[wwc310]

I need to vent.

I have had three incidents now with valets. First off, I am completely against having someone else even touch my car, but here in L.A., its nearly impossible to find parking at restaurants that isn't a) three miles away or b) valet only.

The first incident occurred four hours after I took delivery of my new 335i. The valet kicked the door open with his foot and his boot completely scuffed the interior side compartment. I let it slide and figured i would probably do it at some point or the other.

The next occurred two months later and I didn't realize it until i got home but the valet tracked in a serious pile of mud into the car. It was all over the floor mat, the side carpet and the door sill. I let this slide as I plan on shampooing my mats every 5 months or so and it was completely reversible.

The final incident took place last night and I didn't realize until this morning. The valet completely smashed into a curb and chunked a decent size piece out of my tire as well as left 3, 1 sq inch gashes in my rim. I'm pissed

Im really only concerned about the final incident but upset at the others nonetheless.

Anyone have any experience confronting the valet company and getting an sort of reimbursement? I kinda figured they were just going to push the blame on me and say it wasn't their fault.

Going forward I will not be using a valet again. Thank for listening to my rant. I feel much better now. feel free to add personal experiences in here as well.

[tennis_pr0]

I wouldn't trust my car to a valet, no way. People are envious and jealous when people have nice things, I wouldn't want to take the chance of some a hole messing around with my car.

[essex_lad]

iv had it where they had grit on the cloth and got a massive scratch on the roof and when they drag the vacuum cleaner hose in the car it scuffs up my pillars and skirts. I guess if you want a job done properly then you have to do it yourself.

Call up the valet company and submit a claim that's bullshit I wouldn't deal with if If I were you

[Secret_Squirrel]

Sucks to hear brotha. Once you drive away from a valet its hard to come back and demand them to pay. Finding a respectable valet is one in a million. My buddy used to valet cars but he had an evo. So he actually respected peoples cars unlike the horror stories he told me about other workers. He had his regulars because they knew he wouldn't fuck anything up. Just gotta find that one guy.

[matty231]

That would so piss me off! They better take the blame & repair it!

Never letting some random drive my car or even touch it... people don't respect anything nowadays.

[E90Flossin]

I usually drive the car to the spot where they park it. I don't like anyone driving my car

[Game]

Have them pay the damages.

[Lankster]

Here is what I do. Please note this is total asshole move but I try to sound nice to them:

When I drop off the car, I get out, take a picture inside, and 4 sides of the car (front, L, R, rear). I then tell the valet that it isnt because of them specifically, just had a bad experience where I couldnt prove that the valet crashed my car. Normally they "totally understand bro" me and they should be held responsible now. Valets have insurance from their company if Im not mistaken for incidents like messed up cars.

My friend is a valet and has had people bring him a business card shaped thing where he prints his name and signs it saying that the owner took pictures of the car before the keys are handed over to him. Also a good idea, but once again, so much trouble just to go through that everytime you drop off your car

[Doctor///M]

I've boycotted valets altogether. Seen one trying to slider a 5er around a roundabout while they were servicing a house party near where I live, as well as several other instances of mistreatment. I also have a front bumper dent that I believe came from the one time I gave my car to the valet, but I have no way of proving that they did it.

If you're meticulous about these things as I am, then avoid it if you can. Sorry to hear OP.

[GarySL]

Sorry to hear of your poor fortune.

Good luck, curious how it will turn out. How can you possibly prove it, unless the valet admits it or someone saw it happened? I hate valets.

[iBoost]

I avoid valets 100%. Like someone else mentioned it's going to be nearly impossible to prove that the damage was done there. Should have inspected the car before driving off.

[shata]

Originally Posted by BMW..

Call up the valet company and submit a claim that's bullshit I wouldn't deal with if If I were you

Here is what you should do, Go back to valet place. Call your local police department and have officer take report with manager there. Tell them time and when they had the car and who drove it if you remember. Then call your insurance company and tell them what happened and hopefully your other then collision deductible is low I think it falls under that category and get their insurance information so your company can contact theirs. They will settle your problem. It will get fixed no matter what.

[NemesisX]

Yeah I've always found it annoying that valets are forced on you in certain situations. I'd rather skip the middle man and just park in the valet garage/parking lot myself.

[3_runner]

You could always park a distance away and take a taxi... Less aggravation.

[Brad335d]

The Third incident would have me killing said Valet, or having the company pay for the damage.

[E902009]

I know what you mean about not being able to avoid valets in LA. They're every-fucking-where. And I have yet to find a valet that would put my mind at ease. I would go after them and also get the establishment's owner/manager involved, if the valet was at a restaurant or a hotel.

The other day I was picking up my rented Grand Cherokee, and while waiting at the garage exit, I heard screeching tires, revved engine, and then a hard brake. Right in front of me. The guy was shocked that I was standing there. While exiting the car, I said "Hope you enjoyed beating the crap out of my car. I'm charging you a fee for driving my car, which was your tip." Got in the car and drove way. The following two nights at the hotel, I did what one of the posters said, took many pictures each time I dropped off the car. I also notified the hotel's manager, who waived my valet fee.

[tmarshall57]

Originally Posted by essex_lad

iv had it where they had grit on the cloth and got a massive scratch on the roof and when they drag the vacuum cleaner hose in the car it scuffs up my pillars and skirts. I guess if you want a job done properly then you have to do it yourself.

Valet in US = guy who parks your car.

Valet in UK = guy who cleans your car.

[tmdals0213]

I am also in the DTLA area - this might be a temporary fix for valet situations, for those times when you cant help but HAVE to valet.

When i'm forced to valet at a decent area where i can visually see my car when I am at the establishment, I ask if either I can park in the front or they park it in the front for an extra 5-10 dollars (depending on the location) on top of the fee.

If they use a garage no matter what, then i ask to park it myself and then just pay them and take my key. (obviously asking for a spot where they wont need to double park so my car isn't blocked or going to block anyone else).

[SharkBait]

You live in LA. Valet is a fact of life. Too many times I arrive to a place where I could happily park myself yet I still have to give my car over to some Neanderthal and then pay for it.

Anyway, a dashcam is your best bet. They'll notice it and won't fuck with your car and they will be extra careful with it too. If they don't, you'll have a video of their stupidity to get them to pay for any damages.

[kdbryce]

I would definitely call them and demand they pay for it.

After reading all these valet horror stories, I get super scared when I have no choice but to trust them with my car. I haven't had any problems yet, but I do a quick check over when I get the car back just to be sure. If there was anything wrong, I would flip out pretty badly.

[tony20009]

I feel for you. At least the damage you suffered is mostly cosmetic.

I left my car in a parking garage and when I returned to get it, I was told one of the attendants drove my car into a wall or pillar, I don't really know which. I also don't know how the hell that could possibly have happened, although I was told the guy thought he was in reverse, but was really in first. I'm at bit incredulous about that explanation for the damage he did seems inconsistent with driving into anything at 5 mph or less. But I didn't say anything because the garage's insurance took care of the damage -- all OEM new parts -- and gave me a BMW loaner while my car was being repaired, and because my saying something wasn't going to alter what had to happen after the damage was done.

As go your tires and wheels, you might try making a claim, but I suspect that now that you've drove away from the place at which they returned the car to you, they will deny anything. If they didn't come forward to begin with, you sort of know what kind of folks you are dealing with...

Lesson learned: inspect the car when you drop it off and before you drive away. If nothing else, their seeing you inspect the car before you leave it in their care may spur them to be more cautious since it'll have been clear to you and them that there was nothing wrong when you dropped it off.

I've found too that it's worth it to check the mileage before you release your car to them. Generally, valets won't go joy riding in super high end cars, but common ones like ours, are just uncommon enough and just nice enough that they don't figure anyone'll notice when they decide to grab a car to run on some errand or other.

All the best.