TB Missing at Cache Site

[+liquidswar]

It has been over a month now and I still can't get my hands on any TBs. I am purposefully going to caches that record a TB in its inventory, but when I arrive, none can be found. This is really starting to get under my skin. I notice that many people end up writing a note on those TBs to report it as missing. Or if there's no note, then I'll report it missing. I have seen some TBs that were placed months ago, and one month later someone notes it's not there, and 3 months later I also find it is still missing but remains listed among the inventory.

 

What would be SOOOO nice of the website developers would be if they could make reporting a found TB user-friendly for the "lazy" cachers. We should have a TB/geocoin field where a person can claim they found a TB from the cache inventory (plus an option for TBs found that's NOT in the current inventory) in the same window where you log the cache found. Much like how you drop a TB from your own inventory in a found cache. I believe this alone might help solve this issue of people reporting a found TB months late - or even not logging a TB at all and just moving it.

 

One other thing that would help is if there could be a new logging category for TBs - one to report the travel bug as "Missing in Action." I understand that someone else could have just picked it up the day before I arrived, so there can be an error message that allows a retriever 14 days (the official courtesy time to move a TB) after it was originally placed in the cache to log that they've grabbed it. Then, if still not logged after 14 days, a person can then record it as MIA so the TB can be removed from the inventory. This would be a good way to keep the TB Hotels cleaned up instead of racking up 20 TBs that won't be found there. Also, maybe this would encourage some lazy cachers to log their finds in a more timely manner.

 

On another note, I imagine the log notes on the TB tracking page would remove the "MIA" status and logs each time it is finally claimed to be found/discovered/grabbed, etc.

 

Thanks for listening to my complaints.

[+Eartha]

The cache owner, and the TB owner have the power to mark it missing. If they do not respond, send a link to your local reviewer, or to me, and we can mark it missing. I always do so with a note, so that the owner gets a notification that it has been done.

Often, it's simply a case of people not knowing how to log it, not knowing how to fix it if they messed up logging it, and not getting any help from the owner's when they are inactive. Sometimes people pick them up and drop them and forget to take the tracking number down and then they can't log them. I always tell people that when you show someone how to cache, show them all the elements of caching and this includes how to log a cache and travel bug. Sometimes kids will take them from a cache, thinking it's a toy, and their parents don't see this happen, so it doesn't get logged. Sometimes people drop them in their pack and they forget. Sometimes people take them on vacation, and they may not be able to log right away.

 

But since your question is one regarding a website feature, I will move this to the geocaching.com website forums. You have some food for thought there.

[+liquidswar]

I just went to another cache today that reported 2 trackable items. Empty.

 

One other thing that would help is if there could be a new logging category for TBs - one to report the travel bug as "Missing in Action." I understand that someone else could have just picked it up the day before I arrived, so there can be an error message that allows a retriever 14 days (the official courtesy time to move a TB) after it was originally placed in the cache to log that they've grabbed it. Then, if still not logged after 14 days, a person can then record it as MIA so the TB can be removed from the inventory. This would be a good way to keep the TB Hotels cleaned up instead of racking up 20 TBs that won't be found there. Also, maybe this would encourage some lazy cachers to log their finds in a more timely manner.

 

I think I refined my idea on what I was trying to go for in this paragraph above. If a person goes to a cache that reports a trackable in its inventory, and they find it's not there, they can log the trackable as missing. Then, allow the trackable 14 more days to be logged. If it hasn't been claimed found in 14 days, then automatically report the trackable missing, and automatically remove it from the cache's inventory so the owners don't have to keep track of these things. It would allow the TB to keep track of itself with the help of other cachers - which many of us already do anyway.

 

On top of that, once a TB is reported missing, grey or strike it out so others know not to expect to find it there. I mention this alongside with my original suggestion of being able to claim a TB from the inventory in a similar manner of placing a TB when you log the cache find.

[+BlueDeuce]

Currently both the bug and cache owner have the ability to mark a bug as missing. Giving a removal capability to any random cacher opens the bug up to abuse. There would be someone who would go through and mark as many bugs as they possibly could.

 

Noting a bug wasn't found when you visited the cache is fine. However it takes a bit more responsibility to formally move a bug anywhere. I would suggest finding a way to promote that the owners make more of an effort to maintain their bugs and caches.

[+Arrow42]

This has been bugging me a lot lately too. I've "found" about 10 caches that have supposedly had bugs but really didn't. Sometimes these bugs have been missing for years. I've been making it a habit to leave a notes now.... worked a few times.

[+mfamilee]

There is a TB hotel in our area where there are at least 10 missing, but still listed. The kwazy thing is cachers still drop more trackables in it. Some are lucky & somebody comes along quick and picks it up. Some are not so lucky and the trackable drops down the mysterious hole in the bottom of the cache. I leave a note on the cache page itself from time to time alerting cachers to think twice before dropping there. Not much else one can do.

[+jhauser42]

I don't like the idea of being able to grab a TB from the cache page. THe way it is set up currently you have to have the physical TB with the tracking number in your hand. You have to log it by that number. If you allow people to "grab" a TB by just clicking on a checkbox on the log page you could end up with arm chair loggers claiming they have grabbed the TB when in fact they have not. This will then remove the TB from the cache even though it is still there. I believe that this will mess up the logging and tracking of these TBs even more than it currently is.

 

If, however, you modify your proposal a bit I think it could work. If after grabbing the TB via the checkbox the site then asked for the tracking number to confirm that you have it you may have a workable solution.

 

Joe

[AZcachemeister]

I don't like the idea of being able to grab a TB from the cache page. THe way it is set up currently you have to have the physical TB with the tracking number in your hand. You have to log it by that number. If you allow people to "grab" a TB by just clicking on a checkbox on the log page you could end up with arm chair loggers claiming they have grabbed the TB when in fact they have not. This will then remove the TB from the cache even though it is still there. I believe that this will mess up the logging and tracking of these TBs even more than it currently is.

 

If, however, you modify your proposal a bit I think it could work. If after grabbing the TB via the checkbox the site then asked for the tracking number to confirm that you have it you may have a workable solution.

 

Joe

 

There are already plenty of ways for miscreants to 'mess' with TBs.

 

The cache owner, and the TB owner are the only ones who should have the power to mark TBs missing.

All the rest of us can do is to mention the facts in our logs, and perhaps send a PM to the TB owner.

[+Knight2000]

If someone took it and didn't log it then how is it missing? (Unknown location- yes. Missing? Not necessarily true. How many times have you moved a trackable and found it out that you never logged it out . Once you drop it unless you have the # you cannot post a retrieve, grab, or drop log. If it has been many visitors since it was there maybe you could drop an email to the owner and tell them it was not in the cache?

 

Why would someone besides the owner report a TB missing? I don't get it.

Edited August 29, 2009 by Knight2000

[+Crow-T-Robot]

What I do is write a note on the TB/coin page, stating that the bug wasn't in the cache it was listed in. Then I place the bug on my watchlist. You're more likely to see some action by going through the TB owner than the cache owner. Cache owners, in my experience, are much less willing to move a bug to the Unknown location. So, if it doesn't get logged out of the cache by a fellow cacher, the bug owner or cache owner after a month or so, I'll let my local reviewer know. If that doesn't work, Eartha is another option.

 

Bruce

[+Eartha]

I don't think the OP is trying to suggest giving just anyone the ability to mark it missing. I think the OP is suggesting implementing a feature that allows people the ability to click on "This bug is not in this cache" and an email gets sent to the cache owner, the TB owner and someone at Groundspeak, whether it's the local reviewer, myself, or a Groundspeak employee. The only problem I see with that is that there isn't enough time in a day to keep on top of it. Especially for the volunteers of this site. It shouldn't report something that was only placed a few days/couple of weeks before. Some people can't log them right away. And it would be hard to keep up with it. When I mark a bug missing, first I have to scroll through all the cache logs, and the bug logs to insure that it was not mentioned as having been picked up. Sometimes it goes further, and I have to search logs of other cachers or nearby caches. We can't just mark them missing all willy nilly. The cache owners and the TB owners should be responsible for the maintenance. Some owners are no longer active, and no longer receive the emails. It isn't as easy as it sounds!

Bassiano has the right idea for how to do it now.

[+NanCycle]

I have decided that I won't consider my logging complete for a caching day until I have emailed cache owners and/or trackable owners about the trackables that were not in the cache and should be marked as missing. This is after I've read through past logs and determining that it hadn't just been moved recently and not logged yet. When I find a cache log from 2 months ago and another from 6 months ago that say the trackable wasn't there, and it wasn't there when I found the cache, then this is one that is definitely missing.

[jholly]

My opinion is that the cache owner should be doing the chore of marking travelers missing. I recently had a bunch of bugs and coins "dumped" in one of my small caches. No way I said so I went and took a look. Yep they were not there. The log dumping the travelers was in the evening and I checked the next morning. I waited a couple days and then put the whole lot into missing status. If a traveler hangs around after a couple visits I go check and clean the list if need be. If I do mark one missing because I did not wait long enough it is easy enough to retrieve the traveler back out of missing status. When I find a cache that is suppose to have travelers and they are not there I do mention it in my log.

 

Jim

[+NanCycle]

When I find a cache that is suppose to have travelers and they are not there I do mention it in my log.

 

I haven't found that mentioning it in a log produces any results. I've read logs on caches that have multiple reports of the same TB not being there over a period of weeks/months.

 

One cache I found last week had 5 trackables listed that were not physically present. One had been placed there just a short time ago, but the other 4 have been reported as not there at least once or twice before.

 

That's why I'm starting to make a practice of emaling first the cache owner, then the trackable owner, and if still no results, then Eartha.

[+liquidswar]

I haven't found that mentioning it in a log produces any results. I've read logs on caches that have multiple reports of the same TB not being there over a period of weeks/months.

 

One cache I found last week had 5 trackables listed that were not physically present. One had been placed there just a short time ago, but the other 4 have been reported as not there at least once or twice before.

 

That's why I'm starting to make a practice of emaling first the cache owner, then the trackable owner, and if still no results, then Eartha.

 

I don't think anyone understands my suggestion. I do also log a note in all the trackables' pages that were not found but still listed in the cache's inventory. I note that "the TB is no longer there - hopefully will turn up again soon." And I see that other cachers do the same for others that have been sitting in there longer, just like this cacher quoted above. But yet, it still sometimes takes quite a bit of work on our part to get anyone to do anything about it. Since we are already helping to keep track of these missing TBs by creating a note, I'm suggesting add a new type of log to report it missing. And since we are not the TB or cache owner, then it stays in pending mode for 14-days to allow whomever might picked it up to log it. I came up with 14-days because geocaching etiquette guidelines say this is how soon you should try to move a bug, or else notify the owner. After the 14-day "probation" period, then the trackable will automatically be removed from inventory and listed as being in an unknown location. That way, we don't have to depend so much on TB and cache owners to have to keep track of these things for us, when we're already doing it ourselves.

Edited August 31, 2009 by liquidswar

[+Knight2000]

That way, we don't have to depend so much on TB and cache owners to have to keep track of these things for us, when we're already doing it ourselves.

I don't think that many people worry about it at all. I've never heard anything like that. Go find caches. If you find a TB/coin, move it. That's it. Nohting more to it. Don't worry so much if one should be there or shouldn't.

 

There are so many trackables that you could never keep up with what item is where and if it is lost or not.

Edited August 31, 2009 by Knight2000