[Kumar R]

Originally Posted by Samba

Yet another example of irresponsible valet parking. This happened to my friend Samik 'Jonak' Ghosh's Maruti Swift at Pride hotel Kolkata.

This is simply criminal negligence. I cannot understand why the hotel needs time to check out the CCTV footage -- I expect it should be available without much difficulty given that the incident would not be more than 2-4 hours old. The "wash hands off" approach is so disrespectful to customers and their guests; On one hand Indian hotels want to ape all the 'world class hospitality' of their western (and eastern ) counterparts and yet on this aspect they act no better than bullies. I feel more and more people should insist on parking vehicles themselves or ask for the hotel to acknowledge they are liable for valet damage - otherwise this mindset will never change. I hope it works out for your friend Samba.

[Samba]

An update on this.

Originally Posted by Samba

Yet another example of irresponsible valet parking. This happened to my friend Samik 'Jonak' Ghosh's Maruti Swift at Pride hotel Kolkata. Since he is not a member of Team Bhp yet am posting it on behalf of him.

Quoting what he mailed to me.
The picture of the damaged car.
Attachment 1263318

Am quoting my friends version over here on how they reacted on him and took up the case and attaching the picture of the shoddy repair job which was done to his car by the Pride Hotel management at Kolkata.

I left my car with The Pride Hotel, Kolkata when I was there for a day and the valet crashed it!! I left the car with the valet at around 11:30 and asked them to park it in a safe place as I wouldn't leave before midnight. When I came out of the hotel at 11:30 and asked for the car, they gave it to me in 5 minutes but I realized that the left portion is crashed and it's crashed in a way that the bumper is hitting the front left tyre. I immediately drew their attention and they (Mr. Indranil Saha, assistant manager sales) initially admitted that it's their mistake and asked me to go home as it's late night and they said they will look into the matter the next. I took a cab and came back home. Next morning their real character came out. They denied their entire mistake, cooked up stories, refused to show CCTV footages, told me I was drunk and threatened me to do whatever I can do. I have photos to prove what they have done to my car. They were lying from the first sentence. Finally after a 2 hour argument and pressure from my friends (who hired a big part of the hotel for a wedding there), they promised me to fix the damage and asked me to leave the car keys with them. I had to take public transport in this monsoon to do my everyday work amidst a busy schedule and they denied to give me any mode of transport. I went back to the hotel next afternoon and saw that they have done a shoody repair work and haven't painted the repair as well. Salil Kumar Bal, the Security manager is aware of the entire episode. I do understand that mistakes do happen but what's the harm in admitting them? The incident has also brought the dark side of the hotel stuffs in case of a crisis. If this is their attitude, I am scared to think about their response in case of a crisis. Overall this is a newly built property and stuffs are not even well equipped. This place must be avoided by any means.

Here is the Facebook link of Pride Hotel Kolkata page where he wrote about the incident. https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-P...20793704601692

The pic of his car after repair. Notice the shoddy paint job.

[fine69]

I keep on going for various workshops/seminars to a lot of 5-star hotels in Delhi and when I refuse to give the keys to a valet they take offense and I'm asked to park my car someplace which is not the regular parking. At times its the open area near the lobby, at times its like a space meant for 4 cars (again in the open) and they ask me to park there.

I remember one time, there was a pub near a residential colony in South Delhi and when I went there and refused to give the car keys they said that they will not help with finding any parking for me and I was hinted to just get out of there if I can trust them with my car. I drove my car just a little ahead, waited for the valet to get in another car and to my surprise they were going around the block and parking all cars in the service/back lanes of the residential colony which was behind the pub.

Cars were parked haphazardly and to take one car out they were moving 8-10 cars each time. I watched the drama for good 10-15 mins and decided to go back to my place (which was near), park the car and then catch an auto-rick to go to the pub. My friend was celebrating his b'day there so I had to go.

And very recently, my sister-in-law was getting engaged and this banquet hall was just behind a shopping mall. Here I realized that the valet was taking all cars to the shopping mall parking, just that the short road to the mall was non-existent with big potholes but all cars were driven at 40-50 kmph on it.

Having had enough experience with the so-called "valet" system in India, I'm always ready to go through 10x times the headache and effort but would never hand over my car keys to these guys!

[vishnu-man]

I've had my good and bad experiences with the Valet guys.
The good:
At a hospital in Malleswaram, Bangalore, known as Cloud 9.
I've been visiting them for 2 years now.
They take care of my car nicely, park it well within their campus, and if there's an overflow of crowd due to weekend, the park it on the roadside in a good shady spot.

The bad:
Recently visited a restaurant in Indiranagar, Bangalore, named Barbeque Factory.
I was not so comfortable handing the key to this valet, but after the lunch,
when I walked up to the podium and asked for my car,
I could already see it at a distance royally parked on a busy footpath
Atleast not the footpath, for God sakes.
I found people walking around there feeling very uncomfortable.
It was parked so badly that I had to reverse it till I could get a perfect landing to the road.
I simply took my keys from him and sat inside the car and said to myself -
"No more valet parking; No matter what!"

[::CMS::]

The best idea as of now which is working for me in case of any unavoidable situations like the Brand Factory at Marthahalli Bangalore, was that I told them to be very careful about my car showing my unwillingness to give them the keys. But at the end I also said that it has a GPS tracking system and a driving recorder camera, it was very nice to see them taking the car very slowly to the parking area.

[ad3952n]

Folks! This post is to highlight my most annoying experience today at one of the reputed 5 star hotel in Delhi. Today evening I went to "The Ashok" hotel in New Delhi located near Diplomat Enclave, Chankyapuri.

I am frequent guest of them but one thing that really angered me was the untrained security staff at their entry gate. There were 2 of them an both of them were untrained about how to close the Hood and the Boot of the cars after checking. They banged the hood and boot so hard as if they own the car.

Once I let it go considering their age but this time they again did the same thing and it made me really annoyed. I got down from the car and told the security personnel to first learn how to close the hood and boot and if you are incapable then better leave your job. The security man said "We close the bonnet like this for all cars and they get closed but your's did not close so tried for the 2nd time"

Listening to this I got really angry but avoided any scene over there. Straight away approached the Guest Relation Executive and told her about the incident. I simply asked her as to who shall be responsible for the damage to the guest's car if your security guard is at fault?

She suggested me to write a letter addressed to their General Manager, which I promptly wrote and took a copy of the same from them to follow up if needed.

Here is the copy:



I really fail to understand that how come reputed hospitality chains employ such untrained and un-knowledgeable staff. I am really concerned because these hotels receive guests from all over and if they are not capable of handling the cars of customers in a polite way then I don't really know what should one think of them.

Please let me know your views.

Mods: I have not found a thread on this issue so making this one. If there is any specific thread for this issue please merge the post.

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AD

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by ad3952n

Please let me know your views.

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I have always felt very agitated on the same thing a lot of times before. But after arguing with them a couple of times, you realise how fruitless the whole exercise is. All these people are usually hired up through agencies who are only good at marketing there services to the Hotel/mall/MNC decision making body and these too usually go with the lowest bidder. At the end of the day these are all unskilled people who have migrated to the cities. All you can do is either live with it or get down each time and yourself show them the hood, boot and every other nook and corner of your car.

[ad3952n]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

I have always felt very agitated on the same thing a lot of times before. All you can do is either live with it or get down each time and yourself show them the hood, boot and every other nook and corner of your car.

Mohit bhai these people are really pathetic in terms of knowledge and yesterday I was on the verge of slapping this chap for hitting the hood and boot. I have worked with 5 star hotel in Delhi itself and our security personnel used a mirror placed on a board and they used to place it below the engine to check. Even at "The Lalit" Barakhamba, New Delhi the security people are really careful when checking the cars and they do use these mirrors too.

I am talking of this instrument:



Pic: http://i01.i.aliimg.com/img/pb/444/7...764444_305.jpg

Thanks

[luvDriving]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

these too usually go with the lowest bidder. All you can do is either live with it or get down each time and yourself show them the hood, boot and every other nook and corner of your car.

This says it all.

In fact most of the times I have wondered whether these so-called security folks really know what they are looking for while going through the boot/hood/inside of the car.

I have felt like asking them whether they know what things should catch their attention and which all things they should ignore but never got around to it for fear of annoying them and in the process having my car damaged.

The way the security (including those manning the gates of IT companies) go through the drill makes one wonder if it isnt all for show purpose. On the other hand while I was in Tel Aviv, Israel the security was really good and not intrusive at all.

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by ad3952n

Mohit bhai these people are really pathetic in terms of knowledge and yesterday I was on the verge of slapping this chap for hitting the hood and boot. I have worked with 5 star hotel in Delhi itself and our security personnel used a mirror placed on a board and they used to place it below the engine to check. Even at "The Lalit" Barakhamba, New Delhi the security people are really careful when checking the cars and they do use these mirrors too.

These mirrors used to be the epitome of there security measures till a couple of years back. Now they have devised a whole new set of gadgtes and protocols in addition to these mirrors. Few hotels require you to open your glovebox. A hotel in Baroda yesterday made me open both front doors and they recorded the footwell area and the whole interior of the car in addition to the slamming of your hood and boot doors. But at the end of the day, all we can do is make noise. They got to do what they got to do and I really doubt that there would be any change in these protocols. So just like you get down the car each time you are at the fuel station, make it a habit to get down and show them the boot and hood area. This would also ensure that the stuff kept in your boot is not stolen away, something which has happen with many a people who were careless to see what the guy at the back was doing while checking the boot.

[Car-go-man]

Bumping on an old thread, but just wanted to mention some sort of new security check gadget (new at least for me, may be it is quite old) that I saw in my new office campus (not sure since how long they've been already using it) but it doesn't require you to open the boot, nor does it require the security person to even touch your car.

I do not fully understand what that gadget is nor do I know how it works, but it is some kind of a portable device with a size just a tad larger than a typical portable car vacuum cleaner.

The way the security guard uses it is-

1. Holding the gadget in his hand, he goes around the car once.
2. Sometimes there is a variation in step 1. Instead of taking the gadget, he takes a small strip of something that looks like a paper or may be plastic and goes around the car
3. Inserts that strip inside the gadget and waits for few seconds to get some sort of indicator from the gadget signalling that everything's OK and then he lets you go

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by rajivrt

I remember a a few years ago I had gone to Nainital in my Scorpio and had left the car keys with the attendant after parking the car on the road as their car parking was full. In the morning the fuel tank was almost empty, appeared either the car had been taken for a couple of downhill trips, or someone had simply siphoned off the diesel. Since then I am also wary of leaving car keys with the attendants anywhere, except where there is no other option.

Replying here as it is an appropriate thread.

Believe me if you will but you were plain lucky that your car wasn't used to perform any illegal activity or wasn't used to learn driving using your car. If your car suffered minor or even major damage, I don't think you could do anything.

I would ask enthusiasts to be more cautious before handing keys of your prized possession to these [kind] of guys.

[dass]

Originally Posted by Car-go-man

Bumping on an old thread, but just wanted to mention some sort of new security check gadget (new at least for me, may be it is quite old)

You are right, it is actually pretty old. My office has been doing it for ages now when we come to work on holiday's and weekends. It's a device used to check if any part of the vehicle has been in a a place where explosives are made and any part of those materials have stuck to the car/steering wheel and as such. I find it really intriguing.

[One:1]

Originally Posted by ad3952n

Folks! There were 2 of them an both of them were untrained about how to close the Hood and the Boot of the cars after checking. They banged the hood and boot so hard as if they own the car.

Once I let it go considering their age but this time they again did the same thing and it made me really annoyed. I got down from the car and told the security personnel to first learn how to close the hood and boot and if you are incapable then better leave your job. The security man said "We close the bonnet like this for all cars and they get closed but your's did not close so tried for the 2nd time"

I completely understand your frustration.It really gets my goat!. There was this one instance albeit not in a hotel, rather when i was leaving a Honda A.S.S . Usually when any car leaves after service, they check the boot at the gate to see if anything unusual is being taken from the A.S.S. Please note that my city's boot will close under gravity when it is released about 2-3 inches from the boot lip. there is no need to push the boot towards the lock to shut it. This Security gentleman at the gate Slammed the boot so hard that it rebounded off the lock and opened again! He then slammed it just as hard again to shut it. i could feel the jolt on the floor of the car let alone the bone chilling noise. I unbuckled my seatbelt and was about to get out of the car when my dad intervened and asked me to let it slide. I've seen them do this to another city as well except this time it rebounded thrice and someone actually got out of the car and closed it gently in one attempt!


The bonnet! ahh! the method of placing it down on the lock and pushing it down! Why? Why would someone do that!? Just drop it gently a couple of inches from the lock, it'll shut perfectly! Don't place and push!


That said, i must appreciate certain security gentlemen at quite a few hotels who I've seen close the boot so gently that its astonishing. Kudos to them. Really hope that theres more of them around!


I N-E-V-E-R hand over the car for valet parking even if it means walking 5 minutes after parking the car. Now every time there's a security check i feel that i should just get out and close the boot myself.

[drmohitg]

My night watchman over the period of last 2 years ( at that time he had come straight from his village to us) gradually got the basics of driving. Thanks to the laziness of my neighbours who started leaving their car keys with him in the night he learnt to move the cars a few inches. We have basement parking but it is not built properly and neighbours park blocking other cars. As a result in morning their car needs to be moved and this watchman started moving them. And now suddenly last week he left the job and said he has joined a valet parking company, which pays more. Now it is one thing to move a car few inches with no traffic or humans around and another thing to park a car safely as a valet. I shudder to think what will happen to al those cars, specially the AT ones which he has no idea about.

Moral: Never give your car to the valet!