Don’t be put off recommending meet-and-greet’, says BCP
The UK’s biggest airport car park operator, BCP Airport Parking, has urged agents not to be swayed by bad publicity about meet-and-greet services, as highlighted by last night’s BBC’s Watchdog programme.
The TV show investigated viewers’ complaints about a now-defunct company offering meet-and-greet services at Gatwick.
One complainant found out his car was parked on a trading estate while he was on holiday, rather than in the secure parking compound he had been led to believe he had paid to leave it in.
Another returned home from her holiday to find her car had been involved in an accident while she was away.
Watchdog researchers did their own test, placing a hidden tracking device in a Vauxhall Astra that they dropped off at Gatwick.
The camera showed the car was parked in a secure compound for only two of the five days it had been booked in for. On other days, it had been left by the side of a busy road or in a nearby supermarket car park. On one occasion it had been driven at a high speed of 106 mph.
The company, Pink Meet and Greet, based at Gatwick, has since ceased trading.
BCP managing director Stephen Moss said: “We offer ‘meet and greet’ at many locations and we are proud of our reputation for providing a quality service, with fully insured drivers and for behaving responsibly towards our clients’ vehicles.
“We are always concerned when we hear stories of other less reputable companies behaving irresponsibly and we would advise drivers to choose a long-established company like BCP that has Safer Parking Scheme car parks within its networks and that works closely with airport authorities, including BAA and Manchester Airport, and is recommended by travel companies.”
by Lisa James
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