Based on location, services given, revenue, claims history, and other factors, the typical monthly cost of a basic $1,000,000/$2,000,000 General Liability Insurance coverage for valet parking services ranges from $37 to $59 per month.
Are valets insured?
We’ve all been there: you go out of your favorite restaurant, get your car from the valet, and notice a ding in the door that wasn’t there an hour earlier. It’s a difficult position in which you don’t know if you can hold the valet business responsible or if your insurance company will cover the damage. Is the tiny print on the valet claim ticket enough to free them of any blame? Continue reading to learn more about what to do in this case.
When you hand over your car keys to a valet parking staff, you’re trusting that they won’t damage it or steal anything. You expect it to be in the same condition as when you left it. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case. Some hotels and restaurants use their own valets, while others contract with a valet service. Valet companies are frequently required to hold their own insurance and protect their staff against damage to the vehicles they handle.
Take a quick look around when you pick up your car from the valet to determine if there is any damage or if anything is missing from inside. If you suspect the valet is to blame for any damage, photograph it right away. You’ll also need to gather the following information: the valet driver’s name, the valet firm’s contact information, and the information on their insurance company. If the valet worker refuses to provide the information, inquire if the business you visited has it.
If the damage is moderate or severe, you should report it to the authorities. This isn’t always achievable because some police departments refuse to file a report for accidents that occur in a parking lot. A police report, on the other hand, will help you file your claim because it provides credence to your account of what happened.
You should contact your insurance carrier and describe the situation to them within 24 hours after the incidence. Your insurance provider will then determine who is responsible for paying for your car’s repairs.
It varies by state, but in many circumstances, the person operating the car at the time of the damage will be held responsible. If the person in question is a valet, the valet firm is usually responsible. It can be tough to persuade the valet company to accept responsibility for the damage. Because of the risk of bogus claims, valet firms are understandably protective when it comes to accusations of wrongdoing. The valet may claim that the “release of liability” phrase on your claim-ticket absolves them of any liability; nonetheless, the insurance company will make that decision.
The majority of valet businesses have insurance that will cover damage to a vehicle while it is in their care. Members of the National Parking Association must have at least $1 million in legal liability insurance and $5 million in general liability insurance. Liability insurance will cover injuries to people and damage to property not owned by the valet.
When you file a claim for car damage, the valet company handles it through their insurance provider. Whether or not the valet company believes they are at fault, they should follow the same procedure. The insurance provider is in charge of determining who is responsible for paying for any harm.
If another customer damages your vehicle while it is in the valet’s custody, the valet firm may not be accountable. If they hit your car and fled the scene, and you can’t identify the car or driver based on security footage or eyewitness testimony, you can file a claim with your own collision coverage. However, because you would have to pay your deductible, filing a claim may not be worthwhile depending on the extent of the damage. Furthermore, if you submit a claim, you may end up paying higher insurance premiums.
You may be responsible for paying for repairs yourself at times. However, if you have comprehensive coverage on your vehicle, your policy may cover the cost of repairs.
Finally, there’s a simple solution to avoid all of this: don’t valet your car.
Is a valet business profitable?
Valet parking can be very profitable. According to Entrepreneur, a crew of two or three individuals can earn $50 to $70 per hour depending on the rates they offer.
Is general liability insurance expensive?
According to a poll of 50,000 small business owners, general liability insurance often costs $30 per month or less. We also discovered that 95 percent of small business owners polled pay less than $50 per month for general liability insurance, with only 1% paying more than $100 per month.
What happens if a valet crashes?
Assuming the valet company does not have one of the foregoing insurance policies, any damages should be covered by your collision coverage, if you have it. Otherwise, you’ll have to pay for any damage yourself or file a lawsuit against the valet company, both of which are potentially costly possibilities.
What do I do if my car has valet damage?
Within a day of the damage occurring, contact your own insurance carrier and explain what happened. Your insurance provider will make contact with the valet company or business to identify who is responsible for the damage to your vehicle. The valet firm, understandably, may be defensive and strike back. The insurance company, on the other hand, will work with the valet to decide who is at responsibility.
In most cases, the person who was driving your car at the time will be held responsible. For example, if it is determined that the valet driver was driving and caused the damage, the damage will most likely be covered by the valet company’s insurance.
Is being a valet hard?
* A valet’s job often entails not only parking, but also looking for parking, whether on the street or elsewhere. Many valet services do not have a dedicated parking area for their clients. Valets must drive around until they find a parking spot, then return to the drop-off area and repeat the operation. They must remember where they parked all those cars due to their recurrent journeys.
Although valets frequently keep track of where the automobiles are parked, the vehicle may be retrieved by a different person at the end of the shift. The second valet might not know how to go to where the car is parked on the street. The note on the car key, which specifies the vehicle’s make, color, and license plate, could potentially be incorrect.
Last week at the Bel-Air party, an irritated visitor who had been waiting 45 minutes for his silver Saab may not have realized the valets were hard at work. However, they mistook his Saab for a black car.
* Because many keys fit several vehicles, you may receive the incorrect car with your keys or the incorrect keys with your car. Valets sometimes find themselves parking many cars that are nearly identical, resulting in frequent mix-ups. One customer, according to Perry, drove away with the correct car a Ford Explorer only to discover that the house keys didn’t fit after pulling into the driveway. He recommends supplying just one key rather than a bunch of keys on large key chains to reduce the bother if keys go missing.
* Keep in mind that valets may be familiar with the majority of cars on the market, but not all. They may require assistance.
For example, the engine in Honda’s gas-electric hybrid car works on electricity at low speeds and emits no noise. So when Goodstein couldn’t start the automobile, she felt she was doing something wrong. It had been turned on the entire time.
“Turn the key, wait a second, and when it says’ready,’ you can drive,” she adds confidently now. “You wish the owners would tell you these things every now and again.”
Also, keep in mind that an unique or exotic car will draw attention, so expect your valet to flaunt it.
“I prefer to go to the end of the lot and turn around when I get a lovely automobile I’ve never seen before,” Angel Resendiz, a valet at Antonello restaurant in Costa Mesa, said.
That doesn’t happen very often, he claims. Resendiz claims to have driven nearly every automobile on the market. He’s aware that the new Mercedes has a keyless ignition, and that the new Cadillac automatically locks and unlocks when the key is within a specified distance. When he sees a Hummer driving in, he cringes: He claims that parking the big car is practically hard.
* If you leave unusual items in your car, you’ll be inducted into the valet war legends.
“One mother left a 7-year-old in the car,” said Perry, who has been running his valet service for ten years. “She stated that she did not want to awaken him. We parked the automobile right in front of her till she emerged.”
As Myeisha Phillips, 24, was getting ready to valet the car, another woman at a private party swiftly placed packages of marijuana into the glove compartment.
“They become our party’s mascot,” said Goodstein, who has worked as a valet for roughly six months. “That’s how we met some extremely beautiful dogs.”
* Valets come in a variety of sizes and shapes. The greatest ones, according to Perry, are 5 feet, 6 inches tall. According to him, a valet at that height may drive anything from a massive Hummer to a tiny Mini.
Weldon and Goodstein finally spotted the Honda they were looking for back in Bel-Air. They’d whizzed past it a few times before.
Valets understand that what clients don’t know might cost them tips, which is why they’re in the business in the first place. A fair tip is $5, a great tip is $10, and an outstanding tip is $20, according to Perry. However, a customer who has been forced to wait for a car may pay little or nothing.
Weldon recounted a time when “Someone demanded $4 in exchange for a $5 bill.” She, on the other hand, stores her coins in her sock “It reeked,” she said. “It was also a little moist.”
What’s included in a full valet?
Car valeting is a service that cleans and improves a vehicle’s overall look. Valeting services come in a number of degrees, and most specialists provide a choice of packages to meet different needs and budgets.
Some valeting packages include all of these features, while others only offer a thorough exterior or interior clean. A “mini-valet” usually includes an exterior wash and a fast interior tidy up. A full valet often includes a thorough exterior and interior clean, as well as the application of a wax or sealer to the paintwork and a tire and trim treatment to the external plastic and rubber.
We’ll go over these three components of valeting in greater depth now so you know what to expect.
Is valet a good side hustle?
First and foremost, this is a fantastic side business opportunity for vehicle aficionados. Valet attendants encounter a wide range of vehicles depending on the location. Most likely, you’ll get a taste of what it’s like to drive some of your favorite models. Exercising is an additional advantage.