Valet Parking Damage
 

Hello All;

Looking for input. We spent Presidents day weekend in Manhattan, and used the hotel's valet parking service. The hotel was Marriott on the east side. When leaving Sunday, we noticed the passenger side front quarter panel had been hit. I brought this to their attention. A manager from the valet service came over, took a picture, and had me fill a claim form. I got two repair estimates, as they requested, and faxed them. Yesterday, I got a letter from their operations manager, saying that the damage was already there upon arrival at the hotel Friday evening. Obviously this is wrong, and they must be testing my resolve to have them pay for the damages. The valet service is Manhattan Parking Group. Anyone have a similar experience?

Thanks

I know this sounds strange but there is a union in New York for just about every kind of employment and I'd bet there is one for valet parking.

Valet parking is contracted out from the hotels to independents.

Call the hotel and find out who their contact is with the parking company. Go to the top of the food chain. Start calling everyone until this is cleared up.

Also contact the NYC Convention & Visitors Bureau and ask if they have any ideas.

This is why I try never to use valet parking. Similar thing happened to a friend of ours. The company claimed that the damage was already there. It wasn't - he got nowhere with it, but I'm not sure how much effort he put into pursuing it. If you watch how these guys at valet parking screech the tires as they take off in your car, driving too fast through the parking lot, it's a wonder that anyone parks with a valet. If I were in your shoes, I'd follow gotravel's advice. Good luck.

I'd copy the hotel GM with any correspondence first of all. They do not want guests having such problems and may be able to intercede.

If you receive no satisfaction there and the collision damage is over your deductible, have your company handle the claim and hopefully they will subrogate against Manhattan Parking Group's insurer as a courtesy to you.

I lived this stresful and thankless job life at one point in time, but worked for an exceptional company. We would routinely subrogate for policyholders' deductibles as well as damages we paid out on claims. Further, we handled a "mysterious dent" such as yours as a UM claim, which pays your damages with no deductible. That may have been just that company, Amica, whose specialty more than anything, was customer satisfaction, and they'd bend over backwards to ensure it! Have you contacted your company to see what assistance they can offer if it becomes necessary?

My own car sits in a valet parking garage most of the time. I always park it with a post or some structure on my left side, so when they back in then open their doors, they won't smack me--and mine is a car they <i>know</i>. Does this tell you anything about my confidence in valet parkers?

Thanks Folks. I just found out last night that the valet service was going to make this difficult. I called, and left a voice mail to the operations manager today (no response), notified Marriott, and created this thread. I have a contact at Marriott to call tomorrow. I'll check with my insurance carrier to see what options they can suggest tomorrow also. My neighbor is an attorney who has his own firm. He loves a good argument, so I may talk to him also.