Car finance - missing car

jones_guitar

I'm waiting for someone now, who was meant to meet me by 11am. They could arrive at 3pm, meanwhile I'm clocking up £4 p/h parking charges. Just how it is. I give up after a while :-)

TripleH

SIL and her husband 'lost' their car once. Went all over the airport carpark looking for it but to no avail.

Went to the security / help desk where the guy rolled his eyes and told them it was on the ground floor where they parked it (the only floor they didn't look on because they were adamant they hadn't parked it there).

Might the van be on a different floor?

Puddles1983

jones_guitar said:

I found it. Yes, I didn't know what carpark. Seems strange, but not if you run a business in central London. Those issues are common.

Having lived and driven in central London for over 20 years, I can confirm that they really aren’t.

superbigal

Hope OP does not have any kids

Grumpy_chap

jones_guitar said:

I found it. Yes, I didn't know what carpark. Seems strange, but not if you run a business in central London. Those issues are common.

jones_guitar said:

I'm waiting for someone now, who was meant to meet me by 11am. They could arrive at 3pm, meanwhile I'm clocking up £4 p/h parking charges. Just how it is. I give up after a while :-)

It is good that you found your vehicle (which is now a car again and no longer a van) and it is just in the carpark where you parked it - presumably where the CCTV showed it entering also.

Not sure why you need to wait for someone at 3 o'clock.  If it is in a car park, why not just pay the parking charges for the past 3 days or so the car has been in the car park and drive home?  Far cheaper and easier than the hassle of a theft claim.

Don't forget to update the Police and your insurer that the car is not stolen after all; you don't want to be stopped when the car flags ANPR alerts all over the place which it will, especially central London where the place is flooded with cameras of one kind or another.  Don't forget to pay your congestion charge and ULEZ (if applicable) when you get home.

Caz3121

jones_guitar said:

I found it. Yes, I didn't know what carpark. Seems strange, but not if you run a business in central London. Those issues are common.

there are some apps you can use https://uk.pcmag.com/news-analysis/88858/how-to-use-a-smartphone-app-to-find-your-car

elsien

Caz3121 said:

jones_guitar said:

I found it. Yes, I didn't know what carpark. Seems strange, but not if you run a business in central London. Those issues are common.

there are some apps you can use https://uk.pcmag.com/news-analysis/88858/how-to-use-a-smartphone-app-to-find-your-car

Will make a note of that - I've lost mine a few times. Although the last time was when I drove into town, automatically walked home, and the next day stood scratching my head in the street outside my house convinced that my car had been stolen. 

jones_guitar

The issues are that bad in Central London, why do you think some trades charge £600 a day? And believe me, some do!!! I never worked outside of zone 1 now. It isn't worth it for me.

MalMonroe

I have really enjoyed this thread, thank you. I'm glad all is well and sorted out and hope it didn't cost you too much in the end.

I have visited London many times and admire anyone who drives and parks anywhere there. I wouldn't drive into London if you paid me. My last boss was very wealthy and he drove in London and was caught up in a congestion fee fiasco once. He really thought that because he was a millionaire that he'd be let off the fine and charges(!) A great believer in 'money talks'. We wrote many letters about that back and forth, but he had to cough up the fees and fines in the end. (They had increased during the time he'd been arguing about them). Lesson learned, he always got on a train after that!

I'd rather just drive to my local station, park there and then get on a train. London's expensive enough without adding on parking fees and fines and potentially losing one's vehicle.

jones_guitar

Glad you enjoyed the thread. People didn't believe me when I said I lost my van, it was in a car park I wouldn't have expected it to be.