Legal advise regarding bed bugs UPDATE POST #52

[Imzadi]

Just to clarify something... (again, only if they turn out to actually BE bed bugs) - I am trying to find out if one of the places we stayed at was SEVERELY infested with bed bugs. In that case, yes, I think a hotel has an obligation to have its housekeepers routinely check the bedding and mattresses for evidence of bed bugs. I am not trying to make money off this, but I have read several times that it can take THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS AND MANY, MANY MONTHS to be rid of these things. I am imagining that a hotel that wouldn't even routinely check for the bed bugs would "own up" to them if I called them. (I'm sorry to sound like I have such little faith in them doing the right thing.)

Then maybe you should rephrase our question to: How can I find out if a hotel has had a previous infestation?

That is a different issue. If they had a history of infestation, then yes, you might have legal recourse, if it can be proven they are being negligent in getting rid of them.

Perhaps, call the Health department in the county of the hotels. They might have a record of previous reports. Also, check the reviews at TripAdvisor.com, Hotels.com, Expedia, etc.

Google the city of the hotel(s) and cabin to see if there are reports & news stories of bedbug infestation.There might be one, just like the articles I provided on John Jay College. There was actually quite a few links for that incident. It might show a diner or store you had been in had the bedbugs.

If you had taken a plane and checked your luggage, or even stowed it above with other luggage, bedbugs could have crawled over to your luggage from another bag.

 

[OceanAnnie]

Then maybe you should rephrase our question to: How can I find out if a hotel has had a previous infestation?

That is a different issue. If they had a history of infestation, then yes, you might have legal recourse, if it can be proven they are being negligent in getting rid of them.

Perhaps, call the Health department in the county of the hotels. They might have a record of previous reports. Also, check the reviews at TripAdvisor.com, Hotels.com, Expedia, etc.

Google the city of the hotel(s) and cabin to see if there are reports & news stories of bedbug infestation.There might be one, just like the articles I provided on John Jay College. There was actually quite a few links for that incident. It might show a diner or store you had been in had the bedbugs.

If you had taken a plane and checked your luggage, or even stowed it above with other luggage, bedbugs could have crawled over to your luggage from another bag.

After I read your post I was curious and went to tripadvisor.com, and typed in bedbugs. Lots of information there. OP, you could probably type in the names of the places you stayed. There may be information there.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Search?q=bedbugs&sub-search=Search&geo=191&returnTo=__2F__Hotels

 

[dispor]

After I read your post I was curious and went to tripadvisor.com, and typed in bedbugs. Lots of information there. OP, you could probably type in the names of the places you stayed. There may be information there.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Search?q=bedbugs&sub-search=Search&geo=191&returnTo=__2F__Hotels

To both of the previous posters... Yes, I ALWAYS check Tripadvisor BEFORE booking a hotel. All three places got RAVE reviews on Tripadvisor. No mention of bedbugs. I did as you suggested, and googled the name of the hotels and bedbugs - and held my breath. But still, NO reports of bed bugs, which is a VERY good thing!

Both chains DID have reports of bed bugs at OTHER locations, but I really think that would happen at any large chain.

I have read several reports (after returning home) of bed bugs in cabins in the area we were in, but none for the specific cabin we stayed at (which was privately owned). However, couldn't a housekeeper who contracts with several rental agencies carry them from place to place? I really hope the cabin owner was being truthful.

In general, it seems that KY and TN are having an especially bad time with bed bugs. Oh, and I did read a news report that said that the Tennesse Health Department does NOT track reports of bed bugs. Argh - how can that be??? If they turn out to be bedbugs, I will still contact them, in case that report was wrong.

 

[eliza61]

To both of the previous posters... Yes, I ALWAYS check Tripadvisor BEFORE booking a hotel. All three places got RAVE reviews on Tripadvisor. No mention of bedbugs. I did as you suggested, and googled the name of the hotels and bedbugs - and held my breath. But still, NO reports of bed bugs, which is a VERY good thing!



In general, it seems that KY and TN are having an especially bad time with bed bugs. Oh, and I did read a news report that said that the Tennesse Health Department does NOT track reports of bed bugs. Argh - how can that be??? If they turn out to be bedbugs, I will still contact them, in case that report was wrong.

New York Department of health usually doesn't track them either. Generally it only becomes a big issue if there are tons of people reporting bites or rashes to their doctors or to hospitals.

I know your a bit upset (I would be also) but bed bugs are making a reoccurance especially since the most effective weapon DDT has been banned.

I think bedbugs just like cockroaches are those nasty pest that will outlast mankind.

Remember when people use to tell their kids "night, night, don't let the bed bugs bite"?

 

[LilyWDW]

I found it *fascinating* to know the truth, and that's why I share it (and have been rather often the last few weeks), because I figure people would rather know, and tell, the truth, rather than just pass along inaccurate information!

You think too highly of people in my opinion. Most people are not willing to click a link or read an article that can change they way they think about a subject. Instead, they would rather keep their preconceived notions.

OP... it would seriously be difficult to build a case here. The bed bugs could have come from just about anywhere. There will most likely be little to no way to prove that the bugs came from one particular place, that the location had an infestation BEFORE/WHEN you were there, and that you didn't bring them into the location yourself.

The location you say was where you got the bugs could just as easily turn around and say that you brought them in yourself and infested the room.

 

[disykat]

And if these are bbugs, and if she got them during the beginning of the trip, then she DID bring them to the subsequent place(s)...

This is what I was thinking. The OP discovered bugbites in the cabin, did she stay at motels on the way home? Could THOSE hotels then sue her for knowing she had a bug issue and bringing bedbugs into their hotels causing them lots of money and trouble?

My point is, bed bugs are awful. No one wants them. I highly doubt anyone purposely infected the OP with them. If she can sue for getting them somewhere, then the places she left them at can also sue her. It's a vicious cycle based on trying to find someone to blame for a problem that isn't really any one person's fault.

 

[Mickey's Minion]

Here's the thing...bedbugs, if that's what they were, do not carry little ID's with their home address.

If only one could find somebody like the fictional Dr. Hodgins (Bones) who could analyze the bowels of said found bug and find a single grain of something that is indigenous to a place that could point to an area of less than a square yard, pinpointing the exact location of where the bug originated.

But alas, that is tv.

OP, unless a hotel has been written up for previous health violations for massive infestations of bugs, there is no way you are going to prove they had bedbugs when you were there, especially since you visited several other places afterward.

Hope all goes well tomorrow and your fears are put to rest.

 

[curious3069]

I think you are jumping about 20 steps ahead of yourself. Rather then freaking out and trying to find bedbug spies, take a breath and just look up pictures of bedbugs. Knowing what you are facing is always better than free floating anxiety and picturing the worst....trying to track down which hotel had the bed bugs should be the last thing you think about, not the first. I mean, if you do have them, you're not going to spend time tracking which specific hotel they might have come from, you'll get them exterminated first, then worry about getting reimbursed, right? You don't seem to have a problem with reading all the bad things about bed bugs, so I'm not sure why you do have a problem trying to get some more info about what they actually look like??



This was an interesting article with all different kinds of bugs and their bites. It might help you narrow down what you've got. http://www.medicinenet.com/bad_bugs_pictures_slideshow/article.htm

Stop torturing yourself and blaming your husband for not supporting you...you don't even know what you have!!!!!

 

[HappyDznyCamper]

Thanks curious, that is a great link!!

 

[dispor]

I think you are jumping about 20 steps ahead of yourself. Rather then freaking out and trying to find bedbug spies, take a breath and just look up pictures of bedbugs. Knowing what you are facing is always better than free floating anxiety and picturing the worst....trying to track down which hotel had the bed bugs should be the last thing you think about, not the first. I mean, if you do have them, you're not going to spend time tracking which specific hotel they might have come from, you'll get them exterminated first, then worry about getting reimbursed, right? You don't seem to have a problem with reading all the bad things about bed bugs, so I'm not sure why you do have a problem trying to get some more info about what they actually look like??



This was an interesting article with all different kinds of bugs and their bites. It might help you narrow down what you've got. http://www.medicinenet.com/bad_bugs_pictures_slideshow/article.htm

Stop torturing yourself and blaming your husband for not supporting you...you don't even know what you have!!!!!

Just to clarify... I HAVE looked at many, many pictures of bed bugs on the various websites, including the one just mentioned. Most of the pictures are super-magnified. DH looked with his magnifying glass. He said one looked like a small black lady bug. He said he couldn't really tell if the other one was even a bug (I think he was looking at the under-side of it, since it is still stuck to the wet tissue.) Also, they are in sealed plastic bags and that makes it a little fuzzy, too.

I'm hoping it's some funky beetle-type bug and nothing more. I'll definitely post tomorrow and let you know. If I had seen these before the weekend, I most definitely would have already been to the exterminator.

 

[eyes4eeyore]

experienced bed bug survivor here...good Luck tomorrow. Hoping it's another critter and just a good old fashioned lesson learned!

 

[dispor]

UPDATE: Just got back from the exterminator. They are NOT bed bugs. Halleluiah!!!!

One he couldn't identify. It looked like a certain type of fly, but without the wings. The other was a "cigar store beetle." Neither are harmful.

He showed me actual (dead) bedbugs!!! Now I feel certain that I can identify them if I ever need to. If nothing else, I am grateful for that!!!

I'll still keep my eyes open for any signs of bed bugs (because of the bites we had), but it's looking good at this point.

Thank you to those who lended an ear.

BTW, I also took in two cookies crumbs and piece of fuzz for him to identify...

 

[luvsmickeymouse]

UPDATE: Just got back from the exterminator. They are NOT bed bugs. Halleluiah!!!!

One he couldn't identify. It looked like a certain type of fly, but without the wings. The other was a "cigar store beetle." Neither are harmful.

He showed me actual (dead) bedbugs!!! Now I feel certain that I can identify them if I ever need to. If nothing else, I am grateful for that!!!

I'll still keep my eyes open for any signs of bed bugs (because of the bites we had), but it's looking good at this point.

Thank you to those who lended an ear.

BTW, I also took in two cookies crumbs and piece of fuzz for him to identify...

I am glad all turned out well. I did have to laugh when I read about the cookie crumbs and fuzz.

 

[allison443]

UPDATE: Just got back from the exterminator. They are NOT bed bugs. Halleluiah!!!!

One he couldn't identify. It looked like a certain type of fly, but without the wings. The other was a "cigar store beetle." Neither are harmful.

He showed me actual (dead) bedbugs!!! Now I feel certain that I can identify them if I ever need to. If nothing else, I am grateful for that!!!

I'll still keep my eyes open for any signs of bed bugs (because of the bites we had), but it's looking good at this point.

Thank you to those who lended an ear.

BTW, I also took in two cookies crumbs and piece of fuzz for him to identify...

Thanks for the update! Glad you won't have to deal with an infestation

 

[NotUrsula]

The other was a "cigar store beetle." Neither are harmful.

Well, that depends on what you mean by harmful. They won't bite people, but they can decimate any kind of paper. If you collect books or other kinds of paper artifacts, or if you keep important papers in your home, you may want to look into getting them eradicated.

 

[dispor]

Well, that depends on what you mean by harmful. They won't bite people, but they can decimate any kind of paper. If you collect books or other kinds of paper artifacts, or if you keep important papers in your home, you may want to look into getting them eradicated.

Thank you for telling me this! I never even bothered to "look them up" since he said they weren't anything to be concerned about, but I will now. And I'll definitely keep my eyes open for more of them!

 

[Nancyg56]

Well, thank you for enlightening me, Bumber. And I don't drink coffee, but I would expect it to be hot.

One of the problems with McDonalds coffee was that the company had been warned to lower the temperature of their coffee and they did not. There had been research that showed that most people had their cup of coffee for 20 minutes before they actually drank it so the company wanted it to be hot at that point. In order to ensure that it was piping hot after a twenty minute interin between ourchase adn consumption the temperature needed to be way hotter than was safe. I expect my coffee to be hot. I would never have expected it to be close to boiling.

While I agree that the burns were drastic, considering the number of cups of coffee McDonald's serves, I'm shocked there were ONLY 700 claims that people had been burnt- no matter what the temperature of the coffee was.

I was shocked to learn that the company did not comply with repeated direction to lower the temperature of their coffee. I would have thought that they would have done so immediately after being told to do so.

 

[DizBelle]

And if these are bbugs, and if she got them during the beginning of the trip, then she DID bring them to the subsequent place(s)...

If I were you I would inform the places that you stayed that you believe they have bedbugs, and that they should take care of things. Then they would know.




Well, no, not really.

That was actually a righteous lawsuit against a company that had had 700 previous claims for similar problems in the previous 10 years and had continued to keep their coffee between 180 and 190 degrees. By an elderly woman who was just trying to take the lid off of her coffee (while a passenger in a NON moving car), and subsequently "suffered full thickness burns (or third-degree burns) over 6 percent of her body, including her inner thighs, perineum, buttocks, and genital and groin areas". Hospitalized 8 days, had skin grafts and debridement.

Is that what you expect from YOUR coffee?

She was also holding the coffee in between her knees which, in my opinion, is a not a smart thing to do at all.

It seems like this is putting your hand on a hot burner on a stove and then suing the company that made the stove.

 

[sunnyday123]

One of the problems with McDonalds coffee was that the company had been warned to lower the temperature of their coffee and they did not. There had been research that showed that most people had their cup of coffee for 20 minutes before they actually drank it so the company wanted it to be hot at that point. In order to ensure that it was piping hot after a twenty minute interin between ourchase adn consumption the temperature needed to be way hotter than was safe. I expect my coffee to be hot. I would never have expected it to be close to boiling.



I was shocked to learn that the company did not comply with repeated direction to lower the temperature of their coffee. I would have thought that they would have done so immediately after being told to do so.

Have you ever been to McDonalds?? They don't give the right change half the time!

She was also holding the coffee in between her knees which, in my opinion, is a not a smart thing to do at all.

It seems like this is putting your hand on a hot burner on a stove and then suing the company that made the stove.

Exactly. Hot means hot.

 

[C.Ann]

Phew! So glad it turned out not to be bed bugs..

Let's face it - no one likes to deal with any kind of bug infestation!