Large sum of money stolen from hotel room

[billymtb]

My girlfriend is currently staying in a self serviced apartment in Sydney, she made the most stupidest and rookiest mistake of leaving all her spending money for the trip in her hotel room bag. About $5000 AUD. She went out around lunch time and came back a few hours later to find that someone went through her bag and stole the money. She does not have travel insurance.

No signs of forced entry, she thinks it was the cleaner because they came and replaced the towels but didn't clean anything or empty the rubbish which is a bit suss. Police have been notified but their response is pretty much "but yeah if we catch the person you will be back in Hong Kong anyway" so they are not much help. Hotel staff said they are investigating and just offered her a sum of $600 AUD as compensation.

What are our options? I'm furious because even though my girlfriend was so naive, it means that the cleaners (although not proven but everything points to them) go through peoples bags looking for valuables and the hotel isn't taking much of a stand over it. Stories in the past have been "well you shouldn't have left all the money out of the safe" but what an injustice it is to shift the blame to the victim than to acknowledge the fact about the horrendous internal controls in this hotel and others.

Was hoping for advice from others who are informed about the laws or familiar with this situation. This is what I am having trouble with

1). There is no way to prove that 5000 was taken let alone was even in the bag at the time (apart from a ATM withdrawal record)
2). My girlfriend is returning to Hong Kong on the 24th but I have let the hotel know that I will be in pursuit of this on her behalf (Even though I am in Perth)
3). How do I get more leverage over this case? Is it in my best interests to 'threaten' bad reviews? I will not lie and claim it was 100% the cleaners but I will go into detail with how the hotel has handled this.

Cheers

 

[Duane]

Does the Hotel have any CCTV?
I look after airconditioning at a city hotel and the staff there have caught thieves before with their in house cameras.
Cash may be a difficult one though.

 

[DMan]

My girlfriend is currently staying in a self serviced apartment in Sydney, she made the most stupidest and rookiest mistake of leaving all her spending money for the trip in her hotel room bag. About $5000 AUD. She went out around lunch time and came back a few hours later to find that someone went through her bag and stole the money. She does not have travel insurance.

No signs of forced entry, she thinks it was the cleaner because they came and replaced the towels but didn't clean anything or empty the rubbish which is a bit suss. Police have been notified but their response is pretty much "but yeah if we catch the person you will be back in Hong Kong anyway" so they are not much help. Hotel staff said they are investigating and just offered her a sum of $600 AUD as compensation.

What are our options? I'm furious because even though my girlfriend was so naive, it means that the cleaners (although not proven but everything points to them) go through peoples bags looking for valuables and the hotel isn't taking much of a stand over it. Stories in the past have been "well you shouldn't have left all the money out of the safe" but what an injustice it is to shift the blame to the victim than to acknowledge the fact about the horrendous internal controls in this hotel and others.

Was hoping for advice from others who are informed about the laws or familiar with this situation. This is what I am having trouble with

1). There is no way to prove that 5000 was taken let alone was even in the bag at the time (apart from a ATM withdrawal record)
2). My girlfriend is returning to Hong Kong on the 24th but I have let the hotel know that I will be in pursuit of this on her behalf (Even though I am in Perth)
3). How do I get more leverage over this case? Is it in my best interests to 'threaten' bad reviews? I will not lie and claim it was 100% the cleaners but I will go into detail with how the hotel has handled this.

Cheers

Buddy, no offense, but I don't think you have a leg to stand on. As rookie as it was, and as much as you'd like to believe the world is full of nice people, it's not. Plus you didn't have travel insurance which is my opinion is a bad mistake too. It's your GFs mistake sadly and I'd say you'll have to cop it and learn from it. It's complete shit, don't get me wrong, but I can't see that you've got any recourse here. If you'd had insurance you'd probably be fine assuming you can prove the cash.

 

[scblack]

Very bad news. Sorry to hear.

But the contract when signing in to a hotel is very specific about leaving valuables in the room, and their limited liability. And without a shred of any proof of anything, what do you really have to stand on for any claim?

I know that's not what you want to hear but them's the facts.

 

[willsy01]

No travel insurance for an OS trip :doh:

 

[JTmofo]

No travel insurance for an OS trip :doh:

Worse still..... carrying/holding/hiding $5k cash is horrifically stupid.... travel insurance or not!

I feel for the OP, but alas, I dont think there's much can be done.
I'm no legal expert, but I'm sure the hotel chain have seen this again and again and are well protected and experts in distancing themselves from such mishaps.

 

[johnny]

Without video evidence or a record of when and who opened the door (electronic/card activated locks) and compelling evidence there was $5k in a bag (cleaners may have been the only ones in and out but you have to prove that there was money in the bag when they went in and that it was gone prior to your return to the room), you have little to nothing to go on.

Think of it as a $5k lesson for your GF. Sympathy to her though, sucks to have happened.

 

[John U]

Buddy, no offense, but I don't think you have a leg to stand on. As rookie as it was, and as much as you'd like to believe the world is full of nice people, it's not.

I can be a bit of a glass half empty kind of bloke some of the time but I don't agree with your statement Dman. I have travelled a fair bit over the years and I've never had anything stolen from my room. People are fairly good mostly. I don't leave wads of cash around though.

OP, I reckon your main problem will be proving that the cash actually existed and that you're not pulling a shifty. Insurance or not, given the situation that your partner finds herself in that will be quite some task. I don't think insurance would have helped at all in this situation. They wouldn't pay out for cash taken from a bag.

 

[billymtb]

Yeah I have made sure she knows how utterly stupid she was, but I think she has learnt her lesson.

Cheers for the help guys, will ask about the cctv and get a copy of the contract she had to sign.

 

[DMan]

I can be a bit of a glass half empty kind of bloke some of the time but I don't agree with your statement Dman. I have travelled a fair bit over the years and I've never had anything stolen from my room. People are fairly good mostly. I don't leave wads of cash around though.

QUOTE]

I didn't say there weren't nice people in the world. But as you've pointed out, even you wouldn't trust in the goodness of humanity, enough, to leave $5000 in your bag in the room would you? I've travelled a lot myself and I know I wouldn't...

 

[richie_gt]

To the OP I think it's tough luck re. the cash being stolen. That and no travel insurance is double whammy rookie error!

IMO there is absolutely no reason to be have a pile of cash on you to go travelling, ATM's are located everywhere around the world!

Open a Citibank account and you can use the card anywhere in the world and you don't get charged withdrawal fees if using a Citibank ATM (only get charged currency conversion). In Cambodia there were ATM's that didn't charge withdrawal fees, better than banking in Australia! Haha!

 

[Dozer]

Even if she has travel insurance, how can the amount of cash taken overseas be proven if it isn't declared before you go? I get travel insurance and I take bucket loads of cash on holidays. I always keep the receipts when I exchange foreign currency but how will you prove that the money is stolen even if you've gone on a bender and spent it all?
I don't think Travel insurance will solve this dilemma. I do think that the hotel offering a sum of money is partly an admission of guilt too.

 

[John U]

I didn't say there weren't nice people in the world. But as you've pointed out, even you wouldn't trust in the goodness of humanity, enough, to leave $5000 in your bag in the room would you? I've travelled a lot myself and I know I wouldn't...

I wouldn't. The problem with cash is that it's extremely hard to prove that you still had it when you said it was stolen, the ease with which someone can stick it in their pocket and walk out, and then the ease with which the thief can get rid of the stolen goods. It's not like trying to fence stolen phones or tvs, you just hand it over the counter like any other currency.

 

[DMan]

I wouldn't. The problem with cash is that it's extremely hard to prove that you still had it when you said it was stolen, the ease with which someone can stick it in their pocket and walk out, and then the ease with which the thief can get rid of the stolen goods. It's not like trying to fence stolen phones or tvs, you just hand it over the counter like any other currency.

Exactly. sadly, it's just too tempting.

 

[DMan]

I do think that the hotel offering a sum of money is partly an admission of guilt too.

That is what interests me. It's smells like it's not the first time....

 

[Art Vanderlay]

Hotel staff said they are investigating and just offered her a sum of $600 AUD as compensation.

Why would they offer this?

 

[Skydome]

This is why you put a do not disturb thing on the door if you're going out and leave anything remotely valuable in the room, little alone 5 smacka-roonies.

At the very least, your women should have hidden the cash.

I remember when I was staying at a motel in stabbington (Shepparton) I went out and left my mobile phone, but before leaving, I hid it to avoid it getting stolen, so well infact, that I myself had trouble finding it

 

[Knuckles]

Bad Luck. But when traveling to a third world nation like Sydney, what do you expect.

 

[dcrofty]

Some credit cards offer travel insurance when you book travel using their card. If your GF booked her flights with a credit card you might find that you are actually covered by some form of travel insurance.

Whether you are covered for this loss is another question but you should look into it.

Id also check with the local police or websites like trip advisor to see if there is a pattern of this kind of problem. If you can show it then it may improve your position when seeking compensation from the hotel if that is a path you choose.

 

[C0na]

The fact that the Hotel offered $600 as compensation is very, very odd; I would be pushing to find out why they are offering compensation. There should be cameras in the hallway.