Warning This Hotel In Phuket Simply A Trap For Tourist!

[perko]

Increasing amount of posts on tripadvisor saying the same thing..

<a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews...ong_Phuket.html" target="_blank">http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews...ong_Phuket.html</a>

Good post; thanks.

It seems odd though that 2 posts are quite positive about this hotel; 1 from September 25th -"Good value & good location"- and 1 from October 3rd -"Central, clean and friendly staff."

Maybe something drastic (with the Management/staff) has changed AFTER October 3rd...?

edit:...OR the said tourists from those 2 posts didn't have any cash in their safety boxes...

LaoPo

laopo i read your assertion i actually got them to stay there , i have been many times and agree its a beautiful resort , now spoiled . one of the men is a business manager who had nearly 3000 in cash the other a carpet shop owner south of perth who stupidly had 5000$ aus in cash . i have been 26 times to thailand and only get out of atm what i need 10000bht at a time the man from china was /is an embassy employee from aus , and yes something drastic has happened recently i stayed there in may , no problem, actually 2005 i had my anz gold interfered with in macau , also 2004 i had the same thing in Genting Highlands believe me they had no shortage of money but it was theirs not the criminals brian

[TopDogger]

4 digit combo (presuming its correct and the user didnt unlock with one code and relock with another, or smudge a key, or notice the greasyness)..

Would still be 4 to the power of 4 (or 256 permutations)

4 separate keys, used once each gives only 24 combinations (which is factorial 4), not 256 combinations (which is 4 to the power 4).

A numerical digit was 0 to 9 when I went to school.

[PadThaiGuy]

Here is how the greasy fingerprint scam works.

The maid wipes (nose)oil on the keys .

The guest later opens the safe.

After, the maid blows powder onto the keypad to reveal the keys used by the guest.

You get robbed and then the Police don't do a thing and actully hassle the victim if they start demanding action. Very Thai.

Edited November 14, 2007 by PadThaiGuy

[JetsetBkk]

4 digit combo (presuming its correct and the user didnt unlock with one code and relock with another, or smudge a key, or notice the greasyness)..

Would still be 4 to the power of 4 (or 256 permutations)

4 separate keys, used once each gives only 24 combinations (which is factorial 4), not 256 combinations (which is 4 to the power 4).

A numerical digit was 0 to 9 when I went to school.

What are you on about?

[JetsetBkk]

And now a double page spread in the Phuket Gazette:

http://www.phuketgazette.net/digitalgazette/Nov17_07.pdf

[Super Hans]

Is it me or is that piece very badly written? I'm also disappointed the Gazette give the impression it was tourists looking for an insurance scam - maybe one or two could do that, but when there are lots and lots of unattached holidaymakers all with the same complaint...?

[dee123]

Well leaving dosh in hotel safe is well not very wise as you found out. Hence using travelers cheques and debit card is the best route. Keep dosh on you and if use the front desk safe deposit boxes.

Solid advice again from britmaveric....I learned this lesson som 20 odd years ago when the same thing happened coincidentally in Phuket,....they often target "boozers" like I indeed was then,taking portions of cash each time,

[phuketsub]

Is it me or is that piece very badly written? I'm also disappointed the Gazette give the impression it was tourists looking for an insurance scam - maybe one or two could do that, but when there are lots and lots of unattached holidaymakers all with the same complaint...?

I don't think it was the Gazette "giving the impression" it was the tourists looking for an insurance scam. They simply presented the charges to the people being accused and gave them the right of reply.

It's true that the writing could have been better, though.

[shedend]

Safe deposit boxes at reception area covered by motion CCTV recorded on DVR is the best option. For example once doris the maid enters your room you do not know what she is up to..... All she has to do is conceal the item(s) in a used towel, bathrobe etc so any existing CCTV Camera in the hallway only effectively shows time of entry/exit into the room. Then she hides the item somewhere in the hotel and then walks out with it and no questions asked. This is also the MO used if the guest reports something missing/stolen from the room the item is left longer in hiding before it is removed from the premises.

All staff to be security background checked is also a help but never rarely happens as it costs money.

Maybe we should start a honk your horn every time we drive pass the SS&S..........

[stiffoak571]

Safe deposit boxes at reception area covered by motion CCTV recorded on DVR is the best option. For example once doris the maid enters your room you do not know what she is up to..... All she has to do is conceal the item(s) in a used towel, bathrobe etc so any existing CCTV Camera in the hallway only effectively shows time of entry/exit into the room. Then she hides the item somewhere in the hotel and then walks out with it and no questions asked. This is also the MO used if the guest reports something missing/stolen from the room the item is left longer in hiding before it is removed from the premises.

All staff to be security background checked is also a help but never rarely happens as it costs money.

Maybe we should start a honk your horn every time we drive pass the SS&S..........

Much as it pains me to disagree with a Blue from the wrong end of the Fulham Road (I am a Cottager myself) I still want a "safe" safe in my room - had dodgy safe deposit boxes on many trips to Greece - once found my box open on the floor! Also dont want everyone to see how many cards/how much cash Ive got cos as soon as I get my 10000THB to take out for the night you can be sure someone will then follow me round the corner to take it off me - or maybe being from London makes me suspicious - certainly the thread has knocked the hotel out of the running for my trip at easter.

[game4shame]

I am a Cottager myself

Cottaging

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cottaging is a gay slang term referring to anonymous male-male sex in a public lavatory (a cottage or tea-room), or to the practice of cruising for sexual partners in public lavatories with the intention of having sex elsewhere.

[JetsetBkk]

Is it me or is that piece very badly written? I'm also disappointed the Gazette give the impression it was tourists looking for an insurance scam - maybe one or two could do that, but when there are lots and lots of unattached holidaymakers all with the same complaint...?

I don't think it was the Gazette "giving the impression" it was the tourists looking for an insurance scam. They simply presented the charges to the people being accused and gave them the right of reply.

It's true that the writing could have been better, though.

Yes, the first half of the story was written by the tourists. The second half (almost certainly translated from Thai) was the police report written by the General Manager of "Sun Sea Sand" Preecha Nuwongsri and faxed to the Phuket Gazette by Pol Maj Bundit Khaosutham. So, apart from the strangely written English, you can guess what kind of slant he put on the affair.

To cap it all, the Pol Superintendent at Kathu, Col Grissak Songmoonnak then added his bit about farangs scamming hotel operators in order to get free holidays from their insurers!!

So you can see there's not a lot tourists can do against this kind of official attitude except vote with their feet - stay away - and write about it on the internet so other tourists can be better informed of what's in store for them.

Chok dee!

[JetsetBkk]

I am a Cottager myself

Yes, definitely too much information there.

[stiffoak571]

I am a Cottager myself

Yes, definitely too much information there.

In responding to the comment by a Chelsea fan I was identifying myself as being from the other side of the borough ie Fulham and Fulham play at Craven Cottage hence "cottagers"

[JetsetBkk]

I am a Cottager myself

Yes, definitely too much information there.

In responding to the comment by a Chelsea fan I was identifying myself as being from the other side of the borough ie Fulham and Fulham play at Craven Cottage hence "cottagers"

Thanks for the clarification! I guess you Fulham fans need to be careful when and where you use that term!

[lilBob]

Is it me or is that piece very badly written? I'm also disappointed the Gazette give the impression it was tourists looking for an insurance scam - maybe one or two could do that, but when there are lots and lots of unattached holidaymakers all with the same complaint...?

I don't think it was the Gazette "giving the impression" it was the tourists looking for an insurance scam. They simply presented the charges to the people being accused and gave them the right of reply.

It's true that the writing could have been better, though.

Yes, the first half of the story was written by the tourists. The second half (almost certainly translated from Thai) was the police report written by the General Manager of "Sun Sea Sand" Preecha Nuwongsri and faxed to the Phuket Gazette by Pol Maj Bundit Khaosutham. So, apart from the strangely written English, you can guess what kind of slant he put on the affair.

To cap it all, the Pol Superintendent at Kathu, Col Grissak Songmoonnak then added his bit about farangs scamming hotel operators in order to get free holidays from their insurers!!

So you can see there's not a lot tourists can do against this kind of official attitude except vote with their feet - stay away - and write about it on the internet so other tourists can be better informed of what's in store for them.

Chok dee!

i have followed this thread with a great deal of interest, and I agree with all the suggestions, especially the payback don't get mad get even, when I travel I get travel insurance that I by paying a cheaper rate can't claim for anything under 250 dollars Aust also I believe in order to claim I believe that a police report is required to make a claim and it doesn't appear the police in question were co-operative so maybe no report was received by the victims, so if no claim was made and can be proven (consult your insurer) and forwarded to the magazine the allegations by the cop Col. would be disproven.

The suggestion of samsonite luggage and a chain was a good one and i've a couple of tips people may find usefull

1. I always carry a spare padlock or two.

2.I use the safety deposits at reception where I place all my money, passport and plastic in a small padlocked satchel.

3. I carry a door stopper(a trianguler wedge) to prevent persons coming into my room whilst I am sleeping.

Persanally I have been robbed twice once in Cambodia where burglars hooked my pants with wire and pulled them to the security sceen and I lost 100US from the pockets, and secondly I had my pocket picked on a Baht Bus in Pattaya and lost 70US and my plastic. ( this was 2 days prior to my departure fortunately some friends loaned me enough to pay my hotel and get out of town etc.) I was carrying my plastic at the time to withdraw money for my hotel bill.

I'm a member of another forum and will place a warning there.

Best of Luck and happy Travelling (next time)

Lil Bob

[jitagon]

Recently ran into a couple of young Brits at the embassy in Bangkok who told me they'd had all their money, credit cards and passports stolen from a safe in a hotel in Ao Nang. They'd apparently only been in Thailand three days and this was their first trip to Thailand.

They were mostly unhappy with the police's handling of the theft and said they wouldn't ever return.

I know there are those who say that there will be plenty to replace them. But if there isn't a major review of police handling of these robberies, whether it be from hotel safes or beaten off a motorbike, then Thailand's tourist economy will of course eventually be put at a very serious disadvantage.

As I said in another thread relating to the usual tourist rip offs etc, in other countries, even those considered pretty much 'third world' such as Morocco, scam artists and thieves are dealt with very seriously, as their governments understand the detrimental effect to the tourist industry.

However. I would advise anyone holidaying here not to hold their breath on that score, and keep their money and passports separate, and out of hotel 'safes'.

[NamKAheng]

Correct me if I am wrong but I don't know any insurance compagny who will cover for stolen cash.

Are we in 2007? While I don't want to excuse the hotel for the bad management, why people are still travelling with stack of cash? After all that was written everywhere on the internet about that you can find people who travel with piles of $1000 in cash.

About the Phuket and Patong authority, you are surely make everything possible to put the island and Patong on a sliding pattern to the bottom, you may issue a lot of building permit for news rooms but what will you do when tourists decide that this a place not to go because of security problems and a already polluted beach in Patong? What about the little canals everywhere in Patong with dormant water breeding mosquitos who carries illness? I travel to Phuket for over 13 years now and every year that I come I find more and more annoying things that make me wonder if I will coming back in the future.

Lets not make generalization about Thailand, I travel to Thailand for 13 years and must say that the majority of hotels and peoples who I do business with are honest even in Patong.

[vanalli]

The tourist economy is booming. Stuff like this won't change a thing. I've read warnings in most guide books about not trusting room safes. I wouldn't trust room safes at a lot of hotels around the world. Don't expect an overhaul of the police system any time soon.

On the flip side, I met a guy in Khaosan who made a living supplying fake receipts for travelers to make claims on their insurance.

Recently ran into a couple of young Brits at the embassy in Bangkok who told me they'd had all their money, credit cards and passports stolen from a safe in a hotel in Ao Nang. They'd apparently only been in Thailand three days and this was their first trip to Thailand.

They were mostly unhappy with the police's handling of the theft and said they wouldn't ever return.

I know there are those who say that there will be plenty to replace them. But if there isn't a major review of police handling of these robberies, whether it be from hotel safes or beaten off a motorbike, then Thailand's tourist economy will of course eventually be put at a very serious disadvantage.

As I said in another thread relating to the usual tourist rip offs etc, in other countries, even those considered pretty much 'third world' such as Morocco, scam artists and thieves are dealt with very seriously, as their governments understand the detrimental effect to the tourist industry.

However. I would advise anyone holidaying here not to hold their breath on that score, and keep their money and passports separate, and out of hotel 'safes'.

[cm-happy]

Another case for using travelers cheques when abroad instead of cash

[LaoPo]

On the flip side, I met a guy in Khaosan who made a living supplying fake receipts for travelers to make claims on their insurance.

That's criminal and both the supplier and people ordering/using the receipts should be heavily fined...

LaoPo

[chiang mai]

What about the little canals everywhere in Patong with dormant water breeding mosquitos who carries illness?

Try putting a mosquito net over your gondola!

[Patriot]

4 digit combo (presuming its correct and the user didnt unlock with one code and relock with another, or smudge a key, or notice the greasyness)..

Would still be 4 to the power of 4 (or 256 permutations) versus the full 10 (keys) to the power of 4 or 10,000 combinations.. Plus you would need someone with a logical mind to analyse the 4 digits and create a system to cycle through the 256 permutations in a systematic way. Not the task of most hotel cleaning staff IMO.

Now if you had only 3 keys smudged (indicating that they had used one digit twice) it cuts down the systematic trials but gets complex in devising the fastest trial route, again ask a hotel cleaner to devise the logical permutations of a 3 digits used 4 digit pin ?? And get that look like a puppy thats just been shown a card trick.

I have only picked up on this error, but I do feel that LivinLos should realise that not all mathematicsl trends and tendencies are as exponential as his income!!

[blackfruitbat]

Travellers cheques are more or less the same as cash. I know of tourists who have not noticed a travellers cheque that's been pulled out from the others and used.

[Ping]

Travellers cheques are more or less the same as cash. I know of tourists who have not noticed a travellers cheque that's been pulled out from the others and used.

Really? Interesting comment. Then if they had not noticed them to be missing (and therefore had not reported them stolen), how did they ultimately find out about them, pray tell?

[JetsetBkk]

Travellers cheques are more or less the same as cash. I know of tourists who have not noticed a travellers cheque that's been pulled out from the others and used.

Really? Interesting comment. Then if they had not noticed them to be missing (and therefore had not reported them stolen), how did they ultimately find out about them, pray tell?

Excellent deduction, my dear Watson!

Maybe 'blackfruitbat' did the 'pulling'?

[geriatrickid]

Question: This thread has been around for awhile. Do you think it had any impact on the hotel bookings or management approach? I wonder. Walking down Bangla Rd last night , it seems that while the tourist numbers are down compared to last year, there were still plenty of easy marks that will probably get scammed very easily. As they say, same same.

Cripes I have been walking the soi outside my apt., the same folks that saw me last week and last month etc. have been getting the same answer, no thank you 100X and yet they ask like robots,tuk tuk or massage, this after seeing my friend drop me off etc. No one looks at you, it just comes out. That's why I think hotel doesn't care. More suckers will ake lost cutomers places.

[LivinginKata]

I doubt that this topic has reached the attention of more than 1 or 2 potential guests of this hotel. So I doubt that there has been any impact at all on hotel bookings.

[vanalli]

I think tourist numbers are actually up this year. The scams and rip offs are consistent. I doubt SSS Resort has seen much of a dent in bookings. None of the negative attention is even on the first page of Google's search results.

Question: This thread has been around for awhile. Do you think it had any impact on the hotel bookings or management approach? I wonder. Walking down Bangla Rd last night , it seems that while the tourist numbers are down compared to last year, there were still plenty of easy marks that will probably get scammed very easily. As they say, same same.

Cripes I have been walking the soi outside my apt., the same folks that saw me last week and last month etc. have been getting the same answer, no thank you 100X and yet they ask like robots,tuk tuk or massage, this after seeing my friend drop me off etc. No one looks at you, it just comes out. That's why I think hotel doesn't care. More suckers will ake lost cutomers places.

[perko]

Travellers cheques are more or less the same as cash. I know of tourists who have not noticed a travellers cheque that's been pulled out from the others and used.

Really? Interesting comment. Then if they had not noticed them to be missing (and therefore had not reported them stolen), how did they ultimately find out about them, pray tell?

Would you maybe think Blackfruitbat was saying people have not noticed till later , too late to do anything . Now i think about it i was wary a couple of times about money missing from my drawer and thought my partner just overspent but on reflection she was real upset when i asked her, it was only a couple of lots of about 1000bht not much really. perko i stayed at the sss at least 8 times never again