NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — It’s a thought that’s crossed the minds of many who use a valet service: “Are they taking my car for a joyride?” For one man in Nashville, that’s sort of what happened to him.

The Parking Spot on Donelson Pike is marketed as affordable valet parking for Nashville International Airport (BNA). A long-time customer recently dropped his vehicle off at the business and headed out of town, only to discover later on that someone drove his truck around for nearly 40 minutes.

“I was shocked at first and then I got angry and then I calmed down and then I got angry again, but you know it’s just not right,” Mike Jackson said with a shrug.

Jackson said he has been using the Parking Spot’s service at least once a month for about seven years.

He dropped his Toyota Tacoma off on Feb. 5 at the Parking Spot. When he returned five days later, Jackson told News 2 he noticed his bench seats were moved and there was mud inside his freshly-cleaned truck.

“When I thought about it, I was like, ‘I remember that app. I’m going to see if anybody drove it,’ and that’s why I looked back,” Jackson recalled.

Sure enough, his Toyota App showed the truck was driven for three miles over the span of 37 minutes. 

“It looked like a bunch of circular trips, down and back, down and back,” described Jackson.

The app showed the car was parked at a lot before someone returned to pick it up and drive it around. According to Jackson, he called the Parking Spot and an employee admitted to using his vehicle.

“He called me back and he was like, ‘Oh yeah, we did use that. We had a lost car we had to go find,’ which is a whole other issue that they lost somebody’s car,” said Jackson.

Shocked at the response, Jackson said he later spoke to a manager.

“That’s when my mind was blown because he was really just, ‘Ah yeah, we use people’s vehicles to do this periodically. We’ll shuttle people back and forth or we’ll go look for a lost car. It’s kind of a common thing,’ and I was completely speechless about that. It’s not right. Nobody should be doing that,” Jackson explained. “We drop our car off there for security and convenience, but we don’t expect anybody to go get it and use it for their business, however they so choose.”

“I want them to change their policy…I don’t want any type of compensation, I’m not trying to do that. I just think it’s wrong and they need to fix it,” he added.

When News 2 reached out to the Parking Spot, a manager said that a newer employee used the truck while looking for another vehicle. They added that the issue has been addressed and assured News 2 that using customers’ cars is not part of their normal operational procedures.

The manager also said they offered the customer a refund. However, Jackson said they didn’t offer anything and he paid full price.