Re: Stolen jacket

silkyk · ‎03-03-2011

Our BMW has a "valet key" that only works on the ignition....not on the glove compartment or trunk so we lock up everything. DH had his expensive sunglasses swiped once and we learned our lesson. Also DH did some valet parking when in high school and he KNOWS how those guys treat other people's cars. Not good. Also I had my Dennis Basso Faux fur vest (beautiful blue) almost bagged off the back of my chair at a very nice restaurant once. Lots of sticky fingers out there so hang on to your stuff!

nun ya · ‎03-09-2010

@ashleigh dupray wrote:
Leather jackets are a prime target for thieves, i used to wear leather jackets out to go dancing in clubs and i never checked my jacket for that reason. in fact i would leave it balled up in the back floor in the car and make a mad dash for the doors in the freezing cold! we never valet'd the car though.

one time we were out dancing and i set my small designer purse down by the wall where the DJs booth was. i always kept an eye on it as i was dancing. as the music changed and some were milling about and left the dance floor. some guys were in the way and a girl marched right over to my purse and picked it up and walked off with it! i had to scramble to get to her, but i got it right back from her, she already had it on her shoulder . i should have said something to management but it was a nightclub loud and packed to the gills.

this is the kind of thing where you live and learn

This happened to my friend and her purse. Little did the thief know, she is a police officer. She used her credit cards all over the place and my friend tracked her through store cameras and eventually pressed charges.

Tinkrbl44 · ‎08-23-2010

Years ago we had our classic Mercedes stolen by a valet parker!!

We'd stopped for a drink with friends and valet parked. Nothing out of the ordinary happened at that point, but my ex said he didn't like "something" about the valet.

The next morning, our car was stolen out of a security underground garage at approx 9am .... and set off bells immediately with the police officer who took the report.

You see, if someone is going to break in and steal a car, they're more likely to do it at night or when it isn't busy. Stealing a car when everyone is busy going off to work or out indicated they might have made a key.

My husband (at the time) called the restaurant manager and reported it, and asked to talk to the valet. As it turned out, the valet quit the previous night at the end of his shift!

Well, the rest mgr contacted the kid and two days later our car showed up parked on a nice side street a few blocks from the restaurant!

The LE officer made a very good point when he took the stolen vehicle report ...... he's said "NOBODY'S DEAD .... they could have tried to hijack your car when you were in it, fatally shot you, left you in the street and taken your car! This is why you have auto insurance ... just keep in mind: nobody is DEAD!!"

Puts it all in perspective, doesn't it?

Meowingkitty · ‎06-19-2010

Never leave anything in the car at a car wash either. One time I bought a new camera but took everything out of the box and placed it in my bag as I got my car washed leaving only the box in the bag on the seat. Came back to my car and the bag was still there but the box was gone. Hope they enjoyed an empty box.

lulu2 · ‎03-09-2010

@pommom wrote:
My DS met some friends for dinner and used valet parking. Earlier in the day he had placed his London Fog windbreaker on the back seat of his car.

It wasn't until New Year's Day when he went looking for it and remembered he had left it in the car that he discovered it was gone.

He called the establishment he visited the evening before and spoke with the manager who then gave him the valet service owner's name and number. He talked to the owner and the owner told him that he could not take responsibility for the missing jacket. Asked DS for the name of the valet parker and, of course, my son didn't know it. The restaurant is reputable and upscale, family owned. So, it isn't in a sleazy part of town - quite the contrary.

Bottom line: it's gone forever.

Has this ever happened to you?

Not a jacket but I keep about $25 in the console in my car. Maybe it's a coincidence but after using valet parking, all the bills were gone. (I realized the next day)

I now notice signs stating the establishment is not responsible for items left in the car. It's a no win situation. Moving valuables to the trunk does no good when the establishment has your keys.

DenS · ‎01-27-2012

I had my fox jacket stolen out of the coat closet at work in the 1980's. One of the coldest nights of a Chicago winter. Everyone started chaining their coats to their chairs in the office after that. The coat was too old to get anything from our homeowners.

missy1 · ‎03-10-2010

IMO your ds should take this as a learning experience. Don't leave valuables at a valet.

Don't write bad reviews, and don't write an insurance claim.

curlywhitedog · ‎03-09-2010

I don't know how old your son is but sadly enough, we have to learn our lessons from our experiences.

Many, many years ago, thirty five or so I'd say, I had a "friend" whose husband was being transferred out of town and the place he was leaving threw him a going away party. My friend had little money and nothing to wear so I chose a few things from my closet that she could borrow if she wanted to and allowed her to use my bedroom to try them on. BIG mistake.

A few weeks later I went in search of a specific piece of jewelry that I had in my jewelry case on top of my triple dresser and it was gone...so were other pieces that I didn't reach for often enough to even notice them missing....including the insert that my engagement ring sat in. I called the police and made a report but, as expected, she denied she had taken anything and, truthfully, I couldn't prove she did. That was one expensive lesson for me to learn but learn it I did. The stand up jewelry box I use now is in my walk in closet and that closet is locked whenever I leave the house. It doesn't matter to me who is in my house, I trust no one except of course, my family and my closest friends but if anyone else is in the house for any reason (even if they don't have to go into my bedroom) that closet remains locked. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.

I'm sorry your son had to experience the harsh side of life but on the bright side, the lesson he learned from losing this jacket may have prevented a larger loss in the future...you never know.

Maria

deepwaterdotter · ‎03-09-2010

I had no idea that coats were such a theft-prone item. Guess I must buy unattactive outerwear. I have never used a valet parking service.

ID2 · ‎06-25-2012

Yes its aggravating that there are such dishonest people in the world but put things into perspective. Its only a jacket. Accept whats happened and move on.

"Pure Michigan"