ComplaintsforCourtesy Valet

• Initial Complaint

  12/12/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On December 2, I utilized the valet service to park my **** Upon returning a few hours later and driving home, I discovered scratches on the passenger side of the vehicle. I promptly contacted the owners, who requested that I email them the repair estimates. After submitting the estimates, they denied the claim, stating they did not cause the damage. Initially, they were uncertain about what might have occurred, as there was no conclusive proof via video footage either supporting or refuting their involvement in causing the damage. However, once they received the repair estimates, they decided to deny the claim. The damage to the right side of my vehicle is estimated at roughly $8000.Despite multiple attempts to reach out to both owners, they are now ignoring my phone calls and emails.

  Business response

  12/15/2023

  ******************,

  We are very sorry for the inconvenience and circumstance you are dealing with and understand your frustration.  We take all claims very seriously and do all we can to determine fault and liability no matter the situation.  Email/text/phone contact has been made on multiple occasions.  The denial was in no way a response to the estimate you provided.  Rather, instead of simply denying your claim due to the fact that our policy and ticket clearly outlines that once a vehicle leaves the location we cannot be held liable due to the uncertainty of what may occur after the departure, we still wanted to do our due diligence by speaking to all parties involved and review as much video/photos as possible (during this time is when you received the estimate and sent it to us).  It was upon viewing these things and seeing that no damage was caused while parking your vehicle and the car parked next to you was there before your car was parked and remained there until after your car was delivered meaning no damage could have occurred while parked, combined with you leaving the venue, and conflicting statements made by you to our management, that it was determined we are not responsible or liable for the claim you have made.     

• Initial Complaint

  06/01/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Mother's Day, May 14 2023, I went to *************** at *******************************************************************************. There was no parking available, so I utilized the valet services as I often do when visiting this establishment. We arrived at the restaurant at approximately 3:00 pm and departed around 9 pm that evening (It was dark outside). My fianc was driving so I entered the car through the front passenger door.I work from home but left I left my home on Monday May 15, 2023, around 4:00 pm and I noticed the long deep scratch on the side (driver) of my red 2021 Infiniti. I immediately retrieved my valet ticket and contacted Courtesy Valet. I received a voicemail, so I left a message. I then contacted *************** and they gave me the contact information to a manager named ****. I contacted **** and explained the situation, he asked me to send him pictures while he speaks to the owners about the incident. I was then contacted by a man named ****** who claimed to be a manager. He asked if I could send him pictures while he looked into the incident. I sent him pictures the same day. He contacted me on May 20,2023 stating he was going to check the cameras to see if they can tell if the vehicle was damaged in their possession.I then received a text on May 25, 2023 stating they were unable to see if there was preexisting damage to the vehicle so they will not be covering the damage. I asked them to reconsider and look at the damage in person because it is a deep scratch and it's hard to see all the damage from the pictures. I met with ****** on Friday May 26, 2023 in a ************* parking lot. He agreed the damage was worse in person and stated he will go back over the cameras again. I then received a text on May 31, 2023 stating they were keeping their stance and not repairing the damage they caused. I have used this valet for years without incident and I find it disturbing they are not repairing the damage their drivers caused. I want my vehicle fixed.

  Business response

  06/06/2023

  To whom it *** concern,

  We apologize for any delay in submitting this response, as with everything, we wanted to be thorough in making sure all details were correct.  To confirm the timeline...***** (he is our account manager, not sure why ****** was mentioned as we have nobody here by that name), happened to be out of town when this occurred.  As mentioned by ***************************, she utilized our service on Sunday May 14th, did not notice any damage until the end of the day on the 15th when the calls were made.  ***** was made aware of the situation and contacted her that evening as soon as he was able to.  ***** explained he was out of town and as soon as he returned on the 19th/20th he checked cameras, canvassed the parking garage where the vehicle was stored, and did his due diligence with speaking with the attendants and such.  He reached out on the 20th to let *************************** know of his findings, spoke with company ownership and scheduled a day to meet to look at the damage in person to make sure nothing was being overlooked, on the 26th.  After seeing the damage, ***** went above and beyond by going back through the garage and footage to see if there was anything to be noted, this reconfirmed the stance that the damage did not correlate to anything that *** have caused it while in our driver's possession.  If there was anything that *** have led to the belief that something we did could have caused this damage we would immediately take fault, but the type of damage does not relate to what could happen in our garage...for example, yellow paint from the guard poles, or rough damage caused by concrete, etc. 

  We have a policy that is written on each valet ticket (see attachment) that we are not responsible for damage once the vehicle leaves the premise.  This is due to the fact that it is impossible to know when or where any damage *** have occurred, whether 2 hours, 1 day, or a week later.  Even with this policy, we still do all we can to meet with and investigate all claims, and if the damage could have happened with us then we do what is right.  Being in business for over 20 years we feel as though we have a good understanding of what type of damage is possible and what is not, unfortunately this instance falls under the category of us finding no evidence that this *** have occurred due to our negligence.  It's happened many times where a guest initially feels as though we caused damage, then by either video/photo evidence, or the admission of another party, it proves we had nothing to do with it.  Not saying this is the case here where the cause will be discovered, but it is just pointing out the fact that many times guests initially place the blame on us to only find out later we were not liable at all.  We truly appreciate and value each customer and client and would never avoid responsibility, but we also have to be vigilant in ensuring that we follow our policies and protocols to safeguard the company.  We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and tough situation this places everyone in, but after a very thorough investigation we have to stick to our original stance of denying the claim due to lack of any evidence and the time to which the claim was brought to our attention (see attachment for example of disclaimer on the valet ticket).       

  Customer response

  06/19/2023

   
  Complaint: 20128526
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  I have been using this valet service for years at restaurants and private events.  I was initially told that when the cameras were viewed, they were unable to determine if I previously had damage to my car, so since they are unsure, they are rejecting my claim.  Also, the reason I didn't contact them late until the next day is because I work from home.  I did not go to my car until around 4 pm the next day so I could grab dinner and that is when I saw this long scratch across my red painted car.  To not say they are responsible because you must check your car before leaving the premises is unreasonable.  I have never had any issues with them in the past so I had no reason to believe they would have damaged my car.  We returned straight home that evening when it was dark.  The scratch was not noticeable until I went to drive my car the next day.  They damaged my car, and they should be held accountable.  Just because they have had issues with other people trying to place damage on them that they didn't cause, it does not give them the right to damage my property and say they're not responsible. I'm ****% sure they damaged my car and I want them to do the right thing and fix the damage their employees caused.
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************;

  Business response

  06/27/2023

  We truly feel terrible that *************************** believes we damaged her vehicle.  The investigating we did, the experience we have and the type of damage on the vehicle just does not point to it being done in our garage...gates, concrete pillars, etc...and instead looks to be more of a scrape done by someone else (ie, bicycle, shopping cart, road debris, etc.).  This type of damage could happen anywhere at anytime, on the way to the restaurant, after leaving the restaurant, while parked later that night, the next morning, so on and so forth.  All of this is why we must stick to our policy of once a vehicle leaves there is no way for us to know if it happened due to our negligence, or somewhere else.  Again though, if the type of damage pointed to something that could've happened in the garage then it's a different stance.

  Knowing how strongly we feel that we did not cause the damage and the same for *************************** on the opposite side, we would be willing to meet in the middle and split the cost of the repair.  This is not something we take lightly, but we value the client relationship and want to express that by offering a compromise.  Especially with the policy being in writing, most companies would point to that to clear themselves of all liability and responsibility, but again, we appreciate the relationship and hopefully this proves that.  We would request that 2 estimates are secured and 1 comes from our body shop that we have a relationship with (********************, ***********) which we can help facilitate.  Hopefully this helps and we look forward to hearing back.   

  Customer response

  07/06/2023

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

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