Phone call....

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08-08-2013, 10:47 AM
Mudlucky

Phone call....

Well, this morning I get a phone call and the caller id says "Blocked number". Well, I normally don't answer when the number is blocked, but because I was expecting an important phone call I answered. It wasn't the person I was expecting, but it was the owner of a local business who said that they had 22 servers and 20 CRT monitors for me to pick up. He went on to tell me why he had them and then said that they had some miscellaneous stuff that I could pick up as well. I said great. We set up a time I could pick up tomorrow and because he hadn't mentioned how much he wanted for them, I told him that he had seen the price list I would pay from the place he had gotten my phone number. His response: "Oh, I don't want you to pay me anything. We recycle them and I saw you recycle them so I thought I'd have you come get them instead of me paying one of my guys to haul them off."

A great start to the weekend :)

Mud
08-08-2013, 02:51 PM
ginofrater

o:)Is nice to see some luck hitting on the right place.o:)
08-08-2013, 02:54 PM
Mudlucky

Thanks, gino!

And...it seems that I am going to also be picking up 20 CRT monitors. Anyone interested in buying them...cheap! :)
08-08-2013, 03:21 PM
ginofrater

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mudlucky

Thanks, gino!

And...it seems that I am going to also be picking up 20 CRT monitors. Anyone interested in buying them...cheap! :)

You are welcome..keep posting the good news....we like it o:)
08-08-2013, 04:02 PM
PartTimeScrapper

Hope they have some good XEON cpus in them :)
08-08-2013, 04:05 PM
TheRecycler

That's just freakin awesome. I bet you were grinning from hear to hear.
08-08-2013, 04:42 PM
Mudlucky

And from ear to ear :) Yes, yes I am.

And Terry...so do I! The pinless and fast varieties!
08-09-2013, 11:34 AM
Mudlucky

Just finished my second trip to this pickup...heading back out for the third trip. There were only 5 or 6 servers, but I'm making the special, unintended third trip to pick up nothing buy computer (no coax) wire. PLUS...they will have more or me next week. Oh, and they are paying my mileage as a gift for my hauling their stuff away and not having to pay their own employees. :) Nice day. Now, back to hauling...
08-09-2013, 11:42 AM
Wolfwerx

Them giving you gas money is icing on the cake. That's a good hit!
08-09-2013, 02:19 PM
Sirscrapalot

I'm guessing this is the happy dance Mudlucky was doing when he got the call and then told about the mileage..

http://social-media-design.com/blog/...appy-dance.jpg

Sirscrapalot - Misses the Far Side and Calvin and Hobbes.
08-09-2013, 02:39 PM
Mudlucky

ok, picked up about 35 desktop computers, 5 or 6 servers, about 20 19" CRT monitors, about 6 flat screen LCDs ranging from 13" to 19", and 150 pound (estimate!!) of wire....plus gas money. Not a bad day at all!! And...we've scheduled next weeks pickup. Should be more computers and more wire. And...they have about 100 hard drives that I'm trying to convince them that I can destroy for them (which I will) and their proprietary information will never be seen by me nor recovered. There aren't any CRTs left in their building.
08-09-2013, 02:40 PM
Mudlucky

Oh, all of this in three trips with a Ford Explorer. Maybe I'll get enough from this load to by a trailer!!
08-09-2013, 04:14 PM
ryanw

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mudlucky

ok, picked up about 35 desktop computers, 5 or 6 servers, about 20 19" CRT monitors, about 6 flat screen LCDs ranging from 13" to 19", and 150 pound (estimate!!) of wire....plus gas money. Not a bad day at all!! And...we've scheduled next weeks pickup. Should be more computers and more wire. And...they have about 100 hard drives that I'm trying to convince them that I can destroy for them (which I will) and their proprietary information will never be seen by me nor recovered. There aren't any CRTs left in their building.

Sounds like a rent/mortgage payment right there to me. Good job.
08-09-2013, 07:30 PM
Mick

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mudlucky

And...they have about 100 hard drives that I'm trying to convince them that I can destroy for them (which I will) and their proprietary information will never be seen by me nor recovered.

I don't know if this would reassure them but it might. If you tear the HD apart, as soon as the platter (where the information is stored) is exposed to the environment, it's useless. Just to be safe, run your finger across the surface. Done. To be even more sure - bend it.
08-09-2013, 08:29 PM
Mechanic688

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mick

I don't know if this would reassure them but it might. If you tear the HD apart, as soon as the platter (where the information is stored) is exposed to the environment, it's useless. Just to be safe, run your finger across the surface. Done. To be even more sure - bend it.

Or do like I do and wipe the platters with a HD magnet.
08-09-2013, 08:46 PM
Mudlucky

Yes, I do the same...tear it all the way down and wipe it with a big magnet. I'll try again next week.
08-09-2013, 08:51 PM
Mechanic688

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mudlucky

Yes, I do the same...tear it all the way down and wipe it with a big magnet. I'll try again next week.

Might take a picture of the tore down pile to show them how things get dismantled.
08-09-2013, 09:01 PM
parrothead

Nice haul. We are all going to want to see some pictures if you can.
08-09-2013, 09:22 PM
Mudlucky

NICE! I already have a bid on one of the power supplies I put on ebay...made more than scrap for it and it still has two and a half days to go. I'm glad they are selling...I have about 4 more of them.

Redundant power supply
08-10-2013, 02:51 PM
travistemple202020

that is why i answer every call even when i am so tired it hurts my eyes because missing out on something like this would make me cringe and make any competition smile and i can not let that happen lol nice score and have fun with the money
08-10-2013, 06:09 PM
Mudlucky

Ok, I think that this will work. Here is a link to a few pictures of the stuff I got. Since I'm posting on Google+, I didn't want to brag too much about my "haul" in case the former owner finds the page. So, I listed the things I got as "some examples of what I accept." However, this pics are from this pick up. I know it isn't huge...but it was free and the biggest pick up for me so far.

Click here for pics.

It's not the point of this post, but you can follow me on Google+ if you wish.
08-12-2013, 08:17 AM
Wolfwerx

If you want a quick way to "destroy" a hard drive in front of a customer, hit the motor spindle really hard with a hammer, and it will buckle the discs inside. One quick blow of a hammer, and the customer can rest assured that those old drives aren't going to be read again. While it wouldn't be impossible to recover data off of those discs, I can't imagine anybody going to the trouble for some random business' files.

The benefit of doing this is: It's quick enough that if the customer is worried, they can watch you knock out a bunch of them. Not as messy as drilling (plus you don't have to pay for drill bits), so it can be done in the customer's location. The discs can still be sold on ebay as whole, as they are not being drilled or cut.
08-14-2013, 08:48 PM
LarryB

Hehehe, yup, that's my old favorite too Mech. :)
08-17-2013, 07:35 AM
Mudlucky

Went back Friday (yesterday) morning for another pickup. I got 7 desktops computers and a big quad core server and about 75 pounds of wire. Going back again in two weeks for another pick up. So glad I answered that phone!