When a driverless car malfunctions, there is no driver to notice, no one to say "hey, you forgot your bag," and no way to flag the vehicle down. That is the lesson Di Jin learned when his Waymo robotaxi departed San Jose Mineta Airport with his suitcase, work notes, and change of clothes still locked in the trunk. The ride itself went perfectly. It was the final 30 seconds that turned his smooth autonomous commute into a travel nightmare.

What Happened at the Airport?

Jin took his first Waymo ride on a Monday morning, heading from his Sunnyvale home to the airport for a business trip. When he arrived at his destination and pressed the trunk release button, nothing happened. Before he could try again, the vehicle simply drove away. He stood at the curb watching a robotaxi carry off his belongings without any intervention or alert.

Waymo customer service told him the vehicle was already headed back to the depot and could not be redirected. His luggage was eventually recovered and secured at the local facility, but the company refused to cover return shipping costs. Instead, Waymo offered him two complimentary rides so he could make a two-hour round trip to San Francisco to retrieve his own bag. Jin was not satisfied with that resolution, especially since he believed the trunk malfunction was a technical failure, not a case of forgotten items.

Is This a Pattern or an Isolated Incident?

Jin's experience is not unique. About a year ago, a San Francisco tennis coach reported that a Waymo drove off with his expensive tennis equipment still in the trunk. Like Jin, the coach pushed back on the word "forgotten," insisting his items were taken because the car did not give him a chance to retrieve them. Waymo's response at the time was that their support team's goal is "reuniting riders and their forgotten items," but the underlying issue remained unresolved.

The San Jose Mineta Airport connection adds another layer of relevance. In November, San Jose became the first commercial airport in California to welcome driverless Waymo rides for paying customers. That milestone made the service sound futuristic and exciting. Riding a robotaxi to catch your flight is genuinely cool in theory. Watching that same robotaxi disappear down the departure lane with your work clothes is considerably less so.

What Are the Core Problems This Incident Reveals?

Jin's story raises several important questions about what autonomous vehicle customer service should look like as this technology becomes more mainstream. The trunk-opens-automatically feature is critical to the entire passenger experience. If that feature fails, there is no human driver to notice the problem, no one to offer assistance, and no one who can be flagged down in the parking lane. The car simply leaves. That gap between what the technology is supposed to do and what happens when it does not do it is something Waymo will need to address more seriously as its ridership grows.

• Technology Failure: The automatic trunk release feature did not work as designed, leaving the passenger with no way to retrieve belongings before the vehicle departed.
• No Human Intervention: Unlike a traditional taxi with a driver, there is no person present to notice a malfunction, alert the passenger, or prevent the vehicle from leaving with items still inside.
• Customer Service Response: Waymo's resolution options, telling a customer to either pay for return shipping or spend two-plus hours on a round trip to retrieve their own property, created poor optics regardless of what the terms of service technically allow.

The resolution options Waymo offered also deserve scrutiny. Telling a customer to either pay for their own return shipping or spend two-plus hours on a round trip to retrieve something that left without their consent is a tough sell, especially when the customer is arguing that a malfunction caused the problem in the first place. Whether or not Waymo's terms of service technically cover them, the optics are rough.

What Does Waymo's Policy Actually Say?

Waymo's lost and found page spells things out plainly, and not entirely in the customer's favor. According to the company's own website, Waymo "is not responsible for items left behind in the vehicle after your trip ends" and does not provide refunds or reimbursement for lost items. Recovered belongings can be picked up at the Waymo depot seven days a week between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. .

The site also explains that the trunk can be opened by pressing the release button on the car itself or by tapping "open trunk" in the app. It even notes that the trunk should open automatically when a passenger exits at their destination. That last detail is exactly what Jin says did not happen. He maintains the trunk never opened on its own when he got out, and the release button did not respond when he pressed it. In his mind, this was not a case of forgotten luggage. It was a malfunction.

How Should Passengers Protect Themselves?

For riders, the takeaway is practical and important. Before you close that door, open the app and verify the trunk is accessible. Do not assume it will pop automatically. And if something does go wrong, document everything immediately, because the path to resolution runs squarely through customer service channels that, at least for Jin, have not exactly been a five-star experience.

• Verify Trunk Access: Before exiting the vehicle, use the app to confirm the trunk can be opened and test the physical release button to ensure it responds.
• Document Everything: Take photos or video of your belongings in the trunk and note the exact time and location if any issue occurs, as this documentation will be critical for customer service claims.
• Retrieve Items Immediately: Do not assume the vehicle will wait or that you can retrieve items later; remove all belongings before the car departs the pickup location.
• Understand the Policy: Know that Waymo's terms of service state the company is not responsible for items left behind, and recovery may require you to travel to a depot or pay for shipping.

What Comes Next for Waymo and the Robotaxi Industry?

Jin reached out to NBC Bay Area after hitting a wall with Waymo's support team. As of the time of reporting, Waymo had not responded to the outlet's request for comment. Jin, for his part, said he is genuinely a fan of autonomous driving technology and is not trying to be the guy who torpedoes the whole robotaxi industry over one bad experience. He just wants his stuff back, and he wants someone to acknowledge that the trunk button not working is a problem worth taking seriously.

That seems like a pretty reasonable ask. The future of transportation is supposed to be smarter, smoother, and more convenient than what came before it. A suitcase held hostage by a software glitch is a reminder that the gap between the promise and the reality still has some work to do. As robotaxis expand to more cities and airports, customer service protocols and technical safeguards will become just as important as the autonomous driving technology itself. Without them, early adopters may find that the convenience of driverless transportation comes with unexpected costs and frustrations.