Car Park Company Driver Found to Have Used Holidaymaker’s Vehicle for Joyride

If you run a Car Park Company, don't take client's cars out for joyrides

Photo by CC user ProjectManhattan on Wikimedia Commons

A holidaymaker was dismayed to have found their vehicle, which they believed to have left in secure airport parking, had been used by a driver from the car park company. They found this after checking the footage from their dashboard camera. The incident has sparked outrage and has led to online airport parking provider Airport Parking renewing calls for people to only park with reputable, registered companies.

A British holidaymaker had left their brand new vehicle in what they believed was secure airport parking. Upon picking their vehicle up, however, they check the dash-cam footage and found that a driver from the parking company had took the vehicle on a joyride. In fact, the drive was high speed and incredibly dangerous.

The dash-cam footage recorded the driver doing around twice the speed limit. Additionally, it drove on a country lane and overtook three different people. The holidaymaker, however, had paid around £100 for the parking service while away on a holiday abroad.

UK based airport parking provider Airport Parking has renewed calls for people to be vigilant when booking their parking. A representative said: “People often find that airport parking is more expensive than they had anticipated, and they start looking for cheaper alternatives. While the internet is likely to show them many different options, it is vital to look not just for price, but also for proper registration. Every holiday season, we are confronted with new horror stories, including vehicles being left in muddy fields, cars being broken into, and, now, vehicles being taken on dangerous joyrides, after people used non-official airport parking providers.”

The holiday maker, however, believed that they had used a registered parking provider, and assumed that it was part of the airport. However, it turned out that the company was off site and that they had simply managed to build a very cleverly designed website. The service also seemed professional, with the vehicle being returned to the holidaymaker within ten minutes of him announcing that he had returned.

The vehicle was brand new and the holidaymaker had not yet had a chance to look at all its features. Hence, he decided to look at the dash-cam footage to see how it worked and what it recorded. This is when he discovered the vehicle had been used several times, and that it had been driven recklessly and dangerously.

The company in question has apologized personally to the holidaymaker and has offered a 50% discount, as well as a further 10% discount should he wish to use their service again. Additionally, the worker had been suspended immediately and, following investigation, their employment was terminated. Eventually, a mutually agreeable resolution was reached with the holiday maker.

The spokesperson for Airport Parking added:

“What this demonstrates is that the industry is really dangerous. This car parking provider has not been properly registered and is not associated with the airport in question. Yet it is impossible to prosecute them for anything, because they are operating within the law. They will have stated that one of their employees engaged in gross misconduct, which happens, and that they have taken appropriate action, which they have. However, for those who use their service, there is no guarantee that this won’t happen again.

We must stress how important it is to only use registered providers when it comes to airport parking. We only list those who have the proper registrations and insurances in place, and who are reputable for offering an excellent service. While it is certainly true that this may cost a little bit more, it also means that your car will remain in good condition, untouched.”

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