A BMW owner who left her car with an airport parking service had to have it towed home after returning from holiday to find it “undriveable”.
Gemma Powell and her husband had just gotten off an 11-hour flight from Las Vegas, during which their luggage had been damaged.
But things went from bad to worse when they arrived at their BMW X1 and discovered it was “completely utterly undriveable”.
The couple had trusted a parking service called Holiday Extras to leave their beloved motor in Heathrow’s multi-storey.
Gemma, 39, a catering manager from Gloucester, told The Sun: “I thought it would just be taken to the car park, but then I found out it had been driven off-site and when I got back to it, it was completely and utterly undrivable.
“They broke the suspension coil springs and the tie bar, which indicated they aggressively hit a curb or hit a pothole.
“You could see where the car had physically dropped over the wheel on the passenger side.
“It sounded like crunching when I put my foot on the accelerator, I asked them what had happened and they told me there was nothing wrong with it, they took no responsibility even though there was clearly something severely wrong with it.
“The mechanic said there’s no other way the tie bar could have broken the way it did unless there was some sort of impact with the wheel.
“It’s around £700 to fix. The day before we paid £150 for a new tyre, and the damage was done to that one. So we’re abut £850 down.
“We had to be towed back to Gloucester, it was traumatic.”
The couple were forced to maneuver the damaged vehicle out of the car park – but not before being charged an extra £3.50 to get their ticket re-validated.
“They also told us they would charge us £7.50 an hour if we left the car there, because we told them it was undriveable,” Gemma added.
“I had to drive it which probably caused more damage, it made a lot of noise and smelled like burning rubber. We were on the fourth story as well.
“We also got fined by the airport £80 for driving though terminal two drop-off, even though that is where the tow truck was. It’s been horrific.
“Even Heathrow don’t want them there, they’ve told me they’re a tyrant to their business.”
It’s just been an absolute nightmare. They just don’t care
Gemma Powell
Gemma claimed Holiday Extras denied causing any damage.
“They’ve told me the damage isn’t covered in their terms and conditions – nothing is covered in the terms and conditions,” she claimed.
“You would never leave your car with them if you read the T&Cs. But you don’t get them when you book it.
“I have contacted the police, Heathrow told me to, but they said it is a civil suit so I have to contact the Citizens Advice Bureau.”
The 39-year-old is now faced with the bill as her insurance company have told them they will lose their no claims.
“We will have to pay our excess, and it’s very unlikely the company will pay out because it’s very difficult to prove,” she said.
“It’s just been an absolute nightmare. It’s been a long-winded process. I’ve never experienced something like this in my life. The dishonesty. Telling me I delivered the car like that.
“They just don’t care. The BMW is a car my husband has wanted for years.
“We’ve paid a lot of money for it, for someone to abuse it and then say ‘never-mind’.
“It’s a luxury car for us, we take care of it.”
A Heathrow spokesperson said: “Heathrow only promotes official Heathrow parking which is bookable via the Heathrow.com website.
“We do not endorse any other operators, but under competition regulations we do have to allow them to operate, and if any incidents occur with a third party operator we would always advise customers to contact their chosen operator directly.
“We would also advise them to register a complaint with their local Trading Standards if the complaint is serious as they can then investigate.”
After being contacted by The Sun, Holiday Extras took responsibility for the damage.
A spokesperson for Holiday Extras said: “Holiday Extras takes claims of this nature extremely seriously, and as soon as Ms. Powell raised her claim we immediately initiated an investigation with the airport car park she booked with us to make sure her complaint was resolved quickly and effectively.
“While Holiday Extras and our partners are not liable for mechanical faults that may develop with our customers’ cars, because this occurred while the vehicle was in our care, we have agreed as a gesture of goodwill to refund her booking in full and reimburse the cost of repairs to her vehicle.”
Robert Johnson is a UK-based business writer specializing in finance and entrepreneurship. With an eye for market trends and a keen interest in the corporate world, he offers readers valuable insights into business developments.
