Prosecutor investigates private parking companies near French airports
Some clients say their cars had been driven for up to 1,200 km whilst they were away and had been damaged
Some clients have claimed that their vehicles are being used irresponsibly in their absence
shablovskyistock/Shutterstock
Inquiries have been opened after some private parking companies at French airport Paris Orly have been accused of driving their clients’ cars, racking up hundreds of kilometers and causing damage.
The public prosecutor in Créteil (Ile-de-France) has now opened several inquiries into the allegations, which have been highlighted by a report in Le Parisien.
Airport passengers using a private company typically leave their car at the site and then take a shuttle to the airport, or they meet a valet at the airport who takes the keys and drives the vehicle to the car park.
However, Le Parisien has claimed that several clients of private car parks - which are not part of the Aéroports de Paris (ADP) company - have found large discrepancies between their kilometrage before and after they went away and/or noticed damage to their vehicle that was not there prior.
Long journeys, smoking, food…
Some cars had travelled up to 1,200 km while their owner was away, while others came back with scratches on the paintwork, ash in the ashtrays, and rubbish in the passenger compartments.
One client who filed a police complaint about the incident, told Le Parisien: “The windows were down; they had been smoking inside, there was food everywhere, it was in a pitiful state... There was 10 km of fuel left. They must have driven between 400 and 500 km. And when we rolled up the windows, we saw labels threatening impoundment stuck on.”
Private car parking companies close to Orly airport usually offer cheaper rates than those of the airport parking. They often appear on apps that are designed to help clients get a better deal.
For example, one client told Le Parisien that they were quoted €84 for two weeks’ parking, compared to the €150-€311 quote from the ADP car park. Car parks on offer near the airport include Parkos and Allopark, which are located in Val-de-Marne and Essonne, alongside others between Athis-Mons and Juvisy-sur-Orge.
Other claims in the report include:
A man from Nord travelling to Guadeloupe reserved a parking space for a fortnight. Before leaving, he took a photo of his car’s odometer. When he returned he could see that the car’s kilometrage had increased by 750 km
A man whose car had a tracker inside could see that his car was being used in his absence, and ultimately travelled 400 km during the parking period. When the man called the car park, the workers said that “his car must have been moved to make room for other vehicles”.
When he returned his car was not there, he claimed. He said: “They told me that since I had the tracker, I would know where it was.” When he found the car, it was parked away from the other vehicles, with the keys in the glove compartment, and the seats covered in ash and drink cans.
Fears and police complaints
Some clients have said that they believe their cars are being used to shuttle others between the airport and the car park, or are being used by the parking employees for their daily journeys.
Others fear worse; that their cars are being used for illegal activity or for transporting illegal goods. Around 20-30 clients have now filed complaints, including police reports, about their experience.
Many of the car park companies appear to be escaping investigation by closing down before reopening under other names, Le Parisien said. The companies also claim that the cases relate to a few rogue operators who have now been dismissed.
The apps that recommend some of these car parks have denied responsibility, saying that they are just the “intermediary” and not affiliated with the car parks in question.
