How long to store tools of ex employees?

You wouldnt think that this would be an issue but with how tight we are in our shop we just dont have the room to store ex employees tools/roll arounds etc. Not only that but what liability you have for any damage done to these items from moving them around. We have had two employees simply vanish. No calls no contact period. We have snt out certified letters, constant calls to listed phone numbers. Needless to say after awhile they are officialy terminated but I cant get an asnwer out of our HR department as to our responsability for storage of their tools. Anyone have any suggestions.

Nothing to advise for current situation, but for future hires, you may want to write up a form stating that in case of separation of employment, the tools must be removed within five days or will incur a storage fee of $200/week. Have them sign this when they start work.

I think 12 minutes is fair.





Tough one. I think I'd try to hold on for up to 6 months, but beyond that the stuff would be sold off on Craigslist. To sell to the other guys would be tricky. People who run their lives like that usually have a beat up Craftsman box with just a couple of crappy tools in it.

Look or have HR look at the property code for your state under abandoned property. It 's usually 90 days and a certified letter. As long as the procedure is followed and documented you're covered. Information should be available online.

If I were you I'd call the state and ask how abandoned property is treated...

Example.... fellow has his car repaired and cant pay the bill... so the shop holds on to the car untill it is paid all the while storage fees are added to it... soon enough the cars is either auctioned / sold / or sent to the scrapers...

Example.... I sold a pickup to a fellow that wanted to title it in a state 1/2 way across the country so he asked me if I'd let him use the plates on it... Nice guy that I am, sure no problem.. He was going to take the title, fly to Oki and get it registered and return to Philly with Oki plates.... Only problem came is when he returned to the Philly airport and was aproaching the pay booth, he didnt have enough money... He parked it in the SHORT TERM PARKING GARAGE.... opps... that's MEGA$$$$$$$$$$$$ per HOUR....

So eventually I get a phone call from the parking garage to come get my truck and pay an enormous bill...
I tell them I sold it, I have the paperwork proving so... They say the truck will be sent to the scrap yard...
So? thats a shame..but it aint my truck... IF the bill had not been so huge, I might have paid it then applied to the state for a lost TITLE... then what would I do if the guy came back to me looking for his truck? or the Oki title he had got into the picture some how... dont know... so, I spose they scrapped it.

Talk to the police Dept. Chances are that they've run into this before, and they can give you some help. With luck, they may even take the tools, store them for the required time, then sell them.

I wonder how quickly HR would arrive at a solution if you rolled the box(es) into their office and said "This is stuff you say I can't dispose of, but I have no place to store it." ?

BobRenz said:

Talk to the police Dept. Chances are that they've run into this before, and they can give you some help. With luck, they may even take the tools, store them for the required time, then sell them.

Click to expand...

Good idea....

My first bike as a kid came from a Police Auction... new ones were imposible to get (60 or 65 yrs ago) at the time so Dad went to the auction and came home with a bike.

Thanks Dad

charlie gary said:

I wonder how quickly HR would arrive at a solution if you rolled the box(es) into their office and said "This is stuff you say I can't dispose of, but I have no place to store it." ?

Click to expand...

With a freshly applied "BioHazrd" label stuck on it.

Help's if you suit up when you roll it into the office.

Seroiusly,
Can't you just roll it out into the shop, and let the carnage begin ?

Do what auto dealers and towers do constantly to obtain title to abandoned vehicles:

Go, in person, to the County courthouse and confirm procedures for CHARGING STORAGE and then, after procedures have been followed, offering the items at Magistrate auction. The storage price normally exceeds the items worth and no one bids against you. You keep the item at nil actual cost, life is good.

I'd offer to run the paperwork (on company time) and solve the problem if I get to keep the equipment. I'd cherrypick what I liked and Ebay the rest.

I'm self-sacrificing and would want to help free up floor space.

I suggest an Abandoned Property For Sale listing in the local craigslist Tools category.

State the owner's name, describe the tools with photos, and "taking sealed bids on this toolbox and its tools, auction ends in 30 days".

I wouldn't be suprised if the owner shows up within 7 days.

Nobody reads newspapers, essentially, but most folks visit the Internet.

If the address of record is a rental property, the landlord may know.

I also suspect that a registered letter may scare off some folks. Next time, send the registered letter, but send the same letter as regular first class mail.

dsharp said:

Look or have HR look at the property code for your state under abandoned property. It 's usually 90 days and a certified letter. As long as the procedure is followed and documented you're covered. Information should be available online.

Click to expand...

This is the proper way to go about getting rid of the tools.
CYA in case the losers turn up someday wanting to know, "Where's my fukkin' tools??"


Rex

bjorn toulouse said:

This is the proper way to go about getting rid of the tools.
CYA in case the losers turn up someday wanting to know, "Where's my fukkin' tools??"


Rex

Click to expand...

To which I reply - "what tools?" And "Who are you?"

charlie gary said:

I wonder how quickly HR would arrive at a solution if you rolled the box(es) into their office and said "This is stuff you say I can't dispose of, but I have no place to store it." ?

Click to expand...

Thats how I feel exactly.

Check with your local sheriff's office. State laws vary widely as to how this must be handled. Here I can't dispose of it, even to recover cost, there must be a Sheriff's sale. The I can recover my costs, but no more than that, excess will be returned to the original owner. You don't want to dispose of it, find out you did it wrong, and then have someone sue you for replacement costs and legal fees.