Airport Secure parking - NOT

[balls-out]

Near my workplace these is an unused bit of road. Its been empty until a few weeks ago, when suddendly it filled with parked cars. Now up to 10 cars parked 24/7. Ihave thought it odd, but its just one of those things.

Walking into work at 6:30 this morning, I finally twigged as a driver got out of the car and into a van with **** Secure airport parking on the side. I've looked at their website:

"One of our experienced uniformed drivers will meet you and take your car and park it securely for the duration of your trip leaving you to head straight for departures" and "24-hour CCTV monitoring Regular patrols,Security parking"

So it could be the owner chooses to park his own fleet of cars there - although he's an odd man to have so many non-descript cars (seat, Focus and Aging volvo amounst other at the moment). Maybe he charges a reduced rate to leave cars on a bit of unused road by an office park.

Its nothing to do with me and I don't know anything for sure, but I can't help thinking he is ripping off all the people who think there cars are safely stored in a CCTV compound?

[funkyrobot]

Wow. Would be interesting to know if people are paying x amount of money for 'secure' parking and their cars are being dumped near your work.

[Trif]

I expect the local council should be interested to know too.

[parabolica]

There was an article/thread not so long ago about some airport car parking company using some abandoned field in the middle of no where as their "secure parking facility"; pictures of some decent metal just dumped in the middle of a muddy, boggy field with not so much as a gate to make it "secure".

[AWRacing]

It is because of things like this that I prefer to pay a little more to park and keep my keys at airports

[funkyrobot]

AWRacing said:

It is because of things like this that I prefer to pay a little more to park and keep my keys at airports

Yes, me too.

I don't trust anyone enough to leave them with my keys. My car is nothing special, but it has much more value to me than some idiot looning it around a car park or leaving it on an industrial estate.

[garycat]

The Crack Fox said:

I'm sure watchdog or someone busted one if these outfits a while ago.

Which airport are you near, OP?

Yes I remember this - I think it was Heathrow and the cars were being "abandoned" around the housing estates of Hayes/Southall.

[Spare tyre]

book your car in and then take it back with the keys, see what happens

[DervVW]

Spare tyre said:

book your car in and then take it back with the keys, see what happens

This would be cool

[funkyrobot]

Just Google 'airport secure parking scam'. Returns some links like the below:

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greate...

http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2007/feb/27/travelne...

[Spare tyre]

DervVW said:

This would be cool

although i guess they would report it stolen when they couldnt find it, then you'd be in a whole heap of bother!

[t1grm]

Did this company fall from the sky?

[DervVW]

doogz said:

Spare tyre said:

although i guess they would report it stolen when they couldnt find it, then you'd be in a whole heap of bother!

Why would he be in bother? He didn't steal it, it's his.

Not sure i'd want to try it out but as the legal owner and registered keeper of a car i'm not the sure they could be in much trouble?

[Zod]

I used valet parking a few times, until the time I gave them my M3 CSL. We arrived to pick it up on our return and the bloke said, "they're just bringing it round now." I told him I knew they were because I'd heard the engine revving before I spoke to him and it was revving still as we spoke.

Now I pre-book the short-stay. It's rarely as expensive as a black cab each way.