Adult ring working PV Wal-Mart

bdavis · Post by **bdavis** » Mon Apr 07, 2008 5:33 am

You will find that making a police report in PV is virutally impossible unless you speak excellent Spanish...ref Fodor's 2008 PV guide. The Loss Prevention Manager at Wal-Mart ,and concierge at CasaMagna Marriott reittterated. Call the consul if you are a victim...most do not think to do this and so crimes go unreported. At least three people...a man 63-67 and woman in med to late 50's distracted me long enough to allow a third long arm to reach into my cart into a deep tote and remove my billfold. I made a puchase at the Wal-Mart pharmacia, paid without pulling out the billfold and the receipt time was stamped. The stalkers struck
within 10 mins as I went to check-out...I waited 20 mins. for loss prevention mgr who said useless to make police report but I could do it on following Mon. if someone went with me! (no offer of tel. call to hotel; taxi fare to hotel; no translator as I waited and waited.) I asked for camera review as ID would have been so simple. NO. He took down my name ONLY at my assistance and home telephone number. Hesitated giving me his name, but did. While I felt I exercised caution in the American-owned Wal-Mart amidst tourists and Mexicans and had been told the Wal-Mart was safe, , I didn't necessarily exercise as much as I might have in Mexico City or Acapulco. Every Wal-Mart I have ever been in, including my home town, has many ,many Mexican shoppers and I have never felt marginalized. Being a tourist is a completely different market in PV at least in that Wal-Mart. Within an hour they had committed fraud using my credit card and my US Sam's ID NEXT door . 3 mins. before I was able to have the conceirge at my hotel blockaccess and within an hour of the Wal-Mart theft. Cameras would have taken that ring off the streets if they had been reviewed...and more money would have gone to the good activities and restaurants and shops of Puerto Vallarta. Staying home is a silly answer. We are all vulnerable to experienced hustlers and should expect some degree of protection in an American-owned store, and in an economy that lives and breathes tourism. I suggest traveling in twos just like snorkeling. A taxi driver told me these rings prey on their own PV citizens. Anybody care about truth and getting professionals off the street?

winterpegman · Post by **winterpegman** » Mon Apr 07, 2008 6:42 am

You will find that making a police report in PV is virutally impossible unless you speak excellent Spanish...ref Fodor's 2008 PV guide.

Huh? Are you quoting from a travel book rather than actually trying???? Tell me I've misread this...

should expect some degree of protection in an American-owned store, and in an economy that lives and breathes tourism.

You don't get any in the U.S. - Why would you elsewhere?

Assuming this tale is true, I empathize with you. I can tell you this though...doing a "drive-by" complaint (as someone so eloquently called similar stories of woe), won't go as far as a "Hi my name is...and this is what happened to me..." will.

Anybody care about truth and getting professionals off the street?

What exactly do you mean? I'm sure we ALL care about "the truth". What are you proposing to get the professionals off the street?

When did this take place by the way....recently? Wouldn't have been around Easter would it?

One more thing...about the time factor involved...If your credit card info is put on the web, transactions will occur against it within 5 minutes of it getting there...5 minutes...

I think I need to say that again...if you become a victim of identity theft....only 5 minutes after the bad guys get your numbers up...transactions will occur.

My point is that no matter how fast you think the authorities should be....it likely isn't going to be fast enough. Just a sad reality, and a good reminder to always be VERY cautious. Shred credit card bills that go in your garbage...don't let your card leave your eyesight in restaurants...etc etc.

ronald · Post by **ronald** » Mon Apr 07, 2008 6:43 am

This definitely can ruin a holiday... When exactly did this happen? day/month/YEAR? Did you end up reporting it to the Police?

On a side note: I don't think that going to any particular place because it is 'American' or owned by anybody 'foreign' will ensure anything but familiarity of product. To do otherwise would be quite ethnocentric. Why shouldn't you find tourists and Mexicans in an American owned store? We all enjoy CHEAP products from China, Taiwan, and Korea. The good stuff is found elsewhere.

charlieb · Post by **charlieb** » Mon Apr 07, 2008 7:17 am

Ok, here we go. Since we have a complaint thread, how about we not tear this OP to pieces? Let's give him the benefit of the doubt until or unless more and or different information surfaces. By jumping on him and tearing his posting apart, people who read it will tend not to post problems they had, and it also makes us sound elitelist. Just a suggestion. Chuck...

howard_jax · Post by **howard_jax** » Mon Apr 07, 2008 12:06 pm

First I saw no one pick on the poster, just asked questions. Secondly, I believe that the Sam's and Walmart in Mexico are Mexican owned. When we are in Mexico we go to Mexican owned stores,restaurants, etc.. Is that wrong?

Anyone vacationing, getting ripped off in Mexico is a shame, but it can and does happen, the same as it can in the US or Canada.

chico98 · Post by **chico98** » Mon Apr 07, 2008 2:09 pm

and were was yiur billfold??

distracted me long enough to allow a third long arm to reach into my cart into a deep tote and remove my billfold

winterpegman · Post by **winterpegman** » Mon Apr 07, 2008 2:54 pm

charlieb wrote:Ok, here we go. Since we have a complaint thread, how about we not tear this OP to pieces? Let's give him the benefit of the doubt until or unless more and or different information surfaces. By jumping on him and tearing his posting apart, people who read it will tend not to post problems they had, and it also makes us sound elitelist. Just a suggestion. Chuck...

I'm not sure how you "get" that I'm picking on them? I asked legitimate questions didn't I? I also said "Assuming this tale is true, I empathize with you."

I asked for clarification.

I think maybe you're seeing something that isn't there charlie...

When someone posts a "complaint/warning" and it's their very first post, I think we all have the right (if not, expectation) to question the OP on further clarification...and that's precisely what I did. If you truly think my post is "picking" on them, I think maybe you're overly sensitive.

Jennybean · Post by **Jennybean** » Mon Apr 07, 2008 3:12 pm

Chico asked where was the billfold...it was apparently not on the OP's person, which is mistake #1. It's not picking on anyone (and nobody has in this thread) to note that if you're letting your guard down to that extent, you are going to be a target.

I speak from experience on this.

At the same time this is NOT a new phenomenon. This happens every hour of every day all over the world. PV would be no different...a crime of opportunity is still a crime of opportunity. Take the opportunity away and you're less likely to be the victim of such a crime. I learned my lesson the hard way, so apparently did the OP.

The difference being I made a police report in PV with full assistance of my hotel staff (not much the police can do but I felt better doing it), I also protected myself BEFORE I left on vacation by calling my credit card companies and bank to secure my assets so I lost no money, and I am even more conscious than before about where I store my money on my person or in my hotel. While I sympathize with the OP there is an awful lot they admittedly did NOT do to protect themselves from being a victim.

Blaming the store seems like the easy way out instead of taking responsibility for one's own safety and security.

(and yes, the WalMart and Sams Club in PV are Mexican owned, not US owned...not that who owns the store should make any difference anyways, you're not actually IN the US...)

benito · Post by **benito** » Mon Apr 07, 2008 7:03 pm

jennybean makes a good point....call your credit card companies and your bank if you will use your atm card, before heading for pv to let them know you will be there, also you can call the cc companies collect from pv to cancel your cards immediately when pickpockets get you or a night with tequila gets you.

BUFFETT 06 · Post by **BUFFETT 06** » Mon Apr 07, 2008 11:48 pm

so basically this can be wrapped up with three little words...(1).use (2)common (3 sense. that's not a put down, it's a fact.

oneistwo · Post by **oneistwo** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 6:19 pm

I do sympathize with the fact you were robbed, and with the lack of a caring response. I myself launched a thread after we were robbed by purse snatchers and the upshot of my experience is, live and learn. But while some of that learning is positive (no clutch purses) some of it is negative (we'll never go to a certain part of PV again).

So on what I'm calling the positive, my bet is you won't leave your wallet in a tote any more. Many years ago I was working for a local paper deep in the lily white suburbs, and the police blotter listed a series of thefts in grocery stores, from women who left their pocketbooks in the baby carrier and their wallets were stolen out of them. The next time I was in one of those stores, I looked around and noticed there were at least a dozen women who had their pocketbooks, wide open, in the baby carrier. I warned a few of them, but it seemed hopeless. And it was obvious the store management wasn't going to take it on itself to warn anyone, EVEN THOUGH it had happened repeatedly. So no, you can't blame the store because it happened. Or can you? But you're sure entitled to notice they didn't seem to care. And they should care.

On the negative, it is really too bad you have to keep up your guard, just like, as some posters said, everyplace else. PV seems so special, until something like this happens. If it's just like everyplace else, you have to wonder, why go there at all? Time will heal the wound, but it does hurt.

p.s. Folks, please don't pounce on the victims. "Common sense" is a learning process, and lecturing people when they're in pain just seems like poor timing.

TNbear · Post by **TNbear** » Sat Sep 06, 2008 12:15 pm

Puerto Vallarta and environs is a wonderful place, but it's not Disneyland. Even in Disneyland I stay aware of my surroundings and those around me.

I am not fearful, just aware that no matter where you are there will be that sub-species of humanity which will take advantage of those who are un-aware.

kcowan · Post by **kcowan** » Sat Sep 06, 2008 3:33 pm

My MIL was robbed several times by a thief on a bicycle. She was in her late 80s. This was in Vancouver. We got her a pouch to strap around her waist. We also encouraged her to deal with all her money befoe leaving any store, and make sure her packages were securely held.

Adult ring working PV Wal-Mart

Sorry to hear about your loss.

.

Been there, in a way