HOLIDAYMAKERS are being advised to be on their guard when booking airport parking.
The advice came from Solihull Council following a number of cases involving ‘scam’ airport parking businesses.
The victims in these cases had paid for a ‘meet and greet’ service with the promise of parking at a ‘secure’ facility, however the Council say the truth of the matter was very different.
Customers returning from holiday found their cars covered in mud after they had been parked in fields, on residential streets or even incurred parking tickets after the cars had been abandoned in pub car parks, say the Council.
When booking airport parking, the Council’s Trading Standards team is advising residents to take the following simple steps to ensure that they don’t fall foul of a scam operator:
* Choose a reputable company – use one of the main car parking companies whose name is recognised.
* Visit the official airport website – all of the websites for the major UK airports have links to airport approved car parking sites.
* Check that the car parking company is a member of one of the car parking trade associations – the International Parking Community and the British Parking Association. If something does go wrong they may be able to assist.
* Pre-book any car parking well in advance. It will provide more choice and allow comparison of all parking options.
* Put valuables away – even when using secure car parking, it is important to make sure any temptation isn’t in view.
If people think that they may have fallen victim to an airport parking scam, they should call the Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 03454 040506.
