cherylnemo

While on vacation our $800 camera disappeared from our room. The Marriott denies our claim saying that all staff entering the room with a key were reputable. They failed to investigate a maid who was let into our room by us. We described her to the security and they said that our description fit 50 people. I'm angry because you would think that they would have an employee schedule. Someone has to know.

This was an incomplete investigation in our opinion. I have been a faithful Marriott customer for six years. I will NEVER, EVER stay at any Marriott again.

dwooddon

Cheryl - I think you are blaming the wrong people for your loss. Every U.S. hotel room I have ever been in has a notice not to leave valuables unattended in the room and every Marriott Hotel I have ever been in has security lock boxes available to stash valuables you do not want to carry with you. If you choose not to avail yourself of that service, you need to look in a mirror to find the right person to blame.

If you have a model and serial number for the camera, I suggest you call the law enforcement agency responsible for that area and file a theft report. There is not much they'll be able to do in the way of investigation but they can put the information on the computer and if it is pawned or found in the posssession of someone when a computer check is made, you might get it back.

If you do not have the model and serial number, there may be a lesson in that about keeping such records. I'm a retired police officer and have often been able to recover stolen property when the victim has that information but without it, recovery is impossible in almost all circumstances.

cherylnemo

You are correct about practicing security but we were in the room we believe when our camera "disaappeared" It had been on our kitchenette, not in our line of vision from where we were sitting in our suite. We did use the safe when we left our room. We didn't think we would have to while in the room

We did learn a valuable lesson to use the safe even while in your room.


We did make a police report and they said that the hotel would not want a police report filed due to bad publicity.

We also gave them the serial numbers.

dwooddon

Sorry-I misunderstood your message.

If it was the hotel security who said they did not want a police report filed, they don't get to make that choice-you are the victim. If it was the police, I'd call and ask them for the report number for your case. If they don't have one, ask that a theft report be filed.

As hard as it may be to believe, there are a few lazy officers who try to talk people out of filing reports so they don't have to write them. The case number is your assurance that a report has actually been filed and your camera information is on the computer.

gplimpton

So, let me get this straight--you think a maid knocked on your door, you let her in, she knows you saw her face to face and could identify her, and you think she stole your camera from plain view immediately thereafter.

Only a maid in desperate need of a crack fix would do something like that.
Sounds like quite a longshot.

Loki

I'd recommend posting on www.photo.net under the "Stolen Equipment" section. They try and keep an eye on serial #'s in the used camera good markets and it may turn up if they try and sell it online, esp. through Ebay. Also, keep an eye on Ebay yourself and see if it comes up - you can usually see what town the seller is from and if it's close, look at their history and you can kinda tell if they are a shutterbug or not.

As for the loss, I never let strangers into my house (i.e. meter reader) without keeping my eyes on them at all times. I do the same in hotel rooms and only stay at places with safes.

OliveOyl

It sounds as if you are not certain when the camera disappeared, if it was while the maid was there or at some later time. How long after the room was cleaned did you discover it was missing? Did they query the lock to see what keys had been used on your room during that period? (I assume it was a keycard lock) When you said, "Marriott denies our claim saying that all staff entering the room *with a key* were reputable. They failed to investigate a maid *who was let into our room by us*"...surely you don't mean she didn't have a key, that she knocked to be let in? She did have a maid cart and all that goes with it, right (though I suppose anyone could grab a maid cart from down the hall)? She did clean your room at that time? Unless you request it be done, that in itself is sort of unusual. Normally they wait until you leave.

There is no doubt the hotel knows who cleaned your room. All the housekeepers are given room assignments each day..they don't just work at their own pace and take whatever room is next up. It seems very unlikely that it would happen with you in the room though, having seen her, and being able to walk into the kitchentte at any time she's in there. Did the kitcenette have its own door to the hallway as some suites do?

Like Loki...I'd never leave anything of value around even if I'm present--odds are nothing would happen, but why chance it?

I am curious about when you actually realized it was gone and if the lock was queried.