Taxi Driver Online

Have read a few articles like this before, and wouldn't have thought it was that unusual.

But it's the official response that gets me, particularly from Sussex Police


I’M FUMING My £20k Mercedes was used as an airport taxi while I was on holiday – it travelled almost 100 miles and was caked in mud

https://www.thesun.co.uk/motors/2031405 ... miles-mud/


All images: Brian Wilson/The Sun

A DRIVER was stunned to discover his Mercedes had travelled almost 100 miles while he was on holiday in Italy.

Brian Wilson left his black E-class at Gatwick Airport before jetting off on a eight-day break to Puglia with his wife.

He forked out £59.53 for Skylink's meet and greet service, which he found on comparison site Compare Parking Deals.

But he couldn't believe his eyes when he landed back in the UK to find there were an extra 97 miles on the clock.

The £20,000 car was also "caked in mud" on the outside, there were dirty boot prints on the inside, and three of the seats had been adjusted.



Brian, from near Bath, Somerset, said: "It had clearly been used as an airport taxi service."

The retiree flew to southern Italy on October 9 and returned home on October 17.

He had no idea that as he enjoyed delicious pasta in the autumn sun, his vehicle, which he had only bought second hand a month earlier, was making trips around Sussex.

When he left it at Gatwick, the car had 832.2 miles on the trip counter and had done 73,610 overall.

But when he collected it, the milometer said it had done a total of 73,707, with 929.1 on the clock.

The exterior and interior of the car, which sells for up to £20,000, were also "filthy".

Brian said: "The car was so dirty and the inner wheel arches were caked in mud.

"Marks were dragged over and deposited on the sill and the door.

"It was obvious there were two passengers in the car as the footwells were grubby and had boot marks.

"Plus, the front passenger's side seat had been altered to suit someone who is larger than my wife."

Brian, a keen croquet player, continued: "Where did they drive and for what purpose? There might be speeding or other claims during this time.

"My vehicle was used without valid insurance and clearly taken without permission.

"I want someone to explain where my car went and how it racked up 97 miles.

"My radio settings were also altered."

Despite making repeated complaints, Brian heard nothing from Skylink until the firm was contacted by The Sun.

Thankfully, Compare Parking Deals offered him a refund.

A spokesperson said: "We are really sorry on behalf of the operator and as a customer goodwill gesture we have refunded the full amount paid to us."

Skylink did not provide a comment, but someone from the customer service team later told Brian: "I would request you to please send us the mileage screenshot before and after collecting it from the representative as this will help us to investigate in your matter and come up with the conclusion as soon as possible."

Sussex Police advised he contact Trading Standards, consider using review sites before booking, and provide polite feedback.

I've got similar carpet-style floor mats in my Passat, and they're in very good nick, particularly for a car that's been used as a taxi for 150,000 miles

But only because I've got another two layers of rubber mats on top of them

So, as the photos demonstrate, I can't understand why cars are supplied with mats like that. They're filthy even with very light use (that's presumably just one run's worth in the photos) so you need to have them covered up all the time, so what's the point of having them in the first place?

They'd look nice for a car of the age and mileage if I sold the motor, but what's the point if the new owner would have to cover them up again?

Anyway:


Goodwill gesture? Simply refunding the parking fee? That's just taking the pish


So presumably car was stolen, effectively (taking without owner's consent, or whatever), and thus uninsured etc. Yet Sussex Police seems to think it's the owner's fault for not reading a 'review site' before booking?

But as long as he provides feedback on such sites, then it's all OK. And as long as it's 'polite' feedback

The reason these firms are so cheap is that they don't have their own parking the drivers take them and park them in a street somewhere near their home and I suspect in this case it might be a farm yard or field somewhere. As for the mileage did he expect the parking to be within a mile or so of the terminal ?

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But a round trip of nearly 100 miles?

And with a car-full?

I mean, if he's paid £60 for the parking then even staff time involved in parking it 50 miles away and bringing it back to Gatwick would eat up a huge chunk of the fee.

They may park the cars a reasonable distance from the airport, but I doubt it's a round trip of nearly 100 miles.

driver probably used it during the week I have seen these drivers overtaking me on the ramp up to LHR T5 at nearly 70 MPH they do abuse the cars which is why I would personally never use one of these firms

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That would be an interesting one in court. The driver voluntarily gave them the keys for them to take the car away.

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Indeed, but it depends precisely what the car was used for, and whether the driver had lawful authority to use the car for that purpose. So it would depend on the contractual terms, written or implied, presumably. But seems doubtful that the owner would consent to the car being used for anything other than driving to the relevant parking area.

Anyway, I'm sure Sussex might be able to clarify things, since he seems to be a bit of an expert on the criminal law, and never seems to be away from Gatwick

But found this article below from last year about a meet and greet parking service at Heathrow. It doesn't directly address the taking without owner's consent aspect, but interesting that it mentions what Edders was saying about parking a long way from the locus, and also parking in unauthorised places. There's even a mention of cars parked in a muddy field

Also, I suppose to a degree it depends on the terms of the contract, but presumably it's reasonable to expect that a service like this *won't* be parking your car 50 miles away from the locus and bringing it back there when the owner wants to retrieve it

‘Meet and greet’ parking company owner jailed

https://harrowonline.org/2021/04/23/mee ... er-jailed/

The owner of a Heathrow-based ‘meet and greet’ parking company that earned an estimated £500,000 while falsely claiming to offer its customers secure airport parking has been jailed for eight months.

Muhammad Tahir Zaman, aged 40, owner of now-defunct Connect Parking Limited of Wenlock Road, London, first came to the attention of Hillingdon Council in April 2017 after more than 100 of his customers’ vehicles were found in ‘pay and display’ car parks in Brandville Road and Fairfield Road, West Drayton during the Easter bank holiday weekend.

The matter resulted in a year-long multi-agency investigation, code-named Operation Buzzard, led by local Trading Standards officers and assisted by the National Trading Standards (NTS) Tri Regional Investigations Team.

During the investigation, officers found evidence that Connect Parking Limited routinely used at least two insecure locations to store customers’ vehicles, including a car park behind an adult entertainment club on the A4 in Colnbrook, Berkshire, and a muddy field in Iver, Buckinghamshire.

At the Iver site, officers found paperwork with customers’ names and personal details left in vehicles. At the time of the council’s inspection, the site was unmanned.

None of the locations found to be used by Connect Parking Limited provided the secure parking promised on the company’s website.

The council also received allegations that the company used on-street parking bays and hotel car parks.

There were other reports of vehicles clocking up excessive mileage while in the care of Connect Parking Limited, with some owners returning to find their cars had travelled 300 miles.

Appearing at Isleworth Crown Court for sentencing on Friday 9 April, Zaman was jailed for eight months for three offences of fraud by false representation and three breaches of consumer protection laws. He had pleaded guilty to all six offences at an earlier hearing.

The offences covered the period from Friday 18 September 2015 to Friday 17 November 2017.

Zaman was also disqualified from being a company director for four years.

As well as prosecuting Zaman, Hillingdon Council launched a complex probe into his finances in a bid to recover his ill-gotten gains, estimated to be around half-a-million pounds over 26 months.

However, during a confiscation hearing at Isleworth Crown Court ahead of his sentencing, Zaman revealed that he had been declared bankrupt.

As a result, the council was unable to confiscate any earnings or recover any costs (the council was awarded £1).

Cllr John Riley, Hillingdon Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Safety and Transport, said: “I can only imagine how shocked Muhammad Tahir Zaman’s customers must have been to learn that their vehicles, which they’d entrusted to him in good faith, had been parked in a field, behind a nightclub or in a public car park while they were away on holiday.

“He abused his customers’ trust in the most brazen way, while making a great deal of money, and so it’s only right he should face the full force of the law.”

Andrew Clooney, Chair of the NTS Tri Regional Investigation Team, said: “This investigation provides another excellent example of the value of partnership working between local authority Trading Standards services and regional assets such as the Regional Investigation Team.

“Our Officers were able to provide significant additional investigational assistance to Hillingdon Trading Standards service in order to allow the full facts of this complicated case to be presented and considered in court.”

This one's about Manc Airport, and is from last year. Sounds very similar to the article at top of thread, and police up there look like they're taking it a lot more seriously


Meet and greet parking scam uncovered near Manchester Airport

https://www.knutsfordguardian.co.uk/new ... r-airport/

DRIVERS are being warned to be vigilant when handing over their car keys as they jet off on holiday.

Some travellers have returned to discover their vehicles had been driven miles away.

Police are urging motorists to be on their guard following reports of fraudulent meet and greet parking companies operating near to Manchester Airport.

Over the past month, officers have received six separate reports of incidents relating to a number of meet and greet parking companies.

The companies involved are allegedly based in Cheshire and none of them are officially affiliated with the airport.

The majority of the reports have involved travellers who have returned from their holiday to find that their vehicles have travelled hundreds of miles while they were away.

On one occasion, a woman returned from her holiday to find police had seized her car after it was driven without insurance.

In another case the owner returned to find their car had been driven to Northamptonshire, when they believed it was being stored securely at a local car park.

Police Constable Jaspreet Kaur, of Macclesfield Local Policing Unit, said: “We are looking into these reports and our enquiries are ongoing. We are working closely with the local Trading Standards team to establish the full circumstances of what has happened.

“I’d urge anyone who has had a similar experience in Cheshire to get in touch.

“I’d also urge motorists using meet and greet services to remain cautious, check company reviews and make sure they only use reputable companies.

“It’s important that you read the full terms and conditions before signing any contracts and take a photograph of your current mileage before handing over your vehicle.”

A spokesperson for Manchester Airport said: “We are disappointed to hear that certain unscrupulous third-party parking operators are misleading customers in this way.

"These providers are in no way connected to Manchester Airport and we would always recommend customers do their research into a company before handing their keys over.

“As well as Manchester Airport’s own parking products, there are a number of reputable providers in the area and we encourage customers to use initiatives such as Park Mark and the government-backed Buy with Confidence scheme to find one that has undergone a series of detailed checks and is committed to trading fairly.

“We will continue to support the police and our neighbouring councils’ trading standards teams in doing all we can to raise awareness and tackle this issue.”

Anyone with any information in relation to the incidents, or anyone who believes that they may have been a victim, is asked to call Cheshire police on 101 or visit http://www.cheshire.police.uk/ro/report

charging for car parking is a very lucrative business so no wonder the less scrupulous see it as an easy route to riches

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maybe this is the place but that wouldn't account for the mileage

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how do i get on it?

asking for a fr............no sod him, asking for me

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Edders, I'd imagine there are quite a lot of muddy fields involved in this business. This is another one from the Sun earlier this year, about Manc Airport. Note police say it's a civil matter.

Which seems fair enough - it's just a bad service rather than being any evidence of the cars being used for an improper or unauthorised purpose, and it could be that the business had gone belly up, leaving people in the lurch. (Although I suppose it's arguable there may be an element of fraud, as per the article above where the organiser was jailed.)

Edit: Can't be bothered changing the article now, but a longer version of this on Cheshire Live says another motorist "has been told by police they believe the issue may have arisen from a dispute between the parking firm and the landowner."

Sounds about right - maybe the landowner locked the gates, so the parking firm couldn't get the cars back out. Sounds like quite a few dodgy characters involved in this kind of thing. Thankfully I never fly anywhere


FIELD DAY I‘m furious after I shelled out on airport parking and they dumped my car in a muddy FIELD… I thought it had been stolen

https://www.thesun.co.uk/motors/1826307 ... car-field/


Image: MEN Media/The Sun

HOLIDAYMAKERS who left their car with a meet and greet airport parking service returned to find them abandoned in a muddy field.

Many cannot even access their vehicle because they are blocked in the bog by the other 400 dumped motors.

They also cannot locate their keys and did not know where their car was because the phone number for collection went straight to voicemail when they get off their flight.

The unofficial parking service collected the cars and keys when travellers arrived at Manchester Airport, then drove to the field two miles away in Styal, Ches.

Megan Kelly, 20, who returned from Milan this week, said: "It was a massive, muddy field.


Image: MEN Media/The Sun

"But it wasn't the sort of place you'd expect or want your car being parked."

She took a spare key after eventually tracking the field down yesterday but police said it is unclear when she will be able to drive out because she is blocked in.

The student added: "I'm obviously relieved we found it and that it's there. But I think the police are being pretty unhelpful.

"I just want it out. I've no idea how long it's going to go on for.

"I won't be able to drive back to university and I'll be relying on lifts and public transport for now which is really frustrating.

"Someone also has my key which is pretty worrying."

Another traveller, 42, from Cheshire, added: "I'm very very angry. These people have my address, my car keys and yet I feel like I have no protection."

It is understood the issue is a civil matter, rather than criminal, because the drivers willingly handed over their keys.

Jacob Williamson, 30, also struggled to find his car when he arrived back frim Brussels with his partner yesterday.

His partner's dad drover 30 miles from West Yorkshire with a spare key, only to find the field gated shut.

They eventually tailgated someone in, found the car on the end on the row, and waited half an hour before tailgating someone out.

Jacob said: "I'm just relieved we managed to get ours but it was hard work.

"If your car is locked in a field and you can't get it, it's a pretty big deal for people and need sorting quickly."

Manchester Airport said it is not linked to the parking firm, adding: "We are disappointed to hear that certain unscrupulous third-party parking operators are misleading customers in this way."

Cheshire Police is investigating.


Image: MEN Media/The Sun

Another one a few months ago in the Sun. This one is a bit like the article at the top of the thread. The car's obviously been used for an unauthorised purpose, but police here dismissing it as a civil matter. But someone quoted in the piece says it's 'taking without owner's consent'.

I'd imagine it's a bit like the taxi bilking stuff - police sometimes trying to dismiss it as a civil matter because they don't want to get involved, essentially, rather than the strict legal position


WRONG STAY I used a meet and greet parking service and my car was TRASHED – people are divided on what I should do

https://www.thesun.co.uk/motors/1883628 ... r-trashed/

HOLIDAYS are supposed to be a time for relaxation, but it can all go wrong if you pick the wrong airport parking firm.

That's exactly what happened to one Reddit user, who waited for an age for their car to come back, only to find it trashed.

Reddit user msquared786 said: "I used a company to park my car at Heathrow Airport whilst I went on holiday for 2 weeks.

"When I returned from my holiday I realised my car had been abused, I noticed the following things:

"1. Car had over 200 miles left on the range, it was returned with 32 miles left on the range.

"2. My children's car seats that were affixed to the back seats were taken out and put into the boot of the car.

"3. My car phone holder had been ripped out and chucked on the floor along with my sunglasses that were also removed from their case.

"4. A used lighter was left in the drinks holder, I don't smoke.

"5. Car was generally dirtier inside and out."

But it wasn't just the state of their car that was testing patience.

They continued: "To top this off when they were delivering the car back to me, they were 1.5 hours late and didn't deliver to the designated spot in the airport car park.

"Instead, they called and said it was "too busy" to deliver the car there and instead they were leaving it 2 floors below where I was and the guy who was delivering it, couldn't meet me as he needed the loo so was leaving the keys on top of the tyre!

"They clearly did this to avoid me.

After finding the car in such a state, it was time to investigate.

"I've called the police and explained that my car was used without my knowledge and could have been used for crime, they checked and luckily the number plate hasn't been picked up for any crime.

"They said they can't do anything further as it's a civil matter.

"I've called the company several times who have said a full investigation will be completed, however, I don't think anything will come of it as it seems the parent company have a history of doing this."

It goes to show that you need to be extremely careful when choosing who takes your car keys and parks your car while away.

The Reddit user went on: "When I booked the parking, I did it through a comparison website who showed positive reviews for the company that provided the service, its only when you dig further you realise the company aren't fit for purpose.

"Do I have any legal standing?"

People had differing opinions on what msquared786 should do in the comments.

HAZZ3R1 said: "Unfortunately you have very little recourse.

This is very common and they always get away with it as like the police said it's a civil matter not a criminal one.

Never trust these services, most airports have great shuttle services from car parks and then you can take your keys with you."

While powysbike said: "Of course it’s a criminal matter.

"Taking without the owner’s consent.

This was tightened up some years ago so that explicit consent is required nowadays rather than the old “he doesn’t know I’ve got it but he won’t mind” that used to work as a defence."