EXCLUSIVE Nurse accuses Gatwick parking firm of taking her BMW on a road trip while she was 5,400 miles away in Mexico after finding ‘TOURIST MAP of Bristol in the boot and 600 miles extra on clock’
- Kajal Bhagwandas, 30, said her car was driven for miles while she was on holiday
- She said 600 miles had been added to the clock after she left it at Gatwick
- A tourist map of Bristol, which she has never visited, was also found in the boot
- Ms Bhagwandas said her car was covered in mud after she left it at the airport
A mother has accused a Gatwick parking company of taking her BMW on a huge road trip after coming back from holiday to find her car had 600 extra miles on the clock.
Kajal Bhagwandas, 30, returned from a week-long family holiday in Mexico to find that her car was out of engine oil, the brakes were worn out and there was gum stuck to the ceiling.
The paediatric nurse believes the BMW M3 Sport was driven by someone else after she found a map of Bristol in the boot– despite having never visited the city herself.
Kajal also said the car was filthy, with mud splashed across the outside of the blue vehicle.
She said: ‘They didn’t even try and get rid of the evidence, they didn’t clean the car.
‘It’s obviously been used but there’s no cover up at all. They just didn’t care.
Kajal Bhagwandas, 30, said whoever had driven her car ‘just didn’t care’ about its condition when it was handed back
Kajal found a map of Bristol along with an extra 600 miles on the car’s mileage – she has never been to Bristol
The car shows the mileage is over 134,000, but an MOT a month earlier showed it was just 133,286. Kajal and Praven claim it was only 133,400 when they dropped it off
‘The first thing we noticed was some mud which was sprayed across one side, and we thought it must have been parked in a muddy field.
‘We got into the car and on the screen inside, a message popped up to say the brake pads were worn and thought that was a bit odd.
‘Then as we started the car, we looked to see there were 600 miles which had been added to our mileage. We couldn’t believe it.’
Kajal and her husband Praven drove the car home to Kingston-upon-Thames, only to find even more indications the car had been used while they were away.
The mother-of-one said: ‘When we were taking the suitcases out of the car, I noticed there was a city map for Bristol tucked inside the boot.
‘Then I found there was chewing gum stuck to the ceiling in the back of the car, so we knew then the car had been used for some kind of road trip.
‘I was really frustrated and just in shock.’
Kajal said she was left ‘frustrated and in shock’ by the state of her car when it was given back to her at the end of the holiday
Kajal and her husband Praven said there was dirt inside and out of their BMW M3 Sport after it had been at the parking company for eight days
The couple also found gum stuck to the roof of their car when it was given back
The couple found the company online when searching for parking options close to Gatwick Airport, and paid more than £115 for eight days.
The parking company advises customers to check their vehicle thoroughly upon collection and to report any discrepancy or concerns immediately. The company add claims will not be considered once a vehicle has been handed back.
Kajal said they met a worker before handing over the keys on August 20.
They then returned to the car park after landing back in the UK on August 28, where they had to wait for over an hour for the vehicle to be driven back to them.
Kajal said: ‘When we came back, the guy handed us the keys and basically ran off.
‘He was like “here you go” and left. He didn’t give us a chance to check the car or anything.
‘In the terms and conditions, it says if you don’t mention any concerns you have to the person handing over the keys then the complaints are void.
‘We knew they may need to drive it to move it but not 600 miles!’
An MOT a month before the holiday showed the mileage was 133,286, but Kajal and Praven said it was 134,000 when the picked up the car. The couple claimed the mileage had been 133,400 when they dropped it off.
Kajal said she doesn’t use the car to travel to work and her husband works from home, meaning they only use it on short local journeys.
She has tried contacting the company, demanding an explanation but has so far received no response.
Kajal said: ‘I was even more shocked when I went on to Trustpilot and saw there were [hundreds of] people saying similar things.
‘I got really frustrated so put it out on my social media and people relate with it because it’s happened to so many others.
‘It was our first time using this kind of service but it’s shocking that they’re still running, and people are still booking with them. Because they’re based in the airport, we assumed they’d be legit.
‘We have reported it to the police because I’m hoping our registration plate will flag up somewhere and help to catch them in the act.’
A Gatwick Airport spokesperson said: ‘We are sorry to hear about cases where people have been mistreated by rogue parking firms like this.
‘The airport has no relationship with these firms and, like other airports, Gatwick cannot prevent competitor parking companies from operating on site, provided they abide by bye-laws and terms and conditions of use of relevant facilities.
‘Any passengers affected by the actions of rogue parking companies like this should contact Trading Standards, which should be able to investigate the matter.
‘Gatwick Airport strongly recommends that passengers use official on-airport parking.’
Dozens of accounts posted on company rating website Trustpilot tell of similar experiences, with customers describing extra mileage on their cars, dirty vehicles and even McDonalds bags and crisp packets left inside.
The parking company denied knowledge of the incident and said its staff are not allowed to remove cars from the business.
West Sussex Police have been contacted for comment.
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