Join Talk Quesada

Welcome to Talk Quesada! My name's Alex and this is my website all about Ciudad Quesada in Spain. Talk Quesada is free to sign up and use so register below!

Handbag stolen in Don Carlos with passports in it

Handbag stolen in Don Carlos with passports in it

Postby GrahamG » Sun Feb 04, 2018 5:31 pm

My wife and I were having a meal in the Don Carlos last Sunday with 2 other couples and when we came to pay around 11pm we discovered that her handbag had been stolen from under the table. We have no idea how the thief managed to steal the handbag as it was quiet in there and apart from the bloke selling flowers we can’t recall anybody coming anywhere near the table. Anyway the really bad news was that my wife had our passports in her handbag and we were flying home at 8pm the next day on Monday evening. The police came to the don Carlos but weren’t particularly interested and told us to go to Almoradi police station the next day. The keys for our house in Quesada were also in the bag but fortunately our neighbour who has spare keys was still awake so we could get into the house. We rang and cancelled my wife’s UK and Spanish bank cards and credit cards. I rang the British consulate in Alicante the next morning and they were really helpful. They told us to come straight to the consulate and that they should be able to sort out emergency passports so we could fly home. They were great when we arrived and after about 2 hours or so we received our emergency passports at a cost of £100 each. We then went to Almoradi police station to report the theft and get an incident report which you need for insurance purposes. The police were unhelpful and told us to get an interpreter at a cost of 50 euros even though my wife speaks good Spanish. We eventually got the police report afte a couple of hours and managed to fly home that night. The emergency passports are taken off you when you arrive back in the UK. We’ve had a house in Quesada for 12 years and been to the don Carlos lots of times and this is the first time anything like this has happened. Morale of the story is obviously to be really careful in the don Carlos with handbags and definitely not to keep passports in a handbag which probably goes without saying!
User avatar
GrahamG
 
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Mar 23, 2014 7:49 pm
Which part of Spain are you from?: Quesada
Gender: Male

Re: Handbag stolen in Don Carlos with passports in it

Postby elchedave » Sun Feb 04, 2018 6:13 pm

I think the moral of the story is be really careful EVERYWHERE not just Don Carlos. Thieves do not have to come close to you, they have many methods of stealing bags/belongings etc. My wife & I have lost count of the times we have warned people not to leave bags etc on the back of chairs, on the floor or even on the table next to them, we have been verbally abused by some of them, usually the "red neck" holiday people who think they know best.
I am sorry this happened to you, pleased you got home OK, hope the scumbags didn't get any money from your cards & hope you didn't have too many valuables other than passports stolen.
It is a great shame the police weren't more helpful, we are hearing this more & more often lately & if it wasn't for us expats/holiday home owners/holidaymakers some of those people wouldn't be in a job!!!
Regards,
Dave.
elchedave
 
Posts: 1448
Joined: Sat Oct 22, 2016 10:31 am
Which part of Spain are you from?: Guardamar
Gender: Male

Re: Handbag stolen in Don Carlos with passports in it

Postby valenciasman » Sun Feb 04, 2018 6:27 pm

You are so lucky. bank cards and passports kept together and out of sight. With your luck my advice is to get lottery tickets. Passports are such valuable documents.
valenciasman
 
Posts: 547
Joined: Fri Nov 27, 2015 12:40 pm
Which part of Spain are you from?: villamartin
Gender: Male

Re: Handbag stolen in Don Carlos with passports in it

Postby Niktam » Sun Feb 04, 2018 9:37 pm

Sorry to here you now got all that to sort out. I used to work for a high street burger chain in the UK and I visited lots of restaurants and the amount of times handbags and lap top bags were stolen was incredible. People always thought to wrap the strap around the table leg and it was safe and all they were left with sometimes was a strap. My colleague placed his lap top bag into the boot(in the car park where he parked his car) and someone crawled into the car lowered the back seat and took the lap top. It was parked in view of CCTV etc.
Niktam
 
Posts: 224
Joined: Sat Dec 20, 2014 9:33 pm
Which part of Spain are you from?: Benimar
Gender: Male

Re: Handbag stolen in Don Carlos with passports in it

Postby manxmunk » Mon Feb 05, 2018 10:24 am

Sorry to hear your bad news, but why carry your passports around with you if your going for a meal? Maybe next time your over it might be worthwhile buying a Bum bag to keep your valuables in and ask your wife to leave her hand bag at home. Unfortunately these theiving sh**bags only need a couple of seconds of lack of concentration to steal your belongings.
manxmunk
 
Posts: 696
Joined: Tue Jul 26, 2016 11:20 am
Which part of Spain are you from?: La Marina
Gender: Male

Re: Handbag stolen in Don Carlos with passports in it

Postby Pipsyspup » Mon Feb 05, 2018 11:39 am

Yes, everyone please be aware! I had my phone stolen out of my bag whilst in the Japanese/Thai restaurant a few weeks ago. I am extremely paranoid now and literally hold on to by bag at all times!
Pipsyspup
 
Posts: 214
Joined: Sat Mar 11, 2017 9:28 am
Which part of Spain are you from?: MANCHESTER
Gender: Female

Re: Handbag stolen in Don Carlos with passports in it

Postby TonTri » Mon Feb 05, 2018 11:59 am

Usually I dont bother with a bag in the evenings as my phone is in a cover with a card/wallet section and has a wrist strap. When I do use a bag it is a small canvas cross body bag which I bought from one of the chinese mercas for €6.99. I admit I do carry our passports in it but I wear it across me at all times.
User avatar
TonTri
 
Posts: 2631
Joined: Thu Nov 10, 2016 5:31 pm
Which part of Spain are you from?: Quesada
Gender: Female

Re: Handbag stolen in Don Carlos with passports in it

Postby Spiritsmum » Mon Feb 05, 2018 12:08 pm

carry a bag that goes over your shoulder and keep on your lap. They can reach under tables or send kids under, they love the tourists as they just don't seem to get it. While its lovely to carry a lovely big fashionable bag and dump on floor or chairs etc, the thieves are always on the lookout. The police won't be helpful, they have seen it all before!!
User avatar
Spiritsmum
 
Posts: 392
Joined: Tue Mar 11, 2014 12:33 pm
Which part of Spain are you from?: Doña Pepa
Gender: Female

Re: Handbag stolen in Don Carlos with passports in it

Postby Jan » Mon Feb 05, 2018 12:42 pm

Spiritsmum wrote:carry a bag that goes over your shoulder and keep on your lap. They can reach under tables or send kids under, they love the tourists as they just don't seem to get it. While its lovely to carry a lovely big fashionable bag and dump on floor or chairs etc, the thieves are always on the lookout. The police won't be helpful, they have seen it all before!!



:text-goodpost: I agree cross body bag is best and keep it across body and on lap when seated anywhere. If I have to carry a bag I always use cross body bag and keep the strap around me, sometimes push it down to my waist with the bag safely in my lap while sitting for comfort but no one is going to get mine off me!


Also for those who even think about putting a bag on the floor - Think not only of thieves but also cockroaches, who love to crawl on floors and get into any small opening - If the thieves don't stop us doing this , maybe the thought of the cockroaches getting a lift home will.

Sorry to hear this happening but it happens anywhere and everywhere and in any country - Touristy areas are always a particular risk - Every bar, every shop, every market, every restaurant has this risk but we can keep ourselves safe by being aware everywhere. It's hardly any different from the UK and other countries.

This forum has had many warnings about handbags on floors and tables. Also phones and wallets on tables - You may think they are safe because they are on your table but it only takes a split second for them to be taken, a momentary lack of judgement while you are having a good time!
Like us on Facebook to keep in touch: Facebook.com/TalkQuesada
User avatar
Jan
Site Admin
 
Posts: 11193
Images: 164
Joined: Mon Oct 17, 2011 8:34 pm
Which part of Spain are you from?: Lo Marabu Dona Pepa
Gender: Female

Re: Handbag stolen in Don Carlos with passports in it

Postby Paulr » Mon Feb 05, 2018 12:54 pm

Sorry to hear your news, but thanks for taking the time and effort to share, as the information about the British Consulate could prove very helpful to others.

My wife takes a small bag on evenings out; when dining she puts it in her lap and covers it with her napkin. She only does this because of the misfortune of others who've been kind enough to share their experiences on the forum. Many thanks.
User avatar
Paulr
 
Posts: 1122
Joined: Fri Jan 13, 2017 11:52 am
Which part of Spain are you from?: Formentera
Gender: Male

Next






  • Similar Topics
    Replies
    Views
    Last post

Return to Neighbourhood Watch

 
 

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest

Login
Username:


Password:


Remember me


Forgot password?

Register now

Find in Quesada
What are you looking for in Quesada?: