I got home yesterday from a weekend/into this week business trip to find that next door had a fire which spread (a bit) to me. I've lost all my 'current' comics, including all tooth progs, and my favourite books and GNs, as they were in a cupboard on the wall that I share with my neighbours. I've lost a lot of clothes, towels and other clothy things, and I've no bed really. There're a lot of other things burnt up, buit no 'dangerous' structural damage, and insurance should cover most things, though I have to move out for a few weeks while repairs are carried out. Staying with family. Oh, and also lost a substantial number of my 'main' collection, stored in the attic.
And the year started out so well...
Nightmare Bony..my sympathy...same thing happpened to me in 95..you cant legislate for others can you?..your insurance company sound a hell of a lot more sympathetic than the grexnix company i was with..they sent a bloke round my house to 'discuss' certain items i lost (my lp collection and books,gn's and comics etc and told me i was massively under-insured and they were only paying out for household items and redecoration..I hope you fare better..and chin up!
I am sorry to hear this Bony. What a downer for the new year. Our collection is declared on the insurance as it is over 10g's worth at last count. Need to get the next lot on disc. That is a timely reminder thank you. Hope you manage to get it sorted with insurance company. Keep us posted.
Sorry to hear that, Bony. I hope your insurance company comes through & that you're back home soon with everything replaced.
Madgirl..I dont want to know any private details but did declaring 10k's worth of collection up your premium by much?..I still havent learnt from my own mistakes and if my or a neighbours house went up in flames and I got wiped out again i could see my old problems resurface again..
yeuch, nasty stuff, bony, sympathies to you. :(
shite man, big comiserations, go gentle on yourself after a scare like that. let us know how things go , & hope you get sorted soon...
Sorry to hear about that - A few years ago I would've thought that I'd be able to say, 'oh, there just things', but not anymore. I could with the telly, the furniture and the like - you can just go get them again from Argos. But losing my comics, my books, my paintings, and al my work on the computer (I really should back up) would be tough.
Madgirl - TEN GRAND! What on earth have you got?
my condolences. Glad you`re alright.
i have lost the majority of my collection twice, i know how u feel
is very bad (i darent imagine how much mine would cost to replace)
You don't want to no what the premium is! LOL
We have a lot of stuff. From comics early Batman through to current, same Supes, Daredevil, Spiderman, Tooth and to much to list. Quite a few statues, art,Trading Cards and much, much more.
Initial noises from my insurance company sounded positive, but it's a massive shock. Really upset about losing all my favourite stuff at once!! The only consolation is that the package of GNs that I bought from Wake a few days ago that arrived were out of the way, so I have the Cursed Earth, Judge Cal, Apocalypse War, Judge Child Quest and more to read and cry on. I'll Probably be offering them to anyone who hasn't read them soon enough, so watch this space
What GN's have you lost? Ive not got many myself, but if i can help you out and replace any, i'll be happy to do so.
Just glad your ok, dude.
sorry to hear this . hope all goes ok.
thats an absolute horror story dude dont know what I'd do if I ever lost any of my shit, probably cry. Glad your OK though..
CU Krestel
Sorry to hear all this. Hope it gets better for you soon. I think its the loss of the stuff that means something to you thats the worst. Some stuff can be easily replaced but much can have sentimental value.
Glad to hear your unscathed though.
What a nightmare! I hope everything turns out okay for you. Glad that you didn't get damaged yourself, but how are the neighbours?
I've only just managed to get a nice collection going, can't imagine what I'd do if the lot went!
Madgirl. Go on then, what's the oldest comic you've got?
The most irritating part is actually that the neighbours seem to have lost nothing!! They're all fine, and the fire was only in one room at their place, some heater against the shared wall that went wrong. It burnt through to me, but didn't spread through their house much.
There's a reason for that I think, but I can't remember being told it. Might have sdomething to do with the wall being a crummy plaster one that the previous owner shoved in as part ofthe conversion to two homes. I have to check it out today though. Seems strange. I've lost all my tooth stuff, excluding the GNs Wake sent and my Halo Jones that I was reading in the bath and left in the bathroom before I left.
I've lost ALL my America's Best Comics issues, and some of the GNs (Promethea, Tom Strong 1+2, LOEG 1) and a bunch of recent Spidey and Batman issues/GNs. There was more, but I can't remember what was there and what wasn't. I'm gonna have to search around a bit today I think, before builders arrive.
I KNOW I've lost quite a few DVDs, like the LOTR special editions, Spiderman, etc, but I don't know if that's just the casing, and the discs themselves are ok..... not likely though.
I've lost ALL my favourite books - about 50 of them, save my double 'Alice' book, which I took away with me to re-read. Still in shock, doesn't seem quite real. Been hokme once and it just doesn't look like my house anymore
AGH!
Bloody hell, Bony. I'm distraught for you.
You've just gone through every comic fan's worst nightmare.
Once you get yourself sorted out, remind me and (unless you object or decline) I'll start a small Royal campaign for people to send you any duplicate comics they've got.
I've certainly got a couple of extra Tom Strongs and Prometheas and even a Prog 2004 you can have if you send me a postal address.
Much sympathy, sir.
- Trout
yeah, Ive only founf 4 duplicates so far in my grand tidy up but you can have them ! sure between us all we can at leasy make a tiny start. I dunno how you can get your head around somthing like that, just have to get a whole "new start " hat on somehow.
luckily ive not had to attend too many house fires, WE tend to be very hard & practical, eg , when on way to a shout, we're preparing for worst scenario, ie a kid dying in front of us, people trapped we can't get out etc.. so as an incident unfolds our priorities shift, "okay so no-bodies trapped lets save the property", "the properties had it lets make it safe & save the neighbouring one"... & so on, we certainly do respect peoples stuff & all have it in us to minimise damage & destruction & disruption... we might joke & gung ho through an incident, but its all part of the adrenalin, keep on toes thing..
its tends to be later on once the action dies down we become reflective " shit look at all that stuff ruined", "oh no all their books have had it" "couldhave been worse...what if..."etc. thats when we all go to pub & go quiet for a bit.
so firemen might seem gung ho, but we do care about things that affect others, & i bet those lads did everything they could to minimise damage.
yeah one house i was at, reduced to a shell, we then of course have to dig & sift through ashes & rubble for hours, cooling it down & checking ...well basically checking no-one was in there. This house had burnt over 800degrees C, ( thats the potter in me knows what happens to glass at certain temps, windows had fused into lump mixed with windowsill contents & outline of wine bottle) , yeah, but there was some books had been so tightly packed into shelves, the odd page was still intact... really wierd.
Thanks everyone, your thoughts and help are greatly appreciated. I've been on the phone all day, got practically nowhere. The insurance company are still being nice, but it looks like they'll only cover some of the costs. I found out that I should be able to move back in by the end of next week if all goes well, because as I said there isn't any major structural damage, so I just need to wait for repairs to the walls and ceilings to be completed, and they started doing that yesterday.
However, I went to check properly what had gone today and found that large sections of things away from the fire have suffered serious water damage, which is really upsetting.
That includes a bit of electronic equipment (which I was replacing this week anyway, so not too awful), some furniture, paintings, and comics in the attic. Most were protected by their wallets, but quite a few are totally soaked.
I appreciate the offers of duplicate progs etc, that would be wonderful! I'm going to leave actively replacing what I've lost for a few weeks, but if anyone does have spares and duplicates etc, they'll be gratefully recieved. I'll cover postage and things once I'm back to normal, obviously.
Cheers for the messages of support! Really appreciated
Bony
When you want stuff sent, don't feel hesitant or embarrassed about declaring it on the board.
It's certain that we could never hope to replace anything more than a fraction of your collection, but I hope we can cheer you up a wee bit.
I never get round to selling my duplicates anyway and, of course, I mightily disapprove of hoarding extra comics.
Postage is unlikely to cost more than a quid or two, so I suspect most people wouldn't expect you to cover costs.
I've been to a lot of house fires in my job, and it's heartbreaking to see what they can do.
Just don't take any shit from the insurance people.
If we can help, let us know.
Hang in there, Fella.
- Trout
Better pack my progs in tighter then, just in case...
When I do my clear out you can have the last 6 months or so, or at least what I have, they might not be in the best condition, being out in the garage, but just drop us a mail and you can have them. Theyll only go to the charity shop anyway.
Yer Slips
PS thats progs and megs
I've got a pile of old progs that I could do with getting rid of - I think they're in the 700s and early 800s (so not the greatest of eras...), I'll try and remember to dig them out this weekend and see what numbers they cover
Steve
Sorry to hear that Bony, if you need any recent progs just say and I'll send what I have kicking about
Huffy
Does your insurance have legal cover? If so sue your neighbours for the money.
La Placa Rifa,
W. R. Logan.
I've got a small handfull of Megs spare that I'd be happy to send your way.
Bony, that really, really sucks. Just take your time when checking over the damage. When I was burgled a couple of years back, I sent in my claim and then over the next few months afterwards I'd go to get something, an album or a book or something, and find it wasn't there anymore. Keep promising that I'll make a full inventory of my stuff for the Insurance but never seem to get around to it. Your unfortunate situation makes me think twice about knuckling down to it.
Detective #235 from 1956. Not that old i know but we are gradually getting there. Money has been a bit tight for the last year so the collecting has had to be put on hold untill Alan has finished his post grad course and becomes one of the employed again.
You can have my Halo Jones GN, fella.
email me at wulleh@blueyonder.co.uk and i'll get it posted.
Least i can do for you, dude!
Well, I'm moved back in now. The wall is all patched up, but it's taken a solid afternoon of manual labour to shift the burnt carpt and things. Insurance will cover the carpt, furniture, electric items, and NOTHING ELSE. So I'm not pleased... :(
I think it's time you went round to see your neighbours and let them know thay have just bought themselves so very expensive ash.
wow..like..wow..man..i mean...wow..armageddon
so whats the best plan for letting every freak in the internet universe knowing your address to send emergency progs to? like i say i only got 4 spares so far but its a start , i owe you favours anywey ;) .
Awww, thanks Bou.. Erm, email me I think, and I'll freely give it out that way. Just a bit dodgy posting it here! Same goes for similar kind-hearted souls. Thanks to Wooly, there's already a Halo Jones GN to make me feel there's hope. Thanks Wooly! As I said in my email, really appreciated!
Bony
Bummer about the insurance. Definatly have a chat to the neighbours about it. I am afraid we've got no doubles that you can have at the mo. But if i find anything i'll let you know.