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.

Have to agree with everyone else. I'd never leave things in the car when having it valeted. The same way I wouldn't leave toys on the floor for the cleaner to pick up. In both instances, they are there to clean, not tidy.

I do agree on one thing though - £50 or £80 for a valet is so expensive!! We pay £30 for both cars and he comes to our house to do it.

I usually take it to a corner of a supermarket type place.
This was a proper valeting company today.
I didn’t realise there were different rules for both.
I didn’t pick up the toys because in 5 years at my previous place I’ve not had to.
I wouldn’t have even minded if they’d said we are going to charge you a bit extra as there were toys and car seats that needed moving, and they gave me the option.
Instead I’ve gone out of my way, walked home and been carless all day.

Unanimously agreed that YABU, and yet you still think you're in the right

Not unanimous. It totally depends on the price for me. £50 is a lot (unless they spend hours doing it). £15 isn't a lot.

I think you are completely unreasonable to have left the pram and car seats in let alone the rubbish to be honest. I wouldn’t want to be removing them and keeping them safe whilst doing my job as that would be a massive hassle for them if they got damaged.

To be honest I’m not sure how you ever got to the point that you know the other company are happy to do it. I have no idea If my valeting company are happy to pick crap up off the floor, because from the first visit I’ve ensured there was no crap for them to pick up.

Blimey your car sounds a mess inside! Why allow it to get so bad? Clear it out little and often?

Apart from anything else, if they do the picking up they are are opening themselves to accusations of losing, breaking or even stealing things

This is pretty much it. A friend of mine manages a local car wash and valeting service and they don't remove items from the car as it is a liability issue.

The odd item found under a seat during a valet is fine as it is easily missed in a clear out, but not a whole cars worth of random toys and kids things. At my friends place when a customer comes with a car for valeting, the greeter will quickly go through the car with the customer first and if there is anything in there then they will ask the customer to remove it.

If they can't/dont want to take it with them, they have numbered sealable bags and any bits and bobs go in there, the bags are sealed and stored in their locked storeroom then handed back still sealed at collection. That way no employee can be accused of damage/theft as it is the customers responsibility to remove anything from the car. They will also let customers store car seats etc but they have to remove them from the car themselves to prevent accusations of them damaging the seats.

Good god. What was th point of posting if you're just going to argue you're right.

Seriously.

Is it beneath you to clean your own car now and then I've never had a car valeted in 40 years of owning one . I do it myself.

I agree with the valeters I'm afraid.

It is why I don't take my car in often - as it is minging and very embarrassing. I empty it out but always have to pay extra as it is so grim.
Mine isn't toys though - it is mud and dirt (and hay, horse hair, bits of horse feed etc). Not helped by living rurally and driving on very dirty roads.

Fortunately DH does it himself for me a few times a year as he feels sorry for me

We pay £12 for the local near us and they wash, polish, hoover inside, wipe seats & dashboard, clean tires and add a nice little air freshener. £50 is crazy!

Is it beneath you to clean your own car now and then confused I've never had a car valeted in 40 years of owning one . I do it myself

To be honest that’s not really the issue though is it? Valeting companies provide a service and people can decide whether or not to use it. Just like some people have cleaners/gardeners etc.

"Instead I’ve gone out of my way, walked home and been carless all day."

You poor thing. 😂

Do you like hiding behind internet anonymity?

LOLZ
I would say that to someone's face. Why wouldn't I?

Ok so why ask here if you think your being unreasonable? And when people say yes you are, you disagree and say your not... WHY ASK? I hate posts like this.
Yes you should have picked up all the toys.
I had my carpet cleaned a few weeks ago and made it as easy as possible for the guy, he’s here to clean the carpet not tidy my living room in the process

Totally your responsibility to make sure the car was tidy. I always fully empty my car for the MOT including car seats when we had them. I can't believe you took your car to be valetted and didn't take out the car seats or toys.

YABU. It's not just the toys, it's the car seats and the buggy as well. If anything got damaged or went missing you'd be the first to complain.

My car gets emptied and carseats removed whenever it gets valeted.

By me I mean, beforehand!

I am shocked you pay so much for full clean inside and out!!!!!
Do they do the whole cleaning plus "retouch of wheel trim/bumper/chrome" stuff and any extras such as scrubbing patches on seats as well or is it just general cleaning? If just cleaning that is sooo expensive.

On a side note, I generally clear the car out of rubbish and bags etc. If the valeters find little toys or loose change etc they put it in the coin tray or on the passenger seat after hoovering.

They wouldn't move car seats to hoover underneath because I think they don't want to touch any car seats from a safety point of view (correct reinstallation).

If it only takes a minute to tidy them, why on earth didn't you do it before you dropped the car off?

YABU. It sounds like your car needs mucking out, not valeting.

I’m not at all surprised they won’t touch child seats, either. Imagine the fallout from that if the seat wasn’t replaced properly or was accidentally damaged and then you had a crash in which your child was hurt.

Even MOT testers won’t remove a child seat to test the seatbelt.

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.

Yeah, that isn't cool.

For a valet you have to clear your car out so they can hoover, wipe etc. I just bung everything in an ikea bag

Why didn’t you take the car seats out and just leave them somewhere at the valet place? Or removed the buggy then you could have put the seats in the boot.

And yes, you remove crap BEFORE you take a car to these places.

Those poor valeters earn about 3p a year. And OP expects them to crawl around on the floor of the car scooping up Happy Meal toys too.

My car is always a mess. Last time I went to the valet place the boss came out, pointed a finger at me and said, "Your car very dirty. You pay £5 more." I wasn't arguing. He was quite right.