airport valet parking
Discussion
So having booked my "valet" experience to save me the effort of parking myself/getting bus to and from terminal.. what was I to expect?
Despite the daft location on paperwork where it informs you that you need to call them 20mins before getting to airport, i did see it and manage to do this and was told my valetman would be waiting.
So I get to Gatwick and with current security it's of course far from easy to park right outside as instructed and hang around, nonetheless I do this and after 5 mins and being moved along twice I call them to ask what other pressing engagement he had at 8am on a sunday, "oh, he's on his way" I'm told, ok, so shall I just leave the car here then, outside the terminal with engine running?
No, he's on the way..
He eventually turns up, but not before i could easily have parked myself..
So, on way back & keen to avoid similar at 5am today.. We get off plane, ignore their "make sure you have collected bags" and call them immediately, "thank you" they say.." now proceed outside and car will be waiting"
35 mins & 3 calls later still no car, he eventually turns up and tells me I owe them £2.50 for an "early morning" service and I could read this on paperwork.
I swiftly reminded what a shower of s
t I thought their service was and would rather self harm myself than pay them anymore money.
rant over.
Despite the daft location on paperwork where it informs you that you need to call them 20mins before getting to airport, i did see it and manage to do this and was told my valetman would be waiting.
So I get to Gatwick and with current security it's of course far from easy to park right outside as instructed and hang around, nonetheless I do this and after 5 mins and being moved along twice I call them to ask what other pressing engagement he had at 8am on a sunday, "oh, he's on his way" I'm told, ok, so shall I just leave the car here then, outside the terminal with engine running?
No, he's on the way..
He eventually turns up, but not before i could easily have parked myself..
So, on way back & keen to avoid similar at 5am today.. We get off plane, ignore their "make sure you have collected bags" and call them immediately, "thank you" they say.." now proceed outside and car will be waiting"
35 mins & 3 calls later still no car, he eventually turns up and tells me I owe them £2.50 for an "early morning" service and I could read this on paperwork.
I swiftly reminded what a shower of s
t I thought their service was and would rather self harm myself than pay them anymore money.rant over.
Edited by CraigW on Monday 15th November 16:26
CraigW said:
So having booked my "valet" experience to save me the effort of parking myself/getting bus to and from terminal.. what was I to expect?
Despite the daft location on paperwork where it informs you that you need to call them 20mins before getting to airport, i did see it and manage to do this and was told my valetman would be waiting.
So I get to Gatwick and with current security it's of course far from easy to park right outside as instructed and hang around, nonetheless I do this and after 5 mins and being moved along twice I call them to ask what other pressing engagement he had at 8am on a sunday, "oh, he's on his way" I'm told, ok, so shall I just leave the car here then, outside the terminal with engine running?
No, he's on the way..
He eventually turns up, but not before i could easily have parked myself..
So, on way back & keen to avoid similar at 5am today.. We get off plane, ignore their "make sure you have collected bags" and call them immediately, "thank you" they say.." now proceed outside and car will be waiting"
35 mins & 3 calls later still no car, he eventually turns up and tells me I owe them £2.50 for an "early morning" service and I could read this on paperwork.
I swiftly reminded what a shower of st I thought their service was and would rather self harm myself than pay them anymore money.
rant over.
Check your mileage, and the dsahboard for holes where the meter went.Despite the daft location on paperwork where it informs you that you need to call them 20mins before getting to airport, i did see it and manage to do this and was told my valetman would be waiting.
So I get to Gatwick and with current security it's of course far from easy to park right outside as instructed and hang around, nonetheless I do this and after 5 mins and being moved along twice I call them to ask what other pressing engagement he had at 8am on a sunday, "oh, he's on his way" I'm told, ok, so shall I just leave the car here then, outside the terminal with engine running?
No, he's on the way..
He eventually turns up, but not before i could easily have parked myself..
So, on way back & keen to avoid similar at 5am today.. We get off plane, ignore their "make sure you have collected bags" and call them immediately, "thank you" they say.." now proceed outside and car will be waiting"
35 mins & 3 calls later still no car, he eventually turns up and tells me I owe them £2.50 for an "early morning" service and I could read this on paperwork.
I swiftly reminded what a shower of s
t I thought their service was and would rather self harm myself than pay them anymore money.rant over.
Edited by CraigW on Monday 15th November 16:26
CraigW said:
So having booked my "valet" experience to save me the effort of parking myself/getting bus to and from terminal.. what was I to expect?
Despite the daft location on paperwork where it informs you that you need to call them 20mins before getting to airport, i did see it and manage to do this and was told my valetman would be waiting.
So I get to Gatwick and with current security it's of course far from easy to park right outside as instructed and hang around, nonetheless I do this and after 5 mins and being moved along twice I call them to ask what other pressing engagement he had at 8am on a sunday, "oh, he's on his way" I'm told, ok, so shall I just leave the car here then, outside the terminal with engine running?
No, he's on the way..
He eventually turns up, but not before i could easily have parked myself..
So, on way back & keen to avoid similar at 5am today.. We get off plane, ignore their "make sure you have collected bags" and call them immediately, "thank you" they say.." now proceed outside and car will be waiting"
35 mins & 3 calls later still no car, he eventually turns up and tells me I owe them £2.50 for an "early morning" service and I could read this on paperwork.
I swiftly reminded what a shower of st I thought their service was and would rather self harm myself than pay them anymore money.
rant over.
Despite the daft location on paperwork where it informs you that you need to call them 20mins before getting to airport, i did see it and manage to do this and was told my valetman would be waiting.
So I get to Gatwick and with current security it's of course far from easy to park right outside as instructed and hang around, nonetheless I do this and after 5 mins and being moved along twice I call them to ask what other pressing engagement he had at 8am on a sunday, "oh, he's on his way" I'm told, ok, so shall I just leave the car here then, outside the terminal with engine running?
No, he's on the way..
He eventually turns up, but not before i could easily have parked myself..
So, on way back & keen to avoid similar at 5am today.. We get off plane, ignore their "make sure you have collected bags" and call them immediately, "thank you" they say.." now proceed outside and car will be waiting"
35 mins & 3 calls later still no car, he eventually turns up and tells me I owe them £2.50 for an "early morning" service and I could read this on paperwork.
I swiftly reminded what a shower of s
t I thought their service was and would rather self harm myself than pay them anymore money.rant over.
Edited by CraigW on Monday 15th November 16:26
I rather naively did this at Heathrow a week past Friday and had a similar experience.
The instructions on where to leave the car were unclear and it was very difficult to make contact with 'my driver' to ascertain exactly where in a four storey car park I was to leave my car. Given that I was already pushed for time, it would have been much easier just to park the thing myself. Anyway, valet person duly identified, I confirmed who I was and the details of the valet, rather reluctantly handed him the key to my POJ and walked off to the terminal, leaving him to do as he pleased with my car.
What happened to it over the course of the weekend shall always remain a mystery, but it came back with 15 miles added to the odo and 1/8th of the tank drained; fuel consumption 13.2mpg… I can only assume that it did a few laps of their ‘secure car park’ (probably on the lockstops) before being abandoned too close to someone else’s POJ.
In a similar vain, I called before I took off on the Monday and then again as I landed, but yet still had to wait twenty mins for the driver to arrive, noting that he’d made himself nice and comfy by altering all the controls and even setting his seat preferences into the memory.
As he bid me ‘good day thankyouplease’ with an outstretched hand, I reminded him that the exorbitant parking fee had rendered me somewhat bereft of spare cash. The cheeky ****.
All in all, a rather dissatisfying valet parking experience.
As I've said on other threads about this subject I see where and how the valet bods park the cars.
If I had say, just for argument's sake you understand, a lovely brand spankers Pork 911 GT3, I'd be really overjoyed to have it parked on the end of a row in the multi storey with traffic circulating on two sides. Oh yes, just where I'd choose to park it myself.... not.
It amazes me what they park and where and how.
Valet parking sir? You'll have to prise my keys out of my cold dead hand first.
If I had say, just for argument's sake you understand, a lovely brand spankers Pork 911 GT3, I'd be really overjoyed to have it parked on the end of a row in the multi storey with traffic circulating on two sides. Oh yes, just where I'd choose to park it myself.... not.
It amazes me what they park and where and how.
Valet parking sir? You'll have to prise my keys out of my cold dead hand first.
F i F said:
Valet parking sir? You'll have to prise my keys out of my cold dead hand first.
PRECISELY my thoughts. My P&J may only be a tatty old 944, but it'll be a cold day in hell before I give the keys to it to some dodgy guy who will supposedly 'look after it'.
My P&J may be a £50 utter snotter, but the same will apply.
Oli.
I've just found this valet parking scam...simply unbelievable!
http://www.holidayhypermarket.co.uk/blog/index.php...
http://www.holidayhypermarket.co.uk/blog/index.php...
bernies said:
I've just found this valet parking scam...simply unbelievable!
http://www.holidayhypermarket.co.uk/blog/index.php...
>shudder<http://www.holidayhypermarket.co.uk/blog/index.php...
bernies said:
I've just found this valet parking scam...simply unbelievable!
http://www.holidayhypermarket.co.uk/blog/index.php...
http://www.holidayhypermarket.co.uk/blog/index.php...
4sure said:
bernies said:
I've just found this valet parking scam...simply unbelievable!
http://www.holidayhypermarket.co.uk/blog/index.php...
http://www.holidayhypermarket.co.uk/blog/index.php...
We stayed in Ostend for one night and were asked by the hotel reception to leave the car keys with the "in case we need to move it".
I informed them that as the car was parked against the end wall of the car park, they would not need to move it. The receptionist got quite shirty until I told her, "Look, it's a TVR, you won't even be able to get in it, let alone start it; unless I tell you how, and I'm not going to do that; so the keys are staying in my pocket".
At that she reluctantly agreed with me.
I informed them that as the car was parked against the end wall of the car park, they would not need to move it. The receptionist got quite shirty until I told her, "Look, it's a TVR, you won't even be able to get in it, let alone start it; unless I tell you how, and I'm not going to do that; so the keys are staying in my pocket".
At that she reluctantly agreed with me.
I've never understood the reason why anyone would use 'valet' parking. It usually only saves 5-10mins and costs much, much more and opens the door to serious abuse of your car by people who don't really care as long as they get their cash at the end of the day.
People,in such a rush, then spend at least 30-45mins doing nothing sitting in the airport terminal anyway - utterly pointless.
People,in such a rush, then spend at least 30-45mins doing nothing sitting in the airport terminal anyway - utterly pointless.
K50 DEL said:
I used Purple Parking's valet service at LHR T5 last month and they were exactly where they were supposed to be, when they were supposed to be there. I'd use the service again for sure.
Used them at Birmingham a couple of years ago. Everything went well expect the damage to the car on return whihc was immediately idenfied to them. Purple Parking's first T&C states that 'we are only responsible for damage if it is caused when we are driving your car not when it is parked even though we are responsible for parking it'. Purple Parking immediately claimed the damage happended when the car was parked so not their responibility. These companies can and do park their cars anywhere (see well known TV documentary on the subject). So my 12 month old Merc needed a dent in its side reparing at my cost. Beware!!!!4sure said:
bernies said:
I've just found this valet parking scam...simply unbelievable!
http://www.holidayhypermarket.co.uk/blog/index.php...
http://www.holidayhypermarket.co.uk/blog/index.php...
I suppose it's efficient, isn't it, the car would only be sat around doing nothing for a week.
Gassing Station | Holidays & Travel | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff