Featured on Chinese Radio – Laptop Stolen

Posted by Michael Michelini on May 01 2009

Yesterday was invited to a special dinner party for a radio show. The radio show showcases new restaurants in the area and takes guests to rate the food and atmosphere. I was the only foreigner (white guy) in a table of 12 or so. The owner / manager of the restaurant was also there. I took my laptop bag with me, as I was not planning to go back to the office afterwards. I put the laptop bag behind my chair. At the end of dinner, around 7pm, the restaurant was much busier…and I noticed my bag was gone. The group helped me a lot, found witnesses proving my laptop bag was there.

pulled video tapes, called police. A friend took a photo of me in the police car (above) and he got chased by the police – as its banned in china. Ran a police report, but got a bit nervous telling police what I’m doing in China, where I live, didn’t have a passport on me, but the driver’s license got by. After filing the report, went back to the restaurant to bargain.

Taxi back to the restaurant, they apologized, but I wanted a financial compensation. After some bargaining, I said my laptop was 8000 chinese yuan (approx 1200usd), so they offered me 2000rmb (approx 300usd). I said at least 50% should be paid, since it was at their place of business. They then claimed that there are postings stating you are responsible for your own goods there, but because I am a foreigner, and that I was a guest of the radio station – they agreed to 50% – or 4000rmb.

Everyone could not believe I actually got an financial compensation from the restaurant. Because I am a white guy, as well as it was a special event, probably is why I received any cash. As I am told, if I were a local chinese, I would not receive anything and be blamed for being careless.

I know if this happened in USA, I would not receive anything from the restaurant. Now I am typing this blog entry on a new laptop I bought with the 4000 cash. Its a smaller laptop, but gets me by. Will use it mainly for browsing, email, and chat anyway.

Thanks Chinese restaurant. Friends!

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SHUO

Hi,happened to be here.Nice blog.

Greeting from Shenzhen.^^
Mike Michelini

thanks – good to meet you in Shenzhen!

great to be here in china too
Fuzzyglasses

crazy dude.. hope you didn't loose much of anything of importance. the split cost of the laptop is only not much of anything, hopefully you back up like i do. Here is a video I saw today and thought of you, hopefully you'll enjoy it as much as I do and ask your friends about it. Apparently its some chinese translation.

http://www.youtube.com/comment_servlet?all_comments&v=ToEPFDIzhNA&fromurl=/watch%3Fv%3DToEPFDIzhNA
glede

damn…..china government blocks youtube.com – gotta get a proxy to watch this, thanks bro
Echo Zhang

hey you are a lucky guy. and proved” everything is possible” again. i also got compensation when nobody believe i can do it. but i am not so lucky like you,it took me around two months.sometimes we just have usage mind when we meet this kind of stuff.we do not believe we can get reasonable responses,just we give up to try. so whatever we meet,do it. do not give up.even if we get nothing back,at least we tried and do our best. anyway,be carefull next time.
Mike Michelini

thanks Echo,
yes, I feel very lucky to have received any compensation! It is hard to believe actually.

Be careful next time! seems many chinese here think foreigners are careless. I have heard from many of my chinese friends here that white people seem to leave their possessions out to be stolen much more easily. Anyway, yes I am not thinking a lot more and how lucky that its just a laptop and not my passport or wallet.

take each day as a lesson learned
Echo Zhang

be careful is not mean the foreigners are careless,you are misunderstanding. From the year 2004 to 2006,i lost mobile phone every year and one wallet with id card,cash,bank card… on the bus.it is complicated to get new one. and now,when i was on the bus,i can not let my bad out of my eyes.

you are right,it is a lesson learned.
http://blog.michaelmichelini.com/2009/11/more-motivated-then-ever-before.html More Motivated Then Ever Before

[...] Robbed of my laptop during a restaurant opening radio [...]
http://blog.michaelmichelini.com/2010/10/maybe-ive-been-in-china-too-long-readjusting-to-usa.html Maybe I’ve Been in China Too Long – Readjusting to USA

[...] speak Chinese (even if you do) to government or police, and get by. There is one story where my laptop was stolen in a chinese restaurant and it was a battle, but the restaurant gave me 50% of the cost of my laptop back! So many Chinese [...]

About

American ecommerce guy, I've been living in South China - Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Dongguan (+ a touch of Philippines) since end of 2007.

Successfully selling online since 2004, took it fulltime early 2007. Love international business & connecting, and working on ways to give hard working people global opportunities. (Read More...)