DailyPost Administrator posted on January 26, 2010 13:10
Dear Sir / Madam,
My wife and I have just returned from the beautiful but poorly managed Iririki Island Resort where an intruder broke into our cabin while my wife was alone in the room. The thief took the easy things – camera, phone, cash etc. The frustrating part is that this was the fourth serious robbery on the resort within a week, and yet the management was so complacent about the security situation.
Other guests we spoke with who had been robbed over previous days said that the resort was reluctant to even report the incident to the police, and didn’t provide any compensation such as a room upgrade. So I insisted that the management take our case seriously, and although they were polite about it and called in the police, their handling of the situation was woeful.
Firstly I requested for the broken locks to be changed. We returned to the room later in the day upon management’s assurances that everything had been fixed, only to find the screen door was still broken. We changed cabins, but after just one day that lock broke, apparently from general wear-and-tear (indicative of how “safe” the rooms are). Another day was wasted as we waited for a replacement lock while the room was unsecure. The guest relations manger offered to compensate us with a fruit basket but we didn’t bother as it hardly seemed commensurate with the inconvenience of our situation. He then offered to change us from a fare to an apartment on the quiet side of the island. However, as the police suggested the robbery may possibly have been an inside job, my wife was reluctant to move to a more isolated location. So we stayed put, and eventually received one complimentary dinner.
My enquiries as to what the resort was doing to improve our safety were only ever met with empty assurances that they were “on top of it”. I suggested that at least a simple circular be sent to guests stating that due to recent incidents guests should be extra careful with their belongings, but I was told the general manager (who I never met) would have to decide on that. Nothing happened.
Leaving valuables in the reception safe was another issue. You’re supposed to sign for and provide a room key or ID to access the safe, but I was never asked to do either of these things. A few days after the robbery incident, to my disbelief I found $600 missing from the safe. I can’t accuse the resort for this, as the package didn’t appear to be tampered with (items are placed in an envelope which is then sealed, signed and placed in the safe). But I’m very particular with my money and had kept written records of each time I withdrew cash from the safe so I’ll let you draw your own conclusion as to what really happened.
The fact that my wife’s safety was at great risk is my main concern, followed by the management’s inability to provide basic security measures for the rest of our stay. This was not a one-off robbery (or bad lack as the Guest Relations Officer implied), but a series of incidents encouraged by the resort’s extremely lax attitude towards guest safety. Their security system (broken locks) is hopelessly unacceptable especially for a 4-star property, and the management’s failure to mitigate further thefts and their general lack of responsibility was infuriating. Never again Iririki.
- Craig Shim