Attempted Car Theft

[doctormann]

Oh, woe is me! Some b*stard tried to beak into my car today, presumably in order to steal it as there was nothing nickable inside. It was parked at Tesco in Pattaya Nua for about 30 minutes.

Anyway, whoever it was did not succeed - probably disturbed by someone - but made a right mess of the passenger door trying to get at the locking mechanism. Hopefully, I can get it fixed under my insurance but the question is, do I need to report this to the police in order to get a 'crime number'? Back in the UK you have to do this if you are making an insurance claim or the insurance company will not pay out. I have no idea if Thailand has a similar policy so any advice on this would be welcome. Obviously, there is no chance of the perpetrators being caught so I am not interested in this aspect of the matter - I just want to make sure that someone else picks up the bill.

As I shall need to hire a car while mine is being fixed I would like the insurance to foot the bill for that too. Any chance? I'm sure that it will all be in the small print somewhere but that is in Thai, like the rest of the policy document.

DM

[johnh101]

You should report it. This happened to someone else there a few weeks ago.

[Pattaya_Fox]

You should go to the police office and report it as soon as possible.

Make sure you get a written crime report and crime number and the officer`s name who you have reported it to.

[Phil Conners]

Why don't you ask your insurance? I have a hotline number for mine, thats always what I call first. If they want the cops involved they deal with it.

Anyway, doesn't Tesco have CCTV in the parking lot? Could be the crook was on video

[astral]

I hope you kicked up a rumpus with Tesco as well.

What were their security guatrds doing?

Sleeping??

[doctormann]

I hope you kicked up a rumpus with Tesco as well.

What were their security guatrds doing?

Sleeping??

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Curiously, Astral, I didn't notice the damage until I had got home and was unloading the shopping. The three holes that had been punched in the door panel, next to the lock, had been disguised with masking tape (Why? Were they intending to come back and finish the job later?). As the car is silver grey the damage was not apparent at a quick glance so I had not spotted it in the car park.

I shall certainly pay a visit to Tesco Security (or lack of it) on the way to speak to my repair shop tomorrow (Pattaya Garage, Sukhumvit - very efficient and sort out the insurance claim for you). GF thinks that moaning at Tesco will be a total waste of time but I shall do it anyway. Whether or not they had any video surveillance remains to be seen.

I had expected better of Thailand - I spent 3 years parking a car on the streets of Liverpool (UK crime hotspot of the NW, second only to Manchester) and only suffered one minor incident in that time. Still, I suppose that a newish car might seem an attractive proposition to a Pattaya thief. Stealing the actual car would not be that easy though, short of putting it on a flat-bed truck, so I assume that they must have been after the CD player as there was nothing else visible inside.

Still p*ssed off though because this is going to cause me aggro, especially if I need to rent a car for the duration, as my passport is currently at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in BKK having its translation certified. No passport - no car rental, unless I am much mistaken.

DM

[wcr]

Depending on when you want to rent, talk to me as I have a car rental company and I would rent to you as long as you have a Thai licence and a Thai partner who can leave thier ID card details with us.

email/PM me if interested

[Simbo]

I hope you kicked up a rumpus with Tesco as well.

What were their security guatrds doing?

Sleeping??

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Curiously, Astral, I didn't notice the damage until I had got home and was unloading the shopping. The three holes that had been punched in the door panel, next to the lock, had been disguised with masking tape (Why? Were they intending to come back and finish the job later?). As the car is silver grey the damage was not apparent at a quick glance so I had not spotted it in the car park.

I shall certainly pay a visit to Tesco Security (or lack of it) on the way to speak to my repair shop tomorrow (Pattaya Garage, Sukhumvit - very efficient and sort out the insurance claim for you). GF thinks that moaning at Tesco will be a total waste of time but I shall do it anyway. Whether or not they had any video surveillance remains to be seen.

I had expected better of Thailand - I spent 3 years parking a car on the streets of Liverpool (UK crime hotspot of the NW, second only to Manchester) and only suffered one minor incident in that time. Still, I suppose that a newish car might seem an attractive proposition to a Pattaya thief. Stealing the actual car would not be that easy though, short of putting it on a flat-bed truck, so I assume that they must have been after the CD player as there was nothing else visible inside.

Still p*ssed off though because this is going to cause me aggro, especially if I need to rent a car for the duration, as my passport is currently at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in BKK having its translation certified. No passport - no car rental, unless I am much mistaken.

DM

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

<My car was taken from outside a Chinese supermarket in Toxteth, L.pool, never to be seen again.

[Humphrey Bear]

Excuse me, are you really expecting your insurance company to pay out on this?

If they do, please post their address here, 'cos we'd all like to get on their books

[Jai Dee]

I hope you kicked up a rumpus with Tesco as well.

What were their security guatrds doing?

Sleeping??

You might consider notifying the local press too... Pattaya Mail and Pattaya City News.

It would let other expats/holiday makers in the area know as well.

[doctormann]

Excuse me, are you really expecting your insurance company to pay out on this?

If they do, please post their address here, 'cos we'd all like to get on their books 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Well, that's why I pay the premium.

Ayudya Public Company is who I deal with and the insurance was arranged by Honda. I met with their assessor today and they will pay for a complete new door. They won't cover the cost of a rental car while mine is being fixed though.

No doubt next year's premium will go up but that's life.

[doctormann]

I hope you kicked up a rumpus with Tesco as well.

What were their security guatrds doing?

Sleeping??

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Curiously, Astral, I didn't notice the damage until I had got home and was unloading the shopping. The three holes that had been punched in the door panel, next to the lock, had been disguised with masking tape (Why? Were they intending to come back and finish the job later?). As the car is silver grey the damage was not apparent at a quick glance so I had not spotted it in the car park.

I shall certainly pay a visit to Tesco Security (or lack of it) on the way to speak to my repair shop tomorrow (Pattaya Garage, Sukhumvit - very efficient and sort out the insurance claim for you). GF thinks that moaning at Tesco will be a total waste of time but I shall do it anyway. Whether or not they had any video surveillance remains to be seen.

I had expected better of Thailand - I spent 3 years parking a car on the streets of Liverpool (UK crime hotspot of the NW, second only to Manchester) and only suffered one minor incident in that time. Still, I suppose that a newish car might seem an attractive proposition to a Pattaya thief. Stealing the actual car would not be that easy though, short of putting it on a flat-bed truck, so I assume that they must have been after the CD player as there was nothing else visible inside.

Still p*ssed off though because this is going to cause me aggro, especially if I need to rent a car for the duration, as my passport is currently at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in BKK having its translation certified. No passport - no car rental, unless I am much mistaken.

DM

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Bit of a post-script on this.

Tried taking Tesco to task but, frankly, they were not too interested.

No surprise there then!

Perhaps Big C or Carrefour will be getting my business in future.

[taxexile]

i parked my car in tescos koh samui yesterday , i needed to run in and get a newspaper , got out and pushed the door closed , it "caught" , but it didnt fully close , and it was obvious from the outside that it wasnt closed but as my wife was in the car i didnt think anything of it.

when i got back to the car a couple of minutes later , my wife said that as soon as i was out of sight a man got out of a car parked opposite and walked "in a shifty manner " over to our car and peered in through the drivers window , due to the window film , unless your nose is right up against the glass you cant see inside , when his nose was actually pressed up against the glass he noticed that someone was sitting inside and promptly buggered off back to his car and drove off.

an opportunist waiting for someone to carelessly leave a car unlocked ?

whatever , thailand is no different to anywhere else regarding car theft , its common.

..... and i think its unfair to blame tescos ........ they cant guarantee to protect every car in their huge car parks unless they employ a guard for every dozen parking spaces.

car alarm systems and anti-theft devices are cheap and for sale everywhere......

they have a good selection in tescos !

get them fitted.

[Phil Conners]

Insurance will pay (assuming you have full comprehensive of course) and there will not be an increase in premium, it's not used in Thailand.

[wcr]

Insurance will pay (assuming you have full comprehensive of course) and there will not be an increase in premium, it's not used in Thailand.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

They won't increase, but you will loose your no claims bonus if you had any.

[Simbo]

Do they operate a no claims protection here. I always had one in the UK. The cost of insurance these days, it would be worth it.

[doctormann]

Do they operate a no claims protection here. I always had one in the UK. The cost of insurance these days, it would be worth it.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I don't rightly know.

I always had a max. no-claims in the UK but this was not taken into account when I arranged my Thai insurance. Probably pretty irrelevant anyway as the driving style is so totally different here.

Remaining accident-free is probably as much down to luck, as to skill. After all, it is just about impossible to predict what the motor cyclists will do so all you can do is to not make any sudden moves and make sure that you signal your intentions in good time. Not that this always works - where I come from a flashing left-turn indicator means 'I am turning left or moving over to the left, so it would be very inadvisable to try to undertake me'. So what do 99% of them do? I'm sure that you know the answer to this! What really gets me is those who cut across you, when you are in slow-moving traffic, and then suddenly stop, broadside on, because there is nowhere for them to go, leaving you no time and no room to avoid them. All you can do is tread on the brake and hope that the person behind is awake. I always leave plenty of room between myself and the car in front but, often, this turns into motorcycle country and so doesn't really achieve much. Perhaps praying to Buddha would help.

My Thai policy is written totally in Thai, as you might reasonably expect, so no clues there. I should really get somone to do a translation for me as who knows what might be lurking in the small print!

[Digger]

I had accumulated a 40% discount in 3 years on my previous car as I had never claimed anything. When I bought a new car, the premium reversed to the full value - seemingly its based on the vehicle not having any accidents not the driver. I was somewhat surprised on this but could do nothing about it - so yes there are no claims bonuses, but its based on the vehicle not on the driver.

[TizMe]

The whole time that I lived and worked in Saudi it was quite common for many people to visit the shops and get out of the car leaving it unattended with the motor running and the AC on so that it was still cool when you got back.

It didn't matter if it was a Merc, BMW, Rolls or a Toyota, It would always be there when you got back.

Chopping off hands for these types of crimes definately has something going for it.

[Pattaya_Fox]

The whole time that I lived and worked in Saudi it was quite common for many people to visit the shops and get out of the car leaving it unattended with the motor running and the AC on so that it was still cool when you got back.

It didn't matter if it was a Merc, BMW, Rolls or a Toyota, It would always be there when you got back.

Chopping off hands for these types of crimes definately has something going for it.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I assume that hand signals are not compulsory there

[pedro01]

Do they operate a no claims protection here. I always had one in the UK. The cost of insurance these days, it would be worth it.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yes they do - my insurance is cheap as cheese now.

[bkk_mike]

Excuse me, are you really expecting your insurance company to pay out on this?

If they do, please post their address here, 'cos we'd all like to get on their books 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Sorry - but who's your insurance with that you don't expect them to pay out on claims.

My wife claimed here (successfully) because one of our dogs chewed the bumper, so we got a new bumper installed, on the insurance...