A holidaymaker who paid £66 for a week's parking at Stansted airport has ended up hundreds of pounds out of pocket after a meet-and-greet service went disastrously wrong. The customer booked through compareairportparkings.co.uk, expecting their car to be collected from the short-stay car park, parked off-site, and returned upon arrival. However, upon returning to the UK, they were kept waiting for four hours before being told their car was ready. The vehicle had evidently been in an accident, with a smashed front requiring £4,000 in repairs.
Hidden Fees and Unresponsive Companies
The short-stay car park had no record of the car ever leaving, resulting in a £477 parking ticket on exit, later reduced to £250 by Stansted staff. Subsequently, a £100 parking charge notice (PCN) arrived from Stansted for breach of parking conditions. Compareairportparkings refunded the £66 booking fee but directed the customer to the operator, which has not responded to calls or emails. The police declined to intervene, citing it as a civil matter.
Wider Industry Concerns
Holidaymakers are warned to be cautious of enticing parking deals on price comparison websites. Some companies, often operating under generic names, may be linked to the comparison sites themselves. Investigations by Which? revealed that unscrupulous outfits sometimes dump cars on roadsides or in unpaid official car parks. In this case, the booking involved multiple companies: Swift Meet and Greet, Airport Parking Deals, Travel Extra Deals (trading as compareairportparkings), Nation wide Parking, and Safe Meet and Greet, making it nearly impossible to identify the contractual party.
Stansted's Response
Stansted initially claimed it could not intervene due to the third-party contract. However, after further inquiry, it cancelled the £100 PCN as a goodwill gesture, reviewed ANPR footage, and concluded the car had tailgated through the exit barrier after drop-off and returned before the flight landed. The airport refunded the parking fee and issued a cease and desist letter to Safe Meet and Greet, which it says operated an unauthorised service. Essex trading standards declined to confirm an investigation, advising customers to report concerns to Citizens Advice.
Advice for Travellers
Travellers should book through official airport websites and check independent reviews. Despite the refund, the customer still faces repair costs and potential insurance premium increases. This case highlights the risks of third-party parking services and the importance of due diligence.
