HORRBILE STAY AT SSR! We WERE ROBBED!!!

[KimAshton]

You stuff being stolen could have happen anywhere. They always say whether you are at a disney resort or NOT NOT to leave your valuables in the car.

 

[ChefBilly]

That stinks. Period.

Congress Park - I can only assume whoever did it walked over from Downtown Disney. We were in the Grandstand last week ourselves and luckily had no trouble.

 

[tjkraz]

Congress Park - I can only assume whoever did it walked over from Downtown Disney.

I can't see someone high-tailing it back to DTD carrying $4000 worth of handbags and camera equipment under their arm. My guess is it was someone who drove right onto property--possibly even another resort guest who happened to see what was in the vehicle while the victims were unloading their luggage. You just never know these days.

 

[Heth6207]

There is a major point a lot of you seem to be missing. HAD there been CAMERAS there would be a great chance of catching whoever did this. Do you people EVER watch the news?

Year before last, here in Texas, about 20 minutes from me, there was an employee at Wal-Mart leaving late at night. She parked on a dingy parking lot in the back and was abducted and unfortunately killed the next morning. THANKS TO CAMERAS even on this dark hard-to-see lot, the murderer was found almost instantly.

I DO blame Disney for it's lack of security. It could just as easily have been someone raped or someone kidnapped as it was our car broke into. That has been my whole point all along. I would like to think if something happened, they were at least TRYING to keep an eye on everything and keeping it safe.

If I were posting that my I was attacked and my Coach purse stolen right off my shoulder in Congress Park parking lot, would it still be my own fault because I carried the purse? It would NOT change the fact that Disney has no video cameras and security of that type, to help track down these people.

Who knows, maybe they don't want them to be tracked down so easily. The deputy investigating told us about a case they were able to bust with fingerprints after 2 years recently, and the thefts were by Disney employees.

 

[Pumbaa_]

I'm sorry, but am I the only one that finds it interesting that the OP found the DISboards JUST to post this thread

 

[Heth6207]

Jody,

This is the board where I originally came ot read other's reviews of trips, etc. to see what the pro's and con's were of the different resorts, etc.

 

[patsal]

Your home owner's insurance will help to pay for the items stolen from your car, so you should have some retribution there--make sure you have a copy of your police report. Check your AAA confirmation and hold AAA accountable for the components from your original booked vacation. IF your confirmation has everything listed but DIsney dropped the ball hold them accountable as well. I'm sorry that your trip was so disappointing.

 

[tjkraz]

There is a major point a lot of you seem to be missing. HAD there been CAMERAS there would be a great chance of catching whoever did this. Do you people EVER watch the news?

Year before last, here in Texas, about 20 minutes from me, there was an employee at Wal-Mart leaving late at night. She parked on a dingy parking lot in the back and was abducted and unfortunately killed the next morning. THANKS TO CAMERAS even on this dark hard-to-see lot, the murderer was found almost instantly.

There are (sadly) tens-of-thousands of crimes committed in the US each day. Instances like this are few and far between. Don't let the local news and CSI convince you that the success rate is excessively high.

I DO blame Disney for it's lack of security. It could just as easily have been someone raped or someone kidnapped as it was our car broke into. That has been my whole point all along. I would like to think if something happened, they were at least TRYING to keep an eye on everything and keeping it safe.

If I were posting that my I was attacked and my Coach purse stolen right off my shoulder in Congress Park parking lot, would it still be my own fault because I carried the purse? It would NOT change the fact that Disney has no video cameras and security of that type, to help track down these people.

I completely understand your reaction here because it's not fun being a crime victim. I've been there myself. But you don't need to speak in hyperbole and concoct ficticious scenarios to try and reinforce your argument.

IMO the first realization you need to come to is that there is only one party at fault--the criminal.

Yes there are things you can to do better protect yourself and I think many of the constructive comments here are good ones. But even that might not have protected you once you've been targeted by a criminal.

Who knows, maybe they don't want them to be tracked down so easily. The deputy investigating told us about a case they were able to bust with fingerprints after 2 years recently, and the thefts were by Disney employees.

Walt Disney World employs over 60,000 people. Even the most stringent background checks aren't going to insulate them from the bad apples.

But do you REALLY think that Disney would structure its security policies to protect unscrupulous employees?

 

[Mickey4me!]

I'm sorry, but am I the only one that finds it interesting that the OP found the DISboards JUST to post this thread

Nope, you're not the only one. Just checked Orange Co. Sheriff's website and there are only 2 reported auto burglary reports for Oct. in area 60 (Lake Buena Vista) - neither of which have SS address. Only one for Sept and only eight since July 23.

 

[bavaria]

I can't see someone high-tailing it back to DTD carrying $4000 worth of handbags and camera equipment under their arm. My guess is it was someone who drove right onto property--possibly even another resort guest who happened to see what was in the vehicle while the victims were unloading their luggage. You just never know these days.

If you won't listen to me, then please listen to THIS voice of reason (and he always is the voice of reason)

It may surprise you to hear that criminals book hotel rooms to conduct their business, but it is true. WDW is not immune.

Cameras wouldn't help as they can't be focussed on every car at every moment. Chances are that if you didn't have items in the trunk that went missing, you would never even have realized that your car had been opened (you may have questioned an unlocked door, but if there was no damage assumed that you left it unlocked by accident)

There are cameras all over the UK; in the US citizens are concerned about privacy rights and don't want a similar situation. Sadly, crime still happens in the UK even with so many cameras all around.

 

[dzneelvr]

The mixups with your tickets and dining plan are the reasons I ALWAYS double check what is being confirmed by email/paper with the CM who can read what the "system" says I have Computer systems are only as good as the data entry operators who input the data into them. And in your case resulting in added poor customer service because the system was showing them a different picture. Is IS frustrating. Thanks for venting; I hope it doesn't turn you off Disney

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

I'm sure Disney believes that gate guards, roving guards and obvious notices to NOT leave valuables in your car will protect most patrons from a) muggings and rapes and b) having their valuables stolen out of their cars.

That's a major point you seem to have missed.

There is a major point a lot of you seem to be missing. HAD there been CAMERAS there would be a great chance of catching whoever did this. Do you people EVER watch the news?

 

[Tomader]

Nope, you're not the only one. Just checked Orange Co. Sheriff's website and there are only 2 reported auto burglary reports for Oct. in area 60 (Lake Buena Vista) - neither of which have SS address. Only one for Sept and only eight since July 23.

You went to the Orange County Website?? Could the report been filed under something else? The point being ,who cares? If the person says he was robbed or something happened to mess up the vacation leave it at that. If he posted it here,so what? I just don't understand people on these boards. If nothing happened then take it for what it is. Don't leave anything of value in your car. Be careful because anything can happen, even in Disney. End of post.

 

[doubletrouble_vb]

I'm sorry to hear that your vacation was ruined.

However I'm not sure what you wanted to hear from others. I'm a little surprised that someone who travels regularly would assume hotel safety is better at Disney World where essentially all hotels are open to the driving public, gate or no gate. All you have to do is book a room in a value and the World is open to your car....really not even that...Disney doesnt go to much trouble to make the parking passes look any different than what you could easily generate on a home printer and telling the guard at the gate you want to look around is usually enough. Not even an RFID. That offsite unit probably had more exclusionary security at the gate and guests only checking in and out at the end of the week.

 

[hsmamato2]

I don't know.....sounds like the OP had a reason to gripe- maybe not about the car breakin,that could have happened anywhere,but with the crappola service they got from AAA and disney itself! I mean,paying twice or 3 times for the dining plan- wrong tix when you paid extra for the extras....I would have been SO ticked by just that stuff....(note,always bring lots of documents proving what you paid for!)
the stealing is just icing on the cake,and security cameras are not unheard of folks......in my reality 400+ a night does deserve at least roving guards,etc. not perfect,but at least something better than"oh,privacy issuess..." yeah right..... at least to cover their own butts in the event of breakins- I mean at DVC properties you have a person stopping you and asking personal questions like that's actual security when we all know it's not....is that gate just something so that things *look* secure? What's the point of 'gate security'(haha) when the bottom line is "sorry, we wouldn't dare actually watch the lots for safety?"
I guess I'm just feeling OP's pain here.....

 

[inaminute]

HAD there been CAMERAS there would be a great chance of catching whoever did this. Do you people EVER watch the news?

Yup. I watch the news every day. I've seen those photos. I wouldn't be able to tell my mother from the person in the pictures in nearly every case. Personally, I don't see the value, except as a possible deterrent. Even then, if someone wants your stuff badly enough, they'll figure out a way to get it.

 

[veenstra56]

Hello All,



To top it all off, we went to load the car yesterday morning for our drive home, our car had been broken into and stolen was: My $600 camera with all this weeks pics, and pictures from a once-in-a-lifetime trip we took a couple of weeks ago along with almost $4000 (YES, $4000) worth of Coach and Dooney & Bourke Purses we had bought for ourselves and for Christmas presents, and other misc. items we had purchased on our trip this week. The Orange County Sheriff's Dept. was great, and tried to get prints (they broke in with an unlocking device, no broken windows) and hopefully that will turn something up, but Disney was NO help. They informed us at security that there are NO cameras on the parking lots there (We stayed in Congress Park) because, and I quote from security "The customers don't like it. If we have a man come in here with someone other than his.... wife.... and a security camera catches it and for some reason that video is released, we could get sued. So we don't have cameras".... The front desk gave us a business card to call Guest Claims, who didn't even want to file a report on their end, but upon persistence and having to get rude with them, finally agreed.

I really don't know what to think about this. I just can seem to wrap my mind around what Disney could possibly have done to stop someone from breaking into a verhicle. Are security cameras the norm at resorts? I honestly don't know. Even if they are, the crooks used an "unlocking device" to gain entry; that means that it would have appeared on a camera that someone simply went to his/her car to retrieve something. And to suggest that Disney is trying to keep things quiet because it might be one of their own employees is irresponsible.

After reading this, I have concluded that the only person the OP should be blaming is the person who broke into the car.

 

[purvislets]

That sucks about all the problems that you had.

Did you take your confirmation from AAA with you? That should have straightened out most of the problems you had, except of course for the triple charging done by SSR. They should have at least compensated you for that!

As far as the break in, I can see where you may be upset at Disney, but at the same time they do warn you not to leave valuables in your car. In today's world, we have to deal with the fact that people will take your stuff sooner than you can blink. Yes, you paid a lot of money for where you were staying, but maybe you could have taken the items into your hotel room with you. We didn't leave anything of value in our car when we went. It's just common sense to me!

I work in a retail environment and we have security cameras in the parking lot. When my tag got stolen off of my car, do you think they were able to ID the people that did it? Nope. Took 2 years of straightening out (they got parking tickets with my tag that the state expecting me to pay for!). They never caught the person.

I hope that next time you'll have some better luck!

 

[Heth6207]

As an FYI for those "checking" the robbery was discovered Friday morning (October 12th) and the deputy didn't leave SSR until nearly noon, so I highly doubt its on their site yet.

 

[Detailor]

So why is the veracity of the OP being called into question? I suspect lots of people read and research these boards without posting much.

The OP's vacation experience sounds awful all around and neither AAA nor Disney sounds like they were particular helpful or sympathetic. Is that a surprise in this day and age of excessive litigation? Not to me. It seems to me that most companies train their employees not to apologize as it might sound like they're admitting some culpability. I think that's a sad statement about today's society, but it is also today's reality. More or less like the employee is saying "Too bad. So sad. Next!"

Perhaps Disney security could be upgraded and we'd all pay more to stay on property. All should note that the security gate that's both closest to the street (Buena Vista Drive) AND to the Congress Park section is unmanned. Of course you need a room key to drive in through that gate. Might someone have piggy-backed in as a guest passed through the gate? Sure, but that's probably not likely as that would take planning and I don't think that's a particularly busy gate.

I think the OP probably expected a little empathy in posting the problems with this vacation, not to change anybody's feelings about Disney. I also think that a little more empathy should be given. After all, who would want to go through all that hassle about the additional expense associated with the dining and ticket problems?

On the theft issue, I tend to agree that personal choice played a bigger part in the outcome than the lack of security, but that doesn't make the loss any less expensive or less frustrating for the OP. Many of us, however, have read about negative aspects of 'real life' infringing on the magic world - it's real, bad things happen in Disney, too. And it's another reminder that we all ought to carry with us on vacation.

Dick Taylor