The repair cost quoted by insurers was £15,800 (Image: Ioan Williams)
A holidaymaker’s car was “written off” after being left with the Meet and Greet service at . Ioan Williams, who embarked on a trip to with his children Ela and Sion on August 9, entrusted his white to the airport’s Meet and Greet service, stating it “didn’t have a scratch on it”.
However, upon their return a week later, he was informed of an incident. Expecting a minor issue, he was shocked to find the side wheel at an abnormal angle. The repair quoted by insurers was £15,800 – effectively writing off the vehicle. While both the airport and his own insurers are cooperating over the matter, Ioan is frustrated that he has received neither an apology nor compensation offer.
Ioan, hailing from near Caernarfon, recounted: “I left the car with them on August 9. This is the official meet and greet and Terminal 2 and camera goes around your car before you get in to the car park to assess if any previous damage.
“My car didn’t even have as much as a scratch on it. I dropped my keys off inside the terminal where they give me a receipt for. We then went away on our holiday,”reports .
Ioan Williams’ car after it was left at Manchester Airport (Image: Ioan Williams)
They returned at 1am on August 16. The 44 year old continued: “I went to get some coffee while my friends which also parked there went before me. When I arrived at the pick up for meet and greet I saw my friends putting their luggage into their car. I went to scan my barcode to access my keys. But it said seek attention.”
Initially informed that there was a delay in bringing his car due to early arrivals, Ioan’s concerns escalated when a van with three men pulled up asking to speak with him outside.
Ioan recounted: “I instantly knew something was up and thought that my car had been stolen but he said one of ‘our drivers have kerbed your wheel’. I thought ‘oh god’ and said ‘I hope you’re going to paint it’.”
The situation worsened as he inspected the vehicle. “To which he replied ‘I think you need to have a look at it’. When we walked up to the car I noticed that the angle of the wheel wasn’t right and obviously been involved in a high impact and I stated this to him. He agreed and said that the driver has been dealt with but there weren’t any cameras in that area.”
With his car left undrivable, Ioan described the aftermath: “The car was obviously not drivable as something had snapped. They paid for a taxi home for us and I had to leave the car there. I wasn’t home until 5am.”
Sharing the update from his insurance company, he noted they “have been cooperating with me”.
The financial blow came hard for Ioan, who explained: “The cost of the repair came up to £15,800 to fix, making the car a write off. I loved that car, I bought it for myself for my 40th. Although I’ve been paid out for the car it’s not the point I didn’t want to get rid of it.”
Ending on a note of disappointment with Manchester Airport, he expressed his dissatisfaction: “Manchester Airport refunded the £149.99 I paid to park there. But I haven’t had an apology email/letter from them or an offer of compensation whatsoever. I’m there quite often but I’ll never use their meet and greet service again.”
Manchester Airport is liaising with the customer and their insurers are in communication with the customer’s insurance company. They refrained from commenting further on the specific case. They did mention that it was standard procedure to issue an apology once the situation has been fully resolved.