To be offended by valeters?

[littlejellybaby]

I’m feeling a bit offended.
Saw an offer on Facebook last minute this morning for a valeting slot at 9am.
Saw this right at the last minute and did the school run and dropped it to the valeting place.
Was due to pay £50 instead of £80 for a full valet in and out.
They called me to ask me to collect the car as they refused to do the valet because there were toys in the car and car seats on the back seat and a buggy in the boot.
They said that their job is not to pick up things in the footwell and they just hoover the floor, so any toys on the floor would get hoovered up?
I would say there was maybe 10-15 little toys on the floor, think happy meal toys, a few books, a few comforters that the kids like on long journeys.
I feel like an absolute minger now, and that they think my car is too dirty to clean.
They said they can take car seats out if necessary (as I said how was I meant to walk 2 miles home with 3 car seats and a toddler), but still insist that they won’t pick anything up off of the floor.
Is this common practise? I’m sending my husband to collect the car, as I’m too embarrassed to go myself.
The man on the phone sounded a bit awkward and said it was too cluttered to clean so I need to book it in again when it’s empty.
I’m thinking that for £50 they didn’t want the challenge of my car. Bet I wouldn’t have been turned away if I was paying the full £80.

[Baxdream]

Sorry I'm on there side. You could have bagged up all the toys etc. I don't think it's there job to tidy, you're paying them to clean

[PawPawNoodle]

It's very normal and you are entirely unreasonable. You are meant to clear the car as much as possible including toys and rubbish. Have you never had your car cleaned before?

[IWouldPreferNotTo]

Common practice. Most valeting places expect the car to be completely emptied as they work on a fast turn around and adding 15-20 minutes sorting stuff out kills the minimal profit margin they're operating on.

[Shoxfordian]

Its not their job to tidy it all up
They could have accidentally hoovered up a toy and then you might have been annoyed

[littlejellybaby]

So you wouldn’t think for £50 they’d just spend 2 minutes picking them up?
I think it was more the dog hair everywhere that they didn’t want to deal with. If I’m being honest the toys were the least of their worries. There was dog hair, sand, dust, sticky fingers on the windows, juice stains on the seat.
I’ll fully admit the car is disgusting. But with 3 kids and 2 dogs it gets pretty grubby.

[tealandteal]

YABU, what if they lost a favourite toy, or you turned around and said "oh my diamond earrings were in the back, you must have lost them". You need to tidy so they can do a good clean.

[werideatdawn]

Yabu. I would always expect to need to empty my car for valeting.

[Seniorschoolmum]

Crikey. I’m in awe of anyone spending £50 on cleaning a car !!
And that for that much money, they won’t pick up a few toys. What a rip off.

[Nathansmommy1]

My car sounds similar to yours, ds will bring a toy into the car, not take it out when he's getting out and they pile up in the back seat or on the floor. But I would always clear all the toys out before a valet. I'd prob take out the buggy too but wouldn't take out the car seats. But you shouldn't be embarrassed, it's not as if it was full of rubbish

[littlejellybaby]

Oh wow.
Yes I usually get it valeted somewhere else, and they empty the car completely, put it all in a pile on the side and then place everything back in the boot after.
Only used this place as it was local enough to walk and on offer.

[Onceuponacheesecake]

It's not their job to be tidying the car of toys you've left lying on the floor. I would be embarrassed to leave my car untidy like that when leaving it with someone else.

[PinkHeart5914]

I pick up any crap from my car floor yes, I expect them to vacuum it not clean up my dc toys and other crap from the floor.

Why didn’t you bag the toys up? Not a hard job really is it.

I’d be embarrassed to pick the car up too

[Ohyesiam]

Sorry op but 15 is a lot.
The car seats thing can’t be real get though.
I imagine they didn’t want to give a discount.

[Ohyesiam]

Right not real get

[SoyDora]

Had mine valeted yesterday. I have 3 children under 6 so my car is like you describe yours.
I picked up all the toys/gloves etc off the floor and took the car seats out before taking it to be valeted. Common sense (and courtesy).

[littlejellybaby]

And actually when I pulled up outside the valeting place I emptied all of the rubbish from the door pockets and front floorwell. So there was no rubbish/litter in the car, just toys.

[NeverHadANickname]

I agree with them. The dog hair, sticky finger marks etc will all be stuff they are used to and won't take much extra time with their equipment. My car is always a tip but I always empty it out, even just everything into a bin bag, if someone else is going to be cleaning for me.

[LoisWilkerson1]

It's the done thing to take it to them empty. I always clear out rubbish, toys, boot crap etc. They are being paid to clean not tidy iyswim

[littlejellybaby]

My usual valeting place is £30. A group of lovely polish men.
And I figured if they pick up toys for £30 then the new valeting place would for £50.
I’ll go back to my original place in future. And for what it’s worth they always get £10 tip as they do an amazing job.

[Whynotnowbaby]

Yes, sorry but you need to pick up toys and rubbish. It’s fair enough if there’s something you didn’t spot hiding under a seat but not what you’ve described. The dirt, stickiness etc is part of the job so they’re not complaining about that (or at least not to you!)

[killpop]

Bet you're the type to leave shit smears for the cleaner to sort too. I bet you're glad you namechanged for this.

[PawPawNoodle]

Well you're paying £50 for their specialist skills and equipment not for them to decant your car. I'm surprised any place would do that, what a waste of their time.

If you were getting your living room carpets cleaned in your house you wouldn't leave your kids toys and the furniture on it, would you?

[PetuliaBlavatsky]

I agree with the valeters too. Which is why my car doesn't get cleaned as often as I'd like because it's a tip most of the time. I would never in a million years take it to a valeters in its normal state, it's full of crap.
I've also had valeters say they don't take car seats out too - they don't want to be liable if they break it in some way (my seats are all isofix ones).

[littlejellybaby]

I actually clean and tidy before my cleaner arrives, especially the toilets.
But if there are a few toys left out on the bedroom floor then my cleaner doesn’t walk out and say she can’t do it this week.
She picks up 5 toy cars, a few my little ponies and some teddies, puts them on one side and carries on hoovering?

[Baxdream]

It's like me leaving my house in a tip before my cleaner arrives! It's disrespectful.