It started out as a normal day and then I got a text message ..
” I was in your store and realized someone had ripped your changer apart”.
If you have ever been the victim of a robbery you know the feeling you get in your stomach when you see this. Feelings of anger, violation, rage, vulnerability all run through your mind and body.
This was how my day began. Once I arrived at the store I called the police and took some pictures of the area. They took down the information and called the Indent Team to see if they could get any prints.
As we watched the video to see if they had touched anything the feelings welled up again as I “witnessed” the crime.
They came in prepared early in the morning carrying a grinder and extension cord in a basket of laundry. They work gloves and had long sleeves so there were no fingerprints. They didn’t even cut themselves so there was no chance of a DNA test.
In this case, there were a few things that worked in their favor.
They gained entry through the front door as the electronic locks were not working correctly and it was after hours so there was only one light on in the middle of the store. Although the cameras were only a few years old they were already outdated.
With the low amount of light, we were unable to get a good picture of either suspect. Since that time we have upgraded the security cameras and switched to 24 hours so now the lights are always on.
Initially, they began to grind the lock, as an owner of a change machine you know this would take hours to grind out the lock mechanism and then they would have to unscrew the lock, but after a minute or two, they used the grinder on the exposed plastic of the bill acceptor.
A few seconds later part of it broke off and they were able to remove the rest with a pry bar. They reached through the opening and removed the cash from the stacker. Total time in the store ….5 Minutes.
I spent the next day calling a number of distributors to order a new, rear mount change machine. This was to a be a future purchase but now I had to buy one from whoever could get it to me. Fixing the existing change machine didn’t make sense as they could come back the next week and do it again, only faster.
As we all know having a change machine sitting in a closet because you’re afraid to use it yet needing a second machine is a frustrating position to be in.
As we all know having a change machine sitting in a closet because you’re afraid to use it yet needing a second machine is a frustrating position to be in.
I could fix the old changer but I would always be waiting for the day I found it ripped apart again. And spending $1,800 – $2,000 or more for another one is not in everyone’s budget.
I looked around for a way to provide better security for this changer but all the options added extra locks ( we all have enough of those to deal with already) and they had a fortress-like look to them.
So I decided it was time to design my own. I spent hours working with a local machine shop to design a guard that would be easy to install, not add any more locks or be a burden to work around to empty the changer and, most of all, make it look like it wasn’t even there.
After I posted some pictures and videos I started to get overwhelmed with emails and comments from people that had the same changers and were concerned about the potential for damage. Others had already had theirs ripped apart, lost hundreds of dollars and after installing a new bill acceptor laid awake at night dreading that message ” I was in your store and realized someone had ripped your changer apart”.
If you have one of the changers or vending machines like the Standard ChangeMakers MC100 go ahead and order now and get some sleep at night.
Ken
