St. Marteen Warning from another board!

[stillfrantic]

I read this on a Disney Cruise board. If someone grabbed my child I'd be pretty upset.

 

The new A.C. Wathey Pier and Port Facility is very nice with one unfortunate exception. There is a business in the largest of the new buildings called "Duty Free World" that I would caution you to avoid.

 

After returning our rental car we made one last Tee-shirt run in this store. Big mistake. My DS was to turn 7 on the ship the next day and earlier we had indulged him with a few small gifts. Among these was a wooden segmented snake that he was quite fond of. The store owner and what I assume were several of his family members took an interest in the snake and my son let them examine it. Being a new store they were curious what items were popular sellers in other stores.

 

While the DW selected Tee's with my DD the DS found an inexpensive shark tooth necklace that he wanted. At some point he handed it to my DW and said the plastic cord had come out of the clasp. She gave it to me and I took it to the owner and said it had come apart. The necklace was $7.95 and your typical cheaply made, China trinket. While I was surprised when he said I had to buy it, I didn't argue and took out my Visa card. My DW realized what was happening she returned the several Tee shirts she had chosen, to the shelf.

 

The store owner refused the credit card and demanded cash because the purchase was under $20. I politely opened my wallet and explained that I used the last of my cash to tip the crew on the 12 Meter Challenge excursion. He reiterated cash only and I said again we simply did not have any. In retrospect, judging by his gestures, I think he was expecting me to buy the several Tee shirts as well. After several, "Cash", "Sorry I have none" round robins I even offered to add the credit card surcharge to the total and said "Unless you want to accept the credit card we have a show to catch on the boat that I don't intend to miss." and we left the store.

 

The owner followed us out of the store and walked up to my 6 year old son, grabbed his arm, ripped his toy snake from his hand and said "I will keep this as collateral until you pay me".

 

Well needless to say I wasn't exactly pleased to have my son manhandled. He was crying and my wife and I were in shock. While my son may have broken the necklace by accident it certainly was not intentional and more likely due to the quality of the item than anything my son did. He also gave the broken necklace to us and did not just put it on a shelf somewhere as many might do. Nor did I hide the event from the owner or refuse to pay for it when requested.

 

Well my response was to take a photo of the owner and his shop with a promise I'd share this experience with others that were headed his way.

 

On the 100 yard walk back to the ship I came upon two Port police officers and explained the situation to them. While the DW waited in the boarding queue. ( interesting note: All returning passengers go through security screening on the ship, metal detectors and x-rays similar to airport screening and the lines can get quite long) I went back to the shop with the officer who interviewed the owner and got essentially the same story. The officer came to me and said the owner will now accept your credit card. I explained to the officer that he had a fair chance to accept and I would not now trust such a man with my credit information. He smiled knowingly but said there was little more he could do.

 

I was disappointed but not surprised that he did not require the return of the birthday present snake. After restating that I would explain the event to Disney and post notice of my St. Maarten experience on the Internet I went back to the ship. I was at the top of the gangway and next in line for the x-ray when the son of the owner and the officer came running toward the ship.

 

The officer said he contacted the harbor's senior officer, who ordered the shop owner to return my son's property and charged the owner with assault and theft. He also relayed a request that I not post negative comments about St. Maarten on the net.

 

In fairness, St. Maarten was a positive excursion and they ultimately handled the situation well.

 

The rest you can judge for yourself. Personally I'd love to hear that someone on a later cruise went up to this shop and asked "hey are you the guys that stole a 6 year old's birthday present over a broken necklace? Well I read about you on the internet and I'm shopping elsewhere"

 

That would make my day.

 

[DestinFlGirl]

That's ridiculous... no one should ever act like that especially towards a child. The owner's of the store should have realized that the people were buying merchandise and chalked up the cheap necklace that probably cost them 10 cents.

[Carrie P]

This reminds me of something similar that happened to us on a trip to montego bay jamaica about 8 yrs. ago. While on a shopping tour we went into a little "store" if you would call it that. My son was then 4 yrs. old. They put a little shell type bracelet on his wrist and said it was a gift....... As we walked through the store and really didn't see anything we wanted- we started to leave... They asked if we were going to buy "The" bracelet. I said "you told him it was a gift"... They started tugging at his wrist saying we needed to pay for it. By this time my son was crying hysterically because he didn't understand (nor should he) what was happening.. I took the bracelet off his wrist and gave it to the shop owner. My son was now crying because he wanted the bracelet. They said to me "see, now your sons crying because you won't buy him that bracelet" I refused to do it because of their tactics... Once outside I calmed him down and took him else where to buy him a surprise to make up for that particular experience.

One bad apple didn't spoil the whole bunch but I do remember it vividly as it was yesterday.

[Carrie P]

ps.........

 

We'll be traveling to St. Maarten in July!!!!!!!!!!!

[barbgazz]

I'll be there in October and will be sure to visit the store, lol. I will tell them they have a reputation now.

[Marykatesmom]

Duty Free World. I'll remember that when we're there in August.

[Andipanda1]

Duty Free World. I'll remember that when we're there in August.

 

And we'll remember it when we take our (just booked!) cruise there in January.

[CMurph]

This is a terrible experience and I am glad the poster shared it with us. Everyone should keep in mind that you could encounter dishonest sales tactics in any port. Warn your children not to accept any "gifts", don't let them put bracelets or necklaces on you or even take hold of an item if someone tries to hand it to you. DO NOT tell anyone your name if asked. Sometimes they will carve your name on an item and insist you have to buy it. You really have to be careful and keep your children close. It may take some of the pleasure out of browsing the shops, but better safe than sorry. Of course, not all shops are guilty of this, but you don't know for sure which ones are....except when we get these reports from our fellow CC cruisers.

[Iamthesea]

All good suggestions!

 

Furthermore, don't ever use a credit card to make purchases in ports of calls.

[Carrie P]

How about if everyone prints this thread w/ photo and brings it along to "accidentally" leave in this store!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Then, hang around till they spot it and take their picture as they read it... What an expression that would be huh?

I know the OP would love to see that........

I read this on a Disney Cruise board. If someone grabbed my child I'd be pretty upset.

[dougp26364]

Well, I do hope the story is true if everyone is going to boycot the store. It would be a shame if it were just another shop owner in the same area in St. Maartin trying to give the compitition a bad name.

 

I know many of you are probably thinking I lie awake at night wondering if the CIA and the Russians were in on the JFK and MLK assasinations but, I've seen more than one big fish story on the Internet before. I've learned the hard way to believe 10% of what I hear (or read) and 90% of what I see and I have seen instances of really poor judgement by store owners and employee's.

 

I have no reason to doubt this story but then again, I have no reason to believe it either. Let's just say I'll keep my eye out with this store but I won't promise that I won't go in and buy something.

[arrow3]

After reading all these posts, it really sounds like the Carribbean is a great place!! lol....I'm kind of not looking forward to getting off the ship when we go.

[hdawson]

Arrow. After four trips to St Maarten, I've never expereinced anything like that. I'm sure it's a very rare occurence. Probably could happen anywhere including in the US.

[KKeeganS]

There must be something good about the Caribbean seeing as millions of people go there every year. Our experiences in the Caribbean have been fantastic, with friendly islanders doing their best to make our visit relaxing and special. An incident like this, even if it had happened directly to me, wouldn't be enough to sour me on cruising, the islands or even St. Maarten specifically.

 

As for the original post, it is yet another reminder to be cautious whenever you travel, especially when you have kids with you. Don't give out your personal information, use traveler's checks, etc. I am at least heartened that he got a good response from the local authorities.

[NnJ2010]

All good suggestions!

 

Furthermore, don't ever use a credit card to make purchases in ports of calls.

Sorry, but I completely disagree. If you use a credit card you have the protection of the credit card company. You have ZERO recourse if you pay cash. Just make sure you watch what the person ringing up the sale does and make sure that you keep a close eye on your bills after the fact.

[NnJ2010]

After reading all these posts, it really sounds like the Carribbean is a great place!! lol....I'm kind of not looking forward to getting off the ship when we go.

You're going to let 2 negative shopping experiences out of probably millions turn you off to the entire Caribbean?

 

I've been on 5 cruises so if you figure I've seen at lesat 3 islands each cruise (5 or 6 on two)....say I've averaged 15-20 islands. I've never had a negative experience, I've never been fleeced, etc.

 

Yes you should be careful and try to use shops that are reputable but even if you pop in somewhere unexpected odds are pretty good you won't have any issue.

[toolongnocruise]

OP,

Thank you for at advising us of your misfortune and at least offering us a chance to hear the story and judge for ourselves. Forwarned is forearmed.

 

I will be sailing to the Caribbean with other family members and my 10 year old. Although I have warned him of things like this before, I will have him read your story for himself. He is of the age where he knows to be cautious, but reemphasizing the message is also necessary at his age.

 

I would take great pleasure in letting the store owners know that their attitude toward a customer who was being honest and alerting them to the flimsy construction of their merchandise, followed by what I would characterize by a "strong-arm attitude" to make a sale, is not a policy of any store in which I'd care to spend by money.

 

Furthermore, making physical contact with anyone, much less grabbing a young child's arm, is assault and I am glad the Harbor Master took quick action on it. I certainly hope he took that even further in making the owner realize how such tactics not only failed for him personally, but also could impact the entire community of honest, well-behaved, shopowners.

 

The actions of one CAN affect many. Yet, I also have confidence in our other Cruise Critic members not to punish other shopowners for the misdeeds of one.

[toolongnocruise]

Nicole,

I understanding what you are saying in regards to the protections afforded by the use of a credit card under ORDINARY or NORMAL circumstances.

 

But in this case, the shop owner had already shown his "true colors" and I would not have trusted him with my credit card number at that point either.

 

If you could not see the cash register area or he 'had to go to the back' to process the card WHAT THEN???? This guy sounded disreputable from the get-go! No credit card in his shop at all!

 

Yes, if anything had gone wrong with the card and it was misused, you can deal with the credit card company. But why put yourself through all of that with having the burden of proof and all the paperwork and phone calls over a $7.95 bracelet from a guy who is clearly "over the top"??? He would not have gotten my credit card either.

[hdawson]

16 cruises and several land trips. I've never had a problem with credit cards, traveler's checks or cash. I've made purchases with each plus tours and hotels. The local busnesses know the value of the internet, and also the risk via the internet if they misbehave.

[toolongnocruise]

hdawson,

Neither have I ever had a problem, and I want to keep it that way! Credit cards offer great protections. But this shop owner? -- over $7.95? --- possible months of haggling with a cc company? NO, like I said, forewarned is forearmed. I will avoid him and others like him if I know in advance. There are plenty of honest people out there trying to make a living and make a success of their businesses. Hopefully, I will find one of those and STILL be able to say, "I always use my CC and have never had a problem."

[stillfrantic]

tolongnocruise: It wasn't me that had my child grabbed. I read it on a Disney cruise board and posted the information here. It sounds like a centrally located store. I wanted to warn my RCI friends to be on guard if they encountered the clerk.

[CaribbeanBlue]

It sounds like an inexperienced merchant or perhaps a poorly trained employee. Most of the storeowners in the Caribbean are professional. Most stores will accept that a percentage of items will be damaged thru out the business year. That is part of the cost of doing business. Perhaps this was a newer business where every dollar costs. The merchant could have accepted a promise from the cruiser to send off a money order to them on arrival home. In general I find the majority of people to be very honest. Im so sorry to hear about you incident. Hurting childfren should never be tolerated, the merchant was lucky not to have been put into jail.

 

CaribbeanBlue

 

http://www.*****.org

[Shanafan]

After reading all these posts, it really sounds like the Carribbean is a great place!! lol....I'm kind of not looking forward to getting off the ship when we go.

 

St Maarten is one of my favorite islands. Never have we felt intimadated by any of the locals whether it be on the street or in the stores. We will be going for our 5 or 6th time in November and would not hesitate for a second to enjoy this beautiful island.

[hdawson]

Sadly, often posts on these and other boards are exagerations and only one sided. Many of the smaller sholps in the Caribbean and Mexico don't have credit card services. When you insist on using your card, they go to another business to use their's but the business with the acct wants to be compensated for the fee that they pay on every transaction. This is unfortunate especially on a small purchase. I've had this happen several times and with no problem. Of course there can be bad business dealings anywhere you go, including at home.

[Kissimmee_family]

Well, I do hope the story is true if everyone is going to boycot the store. It would be a shame if it were just another shop owner in the same area in St. Maartin trying to give the compitition a bad name.

I was told my posting had migrated to this board from it's original site. I can assure you the story is quite true and unembellished to boot.

 

my web page is at geocities.com/kissimmee_family

 

We cruised on the Disney Magic April 16th ....

 

But I do understand your appropriate caution.