Bosses of an airport car parking firm tried to dump a box filled with hundreds of holidaymakers' car keys before doing a runner after going bust, it emerged today.
Gatwick-based Pink Meet And Greet, which hit the headlines last week after staff allegedly took clients' cars for high speed joyrides, left the huge headache of reuniting cars with their unsuspecting owners to airport staff.
The firm ceased trading after its staff were exposed by BBC consumer show Watchdog for damaging cars and joyriding in them while they were supposed to be securely parked.
Many of the firms' customers were unaware of the chaos as they were on holiday overseas.
A Gatwick source said today: "Pink Meet And Greet went to BAA at Gatwick last Thursday night and basically said 'we are out of business thanks to you lot' and tried to dump a big box of keys with them so they could bugger off.
"BAA said 'actually, we don't want to have anything to do with this'.
"There is going to be a lot of chaos with people returning from holiday. There are hundreds of cars involved, it's a real headache.
"They aren't sure which keys go with each car. In fact, they don't even know where the cars were parked.
"The valet parkers were using peoples' cars to go for races down the street and leaving them in a residential area and a builder's yard in nearby Horsham.
"We don't know when holidaymakers will turn up; if people are on long haul holidays they might not be coming back for another three weeks and will have no idea what has happened to their cars."
Last night BAA were frantically trying to sort out the chaos.
Another car parking firm, NCP, was called in to help return the dumped cars to their rightful owners.
NCP spokesman Tim Cowen said: "We were asked if we could help out and of course we are delighted to do whatever we can in an emergency situation such as this.
"Legitimate operators such as ourselves work very closely with our clients BAA to ensure that the car parking operation runs smoothly."
Mr Cowan added: "Unlicensed operators like this give the whole industry a bad name."
A man answering Pink Meet And Greet's emergency phone line said: "We're already working in conjunction with the police and trading standards."
He added: "I don't work for the company. I'm just doing this as a favour."
The firm's website further confused customers by stating it had 'seized' [sic] trading.
A statement posted on its website read: "Pink Meet And Greet has seized trading sorry for any inconvenience caused.
"Any refunds needed due to this matter, pink will advise via our website, when advice has been seeked."
A Surrey police spokesman said today: "The company no longer exists. There was a company that got up to all sorts of things with people's cars. All we know is that it is being dealt with by BAA.
"We are aware of the situation, but we've never had an official complaint so unless somebody makes a complaint we've got nothing to investigate."
However, Surrey County Council's trading standards department received several complaints that an airport parking company was not parking consumer's cars in a secure compound as it advertised. Instead, cars were being parked on the street.
The council said that following a probe by its trading standards officers Steve Kittle, a director of Pink Meet And Greet Ltd, had given a "written undertaking" promising that he will stop misleading customers.
The council said that Mr Kittle had advised them that no further bookings for airport parking would be taken and that the company has ceased trading.
Trading standards officer Peter Denard said: "Consumers are entitled to receive the service they are paying for.
"If a company advertises that cars are parked in a secure compound, an offence is committed if a company fails to do this. Consumers should be able to go on holiday with the comfort and knowledge that their car is in safe hands".
A BAA spokesman said: "Following the closure of Pink Meet And Greet, Gatwick Airport Ltd working in partnership with the West Sussex Trading Standards and Sussex Police have stepped in to ensure the remaining 34 vehicles, left at the organisations former base near Horsham, are returned to their owners.
"The collection of these vehicles was conducted in the presence of former representatives of Pink Meet And Greet, Gatwick Airport Ltd, NCP and the West Sussex Trading Standards.
"All parties agreed the condition, mileage, and fuel level of each vehicle, prior to signing the vehicle over to Gatwick Airport ’s Official Valet Operator, who then drove the vehicles to a secure parking area at the airport earlier today.
"Pink Meet & Greet’s returning customers will now be directed to the NCP Valet building, where on identification by the police they will be reunited with their vehicles.
"Customers concerned about their vehicle, or about Pink Meet And Greet should in the first instance try and make contact with the company directly."
He said customers with outstanding issues that they have been unable to resolve directly with Pink Meet And Greet should contact Trading Standards Consumer Direct on 08454 040 506.
Source: Life Style Extra
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