Luggage Stolen on Carib Tours bus

[IslandDreaming]

Susan

No help for your immediate situation, about as much help as the "I told you so, I know better" crowd here, but hopefully you filed a Police Report and it will/should be covered by your homeowners back in USA

I don't know if they even realize it, but when "certain people" try to explain away situations such as theft from a Common Carrier as "routine," it simply makes people leery of returning to the DR or ever going in the first place

Originally Posted by Susan Reynolds

We are US citizens and got on bus in Sousa to go to Santo Domingo. When the bus stopped at the first stop in Santiago, my husband went down to the baggage bin to get our water bottle. My luggage had been moved to the first compartment where NO other luggage was. He got the water bottle as the bus driver looked on and went back upstairs to our seats. When we arrived in Santo Domingo my luggage was gone which contained expensive jewelry, clothing, shoes, and laptop computer. The bus driver said he saw someone take the suitcase, but he did nothing to stop it. The bus company does not give any tags for the luggage and we trusted the people and Carib Tours. We spent 2 hrs. on Sunday, Oct. 11 and 2 hrs. on Monday at Carib Tours, but Mr. Juan Feliz, head of security will not let you get past him. He will not even take my name or address and only says that they know of the problem and will "look for" my luggage.
We went to the Am. Embassy, but they cannot get passed Mr. Juan Diaz at Security and Carib Tours will not do anything, except to say he will look for the luggage.

I had to come home in Bermuda shorts, t-shirt, and tennis shoes....all that I had on my back.
This is VERY wrong and makes me NEVER want to go back to Dom. Republic. However, I will go back for a lawsuit against Carib Tours, if necessary. Stealing is evidently VERY rampant and crime and violence are very common. Foreign citizens should be very careful as it is very dangerous. If anyone knows anything to help, I would appreciate anything you can do.

[waytogo]

Your stuff is gone. You will never get it back and don't waste your time talking to anyone in authority. You have just been initiated into the D.R.
Think of it as a learning experience. When I travel from Santiago to Sosua, it makes a stop at Puerto Plata. Both my girlfriend and myself get off the Metro bus and watch as the luggage is taken off and we don't get back on until the luggage bay doors are reclosed. We also tie a red ribbon on the handles to quickly identify what is ours. There are thieves all over the world. It was just your time. The one thing that you state that does sound strange is the fact that the bus driver watched your husband take the water bottle from your suitcase thus knowing it was yours and letting someone else take it. EVERYTHING you do here has to be done with preventive thinking. Lesson learned.

[Castellamonte]

Originally Posted by waytogo

...the one thing that you state that does sound strange is the fact that the bus driver watched your husband take the water bottle from your suitcase thus knowing it was yours and letting someone else take it...

Or, more likely, the bus driver may well have been a spotter for the luggage. What better way to identify potentially valuable luggage than to look for a gringo who has no carry on luggage?

This has even happened to me on American Airlines, though, so I wouldn't fault the entire country of the Dominican Republic. There are thieves everywhere and it really is up to the traveler to protect themselves and their belongings as much as possible.

As for bringing a lawsuit or participating in one, I personally believe that would be a waste of time and money. Caribe Tours is likely the most powerful transportation company in the Dominican Republic. They have way too many 'friends in high places' for a lawsuit on missing luggage to get too far.

Mentioned previously was "Bienviendos a Republica Dominicana". I don't agree because if your friend gets murdered in Philadelphia you don't tell someone "Welcome to Philadelphia". But the reality of your ability to recover the luggage and / or seek restitution is very unrealistic in this country.

[coastlineconstruction]

Originally Posted by bob saunders

Perhaps I should have added that I would never be foolish enough to leave anything of high value in the luggage compartment. This would apply whether I was taking the bus in a more developed country also. When you see all those bars on windows and high walls around even schools even a newby should realize that the crime rate, especially theft is rampant. By the way, did you contribute to a solution. The likelihood of the OP getting her stuff back is highly remote, but stranger things have happened. Unless the suitcase is huge, most passengers take their suitcase on board with them.

Hey Bob,

I always thought those high walls and barbed wire around the schools was to keep the little rascals inside school grounds :P

[dieselguy]

wondering if there is camera. Go for the law suit. they know about this problem... Probably just a way to raise some extra money$. They all might be in on it. Now scared to lose jobs....

[Afgan]

Originally Posted by Susan Reynolds

We are US citizens and got on bus in Sousa to go to Santo Domingo. When the bus stopped at the first stop in Santiago, my husband went down to the baggage bin to get our water bottle. My luggage had been moved to the first compartment where NO other luggage was. He got the water bottle as the bus driver looked on and went back upstairs to our seats. When we arrived in Santo Domingo my luggage was gone which contained expensive jewelry, clothing, shoes, and laptop computer. The bus driver said he saw someone take the suitcase, but he did nothing to stop it. The bus company does not give any tags for the luggage and we trusted the people and Carib Tours. We spent 2 hrs. on Sunday, Oct. 11 and 2 hrs. on Monday at Carib Tours, but Mr. Juan Feliz, head of security will not let you get past him. He will not even take my name or address and only says that they know of the problem and will "look for" my luggage.
We went to the Am. Embassy, but they cannot get passed Mr. Juan Diaz at Security and Carib Tours will not do anything, except to say he will look for the luggage.

I had to come home in Bermuda shorts, t-shirt, and tennis shoes....all that I had on my back.
This is VERY wrong and makes me NEVER want to go back to Dom. Republic. However, I will go back for a lawsuit against Carib Tours, if necessary. Stealing is evidently VERY rampant and crime and violence are very common. Foreign citizens should be very careful as it is very dangerous. If anyone knows anything to help, I would appreciate anything you can do.

It is your first visit to this country I assume.

[Lambada]

Originally Posted by PICHARDO

Wow!!! Who should they contact for help? Obama?

Pichardo, I was suggesting she should try to contact the owner of the company, not the President of the country! I'm a great believer in bypassing underlings & going straight to the top, where I usually find people to be charming, helpful and wishing to avoid bad publicity. Remind me to tell you privately sometime about my little issue with NatWest Bank in UK when I went straight to the Chairman of the parent company RBS (Sir Fred Goodman at the time ) and ever since any query I've had has been dealt with by the executive office in a timely and professional manner.

Originally Posted by PICHARDO

About suing the carrier? Check again the ticket stub and legal stuff written on it... That delineates the contract you entered with the carrier during the trip to your destination.

This bit I agree with, but I would suggest to Susan Reynolds that even if she was to find she had grounds for a lawsuit, she should be aware that as a non-resident she will have to deposit a hefty bond to initiate a suit, plus she will have large legal fees, probably well in excess of what the losses are worth. Her other option would be to make a claim on her holiday insurance, but as IslandDreaming said, she would have needed to have filed a police report.

Folks, can we try to offer more in the way of helpful suggestions to deal with this lady's predicament now, as opposed to homely advice on safety precautions at the time? One of these days a poster here is going to turn out to be the editor of Condé Nast Traveller, or somesuch.

[TheHun]

"This is VERY wrong and makes me NEVER want to go back to Dom. Republic. However, I will go back for a lawsuit against Carib Tours, if necessary."

I really feel your pain, however the only thing that you will figure out is that most lawyers are also thieves -even bigger than the one who stole your bag - and you will just waste more $$$$. Just save all the $$$ and replace your valuables and next time don't let your expensive items out of your sight. Thieves are everywhere, in the US, Italy, France, etc...

The Hun

[jorgesarduysousa]

Common sense was also let in your luggage, tooooo much valuable in a case

[Tamborista]

Originally Posted by jorgesarduysousa

Common sense was also let in your luggage, tooooo much valuable in a case

Is that neccessary?
You don't think the OP feels bad enough.