Britannia_C

Please feel free to read my post on the Cosmos Travel Discussion Board as well. FYI I posted on Tripadvisor, Fedor's and Cosmos.

When something like this happens out of the blue, not many people can switch on their camcorder or press a button on a tape recorder and your brain, unfortunately, doesn't remember everything precisly.

Lynnaustin

I don't understand the 250 vs. 46 either.
If you receipt shows 46 majorica..then I would at least notify your credit card company that it should be 46 and not 250 (that's a big difference). At least you will get some of your money back.
Most majorica rings sell for much less than $100, 250 euro is about $350. I wouldn't let this go with the credit card company, the merchant needs to produce their receipt with your signature. Tip: sign it in a different handwriting and spell your name wrong- I know it's too late for that but in 20/20 hindsight it would have been a good idea.
Question: Did they speak English to you?
I'm passing through there soon, I'll be sure to stick with my son.

josele

Britannia_C, I have spoken on the phone with one director of Aldeasa and he tells me he is fully aware on your case and they are running an investigation, and that you shall receive an answer.
And that their security guards do not carry firearms.

Britannia_C

Thank you josele. I appreciate your post. Fear is very powerful. I am solely interested in knowing why I was treated so badly. That is all. If anymore information is needed, I am easily reached. I have found some comfort in your words.

Britannia_C

TO LynnAustin:

Thank you for your concern. My credit card had a PIN thus, no signature was required. It has since been destroyed and everything has been sorted out with the bank.

cruiseluv

I have been following this saga and now I'm curious... you say your CC was "destroyed"...and it has been sorted with the bank.. was that somehow connected to what happened to you? Didn't you just come back from this trip? Amazed so much has happened to you in such a short time.

StCirq

Well, I would imagine destroying the card was a safeguard and that the cc company advised her to do it immediately. It's not beyond the realm of possibility that the two nasties at the duty free shop stole information from her.

Lynnaustin

Was there a gun? I didn't read that. Yikes..

november_moon

Britania - I didn't mean to offend you. My words were kindly meant. Good luck.

Britannia_C

No worries, november_moon. It was like this folks, I left on October 8 for a wonderful well-deserved vacation. I decided to go on a 16-day Grand Tour of Spain. I couldn't say enough about it. It was fabulous. I returned on October 23 and was at the terminal with some of my "tour mates". They saw the security guard escort me to the back and thought nothing of it. After the ordeal, I cried for 1/2 hour in one of my friends arms. It was that traumatic. She stayed with me as I was in a different line-up to Frankfurt (then on to Canada) and told me I was safe. All I could think of was getting home to my family. Yes, I did go to the bank (today) and the card was destroyed. They know all about it. Words cannot describe what I endured but everyone, I don't want this to happen to anyone else!!! Why, people ask, why did I not pursue it and call the police, run, scream etc. When you are traumatized, the only thing you can think of is getting out! I would have paid a million dollars. I wanted to get on my plane and feel safe again. I wanted to go home.

pully

disturbing story.

to feel intimidated and have money taken in that way.

easy to say things/give advice after the event, but i wonder what would have happened if you had simply refused to pay??

wonder if you had not paid, caused a scene etc missed your flight as a victim of crime in this case?? would your travel insurance have covered the cost of rebooking your flight etc??

Britannia_C

That is a good question. I would have had to pay for the flight up front (around $2000.00, I am guessing , and accommodations in Madrid. Don't forgot too that I don't know anyone in Madrid and speak very little Spanish.

cruiseluv

I am sorry about all this Britannia. I think next time I'm on terminal 1 I'll go into that store . They better not try it with me!

Britannia_C

well, at least people are warned now....that should help a bit.

kalo

What happened to you is similar to what happened to us a few years ago in Cancun, Mexico. After checking out of the hotel, there was still time to have a little fun before catching the plane, so we stopped off at a water sports rental place and rented two jet skis.

After about an hour of playing around in the water, we returned the jet skis and were shocked to be told that there were scratches on one of them that weren't there before. The guys running the rental place would not show us the scratches, wanted $100 in cash, and were very threatening in general.

If there had been more time, of course, we would have contested this as we knew we had not run into anything that could have damaged the machine, but we had a plane to catch and the guys knew it - our luggage was there with us. I'm not sure if the police would have been any help to us at all. Probably not.

Anyway, until you have been in this situation, far from home, and completely taken by surprise, you have no idea how you will react and what you will do. Sometimes it's just best to cut your loses and get away. Sorry this happened to you.

Britannia_C

So true, isn't it.

Britannia_C

Yes, exactly, far from home--taken by surprise--the unknown--how it affects our lives afterwards. I am still struggling, although it just happened not too long ago. I was alone as well. How did you deal with the aftereffects; did the memories fade eventually. Also, this was a large international duty-free store and i really don't think they should treat their customers like this....just venting.

kalo

Britannia, our situation was not nearly as scary as yours. We were a family and on a public beach - not alone in a back room. There really has been no lasting trauma, just a bad memory that pops up now and then. It was a mistake on our part to have all our stuff with us, obviously heading to the airport and therefore short on time, when we rented the jet skis. They knew we would not have the time to pursue their claims. I hope you start feeling better soon.

Britannia_C

Thanks for writing. I am receiving so much education from everyone. I am seeing my doctor on Monday and will ask her how to go about feeling better.

Britannia_C

Pully: Your question had me thinking so I contacted my insurance company. I had full coverage but that kind of scenario is not covered under trip interruption so, in retrospect, I think I did the right thing.