A visitor described his dismay at finding his vehicle damaged, having traveled 2,000 miles to Belfast, and having received a number of charges after leaving it with a Heathrow Airport meet-and-greet parking service.
When Ravi Joshi traveled from Heathrow to India for a month with his wife, two children, and his beloved BMW 5-series in December of last year, he left it with Universal Terminal Ltd.
But when his gray family saloon was returned to him in the airport car park 30 days later, the 42-year-old IT consultant from Rugby, Warwickshire, was shocked at the condition of the vehicle.
He had paid £18,000 for the automobile three years before, but it had been vandalized. The engine was destroyed, the hood was damaged, the headlight and indicator were shattered, the ABS brake system was wrecked.
Tickets discovered inside the car appeared to suggest that the BMW had traveled 2,400 miles while he was away, including a ferry trip to Northern Ireland.
His family’s vehicle then broke down while he was returning them home, and it has now been written off owing to severe body and engine damage.
Moreover, since his vehicle was seen on video parking illegally, Ravi has gotten multiple fixed penalty notice fees via the mail, adding insult to injury.
According to Ravi, he reported the incident to the police. The Metropolitan Police has opened an inquiry, according to Scotland Yard.
Ravi admitted to MailOnline that “this has taken a severe toll on me.” That has been an absolute agony. I’ve had dreams over it. At Airport, we waited for the vehicle for two hours while standing in the bitter cold.
I opted to drive home after reporting the damage to the police. But, the engine was damaged since the driver did not add coolant, and it could not go faster than 20 mph.
We had to spend the night in the Beconsfield Service Station because I was concerned for my family’s safety.
Then I had to arrange for a tow vehicle to return it to Rugby. But, the insurance provider informed me that due to the extensive damage, it was a write-off. I will now forfeit my eight-year no-claims bonus.
For 30 days of parking with Universal Terminal Ltd., which he reserved via Ezybook Airport Parking, Ravi paid £122.69.
That cost less than half as much as other meet-and-greet companies.
He said: “We were going away for such a long period that I was tempted to make a reservation with them since money was limited.” Yet as a result, my financial condition has become worse. I had to spend more than £300 for the rescue vehicle in addition to £120 for the accommodation. Now that I don’t have a vehicle, things are very tough, including running the kids to school.
I’ve attempted to get in touch with them, but their phone lines are unreachable, and it seems like the business has entered administration.
The BMW was tracked through Sussex, north London, west London, and even Cairnryan, Scotland, where it was placed onto the Stena Line ferry to Belfast during Ravi and his family’s 30-day stay in India.
Ravi is the most recent person to claim that after making a reservation using the pricing comparison website Ezybook Airport Parking, their cars have been stolen or damaged.
After paying £145 to Terminal Universal Ltd at London’s Heathrow Airport, many vacationers reportedly had their automobiles stolen last month.
Customers left their automobiles with the meet-and-greet company, but many never received their cars back.
According to reports, several of the vehicles were discovered in a field some 15 miles from the airport.
Several victims allege they used Ezybook to make their valet service reservations.
After returning from a family vacation, one motorist discovered that his new Mercedes had new tires and that part of the engine had been changed.
The $18,000 vehicle had an additional 240 miles on the odometer and was similarly covered in black paint.
»Visitor describes his dismay at finding his vehicle damaged«