Stansted airport parking - forced to use Short Stay, and charged for Short Stay too - beware!!

Pluto1961

I drove to Stansted for a flight out and return only a day later, so headed for the Mid Stay car park. It was bollarded off with the sign "Car park closed Please use Short Stay Blue sorry for any inconvenience." You can probably see where this is going.

The next day when I returned, the machine ticket demand was for £120; £60 per day of Short Term fees. 

I complained; to about 5 different people. No joy of course - they've got you by the short and c's.Your car's locked away in the park and you have to pay to get out. 

The stock response was - "well if you'd booked online you'd have only paid mid stay rates, of £23.50 a day". 

Except nowhere does it say this. The signs clearly state that the Mid Stay is shut, but absolutely nowhere does it state that you'll have to pay Short Stay rates. The inference is "Mid stay closed, all mid stay customers use Short Stay Blue Car Park, mid stay rates apply", and nothing to disabuse you of that notion. 

Now I could understand if the signs said: "Mid Stay closed for Covid. Use Blue Stay. Book online to ensure you pay Mid stay rates, not Short stay rates". I would have immediately got on the phone, logged in and booked, and saved myself £75.

I had to pay the £120 for the 2 days.

Is there any chance of getting that £75 back, and is so, what's the best way? This isn't like avoiding a fine to be paid - I've paid already. Is this the sort of issue that you can only resolve through small claims court?

Does one have to go through the rigmarole of writing to Stansted to appeal; failing, and writing to some sort of Ombudsman; failing; and finally small claims? 

Many thanks if anyone can help. And best wishes all for health and safety. 

In the meantime, I sincerely hope I help someone else avoid overpaying at Stansted through what I see as such sharp practice that it's nothing less than extortion.

Kind regards,

Chris 

AdrianC

Pluto1961 said:

I drove to Stansted for a flight out and return only a day later, so headed for the Mid Stay car park. It was bollarded off with the sign "Car park closed Please use Short Stay Blue sorry for any inconvenience."
...
The signs clearly state that the Mid Stay is shut, but absolutely nowhere does it state that you'll have to pay Short Stay rates. The inference is "Mid stay closed, all mid stay customers use Short Stay Blue Car Park, mid stay rates apply"

Nowhere does it say that you will be able to pay mid-stay rates on an ad-hoc, unbooked visit. Your inference is not an inference, it's an assumption.

Stansted's website is clear that mid-stay is closed until later this month.
https://www.stanstedairport.com/parking/mid-stay/

Archive.org last archived it on April 20th - at which time it said that mid-stay would be closed until July.
https://web.archive.org/web/20210420144050/https://www.stanstedairport.com/parking/mid-stay/

On 22nd January and 2nd March, it simply said closed with no reopening date given.
https://web.archive.org/web/20210122124429/https://www.stanstedairport.com/parking/mid-stay/
https://web.archive.org/web/20210302030115/https://www.stanstedairport.com/parking/mid-stay/

user1977

Pluto1961 said:

The signs clearly state that the Mid Stay is shut, but absolutely nowhere does it state that you'll have to pay Short Stay rates. The inference is "Mid stay closed, all mid stay customers use Short Stay Blue Car Park, mid stay rates apply", and nothing to disabuse you of that notion. 

Didn't the short stay car park have its usual signage up? I think the inference, while perhaps understandable, is just yours and you ought to have checked first that it was accurate.

Steve182

I find this new norm of needing to book 3 weeks/months/years in advance to get a fair price VS just turn up and get fleeced so infuriating.

So far as I remember it was Ryanair who first started this awful practice 20 or so years ago. Now they are all up to it

I long for the return of those days when you can just drive into a car park, go to a rail station, a car rental company or a hotel and be offered a fair, competitive rate....

CKhalvashi

Unfortunately you agreed to pay the short stay blue rates.

These are designed for drop off/pick up, as is (I think) the free mid stay parking.

My preferred airline flies from Luton and when their mid stay was shut (only used for pick up/drop off) I was shepherded into the short stay car park. You had to use a specific part of it and take some other steps (wasn't driving and it was last year so can't remember exactly), but we weren't caught by that again on my return the same evening.

I paid him on the way back (and I wasn't paying, the company was, so didn't really care), but IIRC it was an extra £5 charge.