Stealing Mee Baan - What To Do?

[birago23]

Four months ago we hired a mee baan who was recommanded to us locally. Her husband is a Khon Motorsei and regularily did deliveries for us. I live in the Sathorn Area.

It was agreed that the mee baan will get a salary of 7000 baht working 6 days a week and not living in our house. Usually she was supposed to work 8 hours a day, but soon it came down to 5 hours as she was keeping up a second job. (As we found out a massage job in Patpong)

One day before Mother's Day she phoned in sick which brought quite some stress to us, having the big family from Isaan coming to their half-yearly-visit. The day after I came down with a serious Dengee-Fever-Infection and was critical for a few days. By monday the Mee Baan hadnt returned to work and when phoned she just gave a snappy answer saying that we can keep our money, she wont work anymore.

Two days later when I returned from a checkup at the hospital (with the house locked of course while I was out) I noticed that my mobile phone was missing. I thought I might have misplaced it. Two days later when I was strong enough to resume work I noticed that my new laptop was missing as well.

We asked her to come over immediately but she only sent her husband. They still owed us 3000 baht from an advance we had given to them, but he told us he cannot pay it back now. When asked about the mobile phone and the missing laptop, he handed back the house keys to us, saying that of course he has no idea where our stuff is, but handed us back the house key. I was able to get a photocopy of his ID card and the one of his wife.

I called the tourist police who refused to come to our house and interview the motorbike guy. They just told us to come by the next days and file a report, which we are going to do tomorrow.

This was now the second time we had stolen items by a mee baan. The first one "only" stole money and cloth. Two times Thai staff who worked in my company also have stolen some material. The reaction was always zero. Nobody gave a ###### shit.

I am very upset not only by the theft but by the treatment. The police told us on the phone that we have to accept that most likely the laptop or mobile phone cannot be retrieved but as we are farangs, surely our american insurance (WE ARE NOT EVEN AMERICANS!) will pay for it.

I have been living here for almost two years and in those two years, I am sorry to say, my perception of Thai people has changed entirely, being constantly lied and cheated.

WHAT CAN I DO IN THE SITUATION REGARDING THE THEFT?

thanks for allowing me to share my story

arthur

[Ulysses G.]

I have never had ANYTHING stolen by Thai housekeepers in 20 years or so and I have never cleaned my house or my clothes myself since I got here.

Sounds like you have been unlucky. Too bad, because you pay VERY well.

[britmaveric]

Unfortunate, but there is no way to prove who stole it, least in the police eyes.

[dekka007]

I think a lot more people are hunting for Burmese or Phillipino maids now. My family in Bangkok have had 2 Burmese girls over the years and never a problem.

[taxexile]

WHAT CAN I DO IN THE SITUATION REGARDING THE THEFT?

nothing.

just write it off and move on.

sorry to hear of your robbery but i doubt if any insurance company would pay out , there are no signs of a break in and you gave your house keys to an outsider , you wont be doing that again.

my thai sister in law had a good burmese housekeeper for three years , when she left she recommended a replacement who started to steal jewellery.

her thai neighbours had 3 million bahts worth of laptops , plasma tv's and a 100kg safe full of cash and jewellery removed from their house when they were out one day , their maid and her "friends" with a truck had come into the moo bahn (unchallenged by the security) and cleaned them out.

the police were not interested , but the security guards lost their jobs.

we westerners have possessions and accessories that are so out of reach to so many workers here ,

a laptop is almost a years salary to some people , sometimes a family may have 2 or 3 of them lying around. in western terms thats the equivalent of 250,000 pounds of stuff lying around , in computers alone.

the temptation is just too much for a lot of low paid workers to ignore , especially if they also are lacking in morals and they know that there is little chance of them being prosecuted.

[terdsak_12]

I could do with a Burmese maid, Thais tend to be lazy, and can nick stuff.

Problem is I can't understand Burmese!!!!!

[poorfarang]

Meng la bah

[buddhafly]

either get a friend in the police force or a mafia type to shake them down. a few thousand baht would do it.

you have thier i.d. card info.

nah... then they'll probably try to get back at you, as if you are in the wrong.

these kind of people sicken me.

and we all should know that not all thai people are like this.

but when theyre bad theyre very bad.

[Scott]

I've always had trouble with theft and household help. Fortunately, it's always been small things--taking change, clothes etc. I end up having to shake the current maid down about every three months. Actually, it's a relative of hers who recommended her and I get in touch with him and reads her the riot act.

One thing I can't quite understand is she never lies. When asked if she took something...she always answers truthfully. If she says no, then a careful search usually turns it up.

Again, this is almost all inconsequential stuff. It's just annoying to have a thief around.

[Lacoste]

having the big family from Isaan coming to their half-yearly-visit.

Maybe you should be looking closer to home.

[Gary A]

I'll be entirely negative with this. First off, why would you need a maid? If my wife asked me for a maid I'd be starting to get ready to move out. Secondly I would NEVER give hired help keys to the house. When I have a renter move out of my condo the first thing I do is change the locks.

You can't prove anything so it is in your best interests to forget about it and learn from the experience.

[tourleadersi]

You might want to consider changing the locks, or at least the outer locks as they may have had another set of keys cut.... You'll replace the lost items and BAM! they will be gone next. 'Wasn't me boss, I gave you back your keys'. Even harder to get them in trouble with the police.

[RAMPAGE]

Four months ago we hired a mee baan who was recommanded to us locally. Her husband is a Khon Motorsei and regularily did deliveries for us. I live in the Sathorn Area.

It was agreed that the mee baan will get a salary of 7000 baht working 6 days a week and not living in our house. Usually she was supposed to work 8 hours a day, but soon it came down to 5 hours as she was keeping up a second job. (As we found out a massage job in Patpong)

One day before Mother's Day she phoned in sick which brought quite some stress to us, having the big family from Isaan coming to their half-yearly-visit. The day after I came down with a serious Dengee-Fever-Infection and was critical for a few days. By monday the Mee Baan hadnt returned to work and when phoned she just gave a snappy answer saying that we can keep our money, she wont work anymore.

Two days later when I returned from a checkup at the hospital (with the house locked of course while I was out) I noticed that my mobile phone was missing. I thought I might have misplaced it. Two days later when I was strong enough to resume work I noticed that my new laptop was missing as well.

We asked her to come over immediately but she only sent her husband. They still owed us 3000 baht from an advance we had given to them, but he told us he cannot pay it back now. When asked about the mobile phone and the missing laptop, he handed back the house keys to us, saying that of course he has no idea where our stuff is, but handed us back the house key. I was able to get a photocopy of his ID card and the one of his wife.

I called the tourist police who refused to come to our house and interview the motorbike guy. They just told us to come by the next days and file a report, which we are going to do tomorrow.

This was now the second time we had stolen items by a mee baan. The first one "only" stole money and cloth. Two times Thai staff who worked in my company also have stolen some material. The reaction was always zero. Nobody gave a ###### shit.

I am very upset not only by the theft but by the treatment. The police told us on the phone that we have to accept that most likely the laptop or mobile phone cannot be retrieved but as we are farangs, surely our american insurance (WE ARE NOT EVEN AMERICANS!) will pay for it.

I have been living here for almost two years and in those two years, I am sorry to say, my perception of Thai people has changed entirely, being constantly lied and cheated.

WHAT CAN I DO IN THE SITUATION REGARDING THE THEFT?

thanks for allowing me to share my story

arthur

This experience is a write-off but a good lesson for the future. All I can suggest is that you apply the same common sense when hiring a maid as you would if you were doing it back in your own country.

If you found out that your newly-hired maid in your home country was moonlighting as a prostitute, you would fire her on the spot. Same approach applies here. No worker, female or male, who has any connection whatsoever with the red-light district, should be allowed within 500 meters of your home.

Most expats ask around other expats when looking for domestic help....whoever you hire must have some recommendation from someone...even if its a Thai friend.

[leisurely]

We've never had anything pinched. Our current home help is Burmese and fab ulous. If I were the OP I would definitely change the locks. the pitfalls have been pointed out.

[Ling Kae]

birago23, I repeated your story to my partner and these are the steps she told me you should have taken. First you have a copy of her ID so you can ID her good. She said you should not stuff around with the tourist Police. You should go directly to the real Police and at the very least get them to inspect the culprits residence. They might be foolish enough to still have the missing items. If they don't you don't have a leg to stand on as there is no proof. Regarding the 3,000 baht forward payment you should put that to the Police too, they can talk to the culprits about that too, arrangements can be made to get that back maybe. Lastly I say just go change your locks too if you have not already done that and good luck.

[sonnyJ]

Foreign maids, as burmese for example are more reliable. After all they have more to lose and being foreigners police will be motivated to process with them. Problem being it's usually difficult to find out where are they actually from, their homes, if/when they decide to leave. Agencys can arrange them for you, but you need to pay a big deposit for the maids, as a proof they will be not harmed etc. I would never leave the maid run the house alone. And get a good friend at the police.