Airport car parking - parked in wrong car park!

danped

Hi,
I went on holiday 2 weeks ago, I booked through a travel agent and they booked my airport parking at Manchester airport. The booking was for a 'jet park' which is off site parking, a 10 minute free bus ride away. I made an honest mistake and parked in the long stay car park which is on site, when I parked I received a token and the car park has a number plate recognition system so I mistakenly assumed everything was fine.

When I returned and tried to exit I put my token in and it said I had to pay £185. I pushed the button to speak to someone and explained I had paid they told me I was booked in for a different park (the jet park). I realised my error but didnt have any means to pay on me and so they gave me an invoice to be paid in 7 days and let me exit. They also said a lot of people are making this mistake.

Obviously I don't want to pay for parking again, and from my point of view I made an honest mistake, it would have been little inconvenience for me to park 10 a ten minute bus journey away. However I am upset that Manchester airport knew I had booked a car parking space, they knew I had arrived at the car park and entered the wrong one yet their system chose to not tell me this until I had incurred 2 weeks of parking charges.

Can anyone offer any advice to avoid the charge or what happened with themselves in a similar situation?

Thanks,
Dan

System

Sadly although it's an honest mistake you will have to pay the £185. It's not the airports responsibility to ensure you are parking in the right car park.

Is annoying I agree. I suppose you could just ignore the invoice but I suspect that will end badly!

zax47

Can no-one take responsibility for themselves anymore? Why is it always someone elses' fault.

Jet Park is a separate private company operating parking near (not on) airports around the country. http://www.jetparks.co.uk/jetparks.nsf

However I am upset that Manchester airport knew I had booked a car parking space, they knew I had arrived at the car park and entered the wrong one yet their system chose to not tell me this until I had incurred 2 weeks of parking charges.

Manchester Airport staff wouldn't know you had made a Jet Park booking, it doesn't work like that. You went in the on-site airport car park and made use of it for 2 weeks, ergo you pay the fee. Try chasing Jet Park for a refund of anything you pre-paid them if you didn't actually use them.

"Honest" or not, YOU made the mistake, not them. Life's a !!!!!, you won't make that mistake again, will you, so you've learned something.

soolin

How on earth did Manchester airport 'know' you had booked in the wrong car park?

the car parks take your reg when you enter and again when you leave to calculate the stay length and also, I have always assumed, in case of people leaving without paying. There isn't someone sitting at a terminal checking your number plates against other car parks on site.

Unfortunately I think you are stuck with this bill.

danped

Hi - Thanks for the reply.

Is there nothing to be said for the fact that they knew I was parking in the wrong car park but chose not to tell me. As a minimum its poor service; legally I had a contract to park. When I parked somewhere else given that they were aware I was parking somewhere else and they accepted that by giving me a token and not letting me know then that this would incur further charges is this not a valid alteration to the contract that they accepted?

Tigsteroonie

On the contrary, I'd say that by accepting the token and leaving your car in *that* car park you have entered into a separate contract with the owners of that car park (the airport) to pay what would be due. Presumably there were signs around to explain what the charges were for parking in that particular car park.

Again, how would the airport car park know - at the time of entry - that you were booked elsewhere? They probably have a fair number of "on spec" parkers with whom they have no prior arrangement.

GwylimT

How exactly did they know you were in the wrong car park until you attempted to leave?

danped

Manchester airport knew because:

When I had prepaid for parking with my registration, they logged my registration as I parked so as an entity they had all the information to hand to know I was parking in a different car park.

I'm not denying my mistake or my responsibility but the employee told me loads of people do this, and there is no signage for jetpark parking at the airport, no notice to let you know there is alternative long term parking. Also as previously stated they were well aware my reservation was not for this car park (indeed it was them who told me this as I tried to exit) but chose not to tell me. If jetpark are a different company how did they know that's where my booking was with?

GwylimT

danped wrote: »

Manchester airport knew because:

When I had prepaid for parking with my registration, they logged my registration as I parked so as an entity they had all the information to hand to know I was parking in a different car park.

I'm not denying my mistake or my responsibility but the employee told me loads of people do this, and there is no signage for jetpark parking at the airport, no notice to let you know there is alternative long term parking. Also as previously stated they were well aware my reservation was not for this car park (indeed it was them who told me this as I tried to exit) but chose not to tell me. If jetpark are a different company how did they know that's where my booking was with?

I'm sorry but you're wrong, the number plate recognition system on that particular car park would know which cars had pre-booked parking for that car park alongside a booking code/barcode. You had not pre-booked for that car park therefore your car would be treated as a pay as you park and the token you were given by the machine would reflect this. Of course they would know upon exist, because you weren't in their system and you didn't have any booking information so they know you have a bill to settle.

Looking on google maps the Jet park is clearly signed before the turn off to the car park and all along the road to the Jet car park, all of the other car parks are also very clearly sign posted.

meer53

Jetparks are nothing to do with Manchester Airport.

"Here at Jetparks.co.uk we offer you a cheap option for airport car parking at Manchester, East Midlands and London Stansted Airport. All JetParks car parks are located a short bus journey from the terminal building and offer the best value airport car parking.

danped

Thanks. The employee I spoke to clearly told me it was a jetpark booking I had. Perhaps he was making an assumption then rather than stating a fact. I can understand it in that case.