Couple 'scammed' with £170 charge for 'five-minute' Manchester Airport parking

A couple have alleged they were duped into paying £170 after parking at Manchester Airport for a mere "five minutes."

Paul and Pam Walsh, both 62, were instructed to pay the fee after dropping their daughter off at the Terminal 3 car park on Saturday, July 5, around 3.45am for her Ryanair flight to Malta. The pair, hailing from Widnes, confess they "totally forgot" to settle the parking fee upon returning home and succumbing to sleep.

Realising they hadn't paid within the stipulated time as per the car park regulations, they anticipated a penalty.

However, when they rang a number they found online, which they assumed was for the parking enforcement firm overseeing the car park rules, to explain their situation, they were informed they had to cough up £170 in fines.

The car park is under the ownership of APCOA, which has no record of any communication with the Walshes. It has verified that the parking charge for an unpaid visit to Manchester Airport drop-off is £100, reduced to £60 if settled within 14 days, reports the Liverpool Echo.

Manchester Airport's website also confirms that the penalty for failing to pay for parking in the drop-off or pick-up areas at the airport stands at £100, which can be lowered to £60 if paid within a fortnight. The website further mentions that signage around the car park has been increased to remind patrons to pay before the deadline, ensuring people don't overlook it.

Paul and Pam are keen to alert the public after they were taken in by what they now consider a scam. Paul recounted their experience to the ECHO: "We came back home after she [their daughter] was on her way and went back to bed, it was early in the morning."

He continued, explaining their oversight at the car park: "We forgot to pay for the parking, you used to have to pay on the way out and now you get up until midnight the next day, we totally forgot about it. It was an honest mistake."

The realisation dawned on Paul the following Thursday (July 10). He recalled: "I saw the Mersey Gateway Bridge and thought 'oh my god, we didn't pay for the airport parking.' Pam immediately called a number she found online [believed to be for APCOA] as we hadn’t received any reminder or prompt about the payment."

Pam shared her frustration: "I phoned up on Friday and a woman told me I'd have to pay £170 because we hadn't paid in the allotted time, I told her that it was ridiculous. I appreciate we haven't paid, but it was an honest mistake and we've phoned up immediately to pay it. We had no notification from the company to tell us to pay or anything."

She expressed her dismay at the steep penalty: "I don't mind paying a fine, we expected to pay a fine, but £170 is more than if we'd paid to park at the car park for a week, it's really not fair. We were there for no longer than five minutes and we've been scammed."

She expressed her frustration, saying: "It's totally unfair, I don't mind admitting we've done something wrong, I appreciate we didn't pay on time, it was a mistake, but that is just mean. It felt like a scam when I was on the phone and I didn't feel comfortable giving my credit card details over the phone to the company either, it didn't feel right, it worried me."

The couple are keen to alert other drivers about their experience before they use the car park. Paul stated: "We're at the time of year where everyone is going on their holidays, we worry about people who can't afford £170 getting stuck in this position.

"It wasn't as if we had no intention of paying for the parking, we simply forgot and phoned up as soon as we remembered. People can't afford that kind of money, it's more than the flight to Malta was. It's not fair, it's easily forgotten."

A representative for APCOA responded: "The telephone number that the customer called is not registered with APCOA and therefore the information provided was not given by us.

"It may be helpful for customers to know that we do not issue Parking Charges via text message, phone or email - genuine Parking Charges are only sent by post and contact information is provided within the letter in accordance with British Parking Association guidelines. The standard Parking Charge for an unpaid visit to Manchester Airport Drop Off is £100 reduced to £60 if paid within 14 days".

A spokesperson for Manchester Airport explained: "Our new barrier-less pick-up and drop off areas are reducing congestion around the airport by making sure that people no longer have to wait to exit the areas, which previously could cause traffic to back up."

They added: "The feedback we've had from passengers tells us the new barrier-less system has made the airport experience more seamless and they're pleased that they no longer have to wait to leave the pick-up and drop-off areas. That means people aren't ending up having to pay more than they should as a result of waiting at the barriers."

Furthermore, the spokesperson mentioned: "The vast majority of passengers do remember to pay before the deadline but we want to make sure that people don't forget so we've increased the signage around the areas to make sure nobody misses it."