Tourists getting sick in AI

[davetuna]

I'd almost worry about the lettuce washed in the tap water more than the under-cooked beef. Buffets are like Petri dishes for food poisoning and with air temps between 80? and 100?, the conditions are optimal in the Tropics. Hot foods should be no less than 135? after being fully cooked (usually to 150?, 165? for chicken) and cold foods should be no more than 40?. Imported ground beef should be safe above 135?(med rare), but I wouldn't trust any ground beef processed in the DR to less than 155?(med well)

As for "being sure," that's why institutional kitchens in the US keep records of food temps from start to finish. They document the cooler temps at least twice a day, temp the food when it's first cooked, and then again when it's in the buffet at least once an hour.

It could have been food poisoning, but without tests, it could have just as well have been Norovirus, which is spread by hand and surface contact. You can get that just by touching a doorknob or stair railing and it's very common in resorts and cruise ships.

personal hygiene is very poor.......amongst catering staff and managerial staff who think they are above it all.

you really do take your life in your hands when eating from a buffet., wait for new tray to come out is one idea......

I have worked for years in places where people have sniffles and don't wash their hands when toughing their face. its a problem.

 

[Harleysrock]

Once again it is blame the victim mentality.
It couldn't have been that there was a hurricane the night of the wedding which caused sanitary conditions to be bad.
Eating, drinking too much and too much sun are not going to make a whole group of people sick for several days.
The resort would not have paid a penny if they knew it was not some food or sanitary issue that caused the illness.
I have been at a resort during a holiday. Conditions were not up to par. The resort was not prepared for so many guests. Many people got sick. SERIOUSLY sick!
Please do not blame the victims.

The "Victims" sound like total idiots! They saw the undercooked beef and saw that they were using the same utensils with raw and cooked meat. Sometimes people get sick and sometimes it happens on important events...DEAL WITH IT!
Getting 50k for this is ridic! It's a 4 star hotel which is not that great in the DR! A hurricane happens and the staff doesn't clean it up that fast, well this is not the UK or NA!
Sounds like people not understanding what a 3rd world Country is like!
I can see maybe getting their money back but more than that seems stupid to me.
Suing for dumb stuff ****es me off!

My wife got a parasite from a Mexico AI 3 or so years ago should we have sued them?!?!?!

 

[davetuna]

The "Victims" sound like total idiots! They saw the undercooked beef and saw that they were using the same utensils with raw and cooked meat. Sometimes people get sick and sometimes it happens on important events...DEAL WITH IT!
Getting 50k for this is ridic! It's a 4 star hotel which is not that great in the DR! A hurricane happens and the staff doesn't clean it up that fast, well this is not the UK or NA!
Sounds like people not understanding what a 3rd world Country is like!
I can see maybe getting their money back but more than that seems stupid to me.
Suing for dumb stuff ****es me off!

My wife got a parasite from a Mexico AI 3 or so years ago should we have sued them?!?!?!

I think the result is fair.


The guests sued the tour operators, not the hotel.

Tour operators sell the trips, and charge a good price for them. When things go wrong, it is the tour operators responsibility to help work things out.

The payout was presumably made up partly of costs incurred and also damages and suffering. I wish more people would kick up a fuss, as it is a good way to improve standards........much the same way as in the uk they will only put in traffic lights after six people have been killed.

unfortunately the powers that be often are not fastidious enough until after the event.

 

[IslandDreaming]

many of these folks fall ill in dominican AI due to eating like pigs and getting sloshed day after day so i always look at stories like this with serious doubt. and the idiots b**ch about hurricane too. hello, fools, hurricane season, ever heard of that?

Reminds me of a friend whose nickname was ?Jimmy the Pig? He had every vice except he didn?t drink and no one could figure it out Finally he told us that he got sick every time he drank. We convinced him to join us one night at a popular club called the Stem-winder They offered a free buffet at midnight, pretty simple sandwiches and such Well ole Jimmy the Pig drank 3-4 beers and when midnight hit proceeded to down about 8 sandwiches and quickly chucked them back up He stood there saying ?See, told you what happens when I drink???

 

[dv8]

suffering? SUFFERING? life is suffering. people lose their entire possessions in natural disasters, their families in accidents, they become cripples for life. and someone is suing for a case of pukes.

 

[davetuna]

it isn't like for like..............

listen, you pay me for a wedding/family trip..........you get ill because of things I should have taken care of........you sue me. It was my responsibility and i fell short. I pay you compensation and then some for goodwill.

I really don't see your point. The family were using a Tour Operator who fell short in their care of the guests. The Tour Operator need to pay a little more attention when Hurricanes come.

The care standards and trip obligations originated in the Guests country not here in DR.....

 

[dulce]

The "Victims" sound like total idiots! They saw the undercooked beef and saw that they were using the same utensils with raw and cooked meat. Sometimes people get sick and sometimes it happens on important events...DEAL WITH IT!
Getting 50k for this is ridic! It's a 4 star hotel which is not that great in the DR! A hurricane happens and the staff doesn't clean it up that fast, well this is not the UK or NA!
Sounds like people not understanding what a 3rd world Country is like!
I can see maybe getting their money back but more than that seems stupid to me.
Suing for dumb stuff ****es me off!

My wife got a parasite from a Mexico AI 3 or so years ago should we have sued them?!?!?!

I was one of the people who got sick. I was sick for 4 months and couldn't work. I did not sue the resort. They did give me a week free stay and I accepted it. I am familiar with the DR resorts and understand this happens sometimes. 80% of the guests were sick that week. Are you telling me that we were all irresponsible pigs?
But....... Most of the A1 resorts are owned by major resort chains from other countries. They have resorts all over the world. Do you think everyone who stays at ANY of their resorts should expect to "suck it up" because it can happen anywhere?
The DR may be a 3rd world country but the resorts are not out in the campo with no running water and such. Seriously, of course people should expect to not get sick when they go on vacation. If they over eat, drink or overindulge in any way they should take responsibility.
The woman in the story said she did send the hamburger back to be cooked more. I see this group as victims just like the people at the same resort as me. Nobody sued the resort or their tour operator.

 

[PeterInBrat]

Is there a Health Inspector system in the DR? Not that it would matter, because a 1000 pesos could pay off most of them..

I agree that esp with a franchised operation, it's up to them to self inspect. Many chains in the US do that now in addition to their visits from the Health Inspector. If you eat at a McDonald's in Africa, you want the kitchen to be as clean as it would be in the US.

 

[dulce]

suffering? SUFFERING? life is suffering. people lose their entire possessions in natural disasters, their families in accidents, they become cripples for life. and someone is suing for a case of pukes.

Sometimes it is more than a case of the pukes. I was sick for 4 months. Out of work for all of that time. Paid lots of doctor and hospital visits. I didn't sue.

 

[davetuna]

My wife got a parasite from a Mexico AI 3 or so years ago should we have sued them?!?!?!

It was your choice if you believed that it could have been avoided........to sue or not to sue?

There are people preparing food who are sick, unclean, don't give a sh*t about you. Coughing, sneezing, People don't wash their hands after using the toilet and then come chop your salad.

Damn right I will sue if my family get sick.......it's just not good enough to say, 'oh things are different out here'.......

 

[Harleysrock]

Sometimes it is more than a case of the pukes. I was sick for 4 months. Out of work for all of that time. Paid lots of doctor and hospital visits. I didn't sue.

My wife was sick for 3 months from the parasite and couldn't work either so I understand. My main problem is people suing all over the place now a days.

 

[dulce]

My wife was sick for 3 months from the parasite and couldn't work either so I understand. My main problem is people suing all over the place now a days.

I get your main point. I had many travel agent friends and tour reps. Many people were looking for free stuff for small complaints.

 

[Contango]

 

[Black Dog]

Was there a hurricane in August 2009? I think a couple of storms but I don't think there was an actual hurricane, I could be wrong.

 

[the gorgon]

i visited DR 3 times before moving in. stayed in AI. never got sick. on my last trip i had longaniza, in my in laws (to be) house. just before leaving too. let's just say it's a good thing that plane toilets are so small you can s**t and puke at the same time. i was ill for a week.

i think it will not come as a surprise if i say that i tried longaniza again, after i moved here. 3 days sick. i was determined to make it happen so i ate longaniza again. 24 hours sick. i have revised my strategy and now boil and then fry longaniza. never been sick again.

you fried them without boiling them? baad idea. the best idea is to never eat longaniza.

 

[pauleast]

Sometimes it is more than a case of the pukes. I was sick for 4 months. Out of work for all of that time. Paid lots of doctor and hospital visits. I didn't sue.

Sick and out of work for 4 months, WOW. I know people who had cardiac surgery and returned to work quicker than that.
You must have eaten some baaad stuff.

 

[pauleast]

I got hang-nail while kite surfing. Can anyone recommend a good lawyer.

 

[drSix]

I tell ya what, back in Imbert we ate food from every little roadside stand, tiny restaurant, and colmado and drank the well water and never got sick. Every time we went to a restaurant in Puerto Plata, or the few times we stayed at an AI to get away, at least one person got sick. It's not the Dominican food, or even the water. It's people in larger crowded restaurants and AI's taking a **** and not washing their hands afterwards.

 

[Xavier_Onassis]

Last July I ate a small bit of chicharron in Juan Dolio. Three days later, it gave me a terrible stomach ache and some sort of parasite that took over a week to get rid of with a couple of prescriptions written by a doctor at the Barahona hospital. The medicine eliminated the parasite, but then I got diarrhea as a result of not being able to process food. All in all, I ate almost nothing for about ten days. I won't be eating chicharrones again.

 

[dv8]

I was one of the people who got sick. I was sick for 4 months and couldn't work.

food poisoning does not do you in for 4 months. what did you get?