PARK OFF
I was fined over £600 for parking at airport car park for 50 minutes – I can’t be a one-off case
The airport said the charge was caused by a 'technical error'
A DRIVER has been left stunned after he was charged £638 for a 50-minute stay at an airport pick up.
James Flack was hit with the jaw-dropping amount after parking his Peugeot in the Terminal One short-term car park at Manchester Airport while collecting his family.
4
4
James, from Huddersfield, said: "I parked at Manchester Airport Terminal One for 50 minutes from approximately 12.35pm to 1.25pm on May 15.
"It is an ANPR system, no tickets, no receipt, zero paper trail other than my bank statement.
"The charge should have been £12 on exiting the car park.
"I couldn't clearly see the digital display on the exit gate pay machine, due the height, angle and sun glare on it.
Read more Motor News
"But I thought 'well I know it is £12' and inserted my card and PIN and left when the gate opened.
"I thought I had paid £12 then I checked my bank statement the next day and saw the damage.
"I rang the bank because it said pending transaction.
"They said that unfortunately because I had authorised the payment with my PIN they could not stop it as it was a legal contractual agreement to pay the amount.
Most read in Motors
"They could do nothing about it and urged me to contact the airport.
"I tried to call the airport several times and it is impossible to get through on the automated system.
UK airport opens brand new gaming zone for passengers - with F1 racing simulator and escape rooms
"It referred me to their website with a complaint form to fill in, which I did immediately.
"I received an automated reply saying do not reply your reference number is this - someone will get back to you. Then I waited for two weeks.
"I went to the airport on a Wednesday and the transaction was pending on Thursday and went through on Friday.
"It is a lot of money to be out of pocket and is quite a random amount.
"How many other people has this happened to - I can't be a one-off case. It was a short-term multi-storey car park near arrivals.
"I just drove in was asked if I had booked a place, explained I was only there for an hour and was directed to the second level and it is all ANPR."
James has now had his cash refunded after receiving an email from the airport explaining how the charge was a "technical error".
A Manchester Airport spokesman said: "We apologise to Mr Flack for the inconvenience caused by this technical error and have refunded him in full.
"We can reassure customers that issues of this nature are extremely rare and whenever they are brought to our attention we rectify them immediately."
Brit holidaymakers warned of HUGE bills as 'rogue meet & greet' firms at major UK airport park motors in wrong spot
By Jacob Jaffa
BRIT holidaymakers have been warned of the risk of huge bills thanks to "rogue meet and greet" firms parking cars in the wrong place at a major UK airport.
Drivers have faced charges of up to £100 thanks to shady unregulated companies posing as reputable parking services.
Gatwick Airport is one of the nation's busiest and best, but the site has been targeted by a crop of unscrupulous parking businesses.
One driver claimed last year that he had to make his way home in a taxi after one such firm allegedly lost his Mercedes.
Another claimed that her motor had been taken on a 200-mile joyride while she was overseas.
Now, West Sussex Trading Standards have teamed up with the county's police to urge travellers to take care when booking airport parking to avoid being ripped off.
The agency explained that it receives regular reports from customers who have had bad experiences with the services, but airport bosses say there's nothing they can do.
Customers have reported issues including their vehicles being dumped in short-stay car parks while they are on holiday, leaving them facing a £100 penalty notice when they return.
In a statement the Airport said: "Our customer feedback team attempted to contact Mr Flack a number of times including on the day he submitted his complaint.
"Due to a typo in the email address he submitted ('hotmil' rather than 'hotmail') it is possible that these messages did not reach him.
"We have processed a full refund of the £638 he paid and as a goodwill gesture this includes the £12 parking charge that was due."
James added: "I filled in the complaint form twice - in one day.
"I noticed I had made an error with my email the first time so did it again and double-checked it was correct."
It is not the first time such an error has happened at Manchester Airport.
In January 2023 a woman from Cheshire was charged £580 for a 20-minute drop-off at Terminal One instead of £6.
Read More on The Sun
In that case an email sent by the airport suggested the error might have been caused by the parking system not having a record of the driver leaving the car park following an earlier visit on December 23 meaning she was charged for ten days parking.
Following an investigation the airport apologised and issued a refund to the woman and they would "review their systems to prevent a recurrence of the problem".
4
4
Topics