Investigation

Avoid Parkdock Heathrow Parking Scammers

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BY NICK PEARCE

When you’re booking carparking for Heathrow you’re often in a rush. You go for the cheapest option. A service that offers carparking in the Holiday Inn carpark where there are plenty of cameras and a shuttle bus every 5-10 minutes hits the spot. When it’s half the price of the competition it seems too good to be true.

Alas, it is.

Country Squire Magazine has now spoken to several customers who paid a considerable sum for their parking space at Parkdock only to be told on the day that their spot was no longer available and that their money would be refunded within 5 business days.  

Many weeks later and there have been no refunds.

The refunds do not take into account the increased prices of alternatives (which have risen as on the day parking costs more) nor the inconvenience of having to arrange parking for the airport or a taxi at short notice.

The WhatsApp message that gets sent is amateur from the same number as advertised on the website. Its profile photo is of a Rolex watch.

The scam goes like this:

  1. Sell parking space that does not exist, relying on mention of the Heathrow Holiday Inn
  2. Take the money
  3. Call the customer to say the space does not exist and that they will get a refund
  4. No refund
  5. Rely on a lack of intervention from the Police
  6. Rely on a lack of intervention from Holiday Inn Heathrow

When the magazine approached Parkdock (Company Name: YS ELITE LTD, UK Company Number: 15914662) they were not available for any kind of official response. Companies House are now looking into their registered activities, listed as 47910 – Retail sale via mail order houses or via Internet and 81210 – General cleaning of buildings. As are the police. The company director Muhammad Haris Shafiq who owns the telephone number as advertised, 07780437841, was tragically unavailable for comment. When a man said to be Shafiq, looking all of his 25 years, was approached by a Country Squire freelancer at Holiday Inn Heathrow, he claimed his name was Victor Ray. At which point a taxi driver called out ‘Hi Muhammad’ to him and he skulked away.

Avoid Parkdock.

You’ll lose your money and merely add to the woes of cowardly Mr Shafiq who should expect a knock on the door of his parents’ home where he resides, sooner rather than later.