Stolen Hubcaps

[DqALEX]

I think you are taking this very well. If I parked my car out on the street that would be one thing. You paid to park?? You think your car would be safe.

[kingfish78734]

So what's the issue, that they weren't nice to you or something? :confused: Explain it to the moron me. :rolleyes:

Okay, I'll try again. As I have said several times previously, it's not about the hubcaps...it's about a business promising "24 hour security""peace of mind that your vehicle will be safe and secure" and then when your car is damaged due to their non-security, they, in their arrogance, tell you to sit on it and spin.

I know that the following is an EXTREME analogy but during this trip we also boarded our dogs. I felt safe boarding my dogs with the business that we did because they had someone at the facility 24 hours a day, monitoring all of the dogs, and controlling access to the entry of the facility. Now, if my dogs had been stolen, would not the facility have responsibility for that? If they had allowed someone in to steal my dogs, after promising "24 hour security"and "peace of mind that your dog will be safe and secure", would that not be their fault? (rhetorical)

And even MORE extreme....what if it were a child?

As I keep saying....It's not about the hubcaps. It's about this business owner taking responsibility for and standing behind their promises.

 

I don't know how to make it any clearer.

[Stircrzy]

Which lot were you in? They have the main lot right next to the dock and lot 2 that is a little fenced in area in a neighborhood. We've parked at lot 1 and never gave it a 2nd thought, but last time they moved us to lot 2 and I didn't feel comfortable leaving my car there.

 

I get ya, Tim.

 

I'm exploring my options for next time.

 

I've parked at EZ Cruise 5-6 times in the past, even when I lived on Galveston's West End...always at Lot 1. Last time (May 2006) I was directed to Lot 2. It was not the same secure feel that I experienced at Lot 1.

 

I'm checking out Lighthouse for the next trip.

[kingfish78734]

I get ya, Tim.

 

I'm exploring my options for next time.

 

I've parked at EZ Cruise 5-6 times in the past, even when I lived on Galveston's West End...always at Lot 1. Last time (May 2006) I was directed to Lot 2. It was not the same secure feel that I experienced at Lot 1.

 

I'm checking out Lighthouse for the next trip.

 

We were indeed parked in lot 2.

 

Oh, and by the way.....we had an AWESOME cruise!!!! Thanks to all who asked.:)

[kingfish78734]

I noticed on the terms of my agreement with a Miami parking lot for our upcoming cruise it says they are not responsible for theft/damage to my vehicle even though it's a "secure" lot. Kinda like parking at the mall if you ask me. Tough luck, atleast it was only hubcaps.

 

I don't PAY the mall $35 to keep my car safe or to provide 24 hour security to ensure that it is kept safe.

[Mysticks1]

We were indeed parked in lot 2.

 

 

We parked there last year but I guess we were in lot 1 - Iron fence with razor wire at the top. I will keep that in mind and will not park there if it is not in that lot again. Thanks for the heads up.

[kingfish78734]

My goal is to keep my CruiseCritic family from filling the purse of a business owner with a "let 'em eat cake" attitude. Just trying to make others aware of how I was treated and how, you too, may be treated if you use EZCruise parking. We, as a group, can and should spend our very considerable dollars with businesses that appreciate our patronage. We matter.

 

Also, after re-reading some of my earlier posts, I kind of started sounding Peter Finch-like in my ranting. I apologize.

[TexasAlexus]

KINGFISH, we used EZ-Cruise parking for our last cruise. I was not aware that they had a second, more remote lot. It sounds like it may be more vulnerable. I want to thankyou for sharing your experience so other's are aware of potential risks to their cars. I agree with your statement that you paid for some degree of security for you car and they may have fallen short. I think they should have been more sympathetic, simply because we should care about other people when something bad happens to them. We all realize that things can be replaced, but it's upsetting none the less when things like this happen. It's a shame to come off of a great cruise relaxed and happy only to discover you've been robbed. Sorry that this happened to you. I'm glad you had a good cruise though, and I hope you write a review. We are sailing on the Conquest in December.

[mjt2890]

What did your contract say? I bet it says they're not responsible.

[DqALEX]

My father owns Amusement rides. The back of his tickets also say he is not responsible. Guess what the lawyers don't care what is written on the ticket. You paid for a service. I dont think a lot of posters are being very truthful here. 1st thing I would do is to get a police report. than talk to them, then I would have my lawyer write a letter.

[Voyager]

Sorry to hear about your problem but since they have two cameras can they look at the tape to see if they can find the culprit. Not that this is a high priority crime but you never know what can come of it.

 

Ok so they roll the tape back and look for the culprit(s).

The see:

A. A white male in a base ball cap, blue jeans and a yellow shirt.

B. A black man with an afro, orange pants and a white shirt.

C. A japanese woman, pink shirt, grey pants.

D. A hispanic woman, blue skirt, tan tank top.

 

Thats a couple of million people in the area. Problem solved. The police will go and arrest them :rolleyes:

[BallFour4]

Hi All,

Just returned from Ecstacy cruise today. Parked at EZCruise in Galveston. Returned to lot to get my car and the hubcaps had been stolen...

 

First, as a vehicle owner and a frequent cruiser from Galveston, that's a shame, and I am sorry.

 

I've watched those lots like EZ Cruise and Dolphin for a couple of years and the security does seem relaxed.

 

About 6 weeks ago we had a freak amount of rain in a short time and one of those lots flooded, and trashed all the cars in it.

 

The Port of Galveston recently settled with the owners of the lots and Galveston hotels that were behind in the drop-off charges, and the lot you mentioned payed a significant penalty. If I were to speculate, I'd wager they made the cuts in security to pay the difference.

 

What was the savings versus the lots owned by the city of Galveston?

 

We drive up to the pier, wife and teenager bail with the luggage, tip the porter and I head to the city owned lots. They have not failed us yet, but I am going to remove all valuables and double check on our cruise aboard the Ecstasy in a few weeks.

 

I am not a lawyer, but I'll bet the ticket they gave you when you paid the bill had a disclaimer that might well hold them harmless of damage, fire or theft.

 

Google the Galveston Daily News, send a letter to the editor. Bad press travels fast!

 

Hope the drive home to Austin was smooth...

[kingfish78734]

Thanks to all of you. I am already planning to call Galveston P.D. tomorrow to get the police report and I will send a letter to the owner from my attorney. I am not going to let this drop....and NOT because of the money involved but because of the attitude of this pompous, arrogant, troll of a business owner.

 

Just FYI: I am a manager at The Home Depot. I know what I'm talking about when I mention "customer service". I deal with differing situations, with often upset, furious and sometimes unreasonable customers each and every day. My goal, in EVERY case, is to keep that customer's business. I may not (due to company policy) be able to solve every customer's complaint. But, I do my VERY BEST, in all of these situations, to say "I'm so sorry, ma'am but company policy states that we can't take back the dead, brown, dry-rotted root ball of your houseplant (unspoken: that obviously you haven't watered in at least 6 months) unless you have your receipt. But, I'll tell you what. We just got in some fantastic Crotons (or Rubber Trees or whatever) and I'd be happy to give you your pick for 50% off." In the overwhelming majority of cases, I am able to keep that customer and that customer's loyalty AND that of their friends and family for my store and The Home Depot.

[ahoys]

Thanks to kingfish for the heads up. It's only hubcaps...this time. But what happens when it's more serious? It's good to know that when you pay the money to the lot, your car is not any safer than in a public lot at the mall. We have a sense that when we park our car in a "secured" lot that there won't be any surprises when we return from the cruise. Those who are sailing from Galveston should know about their choices.

[DqALEX]

Thanks to all of you. I am already planning to call Galveston P.D. tomorrow to get the police report and I will send a letter to the owner from my attorney. I am not going to let this drop....and NOT because of the money involved but because of the attitude of this pompous, arrogant, troll of a business owner.

 

Just FYI: I am a manager at The Home Depot. I know what I'm talking about when I mention "customer service". I deal with differing situations, with often upset, furious and sometimes unreasonable customers each and every day. My goal, in EVERY case, is to keep that customer's business. I may not (due to company policy) be able to solve every customer's complaint. But, I do my VERY BEST, in all of these situations, to say "I'm so sorry, ma'am but company policy states that we can't take back the dead, brown, dry-rotted root ball of your houseplant (unspoken: that obviously you haven't watered in at least 6 months) unless you have your receipt. But, I'll tell you what. We just got in some fantastic Crotons (or Rubber Trees or whatever) and I'd be happy to give you your pick for 50% off." In the overwhelming majority of cases, I am able to keep that customer and that customer's loyalty AND that of their friends and family for my store and The Home Depot.

If it were me, that is the way I would handle it. Let us know how you make out. I own a Dairy Queen and customer service is everything.

[kingfish78734]

If it were me, that is the way I would handle it. Let us know how you make out. I own a Dairy Queen and customer service is everything.

 

Mmmmmm.....DQ huh? Wish I had one of those big honkin' pineapple shakes..mmmm:)

[Karshrimp]

If it were me, that is the way I would handle it. Let us know how you make out. I own a Dairy Queen and customer service is everything.

 

Wish I owned a Dairy Queen...yummy!! :D On second thought, my waistline is probably glad I don't!

 

We live in Arlington and would have to go to west Fort Worth for the nearest one! Can you open one here for us? :D

 

O.K., now back to the topic...

[PlanoDebbie]

Sorry to hear about your bad experience at EZ parking. We used them last summer when we went on the Elation, and I was not overly impressed. First off, I drive a full-size Van and all of their spaces seem to be striped for economy cars. I don't like to park less than 8 inches away from another vehicle. They also rent whatever vehicles are obviously available on embarkation days to shuttle guests back and forth to the port. When we came back from our cruise, the folks that they rent their shuttle vehicles from, only had one small van for them to use. We waited in the hot sun for nearly 2 hours to catch a shuttle to our vehicle. If we didn't have so much luggage, we would have walked. I thought one of our fellow passengers was going to assault the parking lot folks when we finally got back. His brand new vehicle had a huge scratch and dent on the side of it. OMG! He was hot. I don't blame him, because the person parked 8 inches from his vehicle probably couldn't get in with dinging his car.

 

This year I decided to try lighthouse parking. Same price, so why not. Parking spaces were much larger. That was nice, since we still have the huge van. I think they own their own shuttles, so you always know what to look for. EZ was driving a yellow school bus and a regular van this week. Guess that's all that was available for them to rent. We got right on the shuttle and were to our van in no time. It was a much better experience than EZ parking, so I'll use Lighthouse again.

[Mysticks1]

It was a much better experience than EZ parking, so I'll use Lighthouse again.

 

Do you know if Lighthouse has a website?

[kingfish78734]

Thanks PlanoDebbie and to all of you who have shared advice. It hadn't yet occurred to me to write a letter to the Galveston paper, but I definitely will.

 

Update: Just received an email back from an attorney at texaslawhelp.org (they dole out free legal advice and answer questions). I sent them the verbage on the back of my EZCruise ticket (their disclaimer saying they're not responsible for a darn thing, etc.). Just as I expected....their disclaimer amounts to bupkiss in Texas. They are legally responsible under Texas state code because they represent and advertise themselves as "safe and secure". WOOHOO!!!! The fight for justice is on!!

 

The attorney went on to say that most businesses that put a disclaimer such as this in their contract or a ticket stub are simply trying to fool people into thinking that they have no rights and thus discourage people from filing in small claims court.

 

I'll keep ya posted.

[PlanoDebbie]

Do you know if Lighthouse has a website?

 

Yes they do. That's how I pre-paid for our parking. I think they were also listed on the Galveston.com website along with parking information about the pier and EZ parking. My information from them is still packed away. If you can't find them by googling them, let me know and I'll go look it up again. I'm just too tired to move right now. They cost the same as EZ, but I could actually park my full sized van and actually get out of it without a shoe horn. Think about it. Who goes on a cruise and takes a compact car with all their luggage? Honestly, I need a larger parking space. I also found the folks working at Lighthouse much friendlier.

[PlanoDebbie]

Thanks PlanoDebbie and to all of you who have shared advice. It hadn't yet occurred to me to write a letter to the Galveston paper, but I definitely will.

 

Update: Just received an email back from an attorney at texaslawhelp.org (they dole out free legal advice and answer questions). I sent them the verbage on the back of my EZCruise ticket (their disclaimer saying they're not responsible for a darn thing, etc.). Just as I expected....their disclaimer amounts to bupkiss in Texas. They are legally responsible under Texas state code because they represent and advertise themselves as "safe and secure". WOOHOO!!!! The fight for justice is on!!

 

The attorney went on to say that most businesses that put a disclaimer such as this in their contract or a ticket stub are simply trying to fool people into thinking that they have no rights and thus discourage people from filing in small claims court.

 

I'll keep ya posted.

 

Keep us posted regarding your progress. It's been over 20 years since I passed the CPA exam, but I vaguely remember hearing the same information in one of our legal review classes. Many businesses that take possession of your personal items will try to claim that they are not responsible for any loss or damage while in their possession. Their disclaimers are usually meaningless. I think the fact that they also state that your vehicle will be kept in a safe and secure location will work against them. I'd also try to get EZ to settle out of court saying that your $400 claim would be much cheaper than going to court, not to mention all of the bad publicity on cruisecritic which seems to have quite a good following.

 

Good luck!

[pnjkeith]

Buyer beware. What more can you say? Do you expect them to pay off every victim on their lot (no, just you, right?)... maybe they should invest in guard dogs...

 

Some things are just part of life. And, by the way, having $400 hubcaps is part of the problem!!!

 

Lighten Up there Salty Dog

[kingfish78734]

Keep us posted regarding your progress. It's been over 20 years since I passed the CPA exam, but I vaguely remember hearing the same information in one of our legal review classes. Many businesses that take possession of your personal items will try to claim that they are not responsible for any loss or damage while in their possession. Their disclaimers are usually meaningless. I think the fact that they also state that your vehicle will be kept in a safe and secure location will work against them. I'd also try to get EZ to settle out of court saying that your $400 claim would be much cheaper than going to court, not to mention all of the bad publicity on cruisecritic which seems to have quite a good following.

 

Good luck!

 

Thanks.

 

As I've stated before, the money here is not my real issue. Not that I wouldn't take it, but I dumped more than double that in the casino on Ecstacy and had a great time while doing it. My main reason for being so incensed is that this business owner was so incredibly rude and nasty regarding this whole thing. What I would really like to see is the judge smack her pee pee in open court and tell her that she has a responsibility to her customers and the beautiful City of Galveston to treat people honestly and fairly.

 

BTW, I spoke to one of the employees who volunteered to me that on Sundays all of the cruisers vehicles they get from the Conquest and the Rhapsody are parked in Lot 1, which holds 200. On Mondays, they park all of the Ecstacy cruisers vehicles in Lot 2, which holds 100. This means that EZCruise is taking in roughly $13,500 a week. Was it too much for me to expect at least something? I mean, she didn't even offer so much as my $35 back (which would have at least shown an effort on her part). She said, verbatim, "That's what insurance is for" and she didn't say it in a NICE way either...her tone was dripping with smarminess. (The employee whose cell phone I was using to talk to her apologized profusely and couldn't BELIEVE her attitude! That's why I am determined (and BOY AM I DETERMINED) to try to keep any of my known and unknown fellow cruising friends out there from patronizing this business, because there are, I have to believe, other businesses out there offering the same service and actually DELIVERING on their promise and THOSE are the ones that warrant our patronage. (okay, I'm off my soapbox now:) .....whew!...the air is thin up there lol)

[glrounds]

As a business owner and with all due respect to the OP, I would ask him "How do you know the hubcaps were stolen on my premises?" which, incidentally, is just exactly what the judge will ask in small claims court after he asks you "Can you prove the hubcaps were even ever stolen ?".

Since the lot owner doesn't know you and the judge doesn't know you or the lot owner, judges must rely on OBJECTIVE information to make a determination. For lack of evidence, neither the lot owner could or the judge will know whether or not your hubcaps were actually stolen, let alone who's responsible. A good lawyer (yeah, I know :D) will tell you this before taking your money (and save you a lot of embarrassment in the courtroom).