# MAO word of warning



## luvmypt (Mar 28, 2013)

We just got back this past Sunday from Aruba where we stayed at the Ocean Club. Sometime during our 9 day stay, our 2 sets of Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones were stolen from our room. Those were the only items that didn't fit in the room safe. We have since learned that any valuable item left out of the safe and is stolen Marriott's claim service will NOT cover it. According to the claim service, all valuables have to be in either your room safe or the resorts safe to be covered. We're not very happy that we're out over $600.

_Moderator Note: See Post #44 for an update from the OP. -- SueDonJ_


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## FractionalTraveler (Mar 28, 2013)

luvmypt said:


> We just got back this past Sunday from Aruba where we stayed at the Ocean Club. Sometime during our 9 day stay, our 2 sets of Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones were stolen from our room. Those were the only items that didn't fit in the room safe. We have since learned that any valuable item left out of the safe and is stolen Marriott's claim service will NOT cover it. According to the claim service, all valuables have to be in either your room safe or the resorts safe to be covered. We're not very happy that we're out over $600.



Wow, I feel for you.  I also had a pair stolen a few years back but at another location.

Now when I leave them in my room, I hide them very well from plain sight.

Bummer but thanks for the warning....


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## luvmypt (Mar 28, 2013)

I hid ours as well but poof they're gone.


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## benyu2010 (Mar 28, 2013)

Man, that sucks...if $300 is considered valuables, then Marriott should install a closet size safe in the room. A pair of shoes, a jacket or an iPad..anything could be a valuable. This is serious problem Marriott needs to address to certain degree, not hide behinds it policies. How can an owner feel relax vacationing while away from his room...


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## luvmypt (Mar 28, 2013)

benyu2010 said:


> Man, that sucks...if $300 is considered valuables, then Marriott should install a closet size safe in the room. A pair of shoes, a jacket or an iPad..anything could be a valuable. This is serious problem Marriott needs to address to certain degree, not hide behinds it policies. How can an owner feel relax vacationing while away from his room...



I brought that very thing up to the claims specialist. According to them, anything of value, even your $100 tennis shoes, should go in the resort safe. I did find out our homeowners would cover the loss but we have a $500 deductible. You just can't win at this game.


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## Saintsfanfl (Mar 28, 2013)

Bring a hidden camera and bust that thief. They are getting so cheap these days. For $300 I have 3 IP/Wifi cameras in my house with motion detect DVR recording and remote access, complete with an Iphone/Android ap. I can even scroll through the event recordings or monitor live on my phone. I can also receive a text message if motion is detected. These particular cameras are not very covert, but it is a thought.


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## DeniseM (Mar 28, 2013)

There are bags you can buy for items like that, that you can lock onto a secure fixture in the room.  They have a wire mesh lining, and lock, so they can't be cut through, unless the thief has a bolt cutter or something similar.

http://pacsafe.com/


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## luvmypt (Mar 28, 2013)

DeniseM said:


> There are bags you can buy for items like that, that you can lock onto a secure fixture in the room.  They have a wire mesh lining, and lock, so they can't be cut through, unless the thief has a bolt cutter or something similar.
> 
> http://pacsafe.com/



It's funny you should mention the bags. I had one with us but it was only big enough for the 2 Kindles.


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## tlwmkw (Mar 28, 2013)

Any idea how the thief got into your room?  This is scary if they are easily getting in and out without being detected.

tlwmkw


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## DeniseM (Mar 28, 2013)

tlwmkw said:


> Any idea how the thief got into your room?  This is scary if they are easily getting in and out without being detected.
> 
> tlwmkw



Probably staff with a key...


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## travelmom11 (Mar 28, 2013)

Curious were they doing housekeeping at the time?  I never have cleaning come and always leave the do not disturb sign on the door for this very reason.


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## TF865 (Mar 28, 2013)

I bought one of the bags from Pacsafe and it has been an invaluable investment. They have several sizes and varieties. You can find them on Ebags.com. I bought one that is a smaller size backpack and I use it as my carryon. I bought two luggage locks (dial/keyless). One secures the bag to something the other secures the zipper. I take it to the beach to secure valuables when we want to go swimming etc. I will also use it in the room when we go out to secure larger valuables that don't fit in the safe. Will secure the bag to something so that it cannot be removed from the room. Will be using it next week at the surf club.


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## luvmypt (Mar 28, 2013)

tlwmkw said:


> Any idea how the thief got into your room?  This is scary if they are easily getting in and out without being detected.
> 
> tlwmkw



We think someone got into the room when we had the unexpected cleaning on the 16th. The door was ajar when we left to go to the beach and we think the housekeeper went to the supply rooms for a few minutes and left the door open. That's the only time we can think of.


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## luvmypt (Mar 28, 2013)

tfranklin said:


> I bought one of the bags from Pacsafe and it has been an invaluable investment. They have several sizes and varieties. You can find them on Ebags.com. I bought one that is a smaller size backpack and I use it as my carryon. I bought two luggage locks (dial/keyless). One secures the bag to something the other secures the zipper. I take it to the beach to secure valuables when we want to go swimming etc. I will also use it in the room when we go out to secure larger valuables that don't fit in the safe. Will secure the bag to something so that it cannot be removed from the room. Will be using it next week at the surf club.



Does your couch at the Surf Club have a hide a bed? If so, you can lock your bag to the metal bed frame. That's my plan come November. I had pulled the cushions on the couch and that frame is pretty darn sturdy. I don't think anyone will try to remove the couch especially when he/she finds out your bag is locked to it.


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## geekette (Mar 28, 2013)

luvmypt said:


> I brought that very thing up to the claims specialist. According to them, anything of value, even your $100 tennis shoes, should go in the resort safe. I did find out our homeowners would cover the loss but we have a $500 deductible. You just can't win at this game.



I think maybe the law of unintended consequences should be visited upon them, with everyone bringing everything of value to the desk for checking into the safe.  Enough checking in and out of Stuff from their safe ought to be enough of a choke point to rethink the plan.

All that said, it's best to not take on vacation the items that you don't want to lose.  Yes, sure, it should be fine in your room, but this isn't the first theft ever from a ts.  If you know that you will be leaving a pricey item unattended, think twice on whether you want to bring it along.

And if you decide to bring it, well, utilize every option to keep it safe, including checking it into the safe.  Isn't a bit of inconvenience worth a little peace of mind?


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## Luckybee (Mar 28, 2013)

luvmypt said:


> We think someone got into the room when we had the unexpected cleaning on the 16th. The door was ajar when we left to go to the beach and we think the housekeeper went to the supply rooms for a few minutes and left the door open. That's the only time we can think of.



This is something that has concerned me in past visits as well. Although handy for housekeeping I came back from the beach one day to find the door ajar and waited over 10 minutes for the housekeeper to come back from wherever. I admit I never mentioned this to anyone because I assumed, perhaps wrongly that she would get in trouble for doing that but now I'm wondering if this is standard operating practice and if so it shouldn't be.

 Is Corey aware of what happened? If not I'd like to suggest that you bring it to his attention (I don't just mean the theft but rather your theory as to how it may have happened),,,don't assume that he already knows since the chain doesn't always work as efficiently as you might suspect. As you may know a few yrs back there were a number of these types of incidents cured by a few measures and I'd hate to think it's starting again.


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## luvmypt (Mar 28, 2013)

Luckybee said:


> This is something that has concerned me in past visits as well. Although handy for housekeeping I came back from the beach one day to find the door ajar and waited over 10 minutes for the housekeeper to come back from wherever. I admit I never mentioned this to anyone because I assumed, perhaps wrongly that she would get in trouble for doing that but now I'm wondering if this is standard operating practice and if so it shouldn't be.
> 
> Is Corey aware of what happened? If not I'd like to suggest that you bring it to his attention (I don't just mean the theft but rather your theory as to how it may have happened),,,don't assume that he already knows since the chain doesn't always work as efficiently as you might suspect. As you may know a few yrs back there were a number of these types of incidents cured by a few measures and I'd hate to think it's starting again.



We emailed Corey to keep him in the loop but he turned us over to the Loss Prevention Manager so that's who we've been dealing with. My suggestion to anyone staying at the Ocean Club is to report any door ajar where there isn't a house keeper near by or in the room. I had told the Loss Prevent Manager that we witnessed on this trip and past trips where the doors were ajar and no housekeeper in the room or in the area. What I was told was that the house keepers only have the doors ajar if the occupants are in the room. That is the biggest bunch of BS I've heard. Like many, we have seen doors ajar and no house keeper in the area. It's like the management right hand doesn't know what the worker left hand is doing. If more of us don't start complaining, then more thefts are going to occur.

One other thing that really disturbs us is it's our word against the resorts word. In other words, we couldn't prove we even had headphones so it's hard to convince anyone to believe us. They won't admit that anything was stolen  but they're quick to say we lost them. We didn't lose anything. How do you lose anything in your room. It's such a small space so you're bound to find what ever you lost unless someone was there when you weren't and helped themselves. I'm trying to locate the flight attendant, in first class, who witnessed us using the headphones on the MIA to AUA leg but I'm not holding my breath.

In the future we're going to take pictures as we unpack which will be date stamped so they won't have any other choice but to believe us if this type thing ever happens again.


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## TF865 (Mar 28, 2013)

luvmypt said:


> Does your couch at the Surf Club have a hide a bed? If so, you can lock your bag to the metal bed frame. That's my plan come November. I had pulled the cushions on the couch and that frame is pretty darn sturdy. I don't think anyone will try to remove the couch especially when he/she finds out your bag is locked to it.



LOL! That's a good idea. I was thinking of the rod in the closet but that might work too!


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## dioxide45 (Mar 28, 2013)

This can pretty much happen at any resort or hotel. A hotel is usually only liable for articles left in a safe deposit at the front desk. This is standard policy across the industry. Their liability insurance will never cover items left in the room or villa.


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## Paumavista (Mar 28, 2013)

geekette said:


> I think maybe the law of unintended consequences should be visited upon them, with everyone bringing everything of value to the desk for checking into the safe.  Enough checking in and out of Stuff from their safe ought to be enough of a choke point to rethink the plan.



I actually like this idea - (the picture one was a good idea too).....but the thought of my bringing an armload of stuff down to the front desk whenever I head to the beach or pool based upon their recommendation is great.  It would be *really* good if lots of people started doing it!

It would be NO vacation for me if I was constantly worried about where I was hiding my stuff and how well I secured it in the room or whether I had taken a recent dated picture of it.  If they have a problem (even just a single incident) I think they need to address this by reviewing internal procedures and providing a LARGE locked and secured storage space in the room (I personally would rather NOT have housekeeping in and out of my room all week.....but that's just me and I may be in a minority.....but I will post my DO NOT DISTURB sign all week if I thought that would keep my stuff safe.

Judy


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## luvmypt (Mar 28, 2013)

tfranklin said:


> LOL! That's a good idea. I was thinking of the rod in the closet but that might work too!



The rod in the closet will not work. Go ahead and try to do some chin ups on it. I guarantee you'll pull it down with no trouble so anchor on the bed frame.


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## luvmypt (Mar 28, 2013)

Paumavista said:


> I actually like this idea - (the picture one was a good idea too).....but the thought of my bringing an armload of stuff down to the front desk whenever I head to the beach or pool based upon their recommendation is great.  It would be *really* good if lots of people started doing it!
> 
> It would be NO vacation for me if I was constantly worried about where I was hiding my stuff and how well I secured it in the room or whether I had taken a recent dated picture of it.  If they have a problem (even just a single incident) I think they need to address this by reviewing internal procedures and providing a LARGE locked and secured storage space in the room (I personally would rather NOT have housekeeping in and out of my room all week.....but that's just me and I may be in a minority.....but I will post my DO NOT DISTURB sign all week if I thought that would keep my stuff safe.
> 
> Judy



Do you think they would actually change their insurance rules if we all brought down an armload of stuff and asked that it be put in the resort safe? I say let's go for it. BTW, how big is that safe? If enough of us do it, maybe they'll start securing our rooms and we won't have to worry about anything being taken out of them.


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## ilene13 (Mar 28, 2013)

luvmypt said:


> It's funny you should mention the bags. I had one with us but it was only big enough for the 2 Kindles.



We have one and it is quite large, we use it at the beach.   They come in different sizes.  i guess i will use it in the villa too.We have never had anything stolen at the OC.


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## luvmypt (Mar 28, 2013)

ilene13 said:


> We have one and it is quite large, we use it at the beach.   They come in different sizes.  i guess i will use it in the villa too.We have never had anything stolen at the OC.



We've owned at the Ocean Club for 12 years and this last trip was the first time we've ever been stolen from. I guess over the years you get swept up in knowing it's a secure resort but all of a sudden your on a losing end and then you change your mind.


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## dioxide45 (Mar 28, 2013)

luvmypt said:


> I brought that very thing up to the claims specialist. According to them, anything of value, even your $100 tennis shoes, should go in the resort safe. I did find out our homeowners would cover the loss but we have a $500 deductible. You just can't win at this game.



I would recommend talking with your insurance agent and purchasing an Inland Marine policy that will cover valuables above and beyond your regular homeowners insurance. You will need to gather values and serial numbers for everything you want to cover, but once in place there shouldn't be any deductibles on claims. We cover all my wife's camera equipment plus other electronics and jewelry for only a couple hundred bucks a year. People usually don't know how little their homeowners policy will cover if they have jewelry and electronics stolen from their home. These specific categories sometimes have very low limits on a standard homeowners policy.


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## JMSH (Mar 28, 2013)

dioxide45 said:


> I would recondite talking with your insurance agent and purchasing an Inland Marine policy that will cover valuables above and beyond your regular homeowners insurance. You will need to gather values and serial numbers for everything you want to cover, but once in place there shouldn't be any deductibles on claims. We cover all my wife's camera equipment plus other electronics and jewelry for only a couple hundred bucks a year. People usually don't know how little their homeowners policy will cover if they have jewelry and electronics stolen from their home. These specific categories sometimes have very low limits on a standard homeowners policy.



If I read correctly the home insurance policy has coverage for the loss yet subject to the policy deductible of $500. There is no need to purchase any additional coverage. My opinion is that purchasing additional coverage as you mention above is extremely costly...paying $200 to get a $500 deductible waived is very pricey, you do not get any additional perils covered you simply are paying a premium to get a deductible waived IF you happen to have a claim.


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## dioxide45 (Mar 28, 2013)

JMSH said:


> If I read correctly the home insurance policy has coverage for the loss yet subject to the policy deductible of $500. There is no need to purchase any additional coverage. My opinion is that purchasing additional coverage as you mention above is extremely costly...paying $200 to get a $500 deductible waived is very pricey, you do not get any additional perils covered you simply are paying a premium to get a deductible waived IF you happen to have a claim.



Actually you get a lot more than just a $0 deductible with an inland marine policy. You get coverage for the value of those goods on the inland marine policy.

Your homeowners policy may only cover up to $500 in jewelry and $500 in camera equipment. There are limits in these as well as many other categories. If you have $3000 in camera equipment in your home and suffer a loss, you are only getting $500 for those cameras. Same for jewelry. Many people don't bother to check policy limits and think if their policy covers $40,000 in contents, they are covered. That simply isn't the case.

These policies also cover accidental damage to the equipment. We had an underwater camera flood while snorkeling and it was covered. So no need to buy any extended warranties on personal electronics unless you want to cover product failure.


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## ilene13 (Mar 28, 2013)

dioxide45 said:


> Actually you get a lot more than just a $0 deductible with an inland marine policy. You get coverage for the value of those goods on the inland marine policy.
> 
> Your homeowners policy may only cover up to $500 in jewelry and $500 in camera equipment. There are limits in these as well as many other categories. If you have $3000 in camera equipment in your home and suffer a loss, you are only getting $500 for those cameras. Same for jewelry. Many people don't bother to check policy limits and think if their policy covers $40,000 in contents, they are covered. That simply isn't the case.
> 
> These policies also cover accidental damage to the equipment. We had an underwater camera flood while snorkeling and it was covered. So no need to buy any extended warranties on personal electronics unless you want to cover product failure.


That is why I have insurance riders especially for my jewelry and art work


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## siesta (Mar 28, 2013)

That's a shame.  Last year in April upon check out of the Ocean Club, I forgot a very valuable (and sentimental) gold ring in the safe, under the mat.  I didnt get a chance to call the resort until the followng day, I asked the housekeeping desk and they said nothing was found or turned in.   But they said they would check again and call me back, when I asked they said that someone had already checked into that room. I figured it was long gone.  I got a call a short while later, and they said that they found my ring in the safe that the new guest was using (it was under the mat like I told them) and they sent it back to me (either ups or fedex i cant remember, because they said ring looked expensive and they didnt trust the regular mail).  They even offered to split the cost of shipping which was going to be around $40-50.  I was obviously very pleased, and to be honest after talking to many staff at the resort, it didnt surprise me too much to get it back.  Arubans are wonderful people.

Sorry your room was visited by a bad apple.


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## Johnsp (Mar 29, 2013)

A while back I had money I carelessly forgot to put in the safe stolen from my room.  I forgot to take it out of my pants pocket when I changed into my swimming suit to go to the pool.  I called the front desk and reported it.  The assistant manager came and read the card lock on the unit door.  The device that read the lock showed every key that opened the door and what time. They had every key each employee was using recorded in addition to the keys guests were using.  They knew who entered my room and the employee who entered was questioned and eventually admitted to being the thief.  Our money was returned.  If you have a theft and have a card lock on the door, have the resort read the lock to see who was there.  You might be as lucky as we were.  This happened at a timeshare in Mexico and the resort really took it seriously.


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## jeff76543 (Mar 29, 2013)

Saintsfanfl said:


> Bring a hidden camera and bust that thief. They are getting so cheap these days. For $300 I have 3 IP/Wifi cameras in my house with motion detect DVR recording and remote access, complete with an Iphone/Android ap. I can even scroll through the event recordings or monitor live on my phone. I can also receive a text message if motion is detected. These particular cameras are not very covert, but it is a thought.



There is, of course, a chance that the cameras would be stolen together with the valuables -- and Loss Prevention would tell you that the cameras were valuables that also should have been placed in the safe...


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## luvmypt (Mar 29, 2013)

Johnsp said:


> A while back I had money I carelessly forgot to put in the safe stolen from my room.  I forgot to take it out of my pants pocket when I changed into my swimming suit to go to the pool.  I called the front desk and reported it.  The assistant manager came and read the card lock on the unit door.  The device that read the lock showed every key that opened the door and what time. They had every key each employee was using recorded in addition to the keys guests were using.  They knew who entered my room and the employee who entered was questioned and eventually admitted to being the thief.  Our money was returned.  If you have a theft and have a card lock on the door, have the resort read the lock to see who was there.  You might be as lucky as we were.  This happened at a timeshare in Mexico and the resort really took it seriously.



There was only two times that we are aware of where there was someone in our room and that would be on March 16th and 20th and we didn't discover the headphones missing until March 24th when we arrived at the airport. According to Loss Prevention, they said they read the card lock but they didn't say which days. They questioned everybody who accessed the room but you wouldn't expect someone to come clean unless they had the headphones on them. I'm going to email Loss Prevention and ask them what days they checked the card lock.


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## ilene13 (Mar 29, 2013)

I hate to sound stupid but how did you not know they were missing until you got to the airport?


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## luvmypt (Mar 29, 2013)

ilene13 said:


> I hate to sound stupid but how did you not know they were missing until you got to the airport?



I was checking my small backpack, that I carry my headphones in, for something and I discovered they weren't there. I also checked my wife's bag and her's wasn't there either. We both looked at each other and we realized neither one us packed them or even seen them when we checked the the villa. I might add that neither one of us even thought about them until I discovered we didn't have them. We only use the headphones to watch movies on the flights and nothing else.


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## ilene13 (Mar 29, 2013)

I too only use mine when I am on the plane.  I carry a small set of headphones to use when I work out.  Are you sure that you even had them in the villa and you did not leave them on the plane?  I would check with your airline.  Many years ago we left one of our son's game boys on the plane with a case of 40 games.  AA actually had it in a locker at the Cancun airport.  When I asked about them they were thrilled to return them.


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## luvmypt (Mar 29, 2013)

ilene13 said:


> I too only use mine when I am on the plane.  I carry a small set of headphones to use when I work out.  Are you sure that you even had them in the villa and you did not leave them on the plane?  I would check with your airline.  Many years ago we left one of our son's game boys on the plane with a case of 40 games.  AA actually had it in a locker at the Cancun airport.  When I asked about them they were thrilled to return them.



They were with us when we checked into the room. I tried to see if they would fit in the safe with the other stuff we had in there and it was a no go so I put them in the cabinet under the bedroom TV. When we packed there was nothing in the cabinet so it didn't register with either one of us that there was suppose to be something there.


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## ilene13 (Mar 30, 2013)

I never unpack mine.  I am currently in Mexico and I just checked my carry on-- they are still there.  The safes at the OC are very small I would never have thought that they could fit.


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## JMSH (Mar 30, 2013)

dioxide45 said:


> Actually you get a lot more than just a $0 deductible with an inland marine policy. You get coverage for the value of those goods on the inland marine policy.
> 
> Your homeowners policy may only cover up to $500 in jewelry and $500 in camera equipment. There are limits in these as well as many other categories. If you have $3000 in camera equipment in your home and suffer a loss, you are only getting $500 for those cameras. Same for jewelry. Many people don't bother to check policy limits and think if their policy covers $40,000 in contents, they are covered. That simply isn't the case.
> 
> These policies also cover accidental damage to the equipment. We had an underwater camera flood while snorkeling and it was covered. So no need to buy any extended warranties on personal electronics unless you want to cover product failure.



My point is that the perils covered on an inland marine form or a scheduled form are no different than the perils covered under a comprehensive form home/tenants/content policy. Granted some specific type of contents like cash, jewellery, collectibles can have specific limts on them and hence you might need to add higher limts in some specific areas but in this particular case that is not an issue. My profession in Canada is that of an independent insurance broker. Policies in Canada do not have any special limit on items such as camera equipment and or audio visual equipment nor any specific limit on any contents while travelling.


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## Mr. Vker (Mar 30, 2013)

We are returning to Aruba in August. (Have been every year since 2005.) This time for two weeks. My wife has been reading article after article about crimes against tourists significantly on the rise in the last year. We will be taking more precautions than before.


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## CashEddie (Mar 30, 2013)

We are going to Aruba during Thanksgiving and we are staying at the Ocean Club.  I was planning to take my laptop and iPad with me but since reading this thread I'm having second thoughts.   I have stayed at many Marriott timeshares and never had a problem with theft at any of them.  When we are on timeshare stays, we don't get maid service so hopefully that will cut down on the probability of someone coming into our room.  I know I don't want to stress over my electronics on vacation and go through the hassle of having to take my stuff down to the front desk everytime I leave my room.  This is very interesting...


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## Mr. Vker (Mar 30, 2013)

CashEddie said:


> We are going to Aruba during Thanksgiving and we are staying at the Ocean Club.  I was planning to take my laptop and iPad with me but since reading this thread I'm having second thoughts.   I have stayed at many Marriott timeshares and never had a problem with theft at any of them.  When we are on timeshare stays, we don't get maid service so hopefully that will cut down on the probability of someone coming into our room.  I know I don't want to stress over my electronics on vacation and go through the hassle of having to take my stuff down to the front desk everytime I leave my room.  This is very interesting...



I lock items that won't fit in the safe in one of our suitcases. Then put it in a closet with the rest. Sure, they could take the bag. But, what are we going to do? We have stuff we have to bring. Has worked so far. I think its inconspicuous and relatively secure.


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## Luckybee (Mar 31, 2013)

CashEddie said:


> .  When we are on timeshare stays, we don't get maid service so hopefully that will cut down on the probability of someone coming into our room.



Are you saying that you choose not to have service or that because it's a timeshare stay service isnt included. Reason I ask is that at the O.C full servicing is only once a week but there is a mid week tidy service included in timeshare stays. ( which can be upgraded to full service for a nominal fee). Make sure if you dont want it at all that you specify that to the front desk. 

I dont know if this will make you feel any better but, we havent worried in yrs about issues in our unit(although the op has given me cause to pause..and I worry about the policy of the housekeepers in leaving a room unsecure which could lead to crimes of opportunity). In Nov/Dec. we had 2 kindles, expensive camera, 2 latops, ipad and 2 blackberry's none of which were in the safe in over 2 weeks ..all sitting out in the open...no issues. Not to say we couldnt have a problem but thats what insurance is for  

I'm certainly not aware of a rash of issues in the units like there was a number of yrs back though , which is more my concern.


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## ilene13 (Mar 31, 2013)

CashEddie said:


> We are going to Aruba during Thanksgiving and we are staying at the Ocean Club.  I was planning to take my laptop and iPad with me but since reading this thread I'm having second thoughts.   I have stayed at many Marriott timeshares and never had a problem with theft at any of them.  When we are on timeshare stays, we don't get maid service so hopefully that will cut down on the probability of someone coming into our room.  I know I don't want to stress over my electronics on vacation and go through the hassle of having to take my stuff down to the front desk everytime I leave my room.  This is very interesting...



We are there weeks 51 and 52 annually.  This past year we had 2 iPads, 2 iPods, 1 laptop, 2 iPhones, 1 blackberry, a kindle and 1 set of Bose headphones.  Obviously it did not all fit into the mini safe.  There were no issues.  None of it was sitting in plain sight.  We do have a PAC safe which I will consider using in the villa instead of just on the beach.  We also have maid service.  I am not too concerned about bringing our stuff with us.  We will just be more cognizant of its whereabouts.


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## luvmypt (Mar 31, 2013)

Update: We got an email from the Loss Prevention Manager and he said they found our headphones in the bedroom nightstand. We thought they had been stolen because the previous searches turned up nothing. He said they were found in the bottom of the nightstand and that they were hard to see because of the dark color of the cases blending in with the dark wood. Getting our headphones back has made our day.  Happy Easter.


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## luvmypt (Mar 31, 2013)

CashEddie said:


> We are going to Aruba during Thanksgiving and we are staying at the Ocean Club.  I was planning to take my laptop and iPad with me but since reading this thread I'm having second thoughts.   I have stayed at many Marriott timeshares and never had a problem with theft at any of them.  When we are on timeshare stays, we don't get maid service so hopefully that will cut down on the probability of someone coming into our room.  I know I don't want to stress over my electronics on vacation and go through the hassle of having to take my stuff down to the front desk everytime I leave my room.  This is very interesting...



Your laptop and iPad should fit in the room safe so I would go ahead and take them. We've never had any problems with somebody getting into the safe.

BTW, we'll be at the Ocean Club this Thanksgiving as well.


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## m61376 (Mar 31, 2013)

luvmypt said:


> Update: We got an email from the Loss Prevention Manager and he said they found our headphones in the bedroom nightstand. We thought they had been stolen because the previous searches turned up nothing. He said they were found in the bottom of the nightstand and that they were hard to see because of the dark color of the cases blending in with the dark wood. Getting our headphones back has made our day.  Happy Easter.


Glad it all worked out. Clearly they went the extra mile to find them for you too.

You should edit your initial post to reflect the good news!


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## luvmypt (Mar 31, 2013)

m61376 said:


> Glad it all worked out. Clearly they went the extra mile to find them for you too.
> 
> You should edit your initial post to reflect the good news!



I would love to edit my initial post but I don't see any way of doing it.


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## ilene13 (Mar 31, 2013)

luvmypt said:


> I would love to edit my initial post but I don't see any way of doing it.



Please put an update on the Aruba-bb site too.


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## luvmypt (Mar 31, 2013)

ilene13 said:


> Please put an update on the Aruba-bb site too.



It's been updated. Thanks.


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## CashEddie (Mar 31, 2013)

Luckybee said:


> Are you saying that you choose not to have service or that because it's a timeshare stay service isnt included. Reason I ask is that at the O.C full servicing is only once a week but there is a mid week tidy service included in timeshare stays. ( which can be upgraded to full service for a nominal fee). Make sure if you dont want it at all that you specify that to the front desk.
> 
> I dont know if this will make you feel any better but, we havent worried in yrs about issues in our unit(although the op has given me cause to pause..and I worry about the policy of the housekeepers in leaving a room unsecure which could lead to crimes of opportunity). In Nov/Dec. we had 2 kindles, expensive camera, 2 latops, ipad and 2 blackberry's none of which were in the safe in over 2 weeks ..all sitting out in the open...no issues. Not to say we couldnt have a problem but thats what insurance is for
> 
> I'm certainly not aware of a rash of issues in the units like there was a number of yrs back though , which is more my concern.



We own at three Marriott resorts (Grand Vista, Grand Chateau and Habour Point) and no maid server is ever offered as part of our stay.  I'm aware of the cost of the daily or mid week tidy up but we never opt for it.  We typically bring our own cleaning products or get small sizes when we make a grocery run at the beginning of our week.  

Now if you are saying that Ocean Club offers a mid week tidy service at no additional cost, then that is news to me in terms of timeshare stays.  I always assumed that we would not get any cleaning services unless we paid for it.



luvmypt said:


> Update: We got an email from the Loss Prevention Manager and he said they found our headphones in the bedroom nightstand. We thought they had been stolen because the previous searches turned up nothing. He said they were found in the bottom of the nightstand and that they were hard to see because of the dark color of the cases blending in with the dark wood. Getting our headphones back has made our day.  Happy Easter.



I'm glad to hear that the resort found your headphones.  This puts me at ease  about bringing my gadgets.  We typically never worry about our stuff in the rooms we have stayed but its always good to exercise caution.



luvmypt said:


> Your laptop and iPad should fit in the room safe so I would go ahead and take them. We've never had any problems with somebody getting into the safe.
> 
> BTW, we'll be at the Ocean Club this Thanksgiving as well.



Great!  Maybe we can meet you and any other TUGers that will be there that week.  We officially don't check-in to the Ocean Club until 11/25 so we ended up getting a two bedroom at the Surf Club for one night (11/24) using DC points.  It was cheaper than renting the room directly from Marriott.com.


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## luvmypt (Mar 31, 2013)

CashEddie said:


> Great!  Maybe we can meet you and any other TUGers that will be there that week.  We officially don't check-in to the Ocean Club until 11/25 so we ended up getting a two bedroom at the Surf Club for one night (11/24) using DC points.  It was cheaper than renting the room directly from Marriott.com.



We'll be at the ocean Club from Nov 22 to Dec 1 so we'll have to meet up sometime during our stays. In 12 years of ownership, I don't ever remember meeting a fellow tugger.


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## taffy19 (Mar 31, 2013)

Glad to read this as i feel very safe at the Marriott resort.  We leave most of our things out here and at our other timeshares too.  We were on Maui once and moved four times during that vacation.  I left our money and important papers in one of the safes and only noticed during our last few days, when we ran out of money, that I hadn't emptied the safe.  I called both places but nobody reported it found.  Our second place was a rental and they moved us from a 1 BR to a 2 BR condo the next day so will never know where I left it.  I was pretty annoyed with myself and am hesitant now to use a safe again.


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## Luckybee (Apr 1, 2013)

CashEddie said:


> Now if you are saying that Ocean Club offers a mid week tidy service at no additional cost, then that is news to me in terms of timeshare stays.  I always assumed that we would not get any cleaning services unless we paid for it.



I understand now . The only timeshare we have is the OC, and the first time we traded I was surprised that there wasnt included tidy service...lol. Yes, a midweek tidy service is included for both owners and exchangers. It doesnt include a chg of bed linens (and a couple of other things which escape me right now). 

We're also at the OC From Nov 24th to Dec 15th this yr


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## Luckybee (Apr 1, 2013)

luvmypt said:


> We'll be at the ocean Club from Nov 22 to Dec 1 so we'll have to meet up sometime during our stays. In 12 years of ownership, I don't ever remember meeting a fellow tugger.



We used to go to Aruba BB parties but havent been to one in yrs. Perhaps a Tug party might be in order


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## myoakley (Apr 1, 2013)

Will anyone be at the Surf Club starting the end of this week?  Would love to meet up.


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## luvmypt (Apr 1, 2013)

Luckybee said:


> We used to go to Aruba BB parties but havent been to one in yrs. Perhaps a Tug party might be in order



A drink or two would be good to go along with our introductions so we're game if you are.


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## jjluhman (Apr 1, 2013)

Off topic Ocean Club question:

Do the units have blenders?

Thanks!


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## luvmypt (Apr 1, 2013)

jjluhman said:


> Off topic Ocean Club question:
> 
> Do the units have blenders?
> 
> Thanks!



Yes they do.


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## CashEddie (Apr 2, 2013)

luvmypt said:


> A drink or two would be good to go along with our introductions so we're game if you are.



I'm down for drinks and hanging out.  Let's coordinate as we get closer to the time.


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## luvmypt (Apr 2, 2013)

CashEddie said:


> I'm down for drinks and hanging out.  Let's coordinate as we get closer to the time.



Sounds like a plan.

Back to the headphones. It's costing us $71.74 to have the headphones FedEx'd to us from Aruba.


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## CashEddie (Apr 2, 2013)

luvmypt said:


> Sounds like a plan.
> 
> Back to the headphones. It's costing us $71.74 to have the headphones FedEx'd to us from Aruba.



Ouch! Well at least you are getting them back.  Did they offer to split the shipping costs?


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## ilene13 (Apr 2, 2013)

CashEddie said:


> Ouch! Well at least you are getting them back.  Did they offer to split the shipping costs?



Why should they---he left them there!


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## luvmypt (Apr 2, 2013)

CashEddie said:


> Ouch! Well at least you are getting them back.  Did they offer to split the shipping costs?



Heck no. I would have thought they would because they led us to believe they were stolen, after not finding them in the initial searches, and then they waited a whole week to search again only to find them which means they didn't do a very good job of searching to begin with. After all, how long does it take to thoroughly search the master bedroom?  I've already bought a new pair so now I'll have two.


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## luvmypt (Apr 2, 2013)

ilene13 said:


> Why should they---he left them there!



Yes, we left them there and I'm not complaining about what it's costing us to get them back. I only mentioned the price to let people know what it costs to use FedEx for such small items in case if anybody was wandering.


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## cp73 (Apr 2, 2013)

luvmypt said:


> I was checking my small backpack, that I carry my headphones in, for something and I discovered they weren't there. I also checked my wife's bag and her's wasn't there either. We both looked at each other and we realized neither one us packed them or even seen them when we checked the the villa. I might add that neither one of us even thought about them until I discovered we didn't have them. We only use the headphones to watch movies on the flights and nothing else.



So now that they turned up in the bottom of the night stand do you recall putting them in there? Does it make sense that they weren't in your small backpack because you took them out so you could use the backpack during your trip? Ive accidently left a few things behind in the past also. Fortunately its usually a bathing suit or something similar. We always try to make one last pass through the place after we have removed our luggage and stuff.


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## ilene13 (Apr 2, 2013)

luvmypt said:


> Heck no. I would have thought they would because they led us to believe they were stolen, after not finding them in the initial searches, and then they waited a whole week to search again only to find them which means they didn't do a very good job of searching to begin with. After all, how long does it take to thoroughly search the master bedroom?  I've already bought a new pair so now I'll have two.



Maybe they did not thoroughly check the room as you told them that you had put them in the cabinet under the TV-- you've told the whole Internet that!  The night stand is curved and when things are on the bottom shelf they are very hard to see, so it is very possible to miss something in there.  Just be happy that your property was found.  I as an owner at the OC am thrilled that your accusations of something being stolen have proven false.  Honestly I think this thread should be ended as the issue is now moot!  Sue, I hope you agree and you close it.


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## luvmypt (Apr 2, 2013)

cp73 said:


> So now that they turned up in the bottom of the night stand do you recall putting them in there? Does it make sense that they weren't in your small backpack because you took them out so you could use the backpack during your trip? Ive accidently left a few things behind in the past also. Fortunately its usually a bathing suit or something similar. We always try to make one last pass through the place after we have removed our luggage and stuff.



I had thought I put them in the cabinet under the TV but I guess I was wrong. Because the headphones were only a momentary memory thing when I placed them, my memory has a hard time remembering where I actually put them. I can't even remember what I had for dinner 9 days ago so it was hard to remember where I put them after 9 days in the room. I eat dinner every day and I use the headphones even less, like twice a year.


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## luvmypt (Apr 2, 2013)

ilene13 said:


> Maybe they did not thoroughly check the room as you told them that you had put them in the cabinet under the TV-- you've told the whole Internet that!  The night stand is curved and when things are on the bottom shelf they are very hard to see, so it is very possible to miss something in there.  Just be happy that your property was found.  I as an owner at the OC am thrilled that your accusations of something being stolen have proven false.  Honestly I think this thread should be ended as the issue is now moot!  Sue, I hope you agree and you close it.



I agree the thread should be closed but remember one thing. You tend to believe the worst when you've  been told the room has been searched and the items in question were not found.


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## siesta (Apr 2, 2013)

Glad there was a (somewhat) happy ending. It does not surprise me you got your items back, just as it didnt surprise me to get my valuable and nearly 100 year old gold ring back. That notion is hard to come by these days.


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## luvmypt (Apr 3, 2013)

FedEx just delivered the headphones.


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## TF865 (Apr 3, 2013)

myoakley said:


> Will anyone be at the Surf Club starting the end of this week?  Would love to meet up.



My husband and I along with another couple will be arriving Monday the 8th through the 16th! Can't wait since it is once again snowing and freezing here in upstate NY!


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