Can something be done on these ?
Posted 1st July 2012 at 08:50 AM by Dr. L. Ramakrishnan
Updated 1st July 2012 at 08:55 AM by Dr. L. Ramakrishnan
Updated 1st July 2012 at 08:55 AM by Dr. L. Ramakrishnan
I had been on a tour of Europe in the first of half of June 2012. I thought I should share some of my concerns/views arising out of this tour with others in this forum.
1. Beware of Pickpockets: Throughout the tour I was under stress thinking about pickpockets; I was personally affected by a petty thief in Amsterdam way back in 1997. More stories of pickpockets/thieves in London, Paris (my friend was robbed), Rome (my colleague lost his passport and money), Brussels, Amsterdam (my brother in-law lost his laptop; my colleague lost her bag containing money and passport), Florence, Venice and Milan had its effect on me. I was prepared for the worst after studying their modus operandi through Youtube footages. In spite of all precautions one of my tour members was stripped of his money (500 Euro) and passports of his entire family at Brussels. I know the "hell" he had gone through. In spite of police present in all the crowded places, such pick pocketing/thieving occurs regularly. Can't authorities in these countries do something about this menace?
2. In Madam Thussad's in London - the exhibition rooms are poorly lit; the floor is dark and one will not know (because of the crowd) that there are steps between the exhibit and the floor of the exhibition hall. I had seen many people stumbling and falling because of these steps, while trying to go near the exhibits. Because of the crowd one is not able to see the floor while moving towards the exhibits. Can something be done on this?
3. Hotels: Hotels have carpets covering the floor including steps. One cannot easily see that a step is there in front if the step height is low; the carpet gives a feeling of a plane/continuous surface and the result is tumbling and falling. At least these steps can be indicated by coloured strips.
4. Most of the hotels believe that their guests are the most intelligent people in the world who would understand how various gadgets work in the room; my experience is that by the time I come to know as to which switch is for which lamp it is time to check-out. There is no standardization of plumbing - is the left knob for hot or the right ? Should I pull the knob or push the knob for allowing water to flow ? How do I get the shower on; how do I adjust the temperature. Standardization will work for guests with average intelligence like me.
The comments about the hotels apply to all over the world.
You may have many more such observations to share.
1. Beware of Pickpockets: Throughout the tour I was under stress thinking about pickpockets; I was personally affected by a petty thief in Amsterdam way back in 1997. More stories of pickpockets/thieves in London, Paris (my friend was robbed), Rome (my colleague lost his passport and money), Brussels, Amsterdam (my brother in-law lost his laptop; my colleague lost her bag containing money and passport), Florence, Venice and Milan had its effect on me. I was prepared for the worst after studying their modus operandi through Youtube footages. In spite of all precautions one of my tour members was stripped of his money (500 Euro) and passports of his entire family at Brussels. I know the "hell" he had gone through. In spite of police present in all the crowded places, such pick pocketing/thieving occurs regularly. Can't authorities in these countries do something about this menace?
2. In Madam Thussad's in London - the exhibition rooms are poorly lit; the floor is dark and one will not know (because of the crowd) that there are steps between the exhibit and the floor of the exhibition hall. I had seen many people stumbling and falling because of these steps, while trying to go near the exhibits. Because of the crowd one is not able to see the floor while moving towards the exhibits. Can something be done on this?
3. Hotels: Hotels have carpets covering the floor including steps. One cannot easily see that a step is there in front if the step height is low; the carpet gives a feeling of a plane/continuous surface and the result is tumbling and falling. At least these steps can be indicated by coloured strips.
4. Most of the hotels believe that their guests are the most intelligent people in the world who would understand how various gadgets work in the room; my experience is that by the time I come to know as to which switch is for which lamp it is time to check-out. There is no standardization of plumbing - is the left knob for hot or the right ? Should I pull the knob or push the knob for allowing water to flow ? How do I get the shower on; how do I adjust the temperature. Standardization will work for guests with average intelligence like me.
The comments about the hotels apply to all over the world.
You may have many more such observations to share.
Total Comments 5
Comments
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About the Hotels that I have stayed in USA and Europe tours, I find each one of them unique and different and my first hour or so after I check into the Hotel will be in exploring the room and how each stuff operate, The coffee maker, the bathroom controls, the windows, the toiletries, the towels, The A/c and the fan, the TV and the audio system present, The fridge, The stuffs in the fridge, The Cloth iron and frame, The wardrobe and the hangers there, The telephone, The chair, the cot, The writing pad, and the pen / pencil, and any other including reading the guest instructions and laundry instructions. I feel the sense of comfort and belonging to the room when I explore it and learn how to use them. I am amazed at the shower water temperature control and how sensitive they are made. My experiences have been wonderful all around.Posted 7th July 2012 at 11:45 AM by somashekar 
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I think most problems with pickpockets etc are addressed simply.
1) Don't carry valuables in easily visible locations. If you have a bulging wallet in a back pocket it advertises its presence and is easy to steal.
2) Don't carry all your valuables with you all the time. Don't carry your passports with you. Use the room safe or hotel safe. My wife and I carry laminated photocopies of our passport photo pages. We don't carry a lot of cash.
I sometimes resort to carrying a dummy wallet filled with useless plastic cards and keep my actual wallet in an inside pocket or front trouser pocket.
The thing with most thieves and pickpockets etc is they pick on obvious and easy targets.
They are not always bright.
In Milan a women and kid approached me. SHe carried a strangely folded newspaper in front to ask me for some help. This she used to hide the fact that her other hand was headed for my inside pocket and wallet while her kid took hold of my arm.
Being alerted by her odd behaviour approaching me i simply brushed her off. She quickly went in search of an easier target.
Like most things, if you practise taking simple and sensible precautions you can quickly become accustomed and never have to worry. It is like most of the things we do, once we are used to doing it the safe way we are not continuously worrying.
I have travelled in most European countries, in Scandinavia, in Russia, Singapore, the USA and Canada, Argentina etc. and the incident in Milan was the only occasion I was ever approached and I have never had anything stolen from me anywhere.... except once, many many years ago in London where I left a package on the seat of my car and came back to find someone had broken the window and taken it. I never now leave anything in the car in plain view. It is now routine for me to put stuff in the trunk. It means I don't spend my life worrying about being robbed.
I'm pretty sure there is a lot of other advice on websites etc.
I'd bet that if you review the various incidents such as losing latops etc. you'll find they did something simple like putting them down while they spoke to someone over a counter. If I'm lugging a laptop round with me I have it on my shoulder or put it on the floor in front of me and keep a foot in contact with it.
Another example, when walking on a pavement, try to stay away from the curb and have your bags carried on the inside away from potential motorcycle riding thieves.
Work the buddy system if in company. The usual thing with groups is people think there is protection in numbers and everyone relaxes their guard. Act as if you and you alone are responsible for your own possessions and then look out for the others.
Don't put keys or cell phones down on the table.
Never leave anything unattended for even a moment.
Oh, and taxis. In Buenos Aries the advice was never to get a taxi on the street. Always book through the hotel reception (any hotel, not simply your own). A group of colleagues stopped one on the street and were driven off somewhere and robbed. No way to know which taxi, but a booked taxi can be traced.
I don't care too much about hotel quality. It is a place to sleep. But I do care about paying over the top for poor service.
My biggest moan about hotels is that in some WiFi is free and in others they make exorbitant charges. This is because they once relied on a tidy income from phones but now everyone has a cell phone.Posted 20th October 2012 at 10:15 AM by JMW123
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Thank you for sharing your experience; indeed they are useful. I find similar inputs in the internet too. But my question is on the role of authorities - can they not do something to stop this menace ?
Posted 20th October 2012 at 10:44 AM by Dr. L. Ramakrishnan
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I think there is very little they can do.
In the UK there are a profusion of CCTV cameras which can help but if the criminals are alert then they are aware of when there is a police presence and where the cameras are.
The best protection is self protection.
There is no doubt such crimes will continue. I don't see how they can be eradicated. All we can do as individuals is try and make sure it is always someone else they choose.
Mostly they are opportunists. They will pick the easiest target rather than necessarily the most lucrative appearing. They take advantage of moments of neglect. They may create distractions.
Regarding steps and such, there are some quite clear health and safety guidelines which should mean that there is either good light or additional markings at the edges of steps such as a change in texture with a friction strip or a fluorescent strip.
The best thing is to complain to the management and put the responsibility on them.Posted 20th October 2012 at 12:23 PM by JMW123
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Thank you for your views.
With kind regards,
RamakrishnanPosted 20th October 2012 at 12:26 PM by Dr. L. Ramakrishnan
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