They lost my car floor mat, should they replace it?

April 30, 2012 9:33 AM

After having my car washed and vacuumed on the weekend, I noticed one of the floor mats is gone. Car wash says they don't have it. Should I just get over it or can I expect them to replace it, and if so, what exactly should I do next?

I had my car washed and vacuumed on Saturday. Yesterday I noticed the drivers floor mat was missing. All the others are present, and it wasn't hidden under one of the other mats or in the trunk, so I assumed they took it out to vacuum and forgot to put it back. I called the car wash this morning. They looked (it has the car model written on it so is fairly distinctive), said they didn't have it, and said that they don't take the mats out of the car when they vacuum. I told them it was there before I had the car washed and now it's not and I have not touched it. They asked me to come down so they can look at the other mats, so I'm going there this afternoon.

Assuming they still can't find it, what can I expect to happen? They are OEM floor mats, eBay tells me a replacement set will cost $60 + shipping, and the mats can't be bought individually so I would have to get an entire set.

I feel bad asking strangers on the internet advice about a stupid piece of carpet, but I'd rather not have to spend $60+ to replace something that I didn't lose. I tend to avoid conflict and I hate hate hate confrontation like this, so: is it right to expect them to replace it and what exactly should I say in order to have that happen?

Potentially relevant info: This was part of a Groupon deal so I imagine any kind of 'refund' will be tricky.

posted by Shal to travel & transportation (7 answers total)

Call a dealer, I am sure they will split them up and sell you just the floor mat you need. Failing that, call a junkyard.
posted by kindall at 9:43 AM on April 30, 2012 [1 favorite]

Ask to look in their trash bins. It's likely that yes, they lost it, and the person that forgot to put it back in didn't notice it right away, so they just set it aside, thinking you might come back soon. But since they don't really care all that much, it was tossed in the trash.

But really, nothing you can do besides ask nicely. It likely wasn't done maliciously and you're not taking them to small claims court.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 9:44 AM on April 30, 2012

Yeah, that's a write off. It would be different if you noticed before you drove away, but after that, it's hard to press the issue.

One thing I'd do is follow up after you've procured your new mat(s) and ask for reimbursement in the form of a couple of future car washes.

That way you won't feel so ripped off.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 9:47 AM on April 30, 2012 [6 favorites]

You can't prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that they were the ones who lost your mat and I would not expect them to take your word for it. They are being pretty good about inviting you to come down today, but you will probably have to let it go if you don't find it there. You can buy a new mat and ask for reimbursement, but I wouldn't count on them giving you the time of day at that point.
posted by puritycontrol at 10:00 AM on April 30, 2012

Unless you are wedded to an OEM replacement, you can often get pairs of floormats for just the front seat or back seat, as you need.
posted by ambrosia at 10:34 AM on April 30, 2012 [1 favorite]

Call Groupon. Groupon is such a mess right now that who knows, but Groupon might send you a check or give you a credit just to stop more trouble.

If you don't know junkyards, your local independent gas service station mechanic can get you the mat you need, for cost plus a few greased hand bucks enough for lunch, since they deal with junkyards every day and get deliveries nearly every day.
posted by caclwmr4 at 1:57 PM on April 30, 2012 [1 favorite]

People's Court episode on lost floor mat
posted by vegartanipla at 9:03 AM on May 1, 2012