Petty theft in your hotel room / apartment

[RustyJones]

Well I am now christening this trip as the "toothbrush" trip.

Here is the story and how I feel it is so absurd. Friday morning the maid was to come in and clean. I was going to go to breakfast so I did my best to hide things like the camera and CPU and anything that I considered to be "valuable". When I returned the maid was still there trying to finish cleaning. There was a conversation of "tintorias" and then she was gone. Later I had over "Dona" that was take out from a web site. Now realize that I had not really checked out the bathroom after the maid left. When Dona was about to go she went into the bathroom to clean and finish getting dressed. She came out after a while and we talked about money. I was about to let her go when we looked in the bathroom for a second (I forgot why right now) I immediately saw that the battery operated Crest power toothbrush was missing from the bathroom counter. Hummm? I immediately accused her. She opened up her purse and there was nothing. Now this thing as you know is two pieces: the body which is about 6 inches long and about an inch in dia. And the brush attachment that is small at 2-3 inches long and very skinny. Value at about 8 bucks US. Now her genes were very tight and there were no bulges that I could see.

Now here is where it gets confusing. I got on the phone and was calling the landlord about the maid thinking it was possibly her. As I did that Dona bolted out the door! She did come back (I still had the money)

Now the lanlord said that the maid commented that there was no item of that type in the bathroom (of course there was) Both the landlord and I could not figure out why someone that had worked for her for so long would take that item and jepardize her employment with the landlord. But you never know.

But I also had to feel that maybe Dona found another hiding place for the item. You can guess I think. Of course she swears that she did not or would not take such a thing. Of course I was told the maid also swears that she did not.

I guess I could not deal with the idea of such a petty theft from either person. Actually Dona would have been my choice for the petty theft. I was not gong to ask her to strip and allow me to look up her vagina to see if the toothbrush body was there. Humm even if it had been there, at that point I possibly would not have wanted it back! But I would have deducted the amount to replace the original. But I could not do that. So it could have been either person and no way to find out which. It was just an agravation which I did not want to deal with.

Anyway the landlord and I are dealing with it due to the maid's admission she thought the item never even existed. Since she cleaned the bathroom, she would have definitely seen it.

So even your petty items that are inexpensive are subject to theft.

[Lysander]

Well I am now christening this trip as the "toothbrush" trip.

Here is the story and how I feel it is so absurd. Friday morning the maid was to come in and clean. I was going to go to breakfast so I did my best to hide things like the camera and CPU and anything that I considered to be "valuable". When I returned the maid was still there trying to finish cleaning. There was a conversation of "tintorias" and then she was gone. Later I had over "Dona" that was take out from a web site. Now realize that I had not really checked out the bathroom after the maid left. When Dona was about to go she went into the bathroom to clean and finish getting dressed. She came out after a while and we talked about money. I was about to let her go when we looked in the bathroom for a second (I forgot why right now) I immediately saw that the battery operated Crest power toothbrush was missing from the bathroom counter. Hummm? I immediately accused her. She opened up her purse and there was nothing. Now this thing as you know is two pieces: the body which is about 6 inches long and about an inch in dia. And the brush attachment that is small at 2-3 inches long and very skinny. Value at about 8 bucks US. Now her genes were very tight and there were no bulges that I could see.

Now here is where it gets confusing. I got on the phone and was calling the landlord about the maid thinking it was possibly her. As I did that Dona bolted out the door! She did come back (I still had the money)

Now the lanlord said that the maid commented that there was no item of that type in the bathroom (of course there was) Both the landlord and I could not figure out why someone that had worked for her for so long would take that item and jepardize her employment with the landlord. But you never know.

But I also had to feel that maybe Dona found another hiding place for the item. You can guess I think. Of course she swears that she did not or would not take such a thing. Of course I was told the maid also swears that she did not.

I guess I could not deal with the idea of such a petty theft from either person. Actually Dona would have been my choice for the petty theft. I was not gong to ask her to strip and allow me to look up her vagina to see if the toothbrush body was there. Humm even if it had been there, at that point I possibly would not have wanted it back! But I would have deducted the amount to replace the original. But I could not do that. So it could have been either person and no way to find out which. It was just an agravation which I did not want to deal with.

Anyway the landlord and I are dealing with it due to the maid's admission she thought the item never even existed. Since she cleaned the bathroom, she would have definitely seen it.

So even your petty items that are inexpensive are subject to theft.Yeh but was Donna worth it?

[RustyJones]

See my post in the other thread about internet fakes or reality.

Rustyjones

[BundaLover]

Got a digital camera?

Take pictures.

Typically I shoot the complete rental car in the agency parking lot and the milage (upon rental and drop off) so they can't make up some nonsense about scratches 2 months after I drop it off. This is known as credit card shock.

However I never thought about bathrooms of hotels etc.

Why not?

[Capn Rick]

For forum members who rent apartments to mongers: It makes sense to reprodice a group of entries such as this to permanantly display on your rented premesis or as handouts to help your sometimes troublesome tenants realize they are not in Kansas anymore.

Jackson has an excellent entry on laptop security on this thread.

Most hotels are protected by individual counties innkeeper's laws, which clearly state that the hotel is not responsible for theft from your room. The exception is if you use the safe-deposit boxes the hotel has behind its front desk. Even a hotel's in-room safe won't cover you in terms of loss. Obviosly, you are responsible for your own security issues of you stay in a rented apartment.

Recently, some travelers are slyly hiding cash or other small belongings in hotel rooms with a diversion safe. These decoys are everyday objects, like a Suave hair spray can, that are actually hollow so that you can open them to secretly store small objects. You can find all types, from fake soda cans to cans of shaving cream, on the Internet. With one company (www.efindoutthetruth.com/Diversion_Safes.htm), if you buy three diversion safes, they will send you a pair of "dirty" underwear with a secret Velcro compartment to hide cash or jewelry.

As for your rights, they may be limited. Your best bet is to check around your room for signs posted about hotel liability or to inquire at the front desk so you know your rights ahead of time. Be sure to file a report IN WRITING with the hotel/apartment and police department as soon as your property goes missing, as that may help them realize that a "serial" thief may be employed by or a frequent visitor to the site.

In the event an unattended room is robbed, ask for a "reading" of the door lock if it's electronic. The hotel staff might be able to provide you with information about who entered your room and when, while you were gone. If the record comes up blank, however, this doesn't necessarily mean your room was intruder-free. It is possible that an employee entered through a connecting door if there is an adjoining room.

Here’s some more advice gleaned from various sites:

Leave the radio on while you are out of the room, just loud enough to hear if you lean up to the door. This may deter curious thieves by making them think the room is occupied. In some countries, leaving a pair of shoes outside the door while gone at night is a help.

Avoid using the signs requesting housekeeping, since these can also be seen as an invitation for a would-be thief.

If you are traveling alone, ask for the extra key rather than leaving it at the front desk. You wouldn't want anyone else getting ahold of it and having access to your room.

If you are concerned about someone entering your room while you are in it, you can try the Swege Door Stop & Alarm. It costs just under $25 and acts as a doorstop lock―a sort-of extra deadbolt. If someone does try to enter your room, it would stop the door from opening and emit a 120-decibel alarm. You can find this device at www.corporatetravelsafety.com. BE CAREFULL. This is a "sticky" site - your back button won't work

One of many typical advice sites on travel security is listed below. Do a Google search on INTERNATIONAL SECURITY, or on TRAVEL SECURITY to find others.

http://www.aarp.org/leisure/travel/articles/greenberg_avoiding_theft.html

I have over 20 years experience traveling internationally on business. If anyone is concerned because they are traveling into high threat areas, please don't hesitate to PM me for free security advice, including weapons restrictions and ways to improvise, how to avoid kidnapping, what to do in the event of being kidnapped, put in jail, backed into a blind alley by a group of thugs, etc. - stuff most of us would prefer not to read on a forum dedicated to mongering. Our governments won't help us, so we have to help one another.

Please read the other security threads on this forum. Some funny stuff and some horror stories. I have some rather grisly horror stories to recount to anyone who wishes to buy me a coffee in MarDel.

Suerte.

Saludos