A California man says after being dropped off at the airport last month, his Waymo vehicle drove off before he could grab his luggage.
Di Jin told NBC affiliate KNTV that his trip to San José Mineta International Airport on April 27 was his first-ever ride in a Waymo — and that the trip was going smoothly until he got to the airport.
After getting out of the vehicle, Jin said that he “pressed the trunk open button” in order to get the luggage, but the car drove away instead.
When he contacted the company, he said a customer service representative told him that since the car was already en route back to the depot, it could not turn around and return to the airport.
That’s how Jin boarded his flight to San Diego without his luggage, which contained the clothes he needed for his business trip as well as some notes.
Jin told KNTV that in an initial email, Waymo offered to immediately send over his luggage, but wouldn’t cover fees for shipping labels or courier services.
Instead, according to Jin, the company offered him two free rides so he could go to and from the depot to pick up his luggage.
“It doesn’t make any sense at all, because it’s not my mistake,” Jin told KNTV about the company’s initial solution.
However, he said that the company eventually offered to pay for shipping costs, which he accepted.
On its website, Waymo says customers can access the trunk through the company’s app, the in-car screen or a physical button on the trunk.
However, if the customer exits the Waymo before the vehicle pulled over to officially end the trip, the trunk may not open.
Over on its Lost and Found page, the company says their support team “is happy to help try to reunite you with items you may have lost in a vehicle” but that they “cannot guarantee items will be found, delivered immediately, or returned to you undamaged.”
The company also adds that they are “not responsible for items left behind in the vehicle after your trip ends and does not provide refunds or reimbursement for the value of lost items.”
A Waymo representative had no comment about the incident when reached by PEOPLE on Monday, May 4.
