Something to consider next time you valet...

This article on yahoo pretty much covered valet's job to the T! Trust me, you will want to abide by these rules of thumb....I've seen these happen with my own eyes an a daily basis. Even if you think that the place/hotel/restaurant that you're valeting at is high class or 5 star quality that doesn't necessarily mean that the valet company they contracted with is. The majority of these people parking your car are 16-26 yr old boys that have no respect for other people's belonging. Your nice BMW M3 is merely a joy toy to them and they WILL have their own test driving session while you're enjoying your $70 meal. 


It's All About the Tips

Valet parking is a service job, much like being a server at a restaurant. Pay is based largely on tips and most valets will usually do their best to earn a good one. "Valets always find out about a good tipper and make sure to take good care of that customer. My company pools all the tips, so there's no competition for the 'best' customers. But in smaller operations, if you're given a tip, you just pocket it."

Many assume that the people with the nicest cars will leave the biggest tips, but that's not always the case. "I drive all sorts of luxury cars for people who tip very little or not at all. The customers who have experience working crappy jobs are the ones who have more empathy and tend to tip better. A lot of people who are 'forced' to valet by the hotel assume they don't have to tip. Maybe they think the hotel is paying the valets better than they are, but we're making minimum wage plus tips."

How much to tip? A survey of so-called "tipping guides" indicates a wide range, anything from $1 to $10 depending on the situation. An informal poll of Edmunds editors elicited a similarly wide array of answers — anywhere from "nothing" to $10 or more at a hotel, but averaged $2-$3, paid when retrieving the vehicle.

What Annoys Valets Most

It would seem like common sense to avoid angering someone with the keys to your car. If you really want to annoy a valet (at your own risk), keep asking for your car to be brought around over and over again to get something out of it. "If you tell us everything you want from the car the first time, we'll bring it all back for you. It saves everyone time that way."

A favorite pet peeve of many valets is cars that reflect poor personal hygiene — they may smell, have trash everywhere or look like they've never seen the inside of a car wash. "When you're afraid of contracting a disease by sitting in the seat, it's generally a bad sign."


Revenge of the Valet...or Just for Fun

If you're particularly rude, aggravating or have stiffed on a tip in the past, there are a number of things the valet staff might do in response. Notably, most valets won't show annoyance or anger the customer. "First and easiest, we'll take a long time to bring your car up, and we're not going to take the time to put your seat and mirrors back the way they were. But I have known valets who lower tire pressures, change climate and radio settings, or intentionally ding the door or scrape paint in a place where it's not easily noticed. There's nothing better than getting your revenge and getting them to tip you, too."

When you're not around to see it, there's a lot valets do:

• Blast the stereo and change the radio stations: "Any time that I have a car with a good stereo in it, I take an extra minute to check out the sound quality. I also change the satellite radio station, but I almost always change it back."

• Speed in a parking structure or on the street while driving to a lot: "We once had a running contest going to see who could get the fastest top speed inside the hotel parking structure. I set the record with a 55-mph run in a Porsche 996 GT2."

• Rev the engines of performance cars: "I can't help revving up the engines of the cool cars I get to park. My favorite was a Lamborghini Gallardo. I drove it straight to the top floor and called all of my friends in my phonebook. I said, 'Guess what I'm driving!' then stuck the phone out the window and revved the engine. Heck, I even called my parents and did that."

• Drift: "After our parking garage is cleaned, we have to re-park all of the cars back in the structure. Of course, having an empty, wet parking structure just begs for a little hoonage. I take every rear-wheel-drive rental car and find out how well they drift going up the structure. Surprisingly, the Chrysler Crossfire does a great job. Gotta love rental cars; they take the most abuse."

• Go through the customer's property: "Though I personally never rifled through anyone's belongings, I hear plenty of, 'You should have seen what I found in this person's car' while we're standing around waiting for cars to pull in."

Advice for Customers

Remember, you are giving one of the most expensive things you own to a complete stranger. You would be surprised how far a smile, a good attitude and even a little pleasant small talk will get you. If you're pleasant and tip, most valets will go way beyond the call of duty. Here's what to keep in mind, according to Mark:

• Realize that it's not all about you: "We're dealing with many, sometimes hundreds, of customers a day. Time is money for us, too."

• Don't leave valuables or anything illegal in your car: "Not if you want them to be there when you get back. We've found drugs, adult-only items, even guns." Smaller items are more likely to be taken.

• Clean the interior as well as the exterior once in awhile: "And for God's sake, use a trash bag."

• If your car is damaged or anything is missing, tell the valet manager and get a copy of the incident report and the contact information of their insurance company. Don't accept it if he asserts that the "release of liability" language on your ticket absolves them — it won't stand up in court.

• Valets at a hotel usually work for a contracted company, so if you have any problems with their service, notify hotel management. They can help resolve disputes in your favor.

• Be wary in major cities where valets must park cars on the street. If a valet parks illegally or forgets to feed the meter, the customer can get stuck with the ticket.

• Tip a little when you drop off the car, especially at a hotel, and your car will get better treatment: "The valets will be more likely to 'keep it close' in the hope that you're a good tipper and that you'll reward them for bringing up your car quickly."

• Evening shifts are the roughest for hotel valets: "We work our butts off to park all the cars of the people checking in and barely make any tips. The morning shift makes big tips the next day when people get their cars to go places or check out of the hotel."

• Reward a valet for working hard. "If it's raining and he appears with an umbrella, or he towels down your seat to keep you dry, he deserves a bigger tip. But don't worry about not giving a tip if you don't like the service."

• You get what you give: "Your car will usually get the same treatment that you give us, for better or for worse."

There are plenty of honest, hard-working parking valets out there who want nothing more than to serve their customers and earn a living. So when you drop your car off, it's a good idea to look your valet in the eye and acknowledge that he's a person, too. If not for that reason, then at least to improve the odds of getting your car back exactly as you left it.




Before we end this post.......If you're still not convinced or happen to be stubborn and stuck in tipping $1 in this day in age watch this clip- Not good.....



Tip of the day- TIP!! At least $3. My personal advice- don't ever valet!! Avoid it at all costs if you can. Is parking your own car really that bad? Have Americans become that lazy where they can't walk a couple more steps from the parking garage to the front door? Unfortunately..yes! If you want to make sure you're care is in really good hands then you better fork out $5-$10. They always remember the good ones.....maybe not by face but definitely by your ride. And for the stiffers.....better hope your Kia is under the 10 yr warranty because the valet boy will have no mercy for the shocks as it's speeding over those speed bumps......*ouch*