A couple said their car was in a ‘disgusting’ and ‘filthy’ state when they landed at Manchester Airport after a holiday.
Keith Moyles and Chandelle Watkinson left their BMW 435d Gran Coupe at the airport with a valet parking service before travelling to Italy to celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary. Keith, 58, had booked valet parking with Secure Airport Transfers Manchester through comparison site.
He said ‘everything looked legitimate’ regarding the service, which was not on the official list of parking options on the Manchester Airport website. However, they claimed that on their return to Manchester from Italy the car ‘looked like it had been driven on a building site’, the Liverpool Echo reports.
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Chandelle, 44, described how the £71.94-a-week car park was fine on arrival but problems started after they returned from their trip. The couple claimed that as well as the car being dirty, a pair of sunglasses had been taken and the car had been driven around 50 miles.
The couple reported the problems to the police. The manager of Secure Airport Transfers Manchester said there was no evidence the car had been driven anywhere other than the car park and that the mud could have been caused by Manchester’s wet weather.
Chandelle describes the service as: “The service was like valet parking. They gave us a number to call when we got home and arrived at Manchester Airport.
“When we got back to Manchester and were waiting for the bags I called the number. They said they would be on their way so we took the bags and went outside to wait.
“We waited for about 40 minutes before they came to drop off the car. When they finally brought it back it looked like it had been used on a building site.
“There was sand and cement in the driver’s footwell and the passenger side. I don’t know why there was someone on the passenger side of our car.”
Her husband Keith added: “I’m very obsessive about my car, I know exactly what the glovebox looks like when I leave it because everything has a place. When we got the car back, the clothes that are usually in the glovebox had been thrown onto the back seat.
“I opened it [the glove compartment] “I went up and saw it was empty, my partner’s designer sunglasses were in there that had gone missing. And, the car was definitely dirty. The mileage had gone up by 50 miles.”
But Mohammed Iqbal, director of Secure Airport Transfers Manchester, said there was no evidence the vehicle had travelled more than a few miles to the car park and customers had signed a waiver saying the company did not accept liability for valuables.
He also told the ECHO that the car had become dirty and the ground muddy due to the rainy weather in Manchester. When the couple, both from Claughton, Wirral, complained to Secure Airport Transfers Manchester, they claimed their excuse for the condition of the car was ‘raining in Manchester’.
Chandelle said: “That wasn’t all. My problem was the aftercare and attitude of these people, it was disgraceful.
“We waited outside the airport for over 40 minutes with all our luggage. The condition of the car was disgusting.
“When we complained they didn’t care, they just said they would change the windows and said ‘it’s raining in Manchester’. I’m so angry.
“I know things happen and go wrong but it’s just a matter of dealing with it. We’ll have to take the car to the valet and it’ll cost us.”
She added: “It took the shine off our holiday. I had booked a trip to Rome and the Amalfi Coast as a present for my husband for our 10th wedding anniversary.” Keith said: “He gave me a trip to Rome and my car got totaled. It was a lovely trip.”
Muhammed Iqbal said: “The customer left the car with us, and when he picked up the car he told the driver that his sunglasses were missing. When he returned the car he signed papers stating that we, as a company, do not take responsibility for valuables.
“He claimed he had driven 40 miles. However, one of our storage facilities is 1.5 miles from the airport and the other is 2.5 miles. I explained to the gentleman that our insurance policy only covers driving the cars up to three miles from the airport and it is illegal if we go outside that limit.
“So we can’t. There’s no evidence of fuel being used.
“I also explained that the tyres were muddy because it rains every day in Manchester and the ground is muddy. I offered him money to wash the car and change his sunglasses but he refused everything. He called the police and I spoke to them yesterday but the police were happy with what I said.”
A Greater Manchester Police spokesperson said: “We have received reports of a unauthorised taking/taking from a motor vehicle (TFMV/TWOC) and would ask anyone with information to contact 101 or the Crime Line.”
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