A serious airport valet tells you who they are, where your car will be parked, how it is looked after and how to reach them. If they refuse to answer any of those questions, insist on cash or an upfront bank transfer, or keep changing the meeting point, walk away.
These warning signs come from real cases. In 2025, French press reports described fake valets around Paris-Orly who collected keys at the drop-off zone and returned cars with hundreds of extra kilometres. A valet holds your car and keys for your whole trip. That is worth five minutes of checks.
In short
Identity: a real company has a name, a registration number and an address you can check for free.
Payment: go for a traceable payment with an invoice. Be wary of cash only and of transfers demanded in advance.
Key handover: insist on a written or photo condition report, including the mileage.
Location: you should know where your car will sleep, and the meeting point should be fixed in advance.
Price: a low rate can be justified. If nobody can explain it, ask why.
What the press reported
In March 2025, articles drawing on Le Parisien and TF1 described the typical scenario around Orly. Someone from a shell company collects the car and keys at the drop-off zone. The car is then driven around and sometimes found in a supermarket car park. One customer who had paid 65 euros for two weeks, against 120 euros at the airport car park, got his car back with 750 km more on the clock. That same month, the French motoring site Caradisiac reported other cases: scratches, a dirty interior, tow notices. It already advised asking for a detailed contract and photographing the mileage before leaving.
The 8 red flags
1. No company name or registration number
A website with no legal notice, a first name on the phone, no company number: if something goes wrong, you will not know who to claim from. Ask instead for the exact company name and registration number. In France, check it on the Annuaire des Entreprises, a free public register. In Belgium, the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises also has a free public search.
2. Cash only
Cash leaves no record of your deal. In France, cash payments from a consumer to a business are capped at 1,000 euros in any case. Ask instead to pay by card or through a booking platform, with an invoice in the company's name.
3. A mobile number is the only contact
No address, no business email, no website: if that number stops answering while you are away, you have nothing left. Ask instead for a physical address, an email and the hours when someone picks up.
4. A meeting point that keeps changing
You get one place, then another the night before, then 'just call when you arrive'. An organised service fixes the place in advance, often with a map or a precise spot in a car park. Ask instead for the exact meeting point in writing, and be wary of an improvised key handover in the middle of the departures lane.
5. No condition report or photos at handover
Without a record at drop-off, you cannot prove anything on return: not the scratch, not the mileage. A serious service walks round the car with you, or photographs it on arrival and on return. Ask instead for a signed report or dated photos showing mileage and fuel level. Take your own as well.
6. They will not say where the car will be parked
'In a car park not far away' is not an address. Under the French Highway Code, a car left in the same spot on a public road for more than seven days is parked abusively and can end up in the pound. Ask instead for the car park's address, whether it is fenced, and whether you can see it.
7. A price far below the market, with no explanation
A car park further out, in the open air or without a shuttle can cost less for good reasons. A valet doing the job properly has real costs: land, staff, insurance. If the price is very low and nobody can tell you why, ask what is included and what is not, and compare the total for your dates.
8. Pressure to pay upfront by bank transfer
'Only one space left, send a transfer now.' A transfer is hard to get back. France's national cybercrime assistance service, Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr, advises alerting your bank immediately to try to stop it if it has not gone through yet, then filing a police complaint. Ask instead to pay by card, through a site that shows its cancellation terms.
Questions to ask before you hand over your keys
What is your company's exact name and registration number?
At what address will my car be parked, and is the site fenced?
Who will drive my car, and where will the keys be kept?
Do you do a condition report with photos and mileage?
Can you send me your professional liability certificate?
What happens if my flight lands late or at night?
A professional answers all of this without hesitation. Our guide to airport valet parking also explains how a normal handover should go.
What the law says when someone looks after your car
In France, when a business keeps your car for you, the Civil Code treats it as a deposit. Article 1930 forbids the keeper from using the item without your permission. Article 1927 requires them to look after it as carefully as their own property. Those rules only help if you know who the keeper is, which is why red flags 1 and 3 matter so much.
How Comparkly selects valet services
We check these eight red flags before a valet service appears on Comparkly. We only list car parks we trust.
Identity and paperwork (red flags 1 and 3). Every partner signs our contract, and we check its company registration, its insurance and its right to operate the site. We talk with the owner or director, and we meet the valet companies we work with in person.
The location (red flags 4 and 6). We do not stop at the meeting point: we go and see where the cars are actually parked, and where the keys go.
The handover (red flag 5). We make test bookings ourselves, as a customer would, to check how the car is taken in, the timing, the return and how support responds. A visited car park shows the 'Verified by Comparkly' badge with the date of the visit. Visits are under way city by city.
Payment and price (red flags 2, 7 and 8). You pay online through Comparkly, using Stripe, and the total for your dates is shown with fees included. For a booking paid fully online, the car park only receives its share after your stay starts. You get a refund until 24 hours before arrival, minus the service fee. You can, for example, compare valet services around Paris-Orly or Brussels Airport.
FAQ
Is a cheap valet always a scam?
No. A low rate can come from a car park further out or in the open air. The warning sign is a low price combined with no identifiable company, no contract or no traceable payment.
How do I check that a valet is a real company?
Ask for its exact name and registration number. In France, look it up on the Annuaire des Entreprises. In Belgium, use the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises public search. Both are free.
Should I photograph my car before handing it over?
Yes. Photograph all four sides, the interior and the dashboard showing mileage and fuel level. Keep the photos until you are back, as they will help in any dispute.
What if I already paid by transfer and the valet stopped answering?
Contact your bank straight away to try to stop or recover the transfer. Keep all your messages, then file a complaint with the police. In France, you can also report the business on SignalConso, the consumer authority's platform.
Can I refuse to hand over my keys without a condition report?
Yes, and it is often the wisest choice. Without a record at drop-off, you will have no proof of your car's condition at handover.
Before you hand over your keys, compare valet services selected by our team, and look for the 'Verified by Comparkly' badge on the ones we have already visited. Have a question about a valet service before you book? Real people answer Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 17:00, through the contact page.
