ellylex

I do not know what to advice in this situation and I am seeking guidance from you.
My friends from overseas were staying at Best Western Casino Royale and parked in their designated parking. They were given a piece of paper to put under the windshield. In the morning - they discovered broken glass and 3 suitcases were stolen. They don't speak English well, but did file a report with hotel and police. There is a camera in the parking lot. But noone cared to check it.
What should be done? Is hotel responsible in this case? Please help.

guv1976

Was this a rental car? What type of insurance did they have on the car? Did the insurance include personal effects coverage? And why did they leave suitcases in an unattended car?

Assuming that the car was parked in a self-park lot and not a valet lot, I would be surprised if the hotel has any liability for the vandalism and theft.

In any event, this thread does not belong in the S.P.A.M. forum. I've alerted a Moderator.
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Loren Pechtel

They left three suitcases in the car? That's asking for trouble.

jspira

That's what insurance (travel and homeowners) is for but no one in his right mind would leave three (or even one) suitcase in a car. For the life of me I cannot fathom why they would not bring the suitcases into the hotel room (as people normally do).

And no, unless there was documentable negligence on the part of the parking lot or hotel, there would in general be no liability.

Were the suitcases visible (I hope not, because that would have been really dumb) or were they in the trunk?

ellylex

Wonderful advice asking rhetorical questions and criticizing! Thank you.

jspira

Only criticism is yours. This is a DISCUSSION forum. We are DISCUSSING the stupidity of someone leaving suitcases (apparently visible but not sure) in a parked car in a major city at a parking lot at a relatively cheap hotel.

If you can't stand the heat...

Often1

OP - It is impossible to answer your question about whether the hotel is responsible without a lot more facts and you have not provided any.

But, it is highly unlikely that the hotel is responsible so that is not where your friends ought to start.

The starting point is that there is damage to the vehicle and they have suffered lost property. If the vehicle is a rental, the rental company must be notified and your friends will be responsible for the cost of the repairs unless they have coverage through the rental or on their own for the damage. If the vehicle is theirs, it will be up to them to have the vehicle fixed and to make an insurance claim if they have insurance for the damage.

As to the suitcases, that s going to be a tough one. It is possible that some policies might cover the contents of the suitcases, but most policies would exclude that if the cases were left in a vehicle overnight. It should not need to be said, but most insurers would consider it negligent to have left valuables in the vehicle over night. On the other hand, if there was nothing valuable in the cases, who cares about the claim?

Details are really going to matter here. You need to supply those if you are going to help these folks.

ellylex

Yes, car is a rental one, thru autoeurope by Dollar.
Thanks to guv1976, who gave me the name of the insurance for this case - PEC.
I just looked it up and it is an additional coverage, which I doubt they purchased. But I told them to read the list of coverages on the contract.

Often1, the car is not the concern. Insurance will cover it. I also can't believe they did that, and I warned them. But my emphasis was more on SF. About valuable items - they made some purchases for about $2K.
What is strange to me, is that security didn't care to check camera. Perhaps, they are in on it.

What is the point of putting them down for their so called "stupidity"? They are already upset. I am trying to think what can be done if anything given the fact. Afterall, it not their stupidity, it is a larger problem - unaccountability for criminals. If it were to happen in Arab countries (as far as I know) - thief's hand will be chopped off and victim's "stupidity" won't be blamed in this case. So everything is relative.

Thank You, guv1976 and Often1, for valuable advice!

DesertNomad

I have to agree. When I lived in Dubai, we never locked anything including the front door of our home, and nothing was ever touched. I am surprised that they did not review the security camera footage.

I just returned from a convention in Las Vegas and we left an iMac in the car overnight (just one night) in the parking garage. It was not in the original box, but rather a large suitcase. We have tinted windows and I was not concerned about it at all.

Often1

How do your friends know that the security tape wasn't reviewed? But, bottom line is "squeaky wheels". Why don't they ask hotel security to do so and report any suspicious findings to the police. If they don't get a positive response, elevate the request to hotel management.

This is a public forum. Other people look. The bottom line is that if you are parked in a public lot, don't leave valuables in the car. The fact that someone else didn't have their iMac stolen doesn't make it any smarter for the next person to leave one.

guv1976

The police -- if they are so inclined -- can likely obtain the video footage from hotel security. But unless the police have facial-recognition software -- or the video shows the license plate of a "getaway" car -- it's probably not too likely that viewing the video would help identify the culprit(s). If this were a homicide, surveillance-video images would almost certainly be shown on local TV and printed in the newspapers; for a (relatively) common crime like a vehicle burglary, not so much.

If your friends paid for their purchases with a credit card, they should check with the card issuer to see if the card provides theft protection for recent purchases. Many U.S.-issued cards provide such coverage; not sure how common the coverage is with foreign-issued cards.

WorldLux

To be fair, I had to leave suitcases in my car on lots of occasions. When going from A to B stopping for a couple of hours in C, there's not much you can do about the luggage you take along.

If I stayed somewhere overnight I definitely wouldn't keep things in the car. I have (very exceptionally left valuables in my car overnight), but the car was parked in a underground parking lot with secured exits.

Tinted windows don't necessarily work. I noticed on some rental cars that you could see into the car depending on light conditions.

jspira

It's the entrances I'd worry about, the entrances used by thieves to walk into the garage (just like the public can) before breaking the car's window. Secured exits won't really help eliminate the possibility of a break-in.

FirstInFlight

I assume that your friends either have left or will soon leave Vegas. Having reported the theft to the police and hotel I would suggest that they also get a copy of the police report or at least the report number and the hotel manager's name. Then focus on mission critical - were passports stolen etc.

Then report the loss to anyone who might respond to a claim - travel insurance, homeowners etc. If they took full coverage from the car rental company I'd make that claim. Some credit cards might cover a loss of a purchased item.

Then write the hotel. Best Westerns are often independently owned so write the chain and the actual property owner. The parking lot may be independently managed - write them if it is. All are likely to deny any claim but you must make a demand.

Then, if the value is sufficient to be deemed worthwhile, call a lawyer and see if you can find one willing to pursue the claim (if they were local small claims would be an option). Everyone will tell you that it's your own fault if you leave bags visible or that there is a disclaimer that you park at your own risk etc etc etc. None of that means much. The law often disregards those facts notwithstanding what people will tell you on the internet. You will get the best advice from a Vegas lawyer who has experience with such claims.

Chasing video or criminal prosecution is a waste of time - other than to potentially document the theft which could prove useful.

ellylex

FirstInFlight, Thank You!

Majority here missed/misunderstood when I mentioned that people are from overseas. If they had homeowners insurance, or credit card protection, or PEC - I wouldn't be asking questions here. (((
BTW, there is no disclaimer at the parking entrance as far as I know, just videotaping sign.
But regardless, like FirstInFlight mentions, it doesn't matter. Hotel has responsibility as well - it is their parking lot and hotel is privately owned (franchise). They remodeled but for some strange reason did not bother to secure the parking lot given the fact that there is lots of shady characters there.