A motorist has criticised Manchester Airport after his wife received a £100 penalty – despite their vehicle being registered for automatic payments at drop-off areas. Michael Joseph claimed the fine 'undermines the autopay system' after they were billed for taking their son to the airport last month.
The 52-year-old said his partner drove their son to the Terminal 2 pick-up zone on September 23. The family, from Salford, had previously set up autopay following 'a bad experience with parking at the airport'.
How autopay works at Manchester Airport
The scheme enables motorists to register their vehicle online with a payment card and be charged automatically for collections or drop-offs at the airport. If motorists haven't got autopay arranged, they must visit Manchester Airport's website – or telephone – to settle charges by midnight the day after visits. Failing to meet the payment deadline leads to a £100 Parking Charge Notice, reports the Manchester Evening News.
Michael and his family said they've utilised collection zones on numerous occasions since establishing their autopay account and have never encountered any problems. However on Monday (October 12), he said he received a parking penalty, with the airport stating a charge from September had remained unpaid. The airport maintains the reason for the charge is that the vehicle exceeded the 15-minute time limit.
Family's frustration over the fine
But Michael stated: "We got a ticket despite the fact that we are registered with this autopay. Their response when I got in touch with them about it was more or less them saying that the onus is still on us to pay and to make sure we're paying. It seems to completely defeat the whole objective."
"I mean, what person registers and then still checks? We've used autopay a few times and never had any issues. I even forwarded them a receipt of a previous time when I went and it worked."
"It's crazy stuff. People are obviously going in oblivious to knowing that the system sometimes works and sometimes doesn't work."
"Despite them saying that they've got the solution for the lazy people that don't bother to pay on the day and that all you need to do is register and then you've got the peace of mind. Well, no, you haven't."
"They've given no reason as to why it didn't work. They've given a standard response that's all automated. Their standard line is that the onus is on the user."
"So irrespective of whether or not you've taken advantage of the AutoPay system, at the end of the day, it's not worked and that is down to you."
"The customer ought to have that peace of mind that when they go in there, if they've got a registered account, they should not have to check their account."
"They should automatically assume that it will work. I don't know the law on this but I would have thought that if you register an account, the system should be safe enough to give you that peace of mind, and if it doesn't, which person would bother registering?"
Airport's response
The Manchester Evening News understands the penalty was imposed due to exceeding the time limit in the pick-up zone, which permits a maximum stay of 15 minutes. Penalties are issued on any vehicle that remains beyond the allowed duration in the pick-up zone.
A Manchester Airport spokesperson said: "The maximum stay in the Terminal 2 pick-up area is 15 minutes. This is an important rule that prevents misuse of our pick-up areas and helps make sure they do not become congested so they remain available for people that them.
"Drivers who have set up autopay will be automatically charged for time in the pick-up area up to 15 minutes. Beyond that drivers are eligible for an overstay charge. This is not taken via autopay in order to give drivers the opportunity to appeal should they feel a mistake has been made."
"The rules and regulations are clearly signposted on entry to the pick-up areas and in the pick-up areas themselves. They are also advertised on our website."
