They admitted what they did was wrong
Paul and Pam Walsh, both 62, were hit with the fine(Image: Paul Walsh)
A couple claim they were scammed when allegedly told to pay £170 after parking at Manchester Airport for “five minutes.” Paul and Pam Walsh, both 62, were told to pay £170 after dropping their daughter at the Terminal 3 drop off car park on Saturday, July 5, at around 3.45am for her Ryanair flight to Malta. The couple, from Widnes, “hold their hands up” and admit they “totally forgot” to pay for the parking after returning home and falling asleep.
Aware they had not paid in the allotted time, as per the car park rules, they said they were expecting a fine.
However, when they phoned a number they found online, which they believed was for the parking enforcement company that manages the parking regulations at the car park, to disclose what happened they were told they must pay £170 in fines.
The car park is owned by APCOA which says has no record of the Walsh’s contacting them. It has confirmed the parking charge for an unpaid visit to Manchester Airport drop off is £100, reduced to £60 if paid within 14 days.
Manchester Airport‘s website also states the fine for not paying for parking in the drop-off or pick-up zones at the airport is £100, which can be reduced to £60 if paid within two weeks. It also says it has now increased the signage around the car park to remind customers to pay before the deadline, to make sure people don’t forget.
Paul and Pam want to warn others after falling victim to what they now believe has been a scam. Paul told 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.
They’d dropped their daughter at the Terminal 3 drop off car park on Saturday, July 5(Image: Paul Walsh)
“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.”
It was the following Thursday (July 10) when Paul remembered. He said “I saw the Mersey Gateway Bridge and thought ‘oh my god, we didn’t pay for the airport parking.’ Pam phoned a number she found online [believed to have been for APCOA] straight away, we’d had nothing to say we hadn’t paid, no reminder to pay or anything.”
Pam said: “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.
“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 added: “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 want to warn other motorists ahead of using the car park. Paul said: “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 like we had no intention of paying the parking either, we just forgot and as soon as we remembered we phoned up. 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.”
Manchester Airport Terminal 3 drop off car park(Image: Google)
A spokesperson for APCOA said: “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 Manchester Airport spokesperson: “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.
“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.
“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.”