 Poster: A snowHead
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Just got into Snowheads so this why this story is a couple of years old.
Went to Val Thorens four years ago, stayed in the Olympiades Appartments on a DIY holiday. My brother was staying i an appartment with his son (20 years old), who went out for the evening with some other lads who were with us and took the room key with him. So my brothers room was unlocked but with my brother asleep. He was woken in the early hours by who he thought was his son, but when he called out the intruder took off. My brother gave chase down the corridor and down to the entrance lobby but the burglar had disappeared. My brother informed the night porter what had happened and went back to bed.
In the morning he found that 400 Euros was missing from his wallet. It did seem strange that the wallet wasn't taken, but we'll never know why not. He then went to the local gendarmerie office down by the coach stop. He was told to come back later as the officer didn't speak much English. He returned after skiing that evening with my wife, who speaks fluent French.
He told the story to a different officer, who after listening, asked why he didn't confront the thief, and why the door was not locked. My brother explained about the situation with only having one key, and his son going out on the town that night.
The gendarme then claimed that this type of crime did not happen in Val Thorens and accused my brother of only reporting a break-in to make a fraudulent insurance claim, that he was sick and tired of British holiday makers reporting false crimes just to claim on their insurance. When my brother protested his innocence, the gendarme plus a couple of his colleagues vaulted over the counter and threatened my brother and my wife with arrest for falsifying a crime.
Well what could they do - go to the police!
Needless to say, my brother was 400 Euros out of pocket with no police report for an insurance claim. Maybe with hindsight he should have reported the crime as soon as the breakin took place, but he didn't and paid a high price for it.
Maybe he should have reported the crime to the Municipal Police who might have had a different attitude.
We were told later in the week by a seasonnaire that this type of crime was quite common in VT that season.
Anyway, it didn't ruin another great holiday in my favourite resort, but you can bet we didn't leave any doors unlocked for the rest of the holiday!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Bluefox69, bummer and worth bearing in mind. And welcome to Snowheads!
One thing, though.
I would say your brother had a case re his insurance.
He *did* report the crime, and he had a witness to that effect - your wife.
The fact that the French cops declined to take it seriously (which he should have complained about in writing as soon as he got home) is a problem, but may not have been fatal to his case.
A crime report is, at the end of the day, only one piece of evidence.
If the police refuse to take it that is not evidence that there was no crime.
It's too late now, but for future and other cases, I'm sure that the insurance company would have refused to pay out, in which case he should have threatened them with the small claims court, and then taken them to court (I think it costs £30) if they still refused to pay out.
In court it would have been the insurers versus your brother, his son (via a vis evidence regarding the key and lost money) and your wife (vis a vis the French cops refusing to take it seriously).
He could well have won.
NB: I don't *think* (a commercial lawyer might be along in a moment to advise differently) that the insurers would have been able to rely to any clause in the contract which said there must be a police report because, on the basis that he tried and was unable to make one, this would seem to me to be an unfair term (and thus prohibited by law).
Lots of things in contracts are basically unenforceable and rely on people saying, 'It's in the contract so I must be stuffed.'
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Maybe he should have reported the crime to the Municipal Police who might have had a different attitude.
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they'd have sent him along to the gendarmerie. 
That must have been very galling, but I can't imagine that even if he'd got a crime number, insurance would have paid out on a burglary with no forced entry (they don't on home insurance in the UK).
Thankfully, with plenty of cash machines and nearly everyone taking cards, there's no need to have that sort of amount of cash around, these days.
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pam w, 'can't imagine that even if he'd got a crime number, insurance would have paid out on a burglary with no forced entry (they don't on home insurance in the UK)'
That's a fair point.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Actually, scratch that. He was in the room at the time. I don't think your insurance requires you to lock your front door every time you're in your house.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I was burgled in May last year, woke to find kitchen window, patio and garage doors open. There was no forced entry, I suspect I'd left a door unlocked (it was a very hot weekend, prime time for burglaries). Insurance paid out within 10 days or so, no questions asked.
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I don't think your insurance requires you to lock your front door every time you're in your house.
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I'm reasonably sure my UK house insurance requires "forced entry" but it probably depends on circumstances and your claim record! If you're asleep in the middle of the night I don't think it would be unreasonable to expect you'd have locked the door - but I do see the problem if you have only one key! There were lot of daytime burglaries round our area in the UK in the summer when it was warm for a few days and people were in their gardens with doors left unlocked - the neighbourhood watch system was putting round warnings from the police.
If I had €400 in an unlocked apartment at night I think I'd have it under my pillow.
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pam w, If I had €400 in an unlocked apartment at night I think I'd have it under my pillow.
Wise words - so would I. I bet he does now, too!
To be fair, I'm not so much commenting on the specifics of this case as saying to people, it may not mean you can't claim just because the French police behaved badly.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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pam w, I'd 'ave had it duct taped to my gonads 
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nice image.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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pam w, I'd 'ave had it duct taped to my gonads
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You'd also get a bonus "sack wax" next time you bought a round.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Call me callous but if he didn't take the wallet, my prime suspect would be the son having popped back to lift €40, getting rumbled and taking the whole €400.
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Perhaps in your pikey family you thieve off each other but not in mine.
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You know it makes sense.
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Bluefox69, bit uncalled for.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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| northernsoulboy wrote: |
| Bluefox69, bit uncalled for. |
Perhaps but his son had just been called a thief.
PS to quote a post just press the quotation marks on the right of the post. Delete any bit you don't want.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| bar shaker wrote: |
| Call me callous but if he didn't take the wallet, my prime suspect would be the son having popped back to lift €40, getting rumbled and taking the whole €400. |
thought the same, although if he was out with a group he would have had to be missing for some time.
The only reason a thief would leave the wallet otherwise would be so he didnt have to get rid later or risk being found with it
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Since there had been an intruder doesn't he seem the most likely thief?
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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bar shaker,
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all me callous but if he didn't take the wallet, my prime suspect would be the son having popped back to lift €40, getting rumbled and taking the whole €400.
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Bluefox69,
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Perhaps in your pikey family you thieve off each other but not in mine.
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northernsoulboy,
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Bluefox69, bit uncalled for.
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RALMFAO
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Masque wrote: |
| pam w, I'd 'ave had it duct taped to my gonads |
Admin is probably having a flashback to how you have paid for previous bashes.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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My money's on the night porter (not that I carry any cash ever)
Had a similar incident once in a backpacker dorm, (locked door), clearly an insider used to easy pickings from ferretting under the odd bunk & taking advantage of the fact that there is usually a bit of coming and going during the night in most dorms so people had no particular reason to be disturbed.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Masque wrote: |
| pam w, I'd 'ave had it duct taped to my gonads |
If thats where you keep your notes, where do you keep the coins?
Make a note never to ask Masque if he can make change...
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| fatbob wrote: |
| My money's on the night porter (not that I carry any cash ever) |
the night porter whose cousin is the local plod 
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I too suspect the insurance company would have said that being asleep in an apartment with the door unlocked was not good enough, and they would not have paid out. Crazy way to behave.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| Bluefox69 wrote: |
| Perhaps in your pikey family you thieve off each other but not in mine. |
I thought it was your brother's family.
A senior work colleague has suffered a similar thing from his well educated son, who was home from uni (this was small amounts of cash from his wallet but he was caught when it also became credit card fraud), so you would be amazed at just how 'pikey' some normal people's kids can be.
Clearly this is simply not possible in your brothers case so I apologise for any offence caused.
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bar shaker, when I checked last, my nieces and nephews were members of my family, and are the offspring of my brother.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Arno, I think you have been watching Scooby Doo too much
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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No pesky kids - no crime solved. Story could obviously be improved by intruder wearing a ghost disguise.
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My brother chased the thief down a corridor, down the stairs and saw him disappear out the door. If it was his own son he would have recognised him from the clothes he was wearing. He then went to the reception desk and reported the intruder to the night porter.
So it wasn't my nephew (yes I consider my brother and my nephew MY family, wouldn't you) and it wasn't the night porter. So all you amateur Sherlocks are going to have to think again.
Now who could it have been?
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FAQ
