Clayton Valet LLC

It was never our intention to come across as rudeFor that, we apologizeHowever, we can not be responsible for the crime that occurs within our cityIt is clearly stated on your valet ticket, the contract that you accept when you decide to valet your vehicle, that we can not be held liable for damage that we did not causeOf course we make every effort to park in a safe environment but again, can not be held liable for vandalismThis is a matter for the police to follow up on along with your insurance companyWe are more than happy to assist with providing any information necessary to either of those entities

This has been settled I would advise Ms [redacted] to contact her insurance person

I received an email from the complainant at 10:01am today and responded to her by 10:05am assuring her that I would look into this situation and get in touch with her today This complaint was placed less than an hour later Due to the complainant using this outlet to voice her concerns publicly, prior to me even having a chance to investigate for her, I will use this method of communication to address her questions or concerns There are four facts that were revealed during my investigation of this matter The valet attendant drove the customer's vehicle across an unobstructed route less than feet away into an open space There are absolutely no hazards to avoid in that short route There is nothing stationary that the valet could have hit to cause the damage There were no other reports of any other damaged vehicles Had the valet struck another vehicle, there would have been another report The vehicle was parked in an open lot, easily seen by guests, hospital staff, other valets and garage attendants Nobody reported an incident When asked today, nobody saw anything out of the ordinary on the date described On the front of the valet ticket, the complainant received at the time of service, it is clearly stated that we can only be responsible for damage committed by our valets Conclusion: Either the vehicle was damaged prior to using valet or it was damaged while parked If the latter is the case, we recommend the complainant file a police report as it would be treated as any "hit & run" case Our best guess at what could have happened is that a guest or patron of the facility parked in the same area as the valet, struck the vehicle and left without telling anyone We can not be responsible for damage we did not cause

We understand the confusion and frustration of a situation like this It is unfortunate that Ms [redacted] 's car was damaged while it was parked Similarly, had it been struck by lightning, had a building fall on it or had it been vandalized by criminals, we would also not be liable This is the agreement she accepts when handing her vehicle to valet by accepting the valet ticket It is clearly marked on our disclaimer She also failed to report the damage prior to leaving, which would generally exclude us from liability However, in an effort to assist we did investigate this matter and found that the damage was created while her car was there However, after reviewing the parking area, the route at which the vehicle took, any potential obstacles, interviewing the valets and reviewing security tape, there was still no indication that we caused the damage Due to the situation being frustrating, we did make a good faith attempt to resolve the situation However, Ms [redacted] chose to refuse our assistance and was directed to our insurance company It was explained to her that damage like this is not covered as we were not negligent in the parking of her vehicle and that once we turn it over to insurance, we could not intervene She was very set on her company doing the repairs, which equated to well over the estimated value of the vehicle If the insurance company directed her to her insurance company, we recommend the same They will pursue this with our insurance if they see fit

Good Afternoon, My name is [redacted] I'm the VP here Thank you for making me aware of the situation I recall the initial incident and was under the impression it was resolved The gentleman handling this claim did suffer a heart attack and it appears there has been a gap in communication since Please feel free to call or text me anytime; [redacted] or email me directly at ***@claytonvalet.com In the meantime, feel free to coordinate the repair with a shop of your choosing and we will take care of the bill I completely understand that this must have been a frustrating experience and I'd like to do what I can to resolve it from here I look forward to speaking with you Thanks!! ***

Thank you for the notification I'm happy to report that the key has been found We have made contact with client and apologized for the incident and how it was handled We do realize we fell short of expectations and admittedly understand there was some miscommunication following the incident Hopefully, this has been adequately resolved We have made internal adjustments to avoid similar miscommunication opportunities in the future Please feel free to contact me directly if there's anything we can assist with in the future Kindest Regards, [redacted] VP

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/07/28) */
To whom it may concern,
Mr*** was not a customer of Clayton ValetI request that this complaint be removed, as we have never done business with him
His claim that one of our drivers damaged his wife's vehicle is
unsubstantiatedThis incident allegedly occurred in February of and 7/26/is the first I have ever heard from Mr***, where I replied to his email inquiry immediatelyWe have researched his claim, researched our parking logs, interviewed the staff present that day, spoken to his insurance company, emailed him, spoken to our client and reviewed the police reportThere is no evidence that one of our drivers were involved in this proposed incidentWe have never ignored his calls, or ignored the calls from his insurance companyThey simply did not like the response they receivedIf the police department that issued a report would like to investigate further, we would be more than happy to cooperate as we wouldn't want a driver of ours acting in this manner either
I don't agree with his accusations of not cooperating as we have done everything we can to research the situation and communicate with him
I was notified months after the proposed incident by his insurance company; not the police or even himThey simply emailed me claiming that we owed them for damages that were caused by our driver along with an estimate for repair and an accident report that doesn't implicate Clayton Valet or any of our drivers
Below is the ONLY interaction we have had with Mr*** directly which shows that he just made an attempt to contact us on 7/and was responded to immediatelyWe have been responsive and cooperative
On Sunday, July 26, 2015, *** *** wrote:
***,
I have received your emailI was made aware of the alleged incident some time after the date you referencedI have reviewed the police report, been in contact with Children's Hospital, reviewed our parking logs and interviewed the drivers that worked the day in questionI have also spoken to a representative from *** By no means have I proven to be uncooperative
We log every car, patient's name and notes for the vehicles we parkNothing in our records indicates that our drivers were involved in the incident you described
Our drivers were present and accounted for the entire day in questionHad they been responsible for a "hit and run", any interested party would have easily been able to locate the attendants immediately, at their station, directly in front of the garage exit, next to the security officeTo my knowledge, there was nothing reported to *** Hospital at the time, by the police or any other party, as they were unaware of any incident also
The conclusion is that our drivers were not involvedHad they been involved in a situation like this, it would have been addressed immediately
If any of the above referenced parties have any questions, I am available anytimeI'm sorry this occurred but can not find a way to assume it was our driver
I will happily cooperate with any investigation, as I can assure you that we would not want any of our drivers acting in this mannerIf we found this to be the case, we would assist in any way possible to search for an adequate resolutionIf you have any further information to forward, you may send it to my attention
Thank you,
*** ***
On Jul 26, 4:PM, "*** and *** ***" wrote:
***- one of your drivers struck my wife's Chevrolet Suburban at *** Hospital Parking GarageThe incident was witnessed and reported to STL PoliceThe vehicle your car was driving was a *** *** Courtesy Car
Not only did your driver strike my wife's car, your drive verbally assaulted her as well as using vulgar sign language
I have had my car repaired and my insurance company, *** has received no cooperation from Clayton Valet in attempting to resolve this matter
***, please provide for me the proper contact name to receive legal paperwork on this matterI will also be sending to the *** Automotive Network as well as *** HospitalIt is unfortunate that it has come to this but be assured I will use all avenues available to ourselves to resolve this*** Hospital was also notified of the incident as well that afternoon
I would appreciate prompt attention to this matter
*** ***
XXX-XXX-XXXX

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

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to meI spoke to *** today and will be moving forward with *** Chevrolet for the repairs*** was very understanding and professionalI really appreciate his quick response and flexibility in getting this resolved
Sincerely,
*** ***

Good Afternoon, I apologize for the inconvenience My initial understanding of this situation (which has just recently been explained otherwise) was that all parties were in agreement that this would be handled independently of us, as it was the other driver's negligence that caused this
incident Your insurance would be placing a claim against their insurance; due to us not being the negligent party I hadn't heard from you or the other driver and believed that to be the case Since then, we were contacted by the other party's insurance company demanding payment; that of which I refused I explained to them that this was their driver's fault I'm sorry but I'm not going to just hand over a check when the other party's insurance company calls to place the blame on us That is their sole function; to reduce claims I will happily share our information with your insurance company I don't recall speaking to anyone from your company I did receive a report recently, February 15th to be precise, from your company and have submitted that report to our insurance company I will follow up with them to see why they haven't made contact The last I heard, they were attempting to connect with the witnesses From my understanding, all parties that were witness to the event made it clear that the the other driver was erratically driving and negligently wrecked into our driver I do agree that our insurance should have been in contact long before now I don't believe we (you and I) have spoken or communicated once Again, that is solely because I was under the impression that this was a cut and dry incident where the guilt was easily placed on the other driver, in which case, we don't usually get involved with the insurance companies working it out Had I known that wasn't the case, I would have been in contact with you immediately and had this resolved It appears I was misinformed Again, my apologies. We are attempting to resolve this matter If you like, you may email me directly at ***@claytonvalet.com for our insurance information It will be between the insurance companies to assign fault based on their investigation

We believe the damage was done to Ms. [redacted]'s vehicle while it was parked by a hit-n-run; as there is no evidence, nor is it likely that we could have caused the type of damage that is on her vehicle.  As a good faith effort, we offered Ms. [redacted] either a cash payout or for her to get her...

vehicle repaired by our shop.  Unfortunately, we feel the estimates she has received are not fair and honest.  The repair estimates that she received far exceed the current blue book value of her vehicle.  Due to her being unwilling to allow us to make a good faith effort, she has been forwarded to our insurance carrier.  She is welcome to contact us anytime.

I received an email from the complainant at 10:01am today and responded to her by 10:05am assuring her that I would look into this situation and get in touch with her today.  This complaint was placed less than an hour later.  Due to the complainant using this outlet to voice her concerns...

publicly, prior to me even having a chance to investigate for her,  I will use this method of communication to address her questions or concerns.  There are four facts that were revealed during my investigation of this matter.  1. The valet attendant drove the customer's vehicle across an unobstructed route less than 40 feet away into an open space.  There are absolutely no hazards to avoid in that short route.  There is nothing stationary that the valet could have hit to cause the damage.  2. There were no other reports of any other damaged vehicles.  Had the valet struck another vehicle, there would have been another report.  3. The vehicle was parked in an open lot, easily seen by guests, hospital staff, other valets and garage attendants.  Nobody reported an incident.  When asked today, nobody saw anything out of the ordinary on the date described.  4. On the front of the valet ticket, the complainant received at the time of service, it is clearly stated that we can only be responsible for damage committed by our valets.  Conclusion: Either the vehicle was damaged prior to using valet or it was damaged while parked.  If the latter is the case, we recommend the complainant file a police report as it would be treated as any "hit & run" case.  Our best guess at what could have happened is that a guest or patron of the facility parked in the same area as the valet, struck the vehicle and left without telling anyone.  We can not be responsible for damage we did not cause.

This has been settled.  I would advise Ms. [redacted] to contact her insurance person.

We have apologized profusely for the inconvenience of this situation. We have made every reasonable effort possible to resolve this matter and can not meet the unreasonable demands of the guest. We had a manager on site at the bar the guest was located immediately upon hearing of the situation. ...

The manager stayed until 6am, long after the guest went home, to ensure the vehicle was towed to the location the guest requested. We covered all costs of that. We attempted to work with 2 separate locksmith experts to have a new key cut immediately on site and unfortunately, that was not possible due to the make and model of the vehicle. We have offered to replace the missing key fob and key along with all the programming charges associated with the incident, as well as any additional tow expenses to get the car to the dealership for reprogramming. We attempted to order the replacement parts and schedule the reprogramming service and even negotiated for the dealer to come to the guests home to reprogram the key, to expedite the resolution of this incident. We offered to cover all of these costs. The guest refused to have us handle the situation and decided to take care of it herself. She continuously made baseless accusations and was unwilling to resolve this matter reasonably with management. The demands of the guest are not in line with what is actually required to resolve this situation adequately and we can not be responsible for the charges that she incurs for seeking additional services that are unnecessary. There was no claim or mention of any damage to any part of her vehicle through that evening or the following days while we attempted to resolve this matter. We feel we have made every effort possible to resolve this and encourage the guest to contact us for reimbursement for what we have already expressed we would pay for.

Thank you for the notification.  I'm happy to report that the key has been found.  We have made contact with client and apologized for the incident and how it was handled.  We do realize we fell short of expectations and admittedly understand there was some miscommunication following...

the incident.  Hopefully, this has been adequately resolved.  We have made internal adjustments to avoid similar miscommunication opportunities in the future.  Please feel free to contact me directly if there's anything we can assist with in the future.  Kindest Regards, [redacted]VP

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:4/16/17 To whom it may concern,On March 28, 2017, I dropped my car off with Clayton Valet while I went for a doctor’s appointment.  The business’ camera showed that when I gave Clayton Valet my car it had no damage.  But, when it was returned to me it had been damaged all along the passenger side including both fenders, both doors and the bumper.  I want to point out that Clayton Valet said they offered me a payout “as a good faith effort”.  Well, I did not see it as good faith.  They first offered me $500 and later increased it to $1000. Upon offering me the $1000 they tried using pressure tactics by saying the $1000 offer had to take place that day and during that phone call or it would not be offered again. Clayton Valet also said that my estimates were “not fair and honest”. I obtained two estimates from local body shops in my area, one is for $2,694.47 and the other for $2,667.40. Clayton’s appraiser pointed out the same things as the other body shops. I was not satisfied with Clayton’s body shop because the appraiser told me that he was retired and its owner had recently suffered a stroke, therefore he was not physically at his best. Your Response letter indicates Clayton Valet have forwarded my claim to their insurance carrier.  My hope is that my car’s damages will be corrected soon. 4/18/17 To whom it may concern,Clayton Valet forwarded my claim to their insurance carriers ([redacted]). Their insurance agent ([redacted]) said Clayton Valet did not feel they were responsible for my car’s damages because (while they had it) my car must have been a hit n run. I talked to the valet attendant who drove my car both to and from the lot and he said that there were no cameras on the parking lot where my car was actually parked and that the lot was located blocks from their station. I have to wander about the place where they parked my car. [redacted]. ended our conversation by suggesting, I turn my car’s damages into my own insurance company. I don’t agree. I feel they should cover all the damages that happened while they had it.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

We understand the confusion and frustration of a situation like this.  It is unfortunate that Ms. [redacted]'s car was damaged while it was parked.  Similarly, had it been struck by lightning, had a building fall on it or had it been vandalized by criminals, we would also not be liable.  This is the agreement she accepts when handing her vehicle to valet by accepting the valet ticket.  It is clearly marked on our disclaimer.  She also failed to report the damage prior to leaving, which would generally exclude us from liability.  However, in an effort to assist we did investigate this matter and found that the damage was created while her car was there.  However, after reviewing the parking area, the route at which the vehicle took, any potential obstacles, interviewing the valets and reviewing security tape, there was still no indication that we caused the damage.  Due to the situation being frustrating, we did make a good faith attempt to resolve the situation.  However, Ms. [redacted] chose to refuse our assistance and was directed to our insurance company.  It was explained to her that damage like this is not covered as we were not negligent in the parking of her vehicle and that once we turn it over to insurance, we could not intervene.  She was very set on her company doing the repairs, which equated to well over the estimated value of the vehicle.  If the insurance company directed her to her insurance company, we recommend the same.  They will pursue this with our insurance if they see fit.

Clayton Valet has yet to pay the dealer and/or reimburse me for the damage their company caused to my vehicle- including losing the only set of keys to the truck. I have now gotten my vehicle back from the dealer, having to pay for all repairs . The total time frame to have key delivered from UK, reprogram the ignition and door locks,replace the right passenger side tire, and repair the wheels clearly damaged by either the valet or the tow company they used to tow my truck to my residence. The total dealer cost was $2,959.59 and an additional $160 for the tow to the dealer. These were required repairs to even use my vehicle again after dealing with this valet company. As I only have liability insurance, this is an expense I had to pay out of pocket-money I had to borrow from my mother in addition to overdrawing my account just to regain transportation! I am beyond upset and in an extreme financial hardship thanks to this company. My mortgage payment is due in 6 days and I have no idea how I'm going to pay it thanks to Clayton Valet!

It was never our intention to come across as rude. For that, we apologize. However, we can not be responsible for the crime that occurs within our city. It is clearly stated on your valet ticket, the contract that you accept when you decide to valet your vehicle, that we can not be held liable...

for damage that we did not cause. Of course we make every effort to park in a safe environment but again, can not be held liable for vandalism. This is a matter for the police to follow up on along with your insurance company. We are more than happy to assist with providing any information necessary to either of those entities.

Good Afternoon, My name is [redacted].  I'm the VP here.  Thank you for making me aware of the situation.  I recall the initial incident and was under the impression it was resolved.  The gentleman handling this claim did suffer a heart attack and it appears there has...

been a gap in communication since.  Please feel free to call or text me anytime; [redacted] or email me directly at [redacted]@claytonvalet.com.  In the meantime, feel free to coordinate the repair with a shop of your choosing and we will take care of the bill.  I completely understand that this must have been a frustrating experience and I'd like to do what I can to resolve it from here.  I look forward to speaking with you.  Thanks!!  [redacted]