Valet Gives 2 BMW M5’s To The Wrong People!

We’re sure it happens from time to time, as there are plenty of cars out there that are similar enough to confuse all but the most attentive valets. Hearing the story from the valet himself, even years later, is pretty funny, and shows that sometimes mistakes just happen.

It starts innocently enough, with two customers at Fleming’s Steak House in Birmingham, Alabama rolling up just moments apart in matching BMW M5’s and head inside for dinner. The valets, in a moment of inattention, accidentally swap the keys, so when the first diner comes out to fetch his car, the valets bring him the wrong M5. None the wiser, the driver heads off toward home. A short while later, the second client comes to fetch his car, and realizes somebody has been smoking in it. Assuming that he is looking at his own vehicle, he immediately blames the valets for lighting up inside his ride, causing the car to reek of smoke. It was at this point that it becomes clear that the cars have been swapped, since the staff knew better than to smoke in a customer’s car.

As if the situation weren’t embarrassing enough, NBA legend and Alabama native Charles Barkely just happened to leave the restaurant during the confusion, even going to far as to say he’d never heard of anybody giving away somebody else’s M5. The valet had to cough up gift cards that he worked for a week to pay off and drive the client’s home to help smooth the situation over while the cars were tracked down and returned to their rightful owners.

This just goes to show that sometimes screw ups are going to happen, so your best bet is to take responsibility for your actions and, more importantly, learn from your mistakes. We are willing to bet the valets at Flemings never make that mistake again, so it’s a lesson well learned.