Great time at SSR

[bavaria]

Right -- those rotten @$%@@&&XXX's stole some of my wife's jewelry a couple of years ago. She didn't discover it until we got home and was really wailing...so I asked her, "Sweetie...did you check the safe before we left?"

It got real quiet, and then she asked if I still had the front desk number for OKW on my cell. Needless to say, the front desk CM just laughed and said, "Yeah, we have it! We were waiting for you to call to see how you want it shipped."

To this day, whenever she can't find something, I tell her to check the safe!

Jim, in all the 100's of nights a year I spend in hotel rooms around the world, I have never thought to blame the hotel staff for something going missing. I HAVE missed a few items, and like your wife, realized later that I had simply put it elsewhere.

While there may be rogue elements, housekeepers have one of the most difficult jobs in a hotel, and I doubt that many of them are going to put their jobs on the line.

I have however heard many many stories about guests leaving cash in their pillowcases (and claiming that it was stolen), diamond earrings in wadded up kleenex which was then tossed away (and claimed that it was stolen), items left in the safe (and claimed that it was stolen), etc etc etc.

I have ALSO then heard about hotel staff going through dumpsters, or dirty laundry, to find those items for guests.

I just hate to see these leaps which publically blame some of the hardest working people at WDW, when they have no means of defending themselves here.

 

[JimMIA]

Jim, in all the 100's of nights a year I spend in hotel rooms around the world, I have never thought to blame the hotel staff for something going missing. I HAVE missed a few items, and like your wife, realized later that I had simply put it elsewhere.

I don't spend hundreds of nights in hotels each year, but I do spend several dozen, and I've had it both ways. I've been stupid (or scatterbrained, distracted, whatever) and I've also had things stolen from my room. Haven't had anything stolen at Disney, but I have had elsewhere, including at some 4- and 5-star hotels.

I just hate to see these leaps which publically blame some of the hardest working people at WDW, when they have no means of defending themselves here.

In fairness, I don't believe pcparamedic01 did that. I think some others jumped to conclusions, but in the OP, I think all that was said was basically that the mother had the card with her the entire time except for one time when it was left in the room -- and during that period, the room was cleaned. That's not an accusation. That's just, "You know...the only thing I can think of is..."

Obviously, pcparamedic01 was upset, but I never thought of their posts as bashing anyone. I know the title of the thread starts "SSR issue..." but that's really a pretty fine point to argue with, IMHO. If the thread had started with a hysterical, drama-rant about the world coming to an end, I'd agree with you, but I don't think that's the case here.

 

[pcparamedics01]

I don't spend hundreds of nights in hotels each year, but I do spend several dozen, and I've had it both ways. I've been stupid (or scatterbrained, distracted, whatever) and I've also had things stolen from my room. Haven't had anything stolen at Disney, but I have had elsewhere, including at some 4- and 5-star hotels.In fairness, I don't believe pcparamedic01 did that. I think some others jumped to conclusions, but in the OP, I think all that was said was basically that the mother had the card with her the entire time except for one time when it was left in the room -- and during that period, the room was cleaned. That's not an accusation. That's just, "You know...the only thing I can think of is..."

Obviously, pcparamedic01 was upset, but I never thought of their posts as bashing anyone. I know the title of the thread starts "SSR issue..." but that's really a pretty fine point to argue with, IMHO. If the thread had started with a hysterical, drama-rant about the world coming to an end, I'd agree with you, but I don't think that's the case here.

Thank you I needed that! That is it in a nut shell. My Mom and my step father are driving me crazy! I told them to get the identity theft. Everyone needs that anyway. I myself just want closure to this. I am sick of talking about it. I would of been better if it happened to me instead of her just so I do not have to hear it anymore. She is upset because my step father is upset and lecturing her of how she should never leave her purse anywhere end of story.

 

[Mickey Moose]

If you have concrete evidence that Disney staff was involved, then contact MS, if not I would be careful of what I accuse people of.

Sammie,

I don't think this is good advice. I think all incidents need to be reported to holel management because management (or the cops) are the people in a position to monitor the entire problem, hotel or resort wide and piece together any common issues, for example a guest that was checked in, or a hotel employee that was working or present during a series of incidents. This could aid in etablishing a pattern among incidents and lead to a suspect. It is crucial for management or law enforcement to have as much information available to them as possible to investigate when problems like this occur. If guests wait to report a problem until there is concrete proof, it would be much harder to identify likelty suspects for the folks that need to investigate and reslove the problem.

 

[Mike©]

This could be as simple as someone with the same CCard having made a purchase at a store where the CC reader was on the fritz and like most bussinesses pulled out the old card swipe imprinter for the transaction.
From there a simple single digit data entry error could cause the whole problem.

That was my reason for asking where the purchase was made ( something the card company tells you when questioning the charge in the first place ). If it was in some other state all together, this could be a simple data entry problem with another card holder with a account number one digit off from mom's.

Just a thought.

 

[Sammie]

For example, there are software packages available free on the Internet which provide the algorhythm for generating appropriate credit card numbers for any type of credit card. It's a hit or miss proposition, and you have to kiss a lot of frogs to find a prince, but it's a big payoff when you get one right

That was my point. Our card was mailed to us, we activated it and locked in our safe, and never took it out. We got a call from the credit card company asking if we had used it in Europe as we had over $3000 worth of charges on it within the last 24 hours.

Of course we said No, it is locked in our safe and has never, ever been used or even out of the safe. And it was not the credit card company it was a credit card scam in Bosnia.

So my point is as is Jim's, anything can happen these days with credit cards.

 

[Sammie]

I don't think they have cameras moitoring all the balconies, especially at resorts like OKW and SSR. We've even have guests leave their door ajar all day at OKW while we were at a park, and nothing was touched, on the other hand, I've had guests not check their connecting door, and had a child walk in from the next room while they were having breakfast.

We really don't know enough to specifically say the Disney CMs, or anyone at Disney, contributed to these incidents, let alone accuse them of theft.

You are correct, they do not have cameras monitoring the balconies, only at AKL, due to the animals.

 

[JimMIA]

You are correct, they do not have cameras monitoring the balconies, only at AKL, due to the animals.

The animals outside the rooms, or inside?

Sorry...couldn't resist.

 

[jagson]

one wonders what disney's background checks on potential employees is. i recall reading a book several years ago that detailed the lax, if any, background checks that disney did on employees, as compared to the other theme parks in the area. has anyone any info on their employment practices, ie background checks? there's probably some background check, but how thorough is it? you'd think they'd scrutinize potential employees so threads like this these wouldn't start.

 

[LisaS]

I would definitely recommend that she put "fraud alerts" on her files at all three credit reporting agencies. Then, wait a couple of months and get copies of her files from all three and check them. She should see the fraud alerts, and she should not see accounts that aren't hers or addresses/employment that is not hers. If she finds any of those things, there's a procedure for having the file corrected.

This is excellent advice, Jim! Like some others here, I was contacted by a credit card company about a suspicious charge on my account. Like Sammie and like the OP's mom, it was a card I had gotten months earlier but had never used. Someone used the account to buy something at a store in NYC. A few months ago I checked my credit files with all three reporting agencies. In one of the reports, among my previous addresses they listed an address in NYC. I contacted that particular credit reporting company to have that entry removed from my record. So to the OP: take Jim's advice and check the credit files in a couple of months and check for bogus information!

 

[jemiaule]

This could be as simple as someone with the same CCard having made a purchase at a store where the CC reader was on the fritz and like most bussinesses pulled out the old card swipe imprinter for the transaction.
From there a simple single digit data entry error could cause the whole problem.

Credit card numbers do not work that way. They are not created in a sequential order; meaning if you have a credit card number ending in 8 there is not someone who has the exact same sequence of numbers with the last ending in a 9.

Numbers are comprised of a bank identifier, issue identifier and account number. The whole number is basically a checksum that validates using the LUHN formula. Generally inverting a couple of numbers or putting in a wrong digit would "break" the checksum and render an invalid credit card number.

That said, someone who knows how numbers are comprised, knows the correct identifiers and the LUHN formula, could in theory work out valid credit card numbers. But without the 3 digit verifier number on that back they would have a tough time using it as most retailers now require it for any purchases not made in person.

 

[JimMIA]

Numbers are comprised of a bank identifier, issue identifier and account number. The whole number is basically a checksum that validates using the LUHN formula. Generally inverting a couple of numbers or putting in a wrong digit would "break" the checksum and render an invalid credit card number.

That said, someone who knows how numbers are comprised, knows the correct identifiers and the LUHN formula, could in theory work out valid credit card numbers. But without the 3 digit verifier number on that back they would have a tough time using it as most retailers now require it for any purchases not made in person.

Why did I have a feeling you were going to post something like this? And it's NOT useless knowledge!

I don't know for sure, but there are probably still some international cards that don't have all of the security devices. The last domestic CreditMaster hit I saw was a credit union here in Miami. It was a $450,000+ loss, but it was about 8 years ago. I'm sure there have been others, but that's the most recent one I've personally seen.

 

[pcparamedics01]

This is excellent advice, Jim! Like some others here, I was contacted by a credit card company about a suspicious charge on my account. Like Sammie and like the OP's mom, it was a card I had gotten months earlier but had never used. Someone used the account to buy something at a store in NYC. A few months ago I checked my credit files with all three reporting agencies. In one of the reports, among my previous addresses they listed an address in NYC. I contacted that particular credit reporting company to have that entry removed from my record. So to the OP: take Jim's advice and check the credit files in a couple of months and check for bogus information!

Thanks Guys! I have gotten a lot of valuable information. Thanks to all!!

 

[pcparamedics01]

The animals outside the rooms, or inside?

Sorry...couldn't resist.[/QUOTE

Thanks for the laugh!!!

 

[TheRustyScupper]

Did she leave an imprint at the front desk when she checked in "for incidentals?" Could it be that the card was accidentally charged by the resort?

1) When a card is swiped at the Front Desk, only the last four numbers show.
2) The info could not have come from that card.
3) The only way for this to be the cause would be
. . . she swiped the card for room charging
. . . someone made another room key and charged against the room
. . . but, she would have seen this on the bill at check-out time

 

[jemiaule]

Why did I have a feeling you were going to post something like this? And it's NOT useless knowledge!

I am going to show my husband this next time he gives me the "how do you remember all that useless stuff"

 

[JimMIA]

1) When a card is swiped at the Front Desk, only the last four numbers show.

I think we have already established that the problem was probably not skimming...unless it turns out that Mom was less than candid when grilled by the entire family under those oppressive lights...poor thing!

The question with a swiped card is NOT what shows on a receipt, or on a monitor.

The issue is what is swiped and electronically stored on the instrument used to swipe the card. That information includes a ton of cardholder account information including name, full card number, security information, expiration date, etc, etc. Copy that info from one card and "paste" it onto the magnetic stripe of another card (e.g. the plastic media from a stolen and cancelled card) and viola! you have a duplicate credit card.

Ever wonder why some merchants manually enter the last four digits of your credit card number when you make a purchase? The above paragraph is why. If the last four on the face of the card don't match what's electronically imprinted on the back, the card is fraudulent.

What you see on a receipt, or the clerk sees on a monitor, is irrelevent. All blocking out the first 12 numbers does is prevent a moron from trying to copy the number. Nobody with a clue would try.

 

[pcparamedics01]

Okay so I purchased SSR so my Mother can go with us. She is lonely and my step father is much older than her and cannot go. Now she will not go to SSR. Will my guide be able to transfer me? Will Disney do this?

 

[JimMIA]

Okay so I purchased SSR so my Mother can go with us. She is lonely and my step father is much older than her and cannot go. Now she will not go to SSR. Will my guide be able to transfer me? Will Disney do this?

No, your guide can't switch resorts.

Your mother is just shook up right now. She'll calm down once she gets this behind her. Remember...we still don't know that the problem occurred at SSR. It might be SSR, it might not.

Tell her to just take a deep breath, relax a bit, and let's see what turns out to be the real problem. "Calm and reassure..."

 

[pcparamedics01]

No, your guide can't switch resorts.

Your mother is just shook up right now. She'll calm down once she gets this behind her. Remember...we still don't know that the problem occurred at SSR. It might be SSR, it might not.

Tell her to just take a deep breath, relax a bit, and let's see what turns out to be the real problem. "Calm and reassure..."

She is. However my step monster is involved. She will never ever be able to go back!!! He is very controlling. He believes that her card got hijacked from SSR. There is nothing that I can say to tell him differently. He is planning to call Disney on Monday.