A pricescoper''s worst fear...jewelry stolen! =(

[777_LDY]

Date: 11/13/2007 12:30:44 PM
Author: surfgirl

Date: 11/13/2007 9:49:09 AM
Author: widget

Widget, I travel a lot for extended periods of time and I usually use the room safes but I wipe down the key pad after I put something into it because someone told me that they can put powder on the keypads to see which numbers you''re using most often..? Someone also told me that there''s always a hidden keyed access on the room safes, sometimes under the keypad or something. I''ve never seen one and I''ve also never had a problem with this either. But I also NEVER travel with anything that I cant stand to lose. In fact, my husband is getting me a plain plat band for traveling so I never have to take it off. Now if I was traveling here in the US or Europe, I would only take what I could reasonably wear all the time, whether it was my Tahitian strand and my rings, or something like that. But I have to say that I do sometimes hide valuables deep in my luggage and lock it. But I put things in difficult to hide places. Maybe I''m lucky, I dont know. But I just never give people the opportunity to steal. My friend has said that she doesn''t like assuming all people are out to steal from you but I look at it from the perspective of - you just never know what difficult circumstance an otherwise honest person might suddenly be in and feel forced to take advantage of an opportunity to take something. So I just remove that temptation completely. Or at least I make is as difficult as possible!

Rocky, sorry for your loss...but happy you were insured and the pieces seem replaceable...

I just wanted to say beware of packing your valuables while you travel too. A very close friend of mine used to do that and one day everything that she had packed went missing. She was heartbroken. Since all baggage items are inspected there are so many people who see your "hidden spots." I''ll admit, I''ve done this too but now I always either wear it or put it in my carry on.

I do use hotel safes ofen though, and that''s a good tip to wipe it down. One time I couldn''t get a safe open and two people were sent up to my room. It wasn''t untill they asked for my license and what were the contents inside the safe would they open it for me. I was very impressed with their protocal.

 

[scarleta]

I am very sory it happened to you.Thanks for sharing with us..

 

[snlee]

rockzilla, so sorry this happened to you. Good luck replacing your items.

 

[anchor31]

Ack, I would be so livid!

I really hope they find the culprit and your missing jewellery!

 

[iheartscience]

Oh wow, that's terrible...I can't believe how sketchy the housekeeper was. Yikes. I hope she loses her job eventually. So sorry you had to go through that!

 

[surfgirl]

Date: 11/13/2007 12:50:41 PM
Author: 777_LDY

Date: 11/13/2007 12:30:44 PM

Author: surfgirl

Date: 11/13/2007 9:49:09 AM

Author: widget

Widget, I travel a lot for extended periods of time and I usually use the room safes but I wipe down the key pad after I put something into it because someone told me that they can put powder on the keypads to see which numbers you''re using most often..? Someone also told me that there''s always a hidden keyed access on the room safes, sometimes under the keypad or something. I''ve never seen one and I''ve also never had a problem with this either. But I also NEVER travel with anything that I cant stand to lose. In fact, my husband is getting me a plain plat band for traveling so I never have to take it off. Now if I was traveling here in the US or Europe, I would only take what I could reasonably wear all the time, whether it was my Tahitian strand and my rings, or something like that. But I have to say that I do sometimes hide valuables deep in my luggage and lock it. But I put things in difficult to hide places. Maybe I''m lucky, I dont know. But I just never give people the opportunity to steal. My friend has said that she doesn''t like assuming all people are out to steal from you but I look at it from the perspective of - you just never know what difficult circumstance an otherwise honest person might suddenly be in and feel forced to take advantage of an opportunity to take something. So I just remove that temptation completely. Or at least I make is as difficult as possible!


Rocky, sorry for your loss...but happy you were insured and the pieces seem replaceable...

I just wanted to say beware of packing your valuables while you travel too. A very close friend of mine used to do that and one day everything that she had packed went missing. She was heartbroken. Since all baggage items are inspected there are so many people who see your ''hidden spots.'' I''ll admit, I''ve done this too but now I always either wear it or put it in my carry on.


I do use hotel safes ofen though, and that''s a good tip to wipe it down. One time I couldn''t get a safe open and two people were sent up to my room. It wasn''t untill they asked for my license and what were the contents inside the safe would they open it for me. I was very impressed with their protocal.

LLL, I should clarify, I dont pack items in my luggage when it''s being checked in for a flight, only sometimes when it''s in my hotel room...

 

[fansynancy]

I am so sorry for your loss. That is just terrible. There is no way to justify theft. My suggestion is to post your terrible experience on Trip Advisor, Yahoo Travel, e-pinions and every site you can think of. These hotels rely on word of mouth referrals. It will definitely put pressure on the hotel to make good. I do know from my own experience in owning a business that company insurance will not pay unless there is proof of theft, often the point of conviction. It is frustrating to pay a high insurance premium and not being able to "mkae good" to your clients. Still,that should not keep the hotel from reimbursing you directly.

 

[rockzilla]

Thank you everyone for your kind words of support. The reason I waited a few weeks to post is that I was REALLY upset just after this happened (plenty of tears were shed) but now I have definitely calmed down about it.

I did file a report with the police, who talked to the manager as well as the housekeeper. They are checking the pawn shops for my items (I was able to email them good photos thanks to the pricescope pic fixation but it is unlikely that she sold them - probably just wears them on her day off from work.

The reason I didn''t pursue this further and actually try to get her fired is that, I know there is a chance, probably slim, that while she was cleaning my room (or multiple rooms at once) she left the door open and someone else walked in and took the items. This is probably the least likely scenario, but possible, as I walk by rooms being cleaned in hotels with the door open all of the time. If for some reason she isn''t the culprit, I have already put her through a lot (her boss, manager, police). If she is the culprit, I''m sure eventually she''ll slip up again and lose her job. That being said, it may just be a matter of someone else reporting something stolen on her floor.

The sad thing about the hotel manager being unresponsive sucks the most for them - if they had offered to replace the jewlery, or even refunded our entire stay, we would likely have gone back to them at Christmas (~5 nights) and on our stays in my hometown in the future (2-3 times/year). Unfortunately for them, they have lost our business completely, and I told the manager this.

The bright spot in this was my insurance company - I use Allstate - they were really great and I already have my check, a week and a half after I filed the claim (not sure if it is OK to put the company''s name here, let me know if it isn''t) and I know they were dealing with all the CA wildfire stuff at the time, and they still were very quick and fair in reimbursing me for the items. I would certainly recommend them for homeowners/renters insurance.

I''ve also posted a very negative review of the hotel on Tripadvisor.com, and my boyfriend raised a stink with the higher-ups at hilton. In the end, the difference between the room refund and my insurance deductable was only ~$175, and after a certain point you want to put it behind you and not be thinking about it all of the time. The past few weeks have been full of calls to the hotel, police, insurance company, etc. and I am ready to drop being angry and upset. Life goes on, there will be more occasions for beautiful jewelry, and I''d rather look forward than back.

 

[:)]

RZ, you are such a sweetheart, I am sorry this happened to you. I would be devastated at losing the sentimental gifts too. I also wondered if the housekeepers note apologizing for not cleaning well due to the mess was because someone had already broken in and gone through things (and taken your jewelry) before she arrived? I have to agree calling in sick the next day does awfully suspicious, but she did come back to work after that, and calling in sick for one day would not have saved her from anything long term if she was found to have stolen the items. (Also, having a handwritten note from her would prove that she was actually in the room which I would think she would not want to add any extra evidence - i.e. she would want no note so she could say she didn''t actually clean the room that day or she couldn''t remember, etc)
I guess it is a moot point and won''t bring your sentimental jewelry back. I am sorry. Maybe go to Nobel and get an OEC with the insurance check to make you feel better?!!

 

[misysu2]

Oh rockzilla! I'm so sorry to hear that happened. Businesses are so frustrating in their operations management. It seems like they should care more about a customer than a housekeeper-- why would they protect her if she stole your jewelry!?

I sure hope that the police can find your jewelry in a pawn shop! Make sure they keep checking for a while-- she may be waiting until she knows you're out of town to sell it. A co-worker of mine recently had her jewelry stolen and the police were able to find/retrieve it at a pawn shop. Ugh. People can be such losers sometimes. {{{Big Hug!!}}}

 

[Selkie]

You''re right, Rockzilla, there''s only so long you can hold onto anger before it becomes counterproductive. You''ve done everything you can. I was thinking about Nobels too, and also the next Intergem show in Santa Monica on the weekend of 11/30. I know you won''t be able to replace the sentimental value of your ring, but maybe you and he can find something to build new memories around. Hang in there!