I really feel for you man.
I can’t even imagine the frustration and sadness.
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Install the lock for the office anyway. You might not be home, and the girlfriend is…her friend drops by…kids are in tow.
The lock is useful nonetheless. Install it.
Sorry this happened to you.
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There isn’t really anything I can say except that I am very sorry to read this @animal, I have kids so I know what a danger they can be.
Just as a thought, maybe look at the items that are not repairable and part them out to sell as spares on eBay or the like. You may be able to recoup some money to use towards repairing something else
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One thing you might check. I know you said that YOUR homeowners insurance wouldn’t cover the damage but I would have the couple check if THEIR’S might. The reason I suggest this is that a long time ago, my girlfriend, who was on my homeowner’s policy accidentally burned down a friend of hers’ deck by letting an ash fall into the surrounding mulch.
We were fully prepared to pay for the damage and when we checked with State Farm, we found that the damage was covered minus a small deductible.
Either way, if the couple’s insurance won’t cover it, I would take them to court for the damage if they don’t commit to making restitution. Even if you get a partial settlement or an agreement to pay over time, at least you can start to repair / replace your equipment. People are responsible for the damage their children cause even in this politically correct environment.
Good luck
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This is how it works in my country (The Netherlands). When person A breaks/damages something in the house of person B, it’s person A’s responsibility to file an insurance claim on their behalf.
@Animal I hope you’ll be able to recover at least some of the damage done man. You’re living the nightmare of every audio enthusiast. I wish you the best of luck with this situation!
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This is heartbreaking and I know that you are experiencing a lot of pain over it. Once you do a complete analysis of the damage and all of the costs to repair or replace, I would suggest that you consider a GOFUNDME posting. Your story will certainly ring a bell with other audiophiles, who might be willing to provide some assistance to you in restoring the audio equipment you love so much.
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I’m so sorry this happened. I can’t even imagine the emotions you must have been going through.
I have nothing to add to the excellent advice that others have offered, but just wanted to offer my support. You are part of a community and we’re all there for you.
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Damn…that’s one of the worst audio horror stories I’ve ever heard (and I’ve heard many). Wish I could help, but what happened to you is so overwhelming. After that disaster, you should be standing outside in the yard, clutching aluminum blankets & getting aid from the Red Cross.
Your story reminds me of a video horror story (my audio horror stories aren’t quite as bad):
My wife comes from a large family (1 of 11 kids) and so we have somewhere between 2 and 3 dozen nieces & nephews. Many of her siblings brag a lot about what great parents they are–but at family gatherings at our house, they drink lots of wine & totally ignore their kids. Thus, tragedy is right around the corner at all times.
I vividly remember the big Thankgsiving dinner we hosted the same year I bought my 1st plasma TV–the acclaimed 42" Pioneer Kuro (you still see that mentioned in occasional reviews of OLED TVs). It cost a lot of $$ for the time (2007), but more than the $$, I adored this thing, with the best picture I’d ever seen.
So T-Day dinner is going full blast and dozens of kids are screaming and careening around my entire house. I finally realized I couldn’t control them, but also couldn’t let the obvious tragedy happen (ie, nephew going headfirst through my Kuro). So I actually resorted to standing directly in front of that TV (which was on) and physically deflecting cannonball attempts by this or that screaming child.
Some of my in-laws thought this was very funny. I held fire, not wanting to be divorced over nonsense like that.
BTW, I still have the Kuro (in MBR) & still think it’s killer. I’m also still married to the same woman & still think she’s killer…
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Good points.
@Animal, your situation is horrifying. Much has already been said and I’ll simply state that I wish you the best. See information here should you wish to pursue.
https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/parental-responsibility-laws-personal-injury.html
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I have definitely though about this because I remember when I had renter’s insurance. It covered everything! Property and liability coverage wherever I went outside of the apartment too. So much better than homeowners.
But yes, I already asked about if she had renters insurance or anything and I was given an answer that basically tells me no. Hopefully yes, but most likely not.
I completely agree about people needing to be responsible for the damage they cause. At the same time if she does not have the money, she doesn’t have it. I am pretty sure everything she has goes to taking care of her kids and if they were to start taking money from her paychecks, it might really affect the kids and that just isn’t right. Of course this is worst case scenario and hopefully it won’t go there.
The girl is also a really good friend of my girlfriend, like since they were kids or something and don’t think I want to get into the middle of that and possibly break apart their friendship. I don’t know, this would be a tough decision an I don’t know if I could make it. The advice helps, so thank you for that.
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This is even worse in Jewish tradition. Until a child has it’s Bar or Bat Mitzvah, the parent is responsible for the sins of the child. There is no insurance policy on that, merely atonement. Once the child is 12 (girls) or 13 (boys) they become responsible for their own sins.
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Thanks to all who I have not mentioned yet. I appreciate all of it. The fact that so many people seem to get it and resonate with what happened shows why it was the right choice to only post here.
@tmarshl, That is not a bad idea. I had not thought of that. I though Go Fund Me was only for medical/emergency/charity and stuff where you are raising 50K. I am reading through everything and it seems I was completely wrong. Is it not strange to ask for money though. I have never done that before and I am completely embarrasses just thinking about it 
Or is this more common than I have noticed? Thanks
@PaisleyUnderground thank you for your support! Nothing else you need to say. Thank you
@bpcarb Thanks for the link. There is a lot in there that I did not know, so that was a good read and good to have in case I decide to persue
@Pharmaboy that is a really funny and horrifying story at the same time. You did what needed to be done to protect you new plasma and I would have done the same thing! I remember when those first came out. They are still gorgeous too. I still have my Dad’s Samsung Plasma TV…love it! Glad to hear it all worked out and you saved the TV and your marriage, impressive! Good point though about the parents drinking wine and ignoring their kids. They always say “We weren’t drinking, we were just sippin’ some wine”. That is exactly what happened last night I think.
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Obviously, you have to be comfortable with the idea. The anguish you feel is something that audiophiles will resonate with. The key is not coming off like a rich, entitled audiophile who is crying over spilled milk. It is a challenge, but it is an option.
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Ok good points. I’ll look into it more but I am really liking the idea more as I think about it because it could potentially help to avoid some of the tough decisions that I would have to make down the line. It would probably help to relieve some pressure on her as well which is also good. Thanks!
You can possibly recoup some of the money as well by selling some of the broken items for parts. I see people buy stuff all the time along those lines. Go look and see how much a single LCD 4 driver costs. Or replacement headbands. Etc.
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@Animal I do think contacting the various companies with your story and asking for mercy is a good way to go. I also think a Go Fund Me is not a bad idea at all. I guess I am stunned that those kids could be wrecking your office and no one paid any attention. Anyway, this story is terrifying! Good luck and condolences.
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That’s what I find most egregious about this whole thing. Pay attention to your kids! Not only because they may be wrecking stuff but because a parent should be protecting them from whatever is out there, especially at that age and in an unfamiliar environment.
@Animal, I hope you eventually find some peace.
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@ProfFalkin, Yeah, I think that is a good idea. I didn’t see anything on E-bay like replacement drivers when I searched, but I am sure you can get 25%-50% of original price.
@Steve_Dollar, me too! That is exactly what I said. The ladies are saying that the kids could have only been gone less than 5 minutes at the most and with the movie on and being loud they say they didn’t hear anything. At first I said that was bullsh*t but after talking to a few friends with kids, all of them said that two kids could easily destroy a room in under 5 minutes, so I really don’t know. But maybe they just lost track of time. I am trying to put myself in their shoes as much as possible but I am still a bit stunned.
@perogie, it can’t be said better. They could have actually really gotten hurt in there if one of the amps high up fell on their head, or even the headphones stands, which are metal and weighted. Or what if the iMac fell onto one of them. Those things have some sharp edges. Or what if I had things set up where I had an amp rack that went to the ceiling filled with equipment and that had fallen over on them. That would have been horrible. So, I agree you 100% on that. And thank you, I am sure I will when this isn’t fresh.
Some good news (or some not bad news) is that my iMac didn’t get messed with and it didn’t fall off the best or anything. It got pulled (by its power cord) to the back of the desk but there was not enough space between the desk and the wall for it to fall through, so the wall stopped it and the power cord just popped out like it is supposed to. Only a couple of office items got broken but which was an old LaCie thunderbolt RAID thing. It got busted up and doesn’t work, but nothing important was on there and it is all on a second backup anyways.
Again, thanks everyone for the support and advice. I really appreciate and consider everything that has been posted.
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They sound like they are totally out of control to cause that much damage. That will be fun to deal with as they get older. Were they at the US Capitol recently?
I wonder what, if any, consequences there were for the kids. None?
I’d not have been able to sit down for a week if I had done that as a kid and I’d have certainly never done it more than once.
You have my sympathy.
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Reading this made my stomach rumble. Ouch. Yikes. I also really care about my personal belongings and also have OCD (nope, didn’t go to the doctors to get the certificate 
), so I can only imagine the pain.
I think you can share your story with the manufacturers themselves directly, they might be able to do something. A lot of these company owners are really good people. They are businessman after all, but they might be able to do something for you.
I support the idea of starting a Go Fund Me page.
This is like the worst nightmare imaginable. I myself always hate when kids are fiddling with my stuff, but hey… they are kids.
Oh, and also, those must be some wild ass kids, because when I was a kid, I knew not to mess around or break other people’s things. But seems like some don’t have such discipline. Idk. It’s just very painful to hear your story. You must’ve worked really really hard to save up the money to afford all that, and to see it all get destroyed in one night. The absolute worst nightmare!!!
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