Airport parking firm CRASHED my £9K car while I went on holiday… then told me to get a TAXI home
- EXCLUSIVE: Student Grace Flaherty was left with £9,000 to her VW Polo
- A4 Parking informed her of the accident but ‘have not been helpful at all’
A student’s holiday was ruined after an airport parking firm crashed her car while she was getting ready to jet off.
Grace Flaherty was about to board a flight from Dublin to Bristol when the airport meet-and-greet service manager phoned her to say that her vehicle had been involved in an accident.
After being told the damage to her £9,000 VW Polo was ‘repairable’, Grace, 19, was left gobsmacked at the sight of the mangled wreck – a total write-off.
She has now been left £16,000 out of pocket, combined with the loss of her beloved first vehicle.
Student Grace Flaherty (pictured) says her holiday was ruined and she has been left £16,000 out of pocket after she left her car with an airport car parking company and staff crashed it
Grace, who is from Porthcawl, south Wales, was forced to spend £210 on a hotel after landing in Bristol on April 30 due to the accident
Grace booked a two-day meet and greet parking service with a company called Park & Go for £45
She estimates that in total, combined with the loss of her VW Polo, and other extras, and needing to buy a new car, which cost around £7,000
Speaking to MailOnline, Grace said: ‘I cried when I saw the state my car was in because even I could tell that it was not repairable.
‘This was my first car, I loved it and I used it a lot to get to college and back. Given my age, if anyone should have written it off, it should have been me.
‘When I got the call from the car parking company, they didn’t even seem bothered about how I would get home and just told me to get a taxi.
‘Since then, they have not been helpful at all. All they’ve done is pass the buck but all I want is the money for my car and all the extras I’ve spent, which I can’t afford.’
Grace booked a two-day meet and greet parking service with a company called Park & Go for £45 and had travelled to Dublin for a weekend break with her boyfriend Dylan.
But the phone call she received telling her about the accident was from another company called A4 Parking.
They informed her that the accident took place when her car was being driven by an employee from a company called VIP Parking.
She added: ‘The whole thing is very confusing. I just don’t understand who was responsible for my car and why was somebody from a company I had nothing to do with driving it?
‘The whole car parking industry at airports seems to be a mess and people should be aware that the company they are paying is not necessarily the company that will be looking after their car and that’s very dangerous.’
Grace received the phone call telling her about the accident from Mark Dexter, the manager of A4 Parking who confirmed to her in writing that it was caused as a driver named Alvis Lutikovs, who was fully insured, was taking it to the company’s office in preparation to meet her a few hours later.
Mr Dexter confirmed to MailOnline that A4 is one of the parking companies used by Park & Go and that even though they were responsible for Grace’s car while she was away in Dublin, they are not responsible for the accident.
He said: ‘The reason why Alvis was driving it is that our company and VIP Parking share the same compound and office. Even though we are separate companies we work together. Our staff often drive their cars and vice versa.
‘Alvis is currently in Latvia and had to go there soon after the accident. I only got involved because he’s not in the country. I’m just a third party in all this. This accident has got nothing to do with me.’
Speaking to MailOnline, Grace said: ‘I cried when I saw the state my car was in because even I could tell that it was not repairable’
Park & Go said in a statement: ‘Park and Go does not park, transport or store any vehicles at any airport’
Referring to Park & Go, who Grace actually booked her meet and greet service with, he said: ‘They are just a broker. People book through them, but it doesn’t mean they are the ones actually responsible for keeping and parking the cars. All customers are provided with this information when they book but they don’t actually read any of it.
‘I can understand why Grace and other people are confused with how the car parking industry works. It’s not a simple system.’
Grace, who is from Porthcawl, south Wales, was forced to spend £210 on a hotel after landing in Bristol on April 30.
The following morning, she took a taxi to her home, which cost £130.
She estimates that in total, combined with the loss of her VW Polo, and other extras, and needing to buy a new car, which cost around £7,000, the accident has cost her close to £16,000.
She is due to start studying Media Studies at Swansea University later this year.
Mr Dexter revealed that her car was involved in an accident with a van from Bristol Water.
He said: ‘It was very slippery on the bend and that’s where the accident happened. Their driver initially told us that she was travelling too fast and admitted liability. But then a few days later she changed her mind and is now blaming us.
‘The matter is now in the hands of the insurance company and that’s what has delayed things. I’d love it if things could be settled quickly, and Grace get the money she feels she’s owed. As soon as I get any information, I always pass it on to her and her family.’
Park & Go said in a statement: ‘Park and Go does not park, transport or store any vehicles at any airport, we only facilitate the online booking part of the process. Responsibility for the vehicle lies with the car park booked by the customer, in this case A4 Parking.
‘Unfortunately, in this case the aforementioned customer’s vehicle was involved in an accident involving a driver from another company that A4 Parking works with and Bristol Water. Once the customer made us aware that there had been an accident and requested assistance from us we immediately began liaising with A4 Parking to ensure the issue had been dealt with. They have assured us that the matter is now with the insurance companies and is being processed.’
With millions of people around Britain set to use airport car parking companies this summer, Grace warned: ‘A lot of us will be using these companies at this time of year but we need to take a lot of care. You just don’t know who you are leaving your car with and who will be driving it. I’ll never use one of these companies ever again and will just get public transport to the airport.’
A spokesman for VIP Parking said: ‘Mr Lutikovs is not in the country at this time, but he did not cause this accident.’
Bristol Water has been contacted for comment.
Source: Read Full Article