Real life MMD: Do I punish the cleaner?

Essex123

neilpost wrote: »

I have sympathies over the missing money, but outside of the home you need to use a good dose of common sense and take some personal responsibility/accountability for your own wellbeing, your companions and your stuff.

Agree - that was probably only the 2nd time we'd been on holiday. Now we are much more careful/less trusting. So in retrospect, for 40 Euro or so, it was probably a good lesson to learn at that stage.

The fundamental point however is that it is a sad indictment on society (and I think this probably applies to all countries) that people who you are paying for their services are very occasionally untrustworthy and ready to steal from you. IMO, nothing can change the culpability of anyone who steals from your hotel room, regardless of what is locked away or not.

Anyway, this is going O/T as we don't actually know if the OP was a victim of a genuine accident or a theft! :rotfl:

neilpost

poet123 wrote: »

If you re read my post I was certainly not implying new posters are xxxxx (what a delightful term ) merely that we all have different takes on what is moneysaving, and that if you have not been around here that long you may not realise it. If you do realise it, then you will be aware that your accusation that £200 worth of cosmetics is not moneysaving is baseless.

If you look at the lists people have posted as to what is in their bags you will see that it can easily amount to £200 especially if you keep hair straighteners etc. in there too. Quite what the fact that it is a hot country has to do with it escapes me, if you are on a city break you will want to go out and eat at nice places and so most women take the same make up they use at home. It is not for anyone else to say that xyz is extravagant whilst abc is acceptable, we all have different priorities.

Originally Posted by neilpost
1. £200 of toiletries on holiday, excludes the OP from any moral high ground. Not a true Moneysaver
They need to make an insurance claim, and get over themselves with the posh toiletries.
OP - £200 of toiletries, shame on you :eek:

So, why you felt the need to put the above is not clear to me.

The bottom line is that your belongings should be safe in a hotel room wherever you are in the world.( that aasumption is borne out by the fact that insurance policies cover this) if they are not, then you have redress against the hotel management.

I think that is common sense.

My point re the hotel management was that the manager told the guest what his actions toward the cleaner would be, that was either bad management on his part, or evidenced something else, and that something else could be as described. Speculation is all we have here, and so it is as valid a speculation as any other on this thread, and a lot more valid than some.:D

Money saving is getting best value for something you want to buy - whether it is £7,000 off a Honda Accord, or buying a Kia Picanto for £6,500. Both do the job. I really don't get your £200 of toiletries is not money saving, it just seems like a large amount of money for some soaps/shampoo/make-up/sun-tan. what is value for money is not the concern of this threqad - Kia Picanto (cheapo), Honda Accord (good value), Mercedes E-Class (Bit extravagent ?)

You would not put hair straighteners in a toiletry bag, as the whole point is to keep it together, and they are usually waterproof/water-resistant so they don't smeg up your luggage when one of them (all too often) leaks. You would quite happily want to cover your electricals with shampoo then I take it ?

Istanbul is not a 'city break' destination, like Paris, Prague etc. Hot countries, much make-up 'does not work', or is a waste of time due to heat-humidity. It is an experience/history destination like Cairo, Marrakesh, Agra etc - you don't go to shmooze in posh restaurants, you got to see and experience the culture/history. Yes you can look good when you do eat, but its hardly the same as going to (rip-off) London for a night out on the town.

£200 of toiletries as the OP article said. Seems to be getting ever extended to cover half the bathroom and electricals now. Toiletries is soap/toothpaste/mouthwash/shampoo/shaving/deoderant etc. If you want to add cosmetics, suncare, skincare, electricals and Medical you are expanding the scope of what may have been in the OP's bag, which was supposedly compact enough to be wrapped in a carrier bag (remember).

A hotel room is as safe as your home, and Insurance cover will redress stolen/broken into situations, assuming the appropriate paperwork is filled out. As long as you take reasonable care of your stuff you are OK.

I think the OP should do an Insurance Claim, of which little has been taklked about, and try to spread the excess around.

poet123

I use a toiletries bag, which is quite large and is leather and designer, so the bag itself was expensive, I then put that into a carrier bag, and into that put my hair straighteners etc to keep them all together in my case. I htink a lot of women do this, I know a lot ofmy friends do, so perhaps we are all coming at this from differing angles. Even whatyou would class as toiletires can be expensive, Jo Malone shower gel, body lotion etc which I use would easily add upo to that amount, add into that specialist shampoo/conditioner and it is easy to see how it could add up.

It is not for us to judge whether the amount is reasonable, it is about honesty and/or whether it is reasonable to leave toiletries out in a bedroom. I think it is.

meher

poet123 wrote: »

I think the point is that everyone is entitled to spend their disposable income as they choose. Also, being moneysaving means getting the best value for the items you wish to buy, not buying the cheapest items. Forums such as OS are in the minority, most of the forums are about getting xyz for a the best available price, not about being frugal.

poet123 wrote: »

It is not for us to judge whether the amount is reasonable

Absolutely. I always thought money saving is about making money work for us; maximising what we are fortunate to have. The beauty and usefulness of this site is that the ethos of the site isn't just socialist or libertarian, rather it's stance is dynamic and neither is it just about being savvy at it, it's about being austere in it, but a subset of misguided loyalists who seek to control others don't seem to understand as to what they have subscribed to. All of this imEo only ofcourse. You can own a convertible merc, your diet can be purely organic, you can have a £200 worth toiletry bag and still you should be able to claim yourself as a money saver and use of the site resources without having to justify your choice and other aesthetics. btw I'm on topic as far as I'm concerned.

neilpost

poet123 wrote: »

I use a toiletries bag, which is quite large and is leather and designer, so the bag itself was expensive, I then put that into a carrier bag, and into that put my hair straighteners etc to keep them all together in my case. I htink a lot of women do this, I know a lot ofmy friends do, so perhaps we are all coming at this from differing angles. Even whatyou would class as toiletires can be expensive, Jo Malone shower gel, body lotion etc which I use would easily add upo to that amount, add into that specialist shampoo/conditioner and it is easy to see how it could add up.

It is not for us to judge whether the amount is reasonable, it is about honesty and/or whether it is reasonable to leave toiletries out in a bedroom. I think it is.

Jo Malone 250ml shower gel £30. crikey :eek: Seems like pretty poor value for money (IMHO) it's just liquid soap.

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You have a 'large designer leather toiletries bag', but 'wrapped in a carrier bag' - a large Argos bag perhaps ?

Again when you get to the hotel room, you unpack and remove the stuff and put round your bathroom sink, you don't obscure the stuff in a plastic bag, so it could be mistaken for rubbish. If I had £200 of toiletries, I'd take much, much better care of them.

When you say toiletries bag, you aren't meaning vanity case are you ? A toiletries bag is a plastic lined cloth bag, with a string pull-tie on it to keep it tight, and hopefully minimise liquid leaks into your suitcase and clothes. About the size of a loaf of bread bag.

neilpost

meher wrote: »

You can own a convertible merc, your diet can be purely organic, you can have a £200 worth toiletry bag and still you should be able to claim yourself as a money saver and use of the site resources without having to justify your choice and other aesthetics. btw I'm on topic as far as I'm concerned.

Absolutely you can.

Many brand snobs 'know the cost of everything, but the value of nothing', to quote an old adage.

Value for money, is a balance of cost, quality, durability, residual value - Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).

A Mercesdes Convertable (say a SLK) would have a much higher TCO than say a Honda S2000. Both however, would be adequete to get you from A to B, perhaps via the shops.

Paying £30 for 250ml of a posh Shower Gel, IMHO, seems highly wasteful. However people have the right to do so, if money means so little to them, or they are overly endowed with it.

Although I'm not not religious, for those who are, Extravagance is one of the 7 deadly sins.............................:D

alfie_1

i have read the varying answers to this dilema and i personally appreciate the sun not having to fight its way through tons of "slap". this is not derogatory to owner of said £200 worth of toiletries. go natural, just mascarra, sun cream and moisturisers [under £20] appreciate a radiant healthy face in the mirror.
as for claiming the money, i personally would have insisted the "rubbish" bins were searched in my presence. if not why not? telling the hotel managment that bad publicity is not good considering the worldwide internet, and that if the maid is sacked then the manager should be too as he is responsible for his staff. ask for thier owners/chain details and put the wind up them. moral of the story... leave your plastic bags behind as, lets face it, the majority of times we DO use them for rubbish...

poet123

http://www.mulberry.com/#/storefront/c5500/4384/category/ That is similar to the one I use, then add Jo Malone shower gel, body lotion, shampoo, cleanser/toner/moisturiser./perfume and you can see it adds up.

Of course, it is not big enough for hair straighteners/drier so they go in a carrier bag and sometimes when I get to my hotel I unpack clothes so that they do not crease, but not the toiletries until I am ready to use them, and even then I may leave the hair stuff in the bag. Sometimes, I have my matching make up bag (with similar contents to those that have been listed), in the carrier bag too, to keep them all together whilst I travel.

poet123

neilpost wrote: »

Absolutely you can.

Many brand snobs 'know the cost of everything, but the value of nothing', to quote an old adage.

Value for money, is a balance of cost, quality, durability, residual value - Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).

A Mercesdes Convertable (say a SLK) would have a much higher TCO than say a Honda S2000. Both however, would be adequete to get you from A to B, perhaps via the shops.

Paying £30 for 250ml of a posh Shower Gel, IMHO, seems highly wasteful. However people have the right to do so, if money means so little to them, or they are overly endowed with it.

Although I'm not not religious, for those who are, Extravagance is one of the 7 deadly sins.............................:D

I assure you that I know very well the value of money, but I work very hard, as does my OH, and we have put 3 of our 4 sons through University with one still to go, and so I feel quite free to buy things which, in previous years may have seemed an indulgence.

I don't think £30 is extravagant, but then I have never smoked, drink moderately and so I think I am entitled to spend my disposable income as I see fit.

neilpost

poet123 wrote: »

I assure you that I know very well the value of money, but I work very hard, as does my OH, and we have put 3 of our 4 sons through University with one still to go, and so I feel quite free to buy things which, in previous years may have seemed an indulgence.

I don't think £30 is extravagant, but then I have never smoked, drink moderately and so I think I am entitled to spend my disposable income as I see fit.

Yes, you are entirely free to spend your money as you see fit.

I just find it somewhat hypocrytical to be part of a Money Saving Forum, whilst you are happy to be wildly extravagent over £30 for a 250ml shower gel, and £130 for a Toiletries bag :eek:

I'm trying hard not to be judgemental, but the MSE in me is screaming out you are wasting your money. I'm sure you can find a just as good gel for £5-10, and a bag for £20.

Are you in favour of MP's being able to claim first class rail travel, or is this in your opinion, wasteful and excessive ? If I was being excessive, I'd perhaps want 1st class air fare/upgrade, but every time I see how expensive that is I would be shamed to my core to blow huge wads of cash on this comfort for a few hours inconvinenece.

If I did have the above stuff, back on topic, I'd be looking after them a damn site better than the OP did with their stuff.

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P.S. I work very hard too, bringing up 2 children, and my opinion is as valid as yours. I don't smoke, drink pretty moderately, though don't know why you mention this as has no bearing on anything and adds no credence to your arguement. I'm not saying you must buy your shower gel in the Pound Shop, Hoping Jo Malone, at least has some Fairtrade credentials for her stuff ?