‘Cheap’ parking at Stansted airport cost me hundreds of pounds

I have ended up hundreds of pounds out of pocket after paying £66 for a week’s parking at Stansted airport . I booked through the website compareairportparkings.co.uk for our car to be collected at the short-stay car park, parked off-site while we were away, and then returned to us at the short stay. On our arrival back in the UK, we were kept waiting for four hours before being told our car was ready for collection. It had evidently been in an accident, and I’ve since been quoted £4,000 for repairs to the smashed front. The short-stay car park had no record of the car ever having left, so I had a £477 parking ticket to pay on exit. Stansted staff reduced this to £250 when I explained. I later received a £100 charge notice from Stansted for breach of parking conditions. Compareairportparkings has refunded me the £66 booking fee and told me to take up the case with the operator, which is not responding to calls or emails. The police have said that it is a civil matter and not their problem. RGW, London Holidaymakers planning to drive to any UK airport should beware of alluring parking deals on price comparison websites. Some of these, which come top of a Google search and boast five-star reviews, may not be all they seem. Some reviewers report dirty or damaged vehicles, lost keys, unexpected fees and PCNs for parking or driving breaches. One reader’s car was lost by the “meet and greet” parking company he had booked to use. …