Is there a Federal law I missed that says if a guy in a red vest and bow-tie places an orange cone in front of a parking spot it becomes verboten? I am generally happy to follow directions etc. However, tonight I was sent to pick up a large take out dinner order and found myself circling, looking for an open spot in a parking lot (paid for, I assume, by the leases of the establishments surrounding it) with countless other cars while driving past a sea of empty spots all blocked by orange cones. There was activity at the valet stand which was using maybe 10% of the spots they had cordoned off. Don’t get me wrong, I love valet. Big supporter: easy parking – way to go – sign me up. However, tonight I was self parking and when the bow-tie “credentialed” guys cordon off enough spaces in a public lot to run a used car dealership – all empty – I had a problem. People were forced to illegally park next to handicap spaces, fire hydrants, trash bins and in the bushes all to maintain the sanctity of the “coned” spots. So tonight the rebel in me came out and I went ahead and plowed over a cone into the last spot at the end of a long line of empty spots. I think I even heard cheers from the circling motorists as I made my “bold” move.
After returning from picking up dinner, I hiked back to the end of a long line of empty “coned” spaces and sure enough the valets had blocked me in by positioning a car 6 inches off my bumper. Keep in mind, my car and this newly placed “road block” were all alone in a sea of empty asphalt. Touche! I appreciate their hutzpah. I have to admit, as frustrating as it was, part of me thought, “well done.” (Not sure how the unaware owner of the rather expensive newly deployed “road block” felt. He was probably happy having martinis and had no idea I was about to use four wheel drive to extricate myself, and that I viewed his shiny brand new and extremely expensive new car as a mere obstacle.) So I went ahead and plowed over the 8 inch curb into the bushes, back and forth a number of times. (They advertised this capability repeatedly in the brochure for my car.) I even gathered a rather supportive crowd as I tried to get out. However, short of really violating some laws, the valets had succeeded. Apparently they have done this before. So I hiked back down the long line of empty “coned” spaces, passed the circling cars looking for available parking, to the valet stand to let them know they had “accidentally” left a car behind mine. The valet saw me coming and said, “You know that is our valet spot?” I responded that I had seen no defining markings indicating the space belonged exclusively to him but that someone had errantly abandoned a parking cone there which was now lodged underneath my truck. He sized me up pretty quickly and realized that the tip paying customers were a better use of his time. I did ask who was the landlord, the name of the valet company and his manager? These are universally viewed as “pain-in-the-ass” customer questions and resulted in a quickly dispatched valet to move the abandoned car. Why not get back to the tip paying customers right? The best part was while I spoke with the valet I had a support group of folks who had not braved “the cones” offering verbal support. “I can’t believe these guys.” “Who do they think they are?” “Do they think all the spots belong to them?” I felt like I had liberated us all.
Anyway, lesson learned – plow over the cone. What the hell are they going to do?
Legal readers: I know it is private property etc, but given that you are patronizing a lessee on the property does anyone really know what the significance of an orange obstacle (read cone) means in a parking spot? Looks like if you are willing to put up with the occasional “block in” it is fair game. Anyone know? I am curious.
I can’t give you any legal insight into any of this. But I do know this could easily happen in the area where I live. There are more than a few shopping centers with so-called ‘high end’ restaurants in them that would oblige customers and provide some kind of Valet parking for their customers. However, I have seen valet services use all kinds of side streets or parking garages to provision the spaces necessary for their customers. What those guys did smacks of downright stereotypical American LAZINESS. And worse yet, they had the gall to become Mafia like enforcers and punish anyone challenging their ‘authority’ over the parking lot. Kudos to you Mike for calling them on this. They are being jerks,and you let them know they were being jerks.
In my other life as a Los Angeles police officer, I’ve seen many vehicles towed out of private lots by private tow services who can charge whatever they want to give you your car back (think $350 after just two hours of storage). When we respond to the call, all I can tell the vehicle owner is that they can pay the fee and then sue the lot owner and tow truck company if they feel they’ve been price-gouged.
Most people don’t know that if you park in a private lot, your car can be towed by the owner of that lot for basically any reason. The laws unfortunately don’t exist to protect the consumer in this area and it is a huge problem in Los Angeles.
Although I have not investigated it thoroughly, I have often known that the tow truck company kicked back a part of the “administration and storage” fee to the lot owner. It’s a total scam.
Tim,
Makes sense – the tow truck companies probably compete on the revenue share with the landlord/owner. I wonder where the pain point is? Who is most likely to reliquish back the empty spaces for us mere patons? I have half a mind to throw a big shinny light on my video camera and go “investigative journalist” style. I can just hear the “no comment – please leave” statements.
Are you writing an episode of the new Seinfield show?
I would have phoned the resaurant and told them to bring the order out to the curb or forget it.
Another way of doing this Michael is just ask the valet as you hand him a couple of bucks where you can park. They usually make a spot for you and they don’t have to park your car. Everybody’s happy. Sadly, I admit I have worn the Valet red vest when I was in High School. Good high school job though. Highlights of that job was I drove Jerry Rices Porsche and Joe Montanas Ferrari. Also was forced to pull the seat up for the 49ers big Bubba Paris specially made Mercedes because I couldn’t reach the petals. All 6’4 of me. Only time ever had to pull a seat up in a car in my life. ahh memories. Funny post Michael thanks.
What first comes to mind, logically, is that the public parking spots are on a ‘first come, first serve’ basis. The valets were there first…so they marked the spots they were taking. Unethical, and there should be a ‘one per customer’ type limit.
How do you know these valet attendants where not anticipating a large party at the establishment in question.
So you realized parking was hard to find. Hmph. Well now try parking 60 cars for a surprise birthday party. In particular one in which all the cars need to be parked imediatly to avoid suspicion by the guest of honor.
Without having designated spots and being permited to block off spots for there intended use, these parties would not be possible.
The customers would not be happy, the restaurant owner would not be happy, The valet company would be replaced, or mandated to take control of the lot.
hi, i just want to ask if you ask the valet if you could park somewhere for 10 minutes to pick up a to go order.. a sane valet lets you do this..simply asking a question usually does the job, but for some reason people in their car feel invincable and become really small when they get out of it to talk to the valet.
anybody on that?