Stay Woke: Don’t get swindled on Vacay

Many of us Jamaicans have been so convinced that we live in a scammer’s paradise that we put our guards down when we travel.

Let’s admit it, some Jamaicans are ingenious and get up to the most vicious schemes in an effort to steal other people’s hard earned cash.

But once we leave our island’s shores, do we take the same amount of care in securing our possessions?

Or do we throw caution to the wind, in those countries where security and safety is not at the forefront of our concerns?

I must admit, I am guilty of letting my guard down when overseas. Especially when it comes to being scrupulous in dealing with certain aspects of tourist life.

I’m always willing to swipe my credit card, most times without checking terminals.

Sometimes I don’t even consider the security warnings I receive in Jamaica, while conducting point-of-sale transactions at a retailer overseas.

But I received  a wake-up call recently while travelling.

Infamous: Hotel Food

Typically, when I stay in hotels overseas, I seldom have meals there. Problem is prices are usually ridiculously high and the meals are often subpar.

However I decided to test the mettle of the Hotel’s in-house food service team by having breakfast at the location.

It was DIVINE!

The scrambled eggs, hash browns, toast, fruits and Canadian ham I enjoyed on the first morning, guaranteed that I would return for my remaining days at the hotel.

As a rule, I always pay these bills, in cash after each meal. I hate having to even consider clearing a bill at the end of my stay at a hotel.

For each day of my stay this was done during the breakfast period.

Initially it felt a bit weird, leaving my money at the table, out in the open like that. Let’s be real, another guest could swipe it, then what?

This ran across my mind a few mornings. In fact on the third morning, I had reason to hand the money directly to my server, in order to get change.

That evening I decided to have dinner at the hotel as the thought of trekking through the streets to find a food spot was quite unappealing.

Taste-wise, it wasn’t a bad decision either. The seafood chowder was heavenly and the grilled salmon on a bed of fingerling potatoes and green beans was amazing.

Once I sat down to eat I realized that the wait staff was not the same personnel from the mornings. Nevertheless, I expected that the same level of customer service would be provided.

Time to Pay Up

As is customary, when I finished my meal, I asked for my invoice, reviewed it, and took out the cash needed to pay the bill, including a tip. I also recorded this on the invoice.

I placed the cash under the invoice and then made my way to the front desk of the hotel to get some information on the express checkout service.

That took me about two minutes.

When I greeted the front desk attendant and told her what I was querying, she suggested that I could clear any amounts charged to my room.

So I said ‘sure.’

To the best of my knowledge, the only thing owing was a small charge for an orange juice. I had ordered it a day earlier but didn’t have my wallet to pay immediately.

To my surprise, there was an additional charge, in the exact same amount as the dinner I just paid for, tip included.

So I told her that the additional charge should not be there because I just paid it. She was in disbelief and when she checked when the amount was posted it showed that it was done only a few minutes before.

I was understandably annoyed and she promised to check with the wait staff to have it rectified. I  could not wait so I returned to the restaurant.

When I got there, I saw the girl who served me, clearing the table.

I asked her if she had seen the money.

She said “yes”  then added “I didn’t know if it was allowed for me to leave cash for payment, or if it was only to be charged to my room”… ??????????????

I WAS SHOOK!

I let her know that I don’t charge my room for ANYTHING and I always pay cash.

That’s why I left the money.

She said “ok, ok.”

The Real

Now, even a baby could see that she was trying to pull a fast one on me. I left the cash and once I got up she pocketed my payment and  proceeded to post the entire amount to my room.

Thankfully, I had reason to check with the front desk staff or I would have been swindled. Then I’d be left to convince the hotel that I had in fact made the payment previously.

Another front-desk employee, realising how grave the incident was, whispered to me that “a lot of the serving staff was new.”

The experience taught me to follow my instincts and ensure that I always make my payment to the server. But even with my apprehensions about leaving my payment on the table, I overlooked the possible risks.

I was lulled into this false sense of security but I won’t be making that mistake again.

Be inspired, Be informed, Be Glorious!

Kevin

What are some of your worst experiences while travelling? Let me know in the comments. Subscribe to the blog in the comments sections to get notified with each new post and share your content suggestions here.