7 On Your Side: What you need to know before you valet park your car

MIDTOWN (WABC) -- Valet parking is convenient for many drivers, but there are some things you should do to protect your property before you leave your car with a stranger.

Usually, if you pull into a parking lot with a car that is banged up, the attendant makes you sign a condition report acknowledging the existing damage. That's how they protect themselves.

That didn't happen for one Eyewitness News viewer, turning the situation into a blame game with no one paying up.

Peter Behson said he and his wife Melanie discovered scrapes, dings and scratches all over their BMW after it was valet parked overnight in Midtown.

"It appears like they tried to squeeze it in a tight area," said Behson.

The couple met friends for dinner and a show in Manhattan on April 18, and then stayed overnight at the Fairfield Inn and Suites by Marriott. They paid $45 to have their car parked.

"For some reason, I don't normally check the car but I did and I was like 'whoa, what happened?' and he said 'no, no, I didn't do it.' I was like 'yes, yes, yes, you did do it' and he took off, " said Melanie Behson, Peter's wife.

She said they then complained to the front desk and waited for a manager from the valet company, who took their report.

"We walked around the car with him. You see the spots and he had me sign it, and I thought he was going to take care of it," said Melanie Behson.

The Behsons followed up, sending in two repair estimates to the hotel - about $800 in damages. However, the Marriott said it wasn't their responsibility.

A month later, the valet service, which is run by a Canadian-based company called Impark, insisted it wasn't paying, either.

The couple was going to have to eat the $800, making it one expensive night on the town for the contractor and window treatment designer to cover.

So 7 On Your Side got in touch with the Marriott Hotel and the assistant general manager, and a check for the full amount of the estimated repairs was issued to the Behsons.

There was no further comment from Marriott as to why it took more than two months to settle the matter. The big takeaway here is: take pictures of your vehicle and insist on getting a signed condition report before you leave your car anywhere.