Share your parking valet horror stories

[snowball22]

Back in the 80's I went to Hilton Head with a friend. I had baked about five dozen chocolate chip cookies for the trip. Anyway, I had left the tin of cookies in the front passenger seat. We had valet parking at the hotel for the night. The next morning, we got our car and took off sight seeing for the day. I then open up the tin of cookies and the cookies are gone but a note was left. The note said, "I really enjoyed the cookies, I hope you don't mind." What???????????? The valet guy had eaten all our cookies.

 

[SnowAngel]

I never use valet parking.

 

[pearlieq]

So far my only horror has been pulling up to places and finding out there wasn't valet!!!!

 

[poohtown]

Back in the 80's I went to Hilton Head with a friend. I had baked about five dozen chocolate chip cookies for the trip. Anyway, I had left the tin of cookies in the front passenger seat. We had valet parking at the hotel for the night. The next morning, we got our car and took off sight seeing for the day. I then open up the tin of cookies and the cookies are gone but a note was left. The note said, "I really enjoyed the cookies, I hope you don't mind." What???????????? The valet guy had eaten all our cookies.

oh my god!! Please tell me you reported him.

I tend not to valet because of my near miss horror story. We have a mustang that slips gears sometimes. We valeted at a beautiful hotel and explained to the attendant about the gears. We even told him to make sure the car is in first gear and the parking brake is on. Only about 10 minutes after we entered, I realized I left my cosmetic bag in the car with everything I needed. The maitre d told me the parking lot was actually just around the corner and I decided to run over to the car quickly. Took me a minute to find the car and there it was at the top of an incline, no emergency brake on, in neutral~!!! After I moved the car to a new lot, I went back and reamed out the valet and demanded my tip back - LOL.

 

[elmosmom]

This wasn't my car but I am using her story.

Her son was in Childrens Hospital and I had gone with her for emmotional support. She drove a very popular sharp car at the time. After spending the afternoon with her son we found that the car had been used. We could tell by the "butts" in the ashtray, the seat and mirrors were different and the nearly full tank of gas was now down half a tank. That was the last timeshe left her keys--

 

[MouseClubMom]

I valet parked at the Orlando Marriott World Center and when I got the car back the gear shift button was broken off!!! The valet guy swore it was "like that" when they got it. Yeah right. It was my word against his. Ugh.

 

[DStar4cup]

We went to an indian casino in Louisana back in 1995 and just bought a ford windstar mini van. When we went out to pick up the van they go well there was a problem. The driver had hit another car while parking. He didn't turn sharp enough and scaped another vehicle with our bumper. It only scraped our bumper but the other car was scratched from the back of the car all the way to the front. The car he hit was newer than ours. they didn't even have it tagged yet!!! They did pay for the bumper and gave us 2 free buffet tickets on our next visit. Needless to say we haven't been back!!!

 

[laurie31]

The valet guy had eaten all our cookies.

OMGosh!! He ate SIXTY cookies???

Even taking one would have been wrong of course, but gosh, how could anyone eat 60 all at once?

As for my own horror story, when I was 8 1/2 months pregnant with DD2, I could hardly walk as she was on my sciatic nerve and she was breech and thus very high, and she weighed 9lbs 12 oz when she was born...so she weighed close to 9 pounds then (the doc's estimate that day). I was so miserable I decided to use the valet. DH couldn't come to every appointment, and I was alone and didn't think I could walk all the way from the parking lot.

When I returned from my appointment, I tried to get my car back. The valet was on the phone, chatting. It was very obviously a personal call. I stood there and stared at her, trying to breathe and remain upright, waiting for her to GET OFF THE PHONE AND DO HER JOB. Finally she told the person to hold on. She handed me my keys and said, "Your car's right over there," and pointed at it! um...HELLO!!! I'm not BLIND, I can see that's my car, but I *can't walk* that far. Unfortunately, she had returned to her conversation and I meekly took my keys and waddled and huffed my way to my car.

In retrospect, I should have gone back inside and reported her to the doctor's office. (or at the very least, grabbed the phone out of her hand and told her to GO GET MY CAR!) Valet parking was not complimentary - I had to pay $4!!!

Laurie

 

[phillybeth]

The valet at WL lost our keys to the rental car! We had rented a car on that trip because my FIL is disabled and it made park and resort hopping much easier. They had to get a van to take us back to our hotel and comped us for a few nights' stay and the total bill for the rental car! They never did find the keys, the rental place had to have new ones made.

 

[MidgeD79]

I had taken my ds to a clinic appointment at Childrens Hospital of Michigan about 10 years ago. I used valet parking-after the appoinment I gave my ticket to the attendent and waited for my van, And waited and waited. Several people came after me and got their cars before me. I finally asked what was going on and I was told there was a problem. About 30 minutes later a security guard approached me and asked if I owned a Ford van I said yes and he told me there had been an accident involving my van. The attendment had misjudged a turn and crumpled the front passenger side. I was told they would repair it, but it was to be at a shop of their choice north of Detroit and I live south of Downriver. I told them I would take the van to a shop of MY choice AND they could pay for the rental of another van so my ds's wheelchair would fit. They agreed ,everything was fixed, but I will always be a little leery when valet takes to long with my van!

 

[nativetxn]

We've never had a problem with valet parking, yet. Looks like we've been lucky.

 

[minniecarousel]

We use valet when we go to nice hotels - like Disney's Grand Californian. Never a problem. Younger DS was a valet for a summer - but before he could get the job, his buddy had to show him how to drive a clutch!

 

[Eric95403]

Here is my valet parking horror story...

We took a short trip to San Diego at the end of December last year. When I picked up my minivan from the rental agency, it had only 1 mile on it. I was the first person to drive this car!!! Our hotel was valet parking only. I had never had a problem with valet parking before, so it wasn't an issue. Two days and 16 miles on the minivan...they swing the vehicle around to the front. My DW mentions to me it looks like the passenger side sliding door is dented in. I tell her it's probably just the lighting and it couldn't be dented in. To be safe, I walk around to the passengers side and see the rear sliding door is smashed in. Holy CR _ P!!! This car has 16 miles on it and it has already be in an accident. The company, hotel, and rental agency all seem good about the whole thing. I just know this is going to go bad somehow on my part, even though it wasn't my fault. After two warning letters, I'm still not sure if the parking company has paid the damages to the rental agency, even though they keep telling me they will. I knew that would happen.

 

[IceQueen777]

Last year my best friend's Expedition was stolen from the casino where we had valet parked. Apparently, it was a very busy night and the attendant had just left it sitting there with the keys in it until they could drive it into the valet section of the parking garage. Someone hopped in and drove off with it. Imagine sitting at the blackjack tables having a good time when you get paged to go to valet and they tell you that your vehicle was stolen! She was expecting to hear that someone had wrecked it, or it wouldn't start, or something like that. Not that it had been stolen!!!!