‘I paid for parking service at the airport and came back to thousands in damage’
I found my chauffered car crashed and keys left outside
Vince Aufiero and his wife had enjoyed a surprise getaway to Naples, Italy, to celebrate Vince’s 30th birthday. However, their dream vacation quickly turned sour when they arrived back at Gatwick Airport.
The couple had paid for a chauffeured car service, but upon their return, they discovered serious issues with the service they had entrusted their vehicle to. After waiting for over an hour in the car park, they finally located their car, only to find a large dent and multiple scratches on the paintwork. To make matters worse, the car keys had been carelessly left on top of the wheel, easily accessible to anyone passing by.
Mr Aufiero is now demanding a refund and an apology from My Parking Limited, the company responsible for the car service. Unfortunately, this is not the first time the company has faced such complaints. My Parking Limited has been bombarded with negative reviews online, with customers accusing them of putting hundreds of miles on their cars and labelling them as “rogue firms” by Gatwick Airport.
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Expressing his disbelief, Mr Aufiero said: “I can’t believe a company like that in Gatwick Airport is trading, it blows my mind.”
He described the damage to his car, saying: “When my wife saw the damage she said ‘Oh my god!’ Part of the bumper was hanging off. It was all scuffed. It was like they’d hit a brick wall.”
The couple’s suspicions were initially raised when they were unable to reach the company before their scheduled meeting. Eventually, they managed to make contact and drove to the designated spot at the top of a multi-storey car park.
Mr Aufiero said: “As soon as we got there, alarm bells were ringing. There was a little plastic chair sat in the car park with a guy in a grey tracksuit with his hood up, and a sleeveless high viz jacket on, sat in it.
“He asked for £5 to get out of the car park, and that was that. He didn’t show us anything at all in terms of ID.”
Three days later, when the couple returned to the same car park, they texted the company to inform them of their arrival. However, there was no one waiting for them, and they noticed other customers looking confused and lost.
Mr Aufiero described the scene, saying: “Someone on our flight was standing by their car, making a call. Their keys had been left on the back wheel to collect.
“I phoned them about half an hour into us waiting, and they said all of our drivers on our way. Another half an hour went past and no one was there. I called back and they asked me to give them the registration number. They then said, ‘The driver has been waiting there for two hours for you’.”
After searching the car park, the couple eventually found their vehicle, damaged and easily accessible due to the careless placement of the key. Mr Aufiero promptly sent photos and videos of the damage to My Parking Limited and made several phone calls. However, he has only been advised to wait 21 days for a proper response.
He claims the company has caused “thousands of pounds worth of damage to our car that is worth over £30,000 and was in immaculate condition before.” My Parking Limited has a rating of 1.1 stars from more than 300 online reviews, with numerous customers sharing their negative experiences.
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A spokesperson for Gatwick Airport told the Mirror it has “no relationship with these rogue ‘meet and greet’ parking companies, even though many of them have ‘Gatwick’ in their company name.”
“Legally rogue firms can operate on the airport as long as they do not break our by-laws.”
They went on to urge passengers to “be vigilant when booking through third-party operators”, and check for the following:
- Positive reviews on Trustpilot, or other reputable review sites
- Full, clear contact details – not just a mobile phone number – on the company’s website
- Companies House Number, VAT Number and registered company address on their website
- British Parking Association’s Park Mark accreditation for all the operator’s storage sites
- Trading Standards’ Buy With Confidence accreditation
The Mirror reports My Parking Limited has not responded to multiple requests for comment.
This article was crafted with the help of AI tools, which speed up Express.co.uk’s editorial research. A news editor reviewed this content before it was published. You can report any errors to [email protected].
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