Who has had something stolen in Bonaire

[Doc]

 

[gadget26]

RoatanMan, I find that animated GIF offensive and insensitive.

Anyone else?

 

[Bosun]

May be, but he makes a good point. It really pi$$e$ me off when people post hearsay evidence of crimes, that others take as gospel.

The horse was already dead now lets leave it alone

Rant over.

 

[DiverVince]

Jeff..I really don't understand how you can not notice that your spare tire was taken & that this was only discovered as you returned the vehicle to the car rental company.
Please clarify, did it mount on the outside or underneath. If underneath, did you verify that it was there when you rented the vehicle to begin with?

 

[gadget26]

It was mounted underneath. I checked that it was present and inflated when I rented the truck. Call me a moron, but it just didn't occur to me to check that the tire was still there every few minutes of my vacation.

Hearsay? I have the check-out form. I would scan an post it but I'm sure Bosun would just think that I photo-shopped it to meet my nefarious goals of slandering your beloved island.

Besides, what would it matter WHEN I noticed that it was missing??????? I still would be liable for it.

Why does everybody keep trying to make me out to be the problem????

I think it is a defensive reaction. I am touching on raw nerves here. The truth is nearby and trying to come out. Witness all the protests.

Please contact me offline.

Jeff

 

[herman]

Raw nerve, maybe. The question is what nerve. I took a quick look on BT for your post. It was gone but based on the tone of your 2nd post I can guess why. It has been pulled because it violates the TOS there, just as it would be pulled here if it violated the TOS. I am a long time member of BT and agree with the TOS. The reason for it is simple, people were coming on the board for the first time, posting harsh "your taking your life in your own hands threads" with no proof that it even happened. Several were found to be completely untrue or re reports of things that happened to others long ago, hince the need for a police report. It is not an effort to hide the problem, just to ensure the facts are posted. I am not saying you did not have a problem or that thieft does not happen on Bonaire, it does, but yours is one experience out of 10s of thousands who do not have a problem. Your first post on any board trashing someone or place is not a good way to start. The BT post was your first, your second is not much better and this is one of your first few here.

Trip 10 to Bonaire coming in a few weeks score so far 9 trips, 0 problems.

 

[pilot fish]

This type of thing happens with too much regularity on Bonaire. It's hard for me to understand the complete lack of police security on such a small island. Since the Rental Car Co gets to charge you the inflated price of the "stolen" tire, and it happens so often, one wonders how many times THAT tire has been "stolen"? Since the island is so small, and cars not as numerous, you have to wonder why such an item gets taken? Does the Rental Car Co have a hand in this type of thing? Very possible. Spare tires are not a hot item, unless there's a market for them and you know where you can sell them. Do they go back to the Rental Co to be taken again? Possible. It seems like a lucrative source of income for the Rental agencies.

Are there hundreds of people that go to that island and are never victims of crime? Sure. Are there dozens of people that go there and ARE victims of crime? yes. This type of crime, spare tires being taken from Rental Cars, seems just too institutionalized to me. They know you have a limited time on the island and can not hang around past your flight departure time to fill out forms and go to the police station to file reports and demand action etc, so the crooks have little to fear. They certainly do not fear the feckless police on Bonaire.:shakehead

The rental company is Budget. I'm watching my credit card. The charges from them keep mounting up. I have no idea what they are doing or charging for now. This is going to be a long battle.

I reviewed my land pictures. The site was most likely "Vista Blue" way down south. Other possibilities are the town pier parking or hotel parking lot.

I posted the incident to the bonairetalk.com board. The moderator there removed my post, saying that posts about crime were not allowed without first submitting a police report. Since I discovered the loss while checking in the car just before my flight out, getting a police report would have been a bit problematic. Someone suggested that renters should take a chain and lock to lock up the spare...but I have also heard of main tires and batteries being taken from vehicles so I don't know how much help that would be.

I find the attitude and treatment I have received by Bonarians after the crime much more offensive than the deed itself. They just don't get it.

I'll not be going back. Fool me one, shame on you. Fool me twice...ain't gonna happen.

Jeff

 

[gadget26]

OK Fine. I'm outa here.

Ya got me. I made it all up just to harm a bunch of people I don't know. It never happened.

endit

 

[Diver Dennis]

Some posts here paint the island as a crime haven, yet I've seen no statistics only anecdotal stories. Does anyone have any hard information? Hawaii has a lot of crime too and I want to compare...

 

[gadget26]

One trip, one crime. Contact me offline for documentation. There's the start of your database.

Jeff