DON'T GO IN THIS STORE IN LAS VEGAS!  HERE ARE THE FACTS:

RE: TOURNEAU watch store in the Forum Mall, Caesars Palace.

Tim,  One of the guys who use to work with me a long time ago and who I took the FBI shooting test with is in Las Vegas.  His first name is Joe but I can’t remember his last name.  Anyway,  I was a victim of a scam at a retailer her in Las Vegas that happens to lots of people all the time.  I know exactly how they run it so here is what happened.  

4/21/09 10am   I go into the TOURNEAU watch store in the forum malls in Caesars Palace to purchase a new Tag Heuer watch (I collect them on a small scale)  Anyway, I found the watch I wanted which was $3800.  When I went to pay, she ask for my drivers license and my credit card.  Well since it was a jewelry purchase in Las Vegas, it got declined.  I also tried my debit card but its daily spending limit is $400.  SO anyway, I couldn’t pay for the watch until I called AMX and my bank to up the limit.

Well, I called my bank first and they raised my debit limit to $5000 so I could buy the watch.  Then the fun began,  She said she could no longer take the entire payment on my bank card but needed half cash and half on the bank card.  She obviously saw the $50’s in my wallet.  I had $2000 in cash.  Anyway, I said, I’m not going to spend my cash because I need for Taxi’s etc.

So I politely ask her to give me my drivers license and credit cards back.  She laid all three down on a piece of white paper, the sales receipts.   I first put my AMX card in my wallet and then my midfirst bank card.  There was nothing else on the sheet of paper so I assumed I had put everything in my wallet including my Drivers License.   I didn’t realize until later exactly what happened.  But she did a classic Magic trick.  She slipped a piece of white paper over my drivers license as I was putting my last card in my wallet.

4/21/09  11am   Deia and I shop a bit more then head to the pool for 3 hours at the pool before I go to the NAB conference and she goes to the Spa.

4/21/09  3:40pm  I arrive at NAB and head over to registration.  They ask for some ID and as soon as I opened my wallet, I said “She stole my ^&^** drivers license.”  I knew immediately what had happened.  My employees heard me say it.  I told them exactly all the above and said two motives.  1.  Get me back to buy the watch because she knows I can’t leave town unless I have my drivers license.  I can’t imagine how many people don’t figure this out until at the airport.  2.  Steal my identity if I don’t come back.  She has two credit card numbers and every other bit of personal information.

4/21/09 6:30pm  I ask my Executive VP  Thad Martin to go back by the store to witness what happens.  I tell him my plan is to say I have come back to purchase the watch but left my Drivers License.   I didn’t want to go in mad and not get my license.  Anyway, I can’t find the girl who stole initially.  I think her name was  Jacqui.  Anyway, I find another Oriental American Girl who when I mentioned I was back and forgot my license.  She said “Oh, Jacqui has it”  not surprised at all.  She calls up and gets Jacqui on the phone.  Here is what we here, “Jacqui, your customer is back, Sir, Jacqui wants your credit card to run again and will get you the watch”  I say, no, I want my drivers license first than we can do that.  Girl says,  “Jacqui, he want give us his credit card until he gets his license back”.  At this time some mysterious Oriental man appears from the back room with my license in a plastic bag.  It looks like a narrow evidence bag exactly the size for passports, license, credit cards etc.  They obviously use them a lot.

Anyway, I take my license and say I want to see the Store Manager immediately.  They can tell I am on to their scheme and scatter like flies.  About 5 minutes later the store manager shows and I tell him exactly what their scheme is.  He doesn’t even deny it.  He just keeps turning his head to the left and looking down.  I told hi, I would make him a deal and drop the whole thing which I wasn’t going to do.  I said, “If you will sell me that watch for $1000 right now, I want make your life misserabel”.  He said, “I don’t have the authority to authorize this”.  I said I am contacting the FBI, and local police with what they are doing.  He started sweating fidgeting and ran like a rat back to the back.  I feel back about the deal I offered but I figured if I could get a good price on a watch and still turn them in the better.

Thad was witness to all of this and we left the store with my Drivers License.

Anyway,  I think I am just the tip of the ice berge.  After talking to the store manager in the Ballagio, he says he hears customers complain a lot about similar things. 

I am talking to Marcelo from Argentina and he says it is raining.