Letter: Burglary at apartment

Wed, 10/22/2008 10:44 AM  |  Reader's Forum

I've lived in the Bellezza apartments, Permata Hijau, South Jakarta, since September 2007. On July 23, 2008, when I came home from work, I found my apartment unit's foyer door was broken. Lots of valuable items were stolen and my unit was a mess. I was in disbelief. How could such a burglary happen in a five-star apartment equipped with private elevator access?

I reported the incident to both Bellezza security and the police. Until today, the case is still under police investigation. According to Bellezza's concierge service, a "guest" was looking for me that afternoon when no one was in my unit.

I got the shock of my life to find out the concierge, without first asking my consent or informing me, granted access to my private elevator to this so-called guest, and took him to my unit's foyer and left him there all by himself.

The next thing that happened, my foyer door was opened by force and hence the burglary. Furthermore, the concierge never asked for any identification for this "guest". Not only did the concierge services not comply with standard operating procedure, but she also ignored the most basic, foremost rule for safeguarding an apartment unit.

I'm very disappointed with the Bellezza developer, Gapura Prima group, and building management, Perdana Property Management.

How come they failed to fulfill their responsibilities to take care of the safety of the apartment? It was because of their employee's mistake and noncompliance with their own procedures that the burglary occurred. I hold the developer and building management responsible for this incident.

For more than two months I've repeatedly written letters and met with the developer and building management to ask for compensation for my losses. This effort has not led to any satisfactory result.

They simply ask me to wait for the results of the police investigation and do not want to be responsible for their part. They only offered a "love donation", a symbolic 10 percent of the material losses I suffered, to show their sympathy.

This donation is nowhere near comparable to what I've lost. And what about the remaining losses? Not to mention the non-material losses such as fear and insecurity every time I go to work or leave my unit.

Is this an appropriate response from a first-class developer like Gapura Prima Group which boasts about its commitment to service, quality and safety?

KURNIAWAN JAYA DEWI
Jakarta

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