Where do people leave laptops?

[gobofraggle]

The 'bad apples' 'most people are honest' line of thought makes sense in everyday life - but my original question wasn't based on the premise that a maid is going to think 'you know what? I think I'll trade my job for a laptop today' - it was based on the fact, known to those of us who travel this world, that tourists are a magnet for thieves.
Because tourists tend to carry sparkly stuff with them.
I've known many people have items stolen in various countries - I've known that somebody has been through my suitcase in the past (not in WDW, but in a deluxe place in Spain) I've caught a pickpocket redhanded while walking in Shanghai...etc. it isn't that most people are thieves - but that the tiny minority who are thieves in any city are going to look for fat chickens to nibble (tourists).

Now it may be that WDW is particularly resistant to thieves getting onto the property. I guess I buy that up to a point... but a traveller's habits are hard to modify based on which hotel you happen to be in this month.

So a bigger safe in the room would be nice.

 

[dianeschlicht]

We always have two laptops with us. They are left in their briefcases and teh briefcase is usually put in the blanket chest of the master bedroom at OKW. At AKV, we have just stuck the briefcase next to the sofa in the living room.

 

[CraftyMouse]

I guess my point with the "people are good", "bad apples" post was this...if a thief is going to target your room, leaving the laptop on the desk is no different than putting it in a drawer or in a piece of luggage. Heck, if they are theives who have any experience then a laptop lock is not going to help either.

I believe that the odds of something being stolen are minuscule, whether by said thieves or by anyone on the Housekeeping/Maintenance staff. I'm not going to spend time worrying about "what ifs" that have such a small chance of becoming reality so we leave our laptop out on the desk.

 

[Brian Noble]

One of our new faculty members is the guy who did the analysis of the Diebold voting machine's vunlerabilities:

http://www.princeton.edu/~jhalderm/

One of the things he had to learn in the process was how to pick or jimmy the lock on the side of the machine. In the process, he learned just how useless the locks were, to the point that, now, he leaves his apartment door unlocked 24/7. His theory: if a theif wants in, s/he is getting in, and leaving the door unlocked means it is less likely to be damaged in the process.

That makes a certain amount of sense to me. When I was a kid, our house way way way out in the country was broken into, and the perpetrators just kicked in our back door (which had a 2" deadbolt). We had to replace the door and frame. It would have been much more pleasant not to have to do that part.

 

[mgilmer]

The 'bad apples' 'most people are honest' line of thought makes sense in everyday life - but my original question wasn't based on the premise that a maid is going to think 'you know what? I think I'll trade my job for a laptop today' - it was based on the fact, known to those of us who travel this world, that tourists are a magnet for thieves.
Because tourists tend to carry sparkly stuff with them.
I've known many people have items stolen in various countries - I've known that somebody has been through my suitcase in the past (not in WDW, but in a deluxe place in Spain) I've caught a pickpocket redhanded while walking in Shanghai...etc. it isn't that most people are thieves - but that the tiny minority who are thieves in any city are going to look for fat chickens to nibble (tourists).

Now it may be that WDW is particularly resistant to thieves getting onto the property. I guess I buy that up to a point... but a traveller's habits are hard to modify based on which hotel you happen to be in this month.

So a bigger safe in the room would be nice.

I completely agree. One thing I really liked about the Swan was the safe was large enough for my laptop, my Passporter, and my wallet. I wish the BCV safes were as large. FWIW, on T&T day, we do put our laptop back in its case and behind the suitcase in the bedroom.

 

[bgraham34]

You can always do what my friend did. He had a water proof bag and put it in the toilet tank. No kidding.

 

[Mtnman44]

Yes, seriously. I've head stories, rumors, urband legends of what housekeeps will do to toothbrushes if they are in a grumpy mood for whatever reason. Think about it. It's probably extremely rare but hey, I'm not taking any chances. I feel alot better brushing my teeth knowing where it has been (or more importantly, NOT BEEN)

Toothbrushes?

 

[gobofraggle]

I guess my point with the "people are good", "bad apples" post was this...if a thief is going to target your room, leaving the laptop on the desk is no different than putting it in a drawer or in a piece of luggage. Heck, if they are theives who have any experience then a laptop lock is not going to help either.

I believe that the odds of something being stolen are minuscule, whether by said thieves or by anyone on the Housekeeping/Maintenance staff. I'm not going to spend time worrying about "what ifs" that have such a small chance of becoming reality so we leave our laptop out on the desk.

Yeah, I totally agree that out on a desk is about as secure as hidden in the closet - my original post was about whether there was an alternative to leaving in room (safe, or reception desk) at all...

The answer, we can glean from this thread, is that there is no alternative. It's in the room or leave it back home. And, that being the case, I agree with you that planting it between two slices of cheese in the refrigerator will fool nobody. Now if you could hollow out a loaf of bread, that would be a different story.
Note to self: pack loaf spoon.

 

[gobofraggle]

Yes, seriously. I've head stories, rumors, urband legends of what housekeeps will do to toothbrushes if they are in a grumpy mood for whatever reason. Think about it. It's probably extremely rare but hey, I'm not taking any chances. I feel alot better brushing my teeth knowing where it has been (or more importantly, NOT BEEN)

I don't hide our toothbrushes, but I put them in our toiletry bag and zip it up. I know that if you annoy the maid, you're just providing one more implement to clean the toilet with, but my more realistic concern is that I've seen maids in hotel bathrooms spraying cleaning sprays everywhere before wiping - that mist goes on your toothbrush if it's sinkside.

 

[HGD24]

We put ours in our suitcase which gets locked up everytime we leave the room. Yes, someone could cut the suitcase or the lock, but theives usually want to do things in the easiest way possible with the least amount of evidence left behind. Leaving valuables out in the open is like saying, "Please, take my valuables...no really, I want you to have them."

 

[CraftyMouse]

We put ours in our suitcase which gets locked up everytime we leave the room. Yes, someone could cut the suitcase or the lock, but theives usually want to do things in the easiest way possible with the least amount of evidence left behind. Leaving valuables out in the open is like saying, "Please, take my valuables...no really, I want you to have them."

If they suspect that there's something valuable inside all they have to do is take the whole suitcase.

 

[HGD24]

If they suspect that there's something valuable inside all they have to do is take the whole suitcase.

True, but like I said, theives want to be quick and get what's easy. It's easy to slip a laptop under your jacket...not so easy to take a whole suitcase...besides, whose suitcase doesn't weigh a lot? They would have to know that we have a laptop and that we stored it in the suitcase. If they never see it or the power cords, how would they know it's in there?

 

[CraftyMouse]

True, but like I said, theives want to be quick and get what's easy. It's easy to slip a laptop under your jacket...not so easy to take a whole suitcase...besides, whose suitcase doesn't weigh a lot? They would have to know that we have a laptop and that we stored it in the suitcase. If they never see it or the power cords, how would they know it's in there?

If they are experienced thieves they know what to look for, whether there are power cords out or not. Again, the chance of something being taken is so very small that I'm not going to worry about it. To each their own though...different strokes and all.

 

[Mtnman44]

I think this is risky advice. Sure, if your house or car or hotel room has been TARGETED, then any prepared their will get your stuff. Locks and stuff are just deterrents, but they do deter many opportunity thefts, which is what most thefts are. Locks are designed primarily for one thing, to cause the opportunity theives to move on to your neighbors' instead of you. Same with your car. Many, many theives simply stroll through parking lots looking for unlocked cars.

Likewise, leaving valuables laying around because "most people are good" is simply asking to be a victim. Most people are good, but there are enough people that will steal given the right opportunity that it is just a matter of time. Nothing is fool-proof, but it is all about giving yourself the best odds. The more people you can eliminate from being interested, tempted, or aware of your stuff, the better.

One of our new faculty members is the guy who did the analysis of the Diebold voting machine's vunlerabilities:

http://www.princeton.edu/~jhalderm/

One of the things he had to learn in the process was how to pick or jimmy the lock on the side of the machine. In the process, he learned just how useless the locks were, to the point that, now, he leaves his apartment door unlocked 24/7. His theory: if a theif wants in, s/he is getting in, and leaving the door unlocked means it is less likely to be damaged in the process.

That makes a certain amount of sense to me. When I was a kid, our house way way way out in the country was broken into, and the perpetrators just kicked in our back door (which had a 2" deadbolt). We had to replace the door and frame. It would have been much more pleasant not to have to do that part.

 

[eva]

One of our new faculty members is the guy who did the analysis of the Diebold voting machine's vunlerabilities:

http://www.princeton.edu/~jhalderm/

One of the things he had to learn in the process was how to pick or jimmy the lock on the side of the machine. In the process, he learned just how useless the locks were, to the point that, now, he leaves his apartment door unlocked 24/7. His theory: if a theif wants in, s/he is getting in, and leaving the door unlocked means it is less likely to be damaged in the process.
That makes a certain amount of sense to me. When I was a kid, our house way way way out in the country was broken into, and the perpetrators just kicked in our back door (which had a 2" deadbolt). We had to replace the door and frame. It would have been much more pleasant not to have to do that part.

Not too smart in my book. My boss had his garage broken into and so did every person on his street that left the access door unlocked. All the people that locked theirs didn't have a problem. And most of those locks were simple push locks. My nephew who lives in San Francisco had his apartment broken into when he left the door unlocked to do some quick laundry. He thought that having security was enough. Funny thing is that three people were broken into and they all had left their door unlocked for some reason. Bad news for my nephew was that his insurance company wouldn't pay up on his renter's insurance because he left the door unlocked.

For those who are worried about the monetary loss of your laptop, you can get some pretty basic insurance coverage for it. We have ours insured on the same policy as my jewelry. For the information, we do an entire drive backup about every week or so.

 

[HGD24]

...Most people are good, but there are enough people that will steal given the right opportunity that it is just a matter of time. Nothing is fool-proof, but it is all about giving yourself the best odds. The more people you can eliminate from being interested, tempted, or aware of your stuff, the better.

This is exactly what I was trying to say. Sometimes, even good people could be tempted given the right circumstance and with the prices of everything going up these days, even good people could be tempted to steal if something valuable is left lying in front of them. I'm one of those people who firmly believes that a thief is going to go for the unlocked car or house before they bother breaking into a locked one. Same with our laptop when we travel. I believe that someone would be tempted to go for a laptop left lying on a desk before they broke into our suitcase or took the entire suitcase.

 

[CarolA]

am just curious.

Those of you who "refuse to buy into the "climate of fear"... what are you going to do when your stuff is taken because the pixie dust didn't protect it?

My employer would consider leaving a laptop sitting on a desk in a hotel room not exactly "taking care of company assets" (Can't say I blame them LOL!) Contrary to the views on this board we have never had a laptop taken when "reasonable" protections were in place. That includes putting a cable lock on and locking it to a LARGE piece of furniture, not leaving them in the back of an SUV and using common sense. We have had lots of them walk off from various hotel rooms, been "smashed and grabbed" from the back of the SUV and just walk off at client sites. So... I will keep locking mine up. It's going to slow down the casual thief... he/she will be in your room getting the "easy mark" Thanks!

 

[CraftyMouse]

am just curious.
Those of you who "refuse to buy into the "climate of fear"... what are you going to do when your stuff is taken because the pixie dust didn't protect it?

I don't think it will ever happen. The odds are so small that I'm not going to worry about it. If, on the off chance, it does happen I give you permission to say "I told you so."

I supposed that if it were to happen I would address the issue with the Front Desk, just as I would if I had hidden the item before I left the room. The bottom line is that it would have been stolen, no matter whether it was hidden or not, so I would take the same approach that anyone with a stolen item would. My point is not that items can't/won't be stolen from time to time, just that the odds of it happening are very small and hiding the item really does very little to protect it.

 

[Tozzie]

am just curious.

Those of you who "refuse to buy into the "climate of fear"... what are you going to do when your stuff is taken because the pixie dust didn't protect it?

My employer would consider leaving a laptop sitting on a desk in a hotel room not exactly "taking care of company assets" (Can't say I blame them LOL!) Contrary to the views on this board we have never had a laptop taken when "reasonable" protections were in place. That includes putting a cable lock on and locking it to a LARGE piece of furniture, not leaving them in the back of an SUV and using common sense. We have had lots of them walk off from various hotel rooms, been "smashed and grabbed" from the back of the SUV and just walk off at client sites. So... I will keep locking mine up. It's going to slow down the casual thief... he/she will be in your room getting the "easy mark" Thanks!

You are very smug for someone who thinks they know everything and knows very little about what they speak. In an earlier response you stated something to the effect the thieves are not really housekeeping, so if housekeeping isn't stealing things and I come back to my room and my property is missing, I think I have a bigger problem than a stolen laptop, I will first thank God that I wasn't there when the thief broke in then I will take it up with the hotel manager, not for the fact that my laptop was stolen but for the lack of security and my safety concerns at a resort.

 

[CarolA]

You are very smug for someone who thinks they know everything and knows very little about what they speak. In an earlier response you stated something to the effect the thieves are not really housekeeping, so if housekeeping isn't stealing things and I come back to my room and my property is missing, I think I have a bigger problem than a stolen laptop, I will first thank God that I wasn't there when the thief broke in then I will take it up with the hotel manager, not for the fact that my laptop was stolen but for the lack of security and my safety concerns at a resort.

I have been reading and posting on here a LONG time.

When you go the front desk and say "my laptop is gone" they do NOTHING. They will not apologize (that's an admission of guilt) they will not "pay for your losses" (once again an admission of guilt and how do they REALLY know that you had a laptop?). I also posted that there are LOTS of ways to defeat those "locks" And security If you drive, show the guard a DL and you are IN the resort. If you get on a bus you are just in. If you park at DTD and walk to SSR, you are in.... There's very limited "secuirty". There's generally better security at the local Hampton Inn. (One entrace, other doors locked all the time etc)

There are routinely reports of thefts on these boards. I don't "Know it all" I just read!

I actually don't think it's housekeeping because they are the FIRST place Disney and the cops do check and they KNOW it. So it has to be "good" for them to bother. And I think there would be a lot MORE thefts if the housekeepers were as greedy as everyone on the DIS wants to believe LOL!

However, there was this report on the MANAGER you plan to complain to at VWL!
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=25756720#post25756720&highlight=theft


That said, I don't have much confidence in Disney's security over the master keys! I have read Disney's responses to thefts. Don't expect anything!

An example of the response you can expect

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=10501631#post10501631&highlight=theft

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1548475