"Theft" from minibar

[KhorTose]

Alexx and Vinapu--You two are my two, "I wish I would have written that pair."   Reader, that took guts and character.  One thing everyone here does seem to agree on is that you should not accuse anyone of theft unless you are 100% sure.  Why stop there?

I do not think anyone should be accused of any kind of crime unless you are willing to charge them openly and take your chances.  I think living in a country where even the accusation of a certain crime, can get you held in jail without a trail for a great period of time, would have made us all aware of that. 

[bucknaway]

I think this is the perfect place to speculate. We all speculate here regardi g the suspected actions of others. We speculate on why guys tip as much as they do.

 

Without putting anyone in a headlock and making a citizens arrest, why not say what we feel in an anonymous chat when no-one gets hurt?

 

If I think hotel staff is stealing, i want to be able to share my speculation. If I catch a guy rifling through my luggage, I want to be able to announce to you all that I think he was looking for something to steal.

 

I think this is the perfect place to share our sneaking suspicions.

[rollingstone]

This is a common scam - this time carried out by the receptionist

He claims that there is a bottle missing...

- If you pay he issues a receipt from a "shadow" receipt book (20 B in Friendship supermarket) and pockets the money

- If you refuse to pay, he waives the charge and makes you feel happy and everyone seem professional

 

Good one ... quite credible!

Naive me ... lol

[rollingstone]

I think this is the perfect place to speculate. We all speculate here regardi g the suspected actions of others. We speculate on why guys tip as much as they do.

 

Without putting anyone in a headlock and making a citizens arrest, why not say what we feel in an anonymous chat when no-one gets hurt?

 

If I think hotel staff is stealing, i want to be able to share my speculation. If I catch a guy rifling through my luggage, I want to be able to announce to you all that I think he was looking for something to steal.

 

I think this is the perfect place to share our sneaking suspicions.

 

Precisely! Could not have said it better ... agree 100%.

[ChristianPFC]

Assuming the boy took the whiskey, that's a grey zone between poor education (by Western standards) and theft.

 

Occasionally I have boys in my room, some of them open the fridge without asking, others ask. Now I pre-empt this by offering water from my fridge when we enter the room / the boy enters my room.

 

I have a lot of sweets in my fridge (chocolate and cookies from Germany), and some boys show an interest, that is where it becomes difficult. Not a monetary issue, but I barely manage to bring enough chocolate and cookies and cheese to last for 6 months, whereas for the boy it's a just matter of grabbing as much as he can. I largely solved that by buying Thai sweets to offer.

 

However one thing to make clear that all food and drink is for consumption in my room. I had boys asking if they can take a cookie, and then took the entire bag and wanted to take it home, which I intercepted (take the bag out of his hands once his intentions become clear to me, hand him one cookie, and put the bag back).

 

Went to read Christian's blog about this incident. No offence but Christian was setting the boy up.

 

I am a believer to not place 'vulnerable' people in situations where they are 'lured into' committing a theft (No, I did not mean taking a small bottle of whiskey worth 500 baht is a theft). Christian's case is such a situation.

http://christianpfc.blogspot.com/2017/09/dating-thai-boys-59-catching-thief-on.html

 

My wallet is in my trouser pocket, and that pocket is closed by stud fastener or zipper (depends on which trousers). Taking the wallet from the pocket and then taking money out of the wallet is not "luring into" or "setting up", it's criminal intent on the boy's part! 19 out of 20 boys I invite to my room are in the same situation: they know my money is in my wallet somewhere in my trousers, but they don't get the idea to take some.

 

Back to mini bars: the last time I stayed in a place with a mini bar was in 2010, and the boy I invited asked if he can have a drink.

 

Someone somewhere on the forums wrote that in Japan (?) items in minibar have an RFID tag, and once you take it out, you cannot put it back, and you cannot replace it by an identical item bought in a supermarket. (How do Thai hotels deal with guest taking items from minibar, and replacing them by identical items from 7-Eleven?)

[witty]

Yet again a case of taking advantage of the situation by someone who's opportunistic by habit or inclination.

[a447a]

(How do Thai hotels deal with guest taking items from minibar, and replacing them by identical items from 7-Eleven?)

Some hotels put their own sticker on the items. If I recall that's what they now do at the Tarntawan Hotel.

[bucknaway]

I'm just reminded of a guy I met in Bangkok. I took him to mcdo lads for something to eat. He was not my type so I moved on. I was him again in pattaya where he was sleep I g on the beach. I told him I would take him shopping and we went to the Tesco lotus and I naught him clothes, shoes a backpack, medication and whatnot. I also gave him some spending money.

 

We went back to my rented condo and he took a shower, went into the bedroom and said in wait on the bed. I kindly told him to get dressed and fir a moment he gave me a look as if he was ready to fight. He began to get dressed and I went into the bathroom. When I was done he was in the kitchen. I escorted him out and figured I would have a drink of coke and 100 pipers before I go out. I reached for the decorative box and found it empty. After being kind and spending so much money on this guy, he thanked me by stealing my big bottle of 100 pipers.

 

I see him around from time to Tim and he always asks for my help and I remind him that he stole from me and I can't help him.

[vinapu]

 

 

Someone somewhere on the forums wrote that in Japan (?) items in minibar have an RFID tag, and once you take it out, you cannot put it back, and you cannot replace it by an identical item bought in a supermarket. (How do Thai hotels deal with guest taking items from minibar, and replacing them by identical items from 7-Eleven?)

I saw it in Thailand as well , don't remember which hotel / Raya, Tarntawan , BBB Inn coming to mind / items were carrying hotels labels / stickers so couldn't be replaced by substitution from supermarket

[a447a]

You can always take the items out of the fridge and replace them with stuff from 7/11. Just make sure the cleaners can see them and don't think you've consumed everything.

[Guest]

Assuming the boy took the whiskey, that's a grey zone between poor education (by Western standards) and theft.

 

If someone takes a 350cc bottle of whiskey from my mini bar, without asking, that's 100% theft.  Not even a slightly grey zone. 

By the same principle, he could be taking 500 baht notes from my wallet, or my phone or my camera, which is also theft.

 

As for swapping items in the mini-bar, well I have done that where suitable substitutes are available in the 7-11.   However, I much prefer to have the mini-bar emptied.

[kokopelli]

After re-reading posts on this subject I don't see where the OP ever posted anything about the size of the bottle that was missing from the refrig or the cost. Some clarification would be helpful.

[bucknaway]

Does size really matter?

[reader]

A quick visit to Trip Advisor yielded a few interesting pics guests submitted of mini bars in their upscale Bangkok hotels.

 

Dream Hotel

 

 

Sheraton Grande

 

Although published by Trip Advisor in 2013, I believe it remains a good representation of what guests world-wide continue to value when it comes to hotel amenities:

 

Most Important Hotel Amenities for U.S. Travelers

1.      Free In-Room Wi-Fi (89%)

2.      Free Parking (89%)

3.      Free Breakfast (84%)

4.      Free Personal Care Items (72%)

5.      Free Lobby Wi-Fi (71%)

Least Important Hotel Amenities for U.S. Travelers

1.      Mini Bar (21%)

2.      Spa/Beauty Treatments (23%)

3.      Business Center (34%)

4.      Laundry Service (39%)

5.      Free Pool-Side Wi-Fi (42%)

 

The following list of average mini-bar mark-ups from Huffington Post (2015) reflects US prices.  In Thailand, where imported wine and spirits can be prohibitively expensive, you can expect even higher baht equivalent prices.

 

 

The only thing I want to find in my mini bar is a refrigerator with some complimentary water.  I can easily get anything else I need at 7-Eleven or Family Mart.

 

 

[Boy69]

Does size really matter?

Yes size is really matter ...

[Travellerdave]

I have had boys who on entering my room just march up to the fridge and take a beveridge without asking. When I protested saying something like 'hey that water costs me 80 baht" they act suprised thinking that the mini bar is free. Some boys you have to watch so as to make sure they don't remove a hand towel which would of course go on my account. Of course them removing the small complementary items in the bathroom is not something that concerns me, but removing a nearly full tube of lube did annoy me once.

I have to say however that these "offences" Are not for me a regular occurance.

[Guest]

These days, my fridge gets a stocked with 7-11 & supermarket beverages.

 

Other than the one bottle of whiskey, I cannot recall any other case of theft from my room in Thailand. No towels, no lube, nothing. Well nothing that I spotted.

[gerefan]

Bloody hell 4 pages, and counting, about a boy taking a miniature bottle from the mini bar....

[reader]

Bloody hell 4 pages, and counting, about a boy taking a miniature bottle from the mini bar....

 

Size of bottle has yet to be established. As this very moment the same Scotland Yard inspectors who helped the BIB pin the Koh Tao murders on those Myanmar guys is en route to Swampy to get to the bottom of this. Room will be swept by forensic team and depositions taken. No bottle will be left unturned.

 

If you're certain it was a miniature bottle, expect to among those interrogated.

[vinapu]

Bloody hell 4 pages, and counting, about a boy taking a miniature bottle from the mini bar....

with just that one line you spoiled all our fun and OP is not even sure bottle was there at the first place 

[KhorTose]

I think this is the perfect place to speculate. We all speculate here regardi g the suspected actions of others. We speculate on why guys tip as much as they do.

 

You can call accusations speculation all you want, Changing a word in this case does not change the the intent.  You are accusing without evidence.  Yes, we all do it, and this is a great place to do that provided that nothing but the truth as you see it is told.  I don't know about you guys, but I sometimes think some of the people on this board are not quite real.  Other, I sometimes think are only on the board to promote their business or tear down a competitor.  Still others, I know this is amazing, think that people who are not white and Werstern can be delt with however one pleases and might just slam a boy or a bar because they failed to recognize how "important" they are.  So yes, if you got screwed and wish to vent, I might want to hear it--if I know you, if you sound reasonable by providing something like eyewitness testimony, and this is especially true about a restaurant, store, or hotel.  Accuse a person or speculate about him on this board without evidence and I will be hard pressed not to think you are a total jerk .  I know that some of you are sure to see me as incredibly stupid, but I think human beings--unlike buildings, food or merchandise--always deserve the benefit of a doubt.  This should not have to be said here or anywhere, but people are not objects.--they can really be hurt.

[vinapu]

I already posted it twice  here over the years but will refresh story again - either in  2015 or 16  at Raya I was witness of quite a commotion when departing guest loudly accused staff of taking some sum from his deposit box.

 

Few days later on one of our boards but not here , some poster admitted openly to making himself a fool at Raya  and accusing them of stealing money he subsequently found in his luggage and recalling of placing it there himself.

 

At least he had guts to   admit mistake publicly , not sure he apologized to staff  at Raya though.

[a447a]

Khor tose, you have just made a number of accusations regarding members of this board.

 

But to quote your own post,

 

"You are accusing without evidence ".

 

Something about a pot and a kettle comes to mind.

[bobsaigon]

Never mind Khortose.  He specializes in baseless rants and does not apologise if he is proven wrong. But that's what's "special" about him.     

[ChristianPFC]

Bloody hell 4 pages, and counting, about a boy taking a miniature bottle from the mini bar....

 

You are belittling the fact of THEFT.

 

I find this thread quite interesting, and the subject is worth discussing (even though I don't stay at places with minibars). And even better, 4 pages without calling names or going off-topic or nonsense posts.