My £18k BMW was driven 2,000 miles, parked illegally and written off after I left it with Heathrow parking service
A HOLIDAYMAKER claims that his BMW was driven 2,000 miles, parked illegally, and written off after he left it with Heathrow parking service.
Ravi Joshi left his BMW 5 Series with the meet-and-greet parking firm Universal Terminal Ltd when he flew to India with his family to visit his sick mother in December 2022.
But when his BMW was returned to him at the airport car park 30 days later, the 42-year-old from Rugby was shocked to discover his car was in terrible conditions.
His £18,000 car was completely written off – the bonnet was dented, the headlight and indicator were smashed, and the ABS braking system was broken, and the engine was ruined.
And the man claims his car was driven 2,400 miles and had been taken to Northern Ireland by ferry.
Shockingly, when Ravi was going home from the airport, his car broke down.
Ravi claims that while he was on holiday, his car was captured on camera parking illegally.
And he has had to pay several fines.
Ravi Joshi said to the Daily Mail: “It’s been a total misery. It has given me nightmares.
“We were standing in the freezing cold for two hours waiting for the car at Heathrow.
“I reported the damage to the police and decided to drive home.
“But the engine was damaged because whoever had driven it did not put coolant in and it wouldn’t go over 20 miles an hour.
“I worried about the safety of my family, so I stopped at the Beaconsfield service station, where we had to spend the night.
“Then I had to organise a recovery truck to take it back to Rugby. But the insurance company has told me it’s a write-off because of all the damage.
“Now I’m going to lose my eight-year no-claims bonus.”
Ravi spent £122.60 to leave his car for 30 days with Universal Terminal Ltd – and he booked it through Ezybook Airport Parking.
He has tried to contact them several times but their telephone numbers don’t work and the company appears to have gone into administration.
Hundreds of travellers have been victims of these parking firms across the UK.
They usually promise drivers that their car will be parked in a secure area, but it ends up in a public parking space.
But, they also create havoc for the holidaymakers returning from their travels to find their vehicles have been driven for thousands of miles, damaged or even targeted for theft.
Clint Denni’s car disappeared after leaving it with a meet and greet company at Heathrow airport.
Insp Andrew Baker, from Cheshire Police, said to the Manchester Evening News newspaper: “When booking airport car parks, people often go for the cheapest option – but sometimes this isn’t the best choice.
“These companies claim to be secure car parks which are affiliated to the airport. In reality, the vehicles are often stored in insecure muddy fields.
“As a result, we have had reports of vehicles being damaged or even having parts stolen.
“In other cases, we’ve been contacted by people who’ve returned home to find their vehicles have been driven thousands of miles while they’ve been on holiday.”
The parking firm Universal Terminal Ltd has been contacted for comment.
Previously Ezybook told The Sun: “Ezybook does not take vehicles from customers but only acts as a booking agent for independent service providers advertising on our website.
“The client did not hand over the car to us.
“As per booking terms agreed at the time of booking, all complaints about car parking service are dealt with by the respective service provider.
“All service-related information, along with our liabilities, is available to customers before making a purchase.
“We already ended the contract with UNIVERSAL TERMINAL LTD in December. As they are not on our website and not taking any bookings from us.”