Update on theft at SSR from 7-24-04

[wisbucky]

It has been a few months since the last time I have been on the boards here. I originally posted a thread about theft of our money that occurred at SSR. If many of you recall the thread was closed down due to so much flaming. Hubby and I have since resolved the matter with Disney.

To give a brief background of what occurred. We had left our money in the luggage room after checking in. The money was then stolen from this area. Hubby and I had left the money in a folder buried amongst our groceries. It was one of those stupid decisions we made in haste. We filed a complaint and this began our journey of being redirected constantly from one place to another.

We had contacted the Orange County Sheriff, Disney Vacation Club, Disney detective division, Disney security, and Disney guest relations in order to get some sort of resolution to this ordeal. The Orange County Sheriff has detectives assigned who are stationed on Disney property. We finally had obtained a detective from the Orange County Sheriff to work on our case.

In the meantime, we had contacted Disney regarding this issue. We were expressing our concerns for future situations. We just wanted Disney to be aware that their new resort had an employee that was obviously untrustworthy. You can just about imagine our surprise when we revived a check from Disney reimbursing us the money as a gesture of good faith. We were totally shocked. Both hubby and I began to feel that Disney did look upon its guests as human beings and not just numbers.

The detective did interview one of the people who had access to the luggage room. This gentleman also voluntarily took a voice stress test and passed. Another gentleman was asked to take the voice stress test that had access to the luggage room on the day in question. He outright refused to take the test. . Since there is no direct evidence pointing at anyone in particular I do not want to give names of those involved.

This case has hit a dead-end since the individual who refused to take the voice stress test refused. The detective has no other leads to turn to. We did advise him however; that if in the future he was able to find the person responsible we still want to have charges filed and we would follow through.

Hubby and I did take another trip since July to Disney. We went in September. That trip did not have the same magic for us as all our past trips. We are leaving for Disney in just 13 days. This time we both feel upbeat and cant wait for the magic. It also feels good to come back to this board feeling positive about Disney.

 

[Dean]

I do remember your post and am glad things worked out. It is not at all uncommon for Disney to go above and beyond even when there's no obligation for them to do so. I'm sure Disney will keep an eye on that other person. I bet you won't be leaving money in your groceries again. Enjoy your trip.

 

[littlestar]

Maybe it wasn't a Disney employee. Last summer we saw a couple of young looking kids (maybe 20?) at the Wilderness Lodge walk back into an area we didn't think they belonged in. When we got home we read about someone's safe being robbed at the lodge and we really wondered about these two individuals. At the time my husband said, oh, maybe they have a parent that works here and they are visiting. But I don't know. I still wonder about it.

Glad you got your money back. Hope your next trip is a happy one.

 

[Pa@okw95]

Glad to see you got your money back. This should be a lesson for all of us not leave anything of value anywhere at WDW. Be especially careful with luggage, stuff in the car when valet parking, don't leave anything in the room, and be careful with the hotel safes in the rooms also.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Glad it worked out for you, have a great stay!

Just wondering, do people think that laptops are generally safe in the rooms?

 

[Beca]

Boy, do I remember that thread!!



I'm so glad it worked out for you!! And, thanks for keeping us posted...I was really hoping to hear what happened on that one.



Beca

 

[LIFERBABE]

Yes, I remember too and glad it all worked out for your family.

Have a great trip in 2 weeks!

 

[crzy4dals]

I am so glad to here that Disney did RIGHT the Wrong.

Enjoy your trip.. We are leaving in just 1 day to head to see the MOUSE!

I can't wait! Enjoy your trip! Glad to see you back on the boards.

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

[floridafam]

I'm glad things worked out for you.

Enjoy your upcoming trip.

 

[Kadorto]

Glad Disney bailed you out...

But if you're a police officer you should have known better...so my flames stand....Hope you have a great trip

 

[donmil723]

I'm glad that Disney restored your faith in the magic of Disney! It's too bad though they didn't catch the person. I'm sure Disney will be watching that person closely in case a similar situation occurs again.

Donna

 

[wisbucky]

Originally posted by Kadorto
Glad Disney bailed you out...

But if you're a police officer you should have known better...so my flames stand....Hope you have a great trip

I agree with you that we should of known better. But to flame someone who had a bad experience and became a victim is pretty low. Thankfully you’re not in my profession!!!!!

 

[Beca]

Originally posted by wisbucky
I agree with you that we should of known better. But to flame someone who had a bad experience and became a victim is pretty low. Thankfully you’re not in my profession!!!!!

ITA!! THANK YOU for what you do!!! I think sometimes people forget that police officers are human, too...and, I know your job really stinks sometimes..

I'm glad you got your money back!! No flames coming from here!!



Beca

 

[PamOKW]

I'm glad Disney has won back your confidence. As you say, they had no obligation to reimburse you but did it in "good faith".

Every resort area also attracts professional thieves who are just waiting for someone to make that "dumb move" they can prey on. It can be putting your purse on the chair behind you or leaving a folder of cash in the groceries....It may have been the Disney employee or it may have been the thief who was in and out with no one noticing. Heck, they might have lifted the money before you even handed the bags over to luggage.

Sharing your experience is a reminder to all of us to never let anything valuable out of our hands. Thanks for giving the follow-up that Disney did make an effort to right the wrong.

 

[rinkwide]

I have to say that I am extremely disappointed in the way Disney is set up to handle criminal matters. It is my opinion that Disney intentionally misleads you in hopes that you either drop the issue or fail to actually follow through properly. Having a security guard speak with you is certainly misleading to any reasonable guests...

Care to recant your earlier testimony?

 

[wisbucky]

Originally posted by rinkwide

Care to recant your earlier testimony? [/B]

Honestly no I have no desire to recant that statement. The detective I spoke with was stunned that the neither the security guard nor the any other person at SSR informed us to contact the sheriff. He agreed that it was misleading. If we would of not pursued the matter as we did this incident would of easily been forgotten and never checked into.

To clarify who has access to the luggage room there are only three people. You have to have a key to gain access to the luggage room. Since I was in the luggage room with a cast member as my luggage was being put away I did see my money and therefore know it was there. As we checked into the matter futher we were informed of the three people working that day and only those three people would have access to the luggage room.

 

[Lexxiefern]

I am glad Disney sent you your money back. It is great to see they handled it well in the end. Have a wonderful trip coming up!!

 

[pumpkinboy]

Originally posted by PamOKW
I'm glad Disney has won back your confidence. As you say, they had no obligation to reimburse you but did it in "good faith"...

I too am glad that Disney did right by you, and seems to have won back your confidence. Being the victim of theft is a really upsetting experience; you just feel so violated, even tho you never saw or even met the person perhaps. The fact that Disney accepted your account and covered the loss is both a nice gesture and a darn good business decision. Since this appears to have restored your faith in the Company, you will likely keep coming back and spending $$$ there. Furthermore, the friends and fellow DISboard readers have your testimony on the events, and perhaps this has bolstered their/our image of the Company. A good reputation is a hard thing to get back once you lose it, so Disney protecting its reputation this way makes me a happy stockholder, as well as a contented DVC member.

Thx for the update.

 

[Kadorto]

I agree with you that we should of known better. But to flame someone who had a bad experience and became a victim is pretty low. Thankfully you’re not in my profession!!!!!

Actually Wis, I am a police officer (Indpls P.D.) and a strong advocate of victim’s rights. I'm all for locking the bad guy up and throwing away the key but I also believe in a fair investigation. Your story made me suspicious. First you said that you put the "luggage" in storage on July 8th and returned to SSR at 5pm. Then on July 9th you first discovered the money missing. It’s fairly obvious that 101 things could have happened to the money from the time you first placed it in the luggage room until you noticed it gone on the 9th. I think it would have been a little different had you noticed the money missing right when you picked up the items. Theft is only one of the possibilities. The employee not submitting to a voice test is bothersome but still not even close to reasonable suspicion. Maybe he did take your money but you should have never left it in an unsecured location to begin with. I’m sure the front desk would have put it in a safe for you. Additionally, despite your original comments, Disney security is top notch.

Cop to Cop…the flame stands...I also hope you have a great visit next week.

 

[wisbucky]

Kadorto

I have to say I am shocked to find that you work with victims being that you are quick to judge others. Reasonable suspicion apparently differs from your jurisdiction to ours. But regardless we could go back and forth on this subject for ever.


Cop to Cop - Stay Safe!!!