18 January 2023 , 00:03
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A driver was charged an eye-watering £580 for parking at Manchester Airport for a 20-minute drop-off.
The woman, 32, who asked not to be named, was allegedly charged the extortionate amount while dropping off a relative at the airport’s Terminal One earlier this month.
Instead of the £6 fee that should have been charged for the short stay on January 2, she found that £580 had been taken from her bank account - close to a hundred times more than expected.
A fortnight later, the woman - who is based in Cheshire - said she was still waiting to be refunded.
It is thought the excessive amount was charged due to an error with the parking system (MEN)She told Manchester Evening News: "It's really frustrating and annoying.
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“They have acknowledged the mistake and apologised but say they can't find the transaction to refund me.
"Luckily, while it's a lot of money, I've been able to get by using savings, but for a lot of people, especially at this time, it would be catastrophic."
An email sent by the airport suggests the error might have been caused by the parking system not having a record of the driver leaving the car park following an earlier visit on December 23, meaning she was charged for 10 days parking.
Manchester Airport did not issue a statement when contacted by the Manchester Evening News.
However, they issued guidance, stating that following an investigation they have now apologised to the customer, issued a refund and will review their systems to prevent a recurrence of the problem.
It's not the first time Manchester Airports parking situation has caused uproar.
Travellers reported waiting hours for their bags after landing at the airport just before Christmas, leading to car parking fees becoming grossly escalated.
On-the-day car parking prices at the airport increase the longer the waiting time.
On 17 December, prices stood at £6 for 30 minutes, £12 for an hour, £20 for two hours, £30 for four hours and £58 for 24 hours at the multi-storey sites.
Manchester's Terminal Three parking costs £50 for more than two hours.
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