Robbed in La Sirena

[amp]

In case any of you don't have this on your laptop, put it on now, don't hesitate.

https://preyproject.com/

Who has a laptop and doesn't connect to the internet?

When the thief connects it will tell you exactly where they are, it can take a photo of them from the webcam, you can take screenshots of what they are looking at, wipe device, lock device, get reports.

It's awesome.

Sorry for your loss.

If any of you have a laptop I can't stress enough about how much this program is a necessity for your device.

 

[jrhartley]

when you say the store did nothing - did you actually ask or just take the word of the supposed laptop loser (who might also have been in on it)

 

[malko]

Sorry for the loss of your things.....

But common sense would have that you never leave ANYTHING in those transparent locker box things....
Back home in europe I am wary, so here in the dr........

2 weeks back, it was so hot, I had the clim on in the pickup, so I stopped at the front of la Sirena before going in. ( the one just off l autoposta from navarette, in Santiago ) for a smoke.
Anyway, as i was getting my lighter out, the security guard spotted my gun, i suppose. As i walked in to the supermarket, he asked me to put it in the locker !!!!!!
Do i look like i am stupid ?? The guy and his collegue had a laugh " olga ! Es un tigre ! ". And waved me in.

 

[EddieC]

Third World, baby!

We just went to the La Sirena on Bartholme Colon. Lots of people as the kids start school tomorrow. When I went to get the bags that we had put in the secure boxes, they were not there. There was also a disgruntled Dominican who lost a laptop.
What had happened was that someone saw the laptop and our bags. They told the management that they had forgotten the number on the box and she obligingly open the boxes with a key and gave all our stuff to the ladrones.
I told the big boss that the store had actually opened up our box and given our property away. The lady who had done the deed just kept smiling. The boss took our phone numbers and said that if they find anything they will call us. The Dominican Geek told us that we were never going to see our stuff again and he was really ****ed off.
I find it odd that the store has no culpability in the fact that they opened our secure box and gave our stuff away. Then again this is the DR.

This is the stuff that keeps economic improvement marginal at best. Who wants to invest in a place that operates like this?
I sure don't.

 

[TropicalPaul]

Grupo Ramos (who own Sirena) are a big company, and I think they are Spanish owned. I suggest that you get a lawyer to call their head office and say that unless this is resolved you are going to issue a demanda against them. Another tactic is to prepare a press release, saying what happened, and send a copy of this to their head office. All Dominican companies are petrified of bad press for some reason. And I think the idea of going to the police against the woman in charge of the lockers is a good idea. These three tactics combined will definitely result in you being compensated by La Sirena. A final thing to do is to post a message on their Facebook page warning people about what happened to you. It will be deleted almost immediately, but the moderator who deletes it will bring it to the attention of important people. Definitely you should not just accept this happening to you. Companies like Grupo Ramos do know better, unfortunately you have to fight your way through hundreds of silly chicas who are screwing the boss to get to the people who will give you your money back.

 

[TropicalPaul]

Sorry, one final thing, may also be worth drawing their attention to the bad publicity that Sirena is getting here on DR1. They are very into social media (Sirena has done several flash mob type of publicity events, and constantly uses Facebook, so they know the score).

 

[Tamborista]

There is a very good chance that this thread vanishes unless the OP posts his/her actual name.
I am a little surprised it has even lasted this long.

Agreed, Facebook actually will get their attention.

 

[josh2203]

A final thing to do is to post a message on their Facebook page warning people about what happened to you. It will be deleted almost immediately, but the moderator who deletes it will bring it to the attention of important people.

As far as I know, if it really gets deleted, that would be extremely bad publicity to La Sirena. I just checked their Facebook page, they seem to be at least somehow active on taking care of their page, and if their reputation in Facebook is important to them, they would address the complaint there appropriately, and definitely leave it live, not delete nor hide it. The second the complaint is published, anyone can save it or screenshot it, so as they say, once something is online, it will stay there, in one place or another. If it?s found out, that a complaint of robbery has been simply deleted without publicly addressing it, that would be bad.

Pointless attacks towards something would be deleted, or hate speech, but legitimate complaint would not, as far as I?m concerned.

Could be that I?m thinking of procedures outside of DR though...

 

[MpJuly]

I'm so sorry about what's happened to you

In my case I never put a laptop or tablet in a box or others place for packages, when I have a laptop with me I enter in the store with, the security don't have problem with that... I did it last week in santo domingo in La Sirena et Plaza Lama and no problem...

We just went to the La Sirena on Bartholme Colon. Lots of people as the kids start school tomorrow. When I went to get the bags that we had put in the secure boxes, they were not there. There was also a disgruntled Dominican who lost a laptop.
What had happened was that someone saw the laptop and our bags. They told the management that they had forgotten the number on the box and she obligingly open the boxes with a key and gave all our stuff to the ladrones.
I told the big boss that the store had actually opened up our box and given our property away. The lady who had done the deed just kept smiling. The boss took our phone numbers and said that if they find anything they will call us. The Dominican Geek told us that we were never going to see our stuff again and he was really ****ed off.
I find it odd that the store has no culpability in the fact that they opened our secure box and gave our stuff away. Then again this is the DR.

 

[rubio_higuey]

I think this whole stupid policy of leaving packages behind when entering store should be done with. You do NOT see that in Colombia. I was moving up and down the stores, and inside-outside, with a full backpack when leaving for/on day trips and nobody said anything... Minimarkets "Exito Express" even have cash registers along with the deli at the other end of the store away from the doors. I cannot imagine they would have less theft (or attempted theft) than in the DR.... but then, this tells you something about a nation's (and business) culture. Not treating everybody like a possible thief from the moment they enter the store goes a long way in customer satisfaction with the store/business.

A curious thing, though, Iberia supermarket in Higuey requires that you leave bags with a "bag receptionist", and if you try to enter the store with the bag, the security at the door will halt you and make you go "deposit your bag". But they do not do that with the tourists, who enter fine with their backpacks ... I wonder why ... (not really...).

I called out their attention to it and called them abusers and discriminators ... I have a video of them letting tourists in with backpacks and now I enter with my stuff as well. When they call me out on it, I simply refuse to deposit it and tell them to stop me forcibly and that we will see each other in court for discrimination (first time I showed the security guy the video). Now I just simply ignore them and pretend I have not heard them. But it's 2or 3 guys that work the door so I hope they are now getting used to it.

 

[the gorgon]

I think this whole stupid policy of leaving packages behind when entering store should be done with. You do NOT see that in Colombia. I was moving up and down the stores, and inside-outside, with a full backpack when leaving for/on day trips and nobody said anything... Minimarkets "Exito Express" even have cash registers along with the deli at the other end of the store away from the doors. I cannot imagine they would have less theft (or attempted theft) than in the DR.... but then, this tells you something about a nation's (and business) culture. Not treating everybody like a possible thief from the moment they enter the store goes a long way in customer satisfaction with the store/business.

that would never work here. just last week i picked up a carton of Rica orange juice, and it felt strangely light. i removed the cover, and, lo and behold, someone had opened it and drank a half the thing and put it back in the cooler. i hate to imagine what would happen if they were to abandon the regulation that bags must be checked before entering the store.

 

[TropicalPaul]

As far as I know, if it really gets deleted, that would be extremely bad publicity to La Sirena.

Most large companies have someone who is responsible for checking all Facebook posts and ensuring that nothing negative is left there. But these people always work in head office and always know what to do about an unhappy customer, so if you do post, although it usually gets deleted, "strangely" you find that someone important responds to your complaint quite quickly after that. I use this a lot for US and UK companies, usually works.

 

[donP]

Testing

... i removed the cover, and, lo and behold, someone had...

Had that with several items:
HALKA brilliantine, finger run through it;
perfume flacons are always testers here;
chocolate bars taken out of larger packs;
etc.

donP

 

[Cdn_Gringo]

It's simple. Have people stand on a scale with their life survival kit when they enter the store. Attach a weight ticket to their forehead. At the cash register or when leaving the store if no purchase was made, reweigh them. If they are heavier, "go directly to jail, do not pass go." They have obviously either stuffed their bag with precious goods or eaten all the cookies in the junk food aisle.

Alternatively, invite guests to your establishment to find another place to buy their goods if they are inclined to take exception with the assumption they are a thieving POS who can't be trusted with a bathroom key that is not attached to a 50lb lead weight.

 

[zoomzx11]

I have never seen demanding to be a very effective tactic in the DR or anyplace else for that matter. Its good for starting a fight.How does one know what "rich Dominicans do"? Is mimicking the behavior of rich dominicans a good plan? Might be a better plan to mimic the behavior of smart Dominicans.

 

[zoomzx11]

Speaking of messing with food products. The other day a disgusting obese european woman was in Playero Supermarket in Sosua where the pasteries and bread rolls are out open on display. This person picked up one pasty after another and held it up to her nose squeezing it between her fingers then putting it back on the shelf. I watched her for about two minutes. And I used to buy products off the same shelves. A lesson learned about open food products in the DR. Shame as the stuff tasted real good!

 

[jd426]

Speaking of messing with food products. The other day a disgusting obese european woman was in Playero Supermarket in Sosua where the pasteries and bread rolls are out open on display. This person picked up one pasty after another and held it up to her nose squeezing it between her fingers then putting it back on the shelf. I watched her for about two minutes. And I used to buy products off the same shelves. A lesson learned about open food products in the DR. Shame as the stuff tasted real good!

This is why I would only go to a Euro/ German Bakery in the DR... no way a Bakery owner(family run) would allow such craziness... that is just nuts..

 

[Commander Ooh La La USN]

Please do not reply if you are ignorant of the system they use in this store. As Bucket said it is a 4 digit number not a key on a clear plexiglass door so everyone can see what is worth taking. Never liked this because I forgot the number the first time I used it. Sounds like you do doubt my story however I did not write it for your approval I wrote it to help. Is this not what I am supposed to do, help?

Damn man, no need to get all snippy. Maybe your sht deserved to be stolen? If it was me with my wife I wudda slap the sht out that Sirena employee and told her she was fired. There is nothing like sticking your finger in the socket to cure your quandry about electricity.

 

[shorts]

Go to the police and file charges with accusation of accessory to commit theft - complicidad de robo (against the employee that opened the box). Not against La Sirena, but against the person herself. You will see how fast things will start moving. Simply claim what is said here, that she was on it, because normal person would not just release the content. So do not go against La Sirena, even though they might ultimately be responsible for it, but go against the easier target, the employee. At the end, her employee insurance might kick in (if she did it because of stupidity), or might actually start talking (if she was on it).

And because you file criminal charges against her personally, she would need to lawyer up (out of her own pocket) or our of the pocket of that manager who might be banging her. And even if they go to try to pay people off for this to go away, they will spend money... not the store's money, their own money. In the DR you can also ask for monetary damages (compensation) with criminal complaint.

In this scenario, wouldn't you need to hire your own lawyer to make sure the police report is actually pushed through? I've never filed a police report before but from reading here it seems you have to attach money to it for something do actually be done.

 

[Curacaoleno]

I know some people working at La Sirena and besides they have to work many many hours (6 days a week is normal) they also fire people who have not been performing. Its owned by Spanish people.

I would advise to get in contact with upper management.