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To Valet or Not to Valet?

September 3, 2010 by Dania
Filed under: News and Opinions, Personal Stories

There’s an air of defiance when one opts for valet parking service and as of late, there are more places providing the services. Most of the time, valet parking is convenient and it saves a lot of time from looking for parking space. To some, it keeps their mind at peace knowing the car is taken car off and others; it’s just another way to impress clients or partners.

Although all that sums up to a glamourous fairy tale, when you know what happens behind the scenes, it’s not so great after all. In fact, it might make you think twice before going for valet parking.

There was a time when I was in my car about to exit the parking of a hotel only to find out that there were two jockeys who were driving out the Mercedes to the customers with total disregard of the cars. They sped up and by the time the cars arrived at the bottom of the platform, it hit hard on the ground. They continued speeding afterwards. Since then I was traumatised to know jockeys who have no respect for their job and cars.

Other instances would be when you leave your keys to the jockey, sometimes your car will be parked everywhere; by the drain, up the curb or in the dark. There was also a well-known valet parking service in the city so notorious for parking cars so close to the wall (as close as less than an inch gap). You’ll be lucky if you retrieve your car without a scratch. Then again, it baffled me to know why some people would still take the risk after knowing their tendencies.

There’s also an incident when my friend was retrieving his car from the jockey, an hour later he found out that his car was locked with the keys inside. To top it off, the jockey tried to open the car with a sharp tool and damaged the door altogether. The worst scenario I’ve come to know was when a VW Touareg was stolen right after it was valet parked.

I’m sure not all valet parking services are bad. However, it’s always safer to do some research and ask around for good recommendations. Always take note the jockey’s name who is responsible for your car too. That, or you can go early and find parking on your own.