There have been a few stories about Waymos driving off with people's luggage still in the trunk, and now a San Francisco tennis instructor has filed a lawsuit over some lost tennis equipment.

It seems that, by and large, Waymos are good about reminding you to get stuff your stuff out of the trunk if you put anything in there, and the trunk pops open automatically when you arrive at your destination if you used the trunk when you started the ride.

But, in some scenarios, it seems, users have either shut the doors too soon or the app malfunctioned in some way, and the car drove off before they could get their stuff out. We see one such story in Phoenix, that was reported on X and subsequently Reddit in October, about a Waymo rider arriving at the airport with luggage in the trunk, and the car took off with the luggage.

And now a San Francisco tennis instructor, Daniel Linley, who gives private lessons and classes through the Recreation and Parks Department and sometimes works out of the Goldman Tennis Center in Golden Gate Park, is suing Waymo over the alleged loss of tennis rackets and other equipment that he says he had left in the trunk of a robocar that drove off.

Linley claims that he took a Waymo from the Richmond District into Golden Gate Park on February 7, putting his gear in the trunk, and when the car arrived at the tennis center, the usual button that appears on the app to open the trunk did not appear. And, apparently, the trunk did not automatically open at the destination as it is supposed to.

Waymo is referring to these as "forgotten items," and there could be more to the story. But, as the SF Standard is reporting, Linley is taking the company to small claims court, suing for the maximum allowable amount, $12,500 — claiming both the loss of equipment and lost revenue from tennis lessons he hasn't been able to give as a result. Linley also denies that anything was "forgotten," and he was immediately on the phone to customer service to get them to open the trunk.

"While I was on the phone with customer service, the car drove away," he claims.

Waymo issued a statement about the case, saying only, "Waymo is in touch with the individual and working to resolve the claim. Waymo’s Support Team operates with the goal of reuniting riders and their forgotten items."

The company, it seems, was never able to find the missing equipment.

Linley tells the Standard that he hasn't replaced his equipment yet because he's waiting to find out if he'll be reimbursed, adding "this should be at their expense."

Other users have complained that Waymo doesn't have a quick way of getting a car to turn around if you mistakenly leave anything inside, and the process of tracking down one's lost items can be onerous — much moreso than if there were a human driver you could reach out to.

The big lesson here: Do not shut the doors of your Waymo until you are absolutely sure you have everything, because getting your stuff back could be complicated.

Related: Lurie Announces Market Street to Open Up to Waymos

Photo: Hoseung Hong