Learn from my holiday travel mistakes

Foxhound5366

Foxhound5366

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Oct 23, 2014
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9,131
*grumbles* Two weeks after the burglary of my iPad in Cape Town, I just got an email from Apple stating that the full erase of my iPad has commenced. After the burglary they'd turned it off, but I requested the erase through Find My iPad ... and that little egg just hatched. It makes me feel a bit better knowing all my personal data is totally secure.

I think something that helps is I had the "cellular" version, so as soon as they turned it back on it would have connected to the internet. If you get the cheaper WiFi version, that won't happen coz your kill instruction would only get delivered if the burglars conveniently connected to a WiFi network right?

So maybe that's another useful lesson here ... if you value the security of your personal data, consider getting the cellular version of whichever tablet you're considering. At least now the burglars just have an expensive paperweight.
 
Priapus

Priapus

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Foxhound5366 said:
I think something that helps is I had the "cellular" version, so as soon as they turned it back on it would have connected to the internet. If you get the cheaper WiFi version, that won't happen coz your kill instruction would only get delivered if the burglars conveniently connected to a WiFi network right?
Click to expand...

Correct. The secure erase will only happen when the device is connected to the network. WiFi or cellular.
That iPad might as well be a paper weight to whoever has it.
 
N

newby_investor

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Aug 8, 2018
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4,329
Tman* said:
I got a few handy tips:
2. Always take a powerbank that is fully charged, but never take it in your hand luggage as they can confiscate it at some airports or connecting flights.
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Don't a lot of airlines specifically prohibit taking lithium batteries in checked luggage these days? They want you to have it with you in the cabin.
 
bwana

bwana

MyBroadband
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Foxhound5366 said:
So maybe that's another useful lesson here ... if you value the security of your personal data, consider getting the cellular version of whichever tablet you're considering. At least now the burglars just have an expensive paperweight.
Click to expand...
A paperweight is all they had anyway unless they were able to guess your passcode.
 
S

Steamy Tom

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deweyzeph said:
Why would you leave your car at the airport? Those valet guys are dodgy as hell. You have no idea what they're doing with your car or where they're storing it while you're away. I'd rather leave my car home and Uber to the airport. Talking about Uber, why would you bother renting a car in Cape Town when you can just Uber everywhere as well? It's probably just as expensive as renting a car, without all the hassles and financial risk that come with renting cars.
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I would personally not uber to the airport...
 
M

Milano

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Tip: Look at the crime stats of the city you intend visiting.
 
Foxhound5366

Foxhound5366

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Milano said:
Tip: Look at the crime stats of the city you intend visiting.
Click to expand...
You talking in terms of suburb-level selection?

I sure as heck don't wanna avoid of all Cape Town, although I have heard it's actually overtaken Johannesburg in terms of crime.
 
genetic

genetic

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Foxhound5366 said:
You talking in terms of suburb-level selection?

I sure as heck don't wanna avoid of all Cape Town, although I have heard it's actually overtaken Johannesburg in terms of crime.
Click to expand...

The Cape Flats skew the statistics. The city itself is 100x safer than JHB. I walk from Bo-kaap to Zonnebloem through the CBD fairly regularly without ever worrying about my safety.
 
Foxhound5366

Foxhound5366

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genetic said:
The Cape Flats skew the statistics. The city itself is 100x safer than JHB. I walk from Bo-kaap to Zonnebloem through the CBD fairly regularly without ever worrying about my safety.
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100x safer ... you've done research that backs this up? I've lived in Gauteng for years, in Johannesburg, Centurion AND Pretoria, and never once had a burglary. Now I stay in Cape Town and just happen to be specifically targeted in the heart of Mowbray (right off Main Road ... not quite the Cape Flats). I don't know quite how much water that "100x safer" holds in reality.
 
Foxhound5366

Foxhound5366

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OPEN LETTER TO DeZired Parking/DropZone Service (sent via e-mail on 6 October 2019)

Dear Mr Botha (and/or DZP Management),

Here follows an open letter to you, which is awaiting your response on a matter of great concern to myself (a past customer). You may wish to respond to it directly online by clicking here, else I will be happy to share your response on that forum (if you grant your permission for that?).

Earlier this month I made use of your parking services at OR Tambo, and was happy enough with the part of it that I experienced that I made a recommendation of you to readers on MyBroadband.co.za

This was when one of the users shared a disturbing news story from November 2018 that I had not been aware of prior to my selection of your services, in which you are quoted: https://city-press.news24.com/News/beware-dodgy-valet-parking-services-at-or-tambo-20181128

In that story, the reporter stated:
But at the address [Botha] provided, City Press found expensive cars parked in an open parking area, and some were under carport structures.

The small area was surrounded by an old wire fence and a gate locked with a chain. The parking space was situated behind an open parking area demarcated for a restaurant.

There were no security guards in sight, just a notice on the wire gate that there were CCTV cameras.
Click to expand...

This is obviously concerning to me, as on your website you go to great lengths to highlight the security of your parking (my emphasis added):

DZP airport parking service provides an off site safe and secure alternative to parking at OR Tambo Airport. ... We will collect your vehicle at OR Tambo Airport drop off zone (Departures A or Departures B )and store it at our facilities located in Kempton Park.Your vehicle is kept in a safe environment and returned to you after it has been washed and vacuumed.
Click to expand...

Do you have a response to the City Press story quoted above, and would you be so kind as to provide myself and your other customers with a security assessment of your premises in terms of the below?

Does your parking facility have ...
1) Electric fences?
2) 24/7 armed security patrols?
3) Lighting throughout the parking facility at night?
4) A guard at the entrance?
6) Razor wire along the top of the fences?

I thank you in advance for your response to the above, and look forward to putting right any misconceptions which the City Press news article might have created about your services.

Yours truly,

[Name]
 
Tman*

Tman*

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genetic said:
This. You MUST take lithium batteries with you as hand luggage. You are not allowed to carry it in checked-in luggage.
Click to expand...
Had a powerbank in hand luggage confiscated recently.

I never had a problem with it in check-in tho
 
bwana

bwana

MyBroadband
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Tman* said:
Had a powerbank in hand luggage confiscated recently.

I never had a problem with it in check-in tho
Click to expand...
Probably because they didn't know about it. As far as the airlines are concerned it's a no-no because it's dangerous and for obvious reasons you should care about that.
 
SauRoNZA

SauRoNZA

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Foxhound5366 said:
*grumbles* Two weeks after the burglary of my iPad in Cape Town, I just got an email from Apple stating that the full erase of my iPad has commenced. After the burglary they'd turned it off, but I requested the erase through Find My iPad ... and that little egg just hatched. It makes me feel a bit better knowing all my personal data is totally secure.

I think something that helps is I had the "cellular" version, so as soon as they turned it back on it would have connected to the internet. If you get the cheaper WiFi version, that won't happen coz your kill instruction would only get delivered if the burglars conveniently connected to a WiFi network right?

So maybe that's another useful lesson here ... if you value the security of your personal data, consider getting the cellular version of whichever tablet you're considering. At least now the burglars just have an expensive paperweight.
Click to expand...

Well, unless you had a silly pin code on the thing or none at all your data is pretty safe regardless.

But where exactly was this apartment?
 
Foxhound5366

Foxhound5366

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Oct 23, 2014
Messages
9,131
SauRoNZA said:
Well, unless you had a silly pin code on the thing or none at all your data is pretty safe regardless.

But where exactly was this apartment?
Click to expand...
Mowbray Main Road, 4th floor of Savoy Gardens. Right next to SAPS Mowbray. Kinda cheeky.
 
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