Need Contact Info Regarding A Theft Onboard

On the Grand Princess in April my aunt and I were the victims of a theft onboard. We were not at all pleased with the way the matter was handled and I would like to follow up with a letter to the corporate offices.

Does anyone have any suggestions as to who would be the best person(s) to address such a letter. Any regular or email addresses for such individuals would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Rochelle

Send by Land mail Registered with a Return Reciept for you with full Canadian Postal Codes.

Did it occur on land or by Sea?

On land send a CC to the Ships Agent in the Port of Call as well.

Hard Copy leaves a track and Record Maam. Indesputable as arrival is signed for.

Sending to the President and CEO of Princess Cruise lines US HQ is in California.

So sorry this theft happened to yopu.

Next time bring only what you may not miss if things disappear.

Also make copies of Documents and Passports etc...

eMail people and firms can/do say they never got them.. HARD COPY is exact in reference points.

On the Grand Princess in April my aunt and I were the victims of a theft onboard. We were not at all pleased with the way the matter was handled and I would like to follow up with a letter to the corporate offices.

 

Does anyone have any suggestions as to who would be the best person(s) to address such a letter. Any regular or email addresses for such individuals would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks,

 

Rochelle

On the Grand Princess in April my aunt and I were the victims of a theft onboard. We were not at all pleased with the way the matter was handled and I would like to follow up with a letter to the corporate offices.

Sorry to here this kinda news.

1. First, did you buy travel insurance? :confused:
   
2. What was the response from Princess on board? :confused:
   
3. Are you sure it was stolen and not "misplaced"? :rolleyes:..(happens to me all the time :o)
   
4. Have you called Princess directly once home? :confused: If so, what was that outcome?
   

 

Send by Land mail Registered with a Return Reciept for you with full Canadian Postal Codes.

 

Did it occur on land or by Sea?

 

On land send a CC to the Ships Agent in the Port of Call as well.

 

 

Hard Copy leaves a track and Record Maam. Indesputable as arrival is signed for.

 

Sending to the President and CEO of Princess Cruise lines US HQ is in California.

 

 

So sorry this theft happened to yopu.

 

 

Next time bring only what you may not miss if things disappear.

 

Also make copies of Documents and Passports etc...

 

 

eMail people and firms can/do say they never got them.. HARD COPY is exact in reference points.

 

 

Thank you for the information and the tips.

The theft occurred at sea, this was a Transaltlantic/ British Isles cruise and happened at some point after departure from Fort Lauderdale and before arrival in Greenock, Scotland. We can not say which day.

I agree with you that one should not travel with valuable items would be missed, but the loss was cash, so a little difficult to travel without it. I also agree with having photocopies of important documents etc., which I did have with me and were in the same travel wallet as the cash. I had to hope and pray that the credit card information I had in there was not compromised in any way as I still had many days of vacation ahead of me.

Thanks again for your imput.

Rochelle

Oh, that is terrible, and so hard to prove that cash was stolen. I hope you find someone with a sympathetic ear. I have no idea in the world how you would prove that cash was stolen, no paper trail. :(

Lesson Learned!!!

Always be careful with your valuables.

I don't see how or why Princess should be involved. :rolleyes:

Don't let it stop you from cruising, ok!!!

That's going to be a hard one to prove or disprove. Sometimes it's good to have things on the record just in case there is a pattern. The staff is usually quite honest because of the importance of the job. While in the vacation mode we often get relax, forgetting we are not traveling with members of our church choir.

Good Luck!

Oh, that is terrible, and so hard to prove that cash was stolen. I hope you find someone with a sympathetic ear. I have no idea in the world how you would prove that cash was stolen, no paper trail. :(

For that reason, I never carry more than $50 in cash with me. The rest is in traveller's checks. I cash a $50 traveller's check at the Purser's Desk whenever I run out of cash.

My husband's wallet disappeared during the frantic "everyone back on board, put your stuff in the bins" thing on our May 16 cruise.. We cancelled credit cards.. had about $120 in it.. reported to purser.. Last week we got a call from Princess that it had been found and they Fed Ex'd it back.. of course the cash was gone (isn't it always) but the wallet otherwise had everything in it.. we will never know how it happened.. have talked w/ them about this "bin system" and will from now on put DH"s wallet etc in my zipped tote bag.. lesson learned.

That being said the travel insurance will not cover lost cash bec. you can't prove it ! Since you were at sea so long assume that it was locked in your cabin safe?????

We put everything of valuein there the minute we get onboard... car keys, wallets, passports.. etc.

Was a focus file opened onboard for you?

If one was, those are required to be sent to Santa Clarita with the end of the cruise packet they sent each sailing.

Anytime that there is a SERIOUS issue such as accident, criminal act OR just a MASSIVE issue a focus file is opened and the documentation begins.

YOU as a passenger can ask and be given a copy of this focus file while onboard the ship.

Just like you do on land, you must document.

Did you ask to speak with the Chief of Security or someone that was on duty at that time? If so do you have their name. When they come to take a report before you sign it, read everything carefully and ask for a copy BEFORE you sign it. When I was injured onboard, everything was documented...focus file, security/safety reports, doctors reports with treatment..and in our case lots of pictures.

I would like to offer a bit of advice for future cruises and anyone reading this...

when you leave your cabin and you hear the door LOCK ..you usually think oh it;s locked...

Well, that's not always the case, I have stayed in a cabin where the entire mechanism sounded like it locked but it didn't.

I would also like to suggest, if it's valuable money, credit cards, cell phones, medicine etc....LOCK IT UP..

either in your safe, or in your carryon. If you want to leave your laptop out, get a lock.

On Holland America many years ago I had my pain pills hidden in my nightstand drawer and because I'm on a strict protocol it became very apparent by the end of my cruise that pills had disappeared.

I've never made that mistake again!

Best of Luck on your recourse! :)

Just a sidenote.

It is illegal on this board to give out any cruise employees name, phone or e-mail address.

You need to call headquarters.

I have never had a theft and have always use the safe, especially with medications - it's so easy to remove a "few" and no one notices.

Be careful to make sure the safe is locked and closed. I hit the close button and it said locked..but there was something in the way and the safe really was not closed. Now we pull on the handle to make sure. Also one cabin door shut but did not lock. You had to pull it forward to get the lock engaged so we now always pull on the door.

Connie

I would really like to know if the OP had his/her money in the

locked safe in the room?

One time I thought I was robbed of some money, later to find out my wife took it and forgot to tell me.

One time I thought I was robbed of some money, later to find out my wife took it and forgot to tell me.

Totally the opposite here. A few cruises ago, I sent my DH's pants to the laundry after he told me he checked the pockets. A few hours later he realized he had left a large amount of money in his pocket (I know, don't say it, I chewed him out also for just sticking it in his pocket and not his wallet and then not checking them before he put them in the laundry bag). I called our room steward, and he made a bee line to the laundry. Came back with our bag, and there were the pants with the money in them. Needless to say, the room steward got a nice cash reward for his efforts. :)

I know you can use any card with a magnetic strip (I have a lot of used-up Starbucks cards) to access the safe, but where do you then hide the card, or the keys to the carry-on bag?

I know you can use any card with a magnetic strip (I have a lot of used-up Starbucks cards) to access the safe, but where do you then hide the card, or the keys to the carry-on bag?

Princess safes are a bit different. You add 'your own' security code to the safe. Credit cards don't work with Princess safes, you must program them yourself with a four digit code. ;)

I know you can use any card with a magnetic strip (I have a lot of used-up Starbucks cards) to access the safe, but where do you then hide the card, or the keys to the carry-on bag?

The safes I've seen on Princess have a keypad that you enter a 4 digit # into, and it is cleared/reset after each voyage.

Princess safes are a bit different. You add 'your own' security code to the safe. Credit cards don't work with Princess safes, you must program them yourself with a four digit code. ;)

Good, I can't lose that!!

Rochelle

 

Sorry to here this kinda news.

 

 

1. First, did you buy travel insurance? :confused:
   
2. What was the response from Princess on board? :confused:
   
3. Are you sure it was stolen and not "misplaced"? :rolleyes:..(happens to me all the time :o)
   
4. Have you called Princess directly once home? :confused: If so, what was that outcome?
   

To answer your questions....

1.-- I did not purchase travel insurance as I have a very comprehensive plan through a major credit card, which I use for all my travelling. My home owner's insurance has a $500 deductible and the amount of money that I can say definatively that was stolen was just under this amount.

2.-- The response from Princess onboard is exactly what I have an issue with. My feeling as well as my aunt's was the entire situation was handled in an extremely unprofessional manner. If I had been reporting the theft to a regular police department we would not have been treated like we were the 'criminal'. I do not think it too much to ask that the security staff onboard a ship investigate the matter thoroughly. We were the only one's 'investigated'.

3.--Not only am I sure that the money was stolen but it was done very deceptively. My aunt and I both left home with a variety of currencies. We each had Canadian, American, British Pounds, and Euros. In addition I had Turkish Lira. We did not have huge sums of money in any particular currency although I had a fair bit of American as I like to play in the casino. After breakfast on our first port after crossing the Atlantic we returned to the cabin to get what we needed to go ashore and this included taking a bit of the local currency with us. As my aunt was getting her money out she commented that she thoght for sure she had bought and brought 150 GBP and she only had 110 GBP. I agreed she had told me in our pre cruise talks that that was the amount she was bringing. She checked her Euros and it was the same 110 not 150.

I then checked my money and sure enough was also missing both GBP and Euros a little more than double that of my aunt. I had more money with me, as I was continuing on another cruise for an additional 24 days with a stay in London afterwards and I had not purchased it all at the same time. The difference was that my money was in little bundles, each with the receipt and currency calculator paper-clipped to the top. lt was located in three seperate envelopes inside my travel wallet. The receipt on top of each little bundle made me exactly sure of what should have been there.

Someone took the time to go through both of our travel wallets and in my case through seperate envelopes and little bundles of money and slip a little cash out of each one. It was very obvious to us that it was done this way in the hopes of not being detected. It was also oddly curious that the only foreign currency not touched was the Turkish Lira...but then again this ship was not going to Turkey.

We then went to the front desk to report the theft. We explained exactly how we discovered the loss. We were asked if we were missing anything else. We said that we could not be sure and therefore did not feel we could say so definatively. We each also had American money in our money wallets, but seeing as we had spent three days in Florida prior to the trip, had stopped in Bermuda after two days at sea and had visited the casino as well as tipping onboard the ship we could not say exactly how much we should have had at that point. All we claimed to have had stolen was the Euros and the GBP which we knew exactly how much we had left home with and had no need or chance to use up until that point.

We were told a search of our cabin would need to be done. We asked how long this would take and were told perhaps two hours. We had two tours arranged for this port and asked if this could be done once we returned. Our cabin would basically be sealed for the day until our return. We asked if we could keep our travel wallets at the pursers office and told no. As we were having troubles with out cabin safe a supervisor came and fixed the problem and we left the ship for the day.

We agreed at this point to not discuss it and just try and enjoy our only port day in Scotland. It did come up in our conversations through the day and my aunt was very uncomfortable with the idea of having our cabin 'searched'. We were both feeling a little victimized and felt this would be just more of the same and wondered to what purpose. When we reboarded the ship we returned to the front desk and mentioned this to them, they explained the importance of this and that if someone was stealing onboard they should know about it. We agreed that yes it was important and needed to be done. We were told that not only would our cabin be searched but so would that of our cabin steward.

At this point a senior housekeeping officer and a security officer were called. They, along with a junior assistant purser came back to our cabin. As we were two women only in the cabin a female security officer was needed in order to do the physical search. An extensive search of our cabin was done. Every nook and cranny was searched. They went through each and every one of our personal belongings. Every item we owned was touched and gone through, clothes, underwear, purses, make-up, jewelry, toiletries, electronics, medical equipment, pockets, bags , suitcases, books, journals. They also seached closets, under beds, between mattresses, through drawers, chair cushions all around the tv and even in the fridge. There were six people in an inside cabin at this point with one female security officer doing the search. I did try and keep the mood light given the circumstances but we did feel victimized. They searched everywhere and came up with nothing.

At this point we asked what was next. They said a 'reading' of our electronic door lock would be done to see who and when anyone entered our cabin. They also said a search of the cabin steward's cabin would also be done. They said they would have the results the next day and left.

Given the way my money was kept and after all this I was and am 100% certain that the money was stolen and not misplaced.

4.-- I have not telephoned Princess directly. I want to deal with them through written correspondence only. I wanted to make sure that what I said was documented and were precisely my words and not an someone's interpretation of them. There was enough of this following the search of our cabin.

As a note the remaining days in the cruise were all port days so we were busy and we were determined to not let this incident ruin what was otherwise a very enjoyable cruise.. We were to hear back regarding the 'reading' of our door the next day. We did not, nor the day after. The next day when we returned to the ship we had a message to come to the front desk. On our way to dinner we went there, stayed a half hour and accomplished nothing. We returned after dinner and spent an hour there while they tried to figure out who we were and what we were talking about. In the end they needed our signatures on a piece of paper, "Report of loss or damage". We asked about the 'reading' and they knew nothing about it. We were to return the next day to pick up our copies of this report as they needed the First Purser's signature. We were now at the final day of our cruise. After our day in France we returned to the front desk to pick up the papers. Once again we are left standing there for a considerable amount of time. Amid this confusion they finally locate the papers and they are still not signed. At this point my aunt and I are fed up and we certainly don't want to direct our frustrations to the young ladies trying to figure this all out behind the counter. We realize this is not their fault. We insist that we speak with who ever is the highest up in this matter. We wait some more and finally meet with the head of security. He does not one thing to alleviate our angst and frustration. In fact he makes matters worse.

He tells us that he did not investigate our claim because he has been 'busy'. A search was never done on the cabin steward's cabin because he has been with the company for 16 years. First he says he has no obligation to tell us the results of the reading on our door. Then later tells us that yes it was done and that the only people to enter our cabin were my aunt, myself, the cabin steward and one other person...for a delivery. He will not tell us from which department or when this supposed 'delivery' was.. He asks didn't we have any deliveries during the cruise...such as room service.....well yes we did.....how many people could say they went on a 15 day cruise and never had one thing delivered to their cabin. My aunt or I always opened the door. I have no recollection and I would have, if someone had opened our cabin door if we had been in it. He did not think he should confirm such 'delivery' with us. We asked for a written report and were told they didn't do that. When I pointed out that if I had made a report with a land based police department I would recieve a written report I was told that he had worked for Scotland yard for 21 years and that he would have never given anyone a written report. The attitude I got while I was getting this part of the little speech almost put me over the edge-- I am not a fan of blown up ego. When he got to the part about there never being a theft on a ship, people misplace or lose things they are not stolen I had had more than enough. Basically he was calling us liars or that is what it felt like.

If they were not going to do a proper investigation of our claims then why put us through all of this? Why make us feel the victim again and subject us to the search of our cabin? Why have us spending literally hours at the front desk if they did not take our claim seriously? The dollar amount was never the issue, the principle was. We had been willing to let the entire matter go the first night we discovered it. It was the staff who urged and encouraged us to see it through. For what? So we could be treated like we were? Like we had done something wrong?

I know without a doubt that money was stolen from our cabin. I also know if I had made a report like this on land that it would have been treated very differently. I don't know how other ships or cruise lines handle such claims but I would certainly hope that they take such things a great deal more seriously and treat their passengers a whole lot better. Just because they chose to ignore something or sweep it under the rug does not mean that it did not happen nor that it won't happen again.

Sorry this response was so long. Answering your questions got my blood boiling again and I got a little long winded there.

Rochelle

I know you can use any card with a magnetic strip (I have a lot of used-up Starbucks cards) to access the safe, but where do you then hide the card, or the keys to the carry-on bag?

Not on Princess.

Oh, that is terrible, and so hard to prove that cash was stolen. I hope you find someone with a sympathetic ear. I have no idea in the world how you would prove that cash was stolen, no paper trail. :(

I do agree that it is very difficult to prove that cash was stolen even if I did have receipts with me for the amount of foreign currency purchased.

The amount stolen is very little in relation to what was paid and spent for a two month holiday. But it was our money that was stolen and it was the principle of the matter and so we did report it and went through the necessary steps for them to investigate our claim. My writing to Princess is in regards to how unprofessionally it was handled and the way we were treated. This should not be the way things are done and if it is then they should change their ways.

Rochelle

Who gave out an employee's name? If we're talking of the CEO/President of Princess in Santa Clarita, that's public knowledge. Now if you're talking of a stateroom steward, that's a different matter.

Ciao for now!!!

From reading your recount of what happened, I agree, being treated like the criminal would only make it worse.

But it makes you wonder (at least it does me), how many times passengers 'claim' something was stolen only to find it later on, or when they were packing to go home? I know of several we have met along the way that have told stories about reporting something missing, only to find it where they forgot they had put it in the stateoom (it would explain why your stateroom was searched so thoroughly). No excuse for the way you were treated, but it makes me think that reports of stolen items, whether they were stolen or misplaced, must be climbing onboard ships.

Good luck, and I hope you receive a satisfactory answer from Princess. What I do hope is that the answer does not frustrate you more than the actual event, in the end.

All my best and again. best of luck with this!

Not on Princess.

 

Originally Posted by jenjens1023

I know you can use any card with a magnetic strip (I have a lot of used-up Starbucks cards) to access the safe, but where do you then hide the card, or the keys to the carry-on bag?

 

 

Actually, not on Princess now.

Used to be at least one of the Princess ships did have safes that you used a card with a magnetic stripe. You had to use the same card to open the safe that you used to lock it.

This was before the magnetic stripe cruise cards, so it had to be a credit card.