09:24 PM

I had my bag stolen today & thought it may be worth checking if anyone had found it dumped anywhere. I know my phone, purse, oyster etc will be long gone, but a lot of other stuff is just valuable to me (diary, glasses etc) so if anyone finds anything please let me know. It was a medium black leather bag & was taken from my padlocked locker in Energie Fitness.

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mojito


Posts: 4
Joined: Apr 2008
Post: #2
24-05-2013 12:52 PM

Really sorry to hear about this Amy. I don't have any useful information for you sadly, but I also had something stolen from a locked locker in Energie. It was nearly 3 years ago, and my brand new engagement ring (all of 5 days old!) which I stupidly thought would be safe in my purse, in my bag, in my locked locker. My previous engagement ring (previous marriage) had spent many a gym session quite safely tucked away at a different gym. But no, someone at Energie must have seen it or seen where I'd put it and took it out of my purse, out of my bag and out of my locked locker but left everything else. They even did up my purse and bag and relocked the locker. Clearly some not very nice people there.

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Herbert


Posts: 63
Joined: Apr 2010
Post: #3
24-05-2013 02:37 PM

I use Energie. If you don't mind me asking, how did they get into a locked locker?

I usually don't even lock my locker, maybe i'll invest in a padlock.

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AmyC


Posts: 2
Joined: May 2013
Post: #4
25-05-2013 07:31 AM

mojito - how awful to have your ring stolen. You must have been devastated. I could tell from the response at the gym that they weren't very surprised and I suspect this kind of thing happens regularly. Unfortunately, I had just got a new iPhone, but in comparison to an engagement ring it's not that important!
Herbert - I would advise not to leave anything in the changing room. My locker was padlocked and they cut through it. Apparently it's very easy if you have the right tools and increasingly common as changing rooms are one of the few areas that can't be covered by CCTV.
I'll be running with my house keys in my hand from now on and nothing else!

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mojito


Posts: 4
Joined: Apr 2008
Post: #5
25-05-2013 10:28 AM

I was there for a free trial session and had one of their combination locks which I struggled to reset. I think perhaps the person saw what I was doing (they must have been watching closely to have seen my ring being put into my purse) and saw what I'd set it to, although the police told me that if you know what you're doing those locks are easy to pick. Needless to say, I didn't join after my 'free' trial.

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IWereAbsolutelyFuming


Posts: 531
Joined: Oct 2007
Post: #6
26-05-2013 07:20 AM

Combination locks really are terrible, always go for a key lock. I was shown the technique for unlocking combination locks by a lock expert and it really is simple. It is also quick to do on anything but the more expensive locks (but even then I've broken into an expensive combo lock for a friend who'd forgotten their code).

That said, I was also shown the technique of using shims to open key padlocks too which was equally quick with the right tools so best advice is to leave nothing but clothes for the tea-leafs to find.

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mojito


Posts: 4
Joined: Apr 2008
Post: #7
26-05-2013 06:19 PM

It was a free trial and I used the lock they gave me - bad move I realise now, but with around 15 years of gym going with nothing ever taken from my locker, you can't blame me for imagining that my stuff might still be there once I'd finished my workout.

These days, I clip my ring into my bra, ain't no-one going to find it there without me knowing!

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Sherwood


Posts: 1,412
Joined: Mar 2005
Post: #8
29-05-2013 06:46 AM

Their lock may have a pass key.

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rshdunlop


Posts: 1,111
Joined: Jun 2008
Post: #9
29-05-2013 08:35 AM

In the gym I go to, we used to have locks with keys. These were regularly burgled as it is easy to buy master keys for these types of locks. We now bring our own combination padlocks. While these are not foolproof either, it's more obvious in a busy changing room of someone is fiddling around with a combination lock in a peculiar way.

You do need to be highly vigilant at all times, though. We had a spate of people's handbags being stolen from the benches when the owner had turned their back for a moment.

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Campervan Tim


Posts: 19
Joined: May 2013
Post: #10
06-06-2013 12:33 PM

Just to say that I'm a regular in gym and I've always found the staff & fellow users to be brilliant (I'm usually there early morning) and I've never had any issues in terms of security

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