London Heathrow Cars Arvostelua 

On Tuesday 19th October 2021, I booked a return vehicle to transport my family to and from London Heathrow Airport. When making the booking via the website, I was presented with a number of options for vehicles but as I knew that there would be 8 passengers making the journey, I booked and paid for the largest vehicle you offered based on the information presented on the website. This was the Minivan Standard which states that it is “Ideal for group transfers or passengers carrying several large suitcases.”. Your website also states that this particular vehicle is able to take 8 passengers, 8 Large Bags (check in size) and 8 small bags (carry on size). This is also further clarified later on in the booking process where your online form asks you to confirm the total number of passengers and luggage to which I stated that there would be 8 passengers, 8 large bags and 8 small bags. This was the vehicle I booked based on the information present by your company on your website and as such expected that this would be the vehicle that escorted my family home (which included 3 of my children aged 12, 6 and my baby of 1).

On Sunday 31st October 2021 at approximately 6:45pm Barcelona Time (45 mins before I was due to board my flight home), I received a call from Omar stating that due to a legislation change from TFL which had come into effect “2 or 3 days ago” passengers were no longer able to sit next to drivers and that the only option to get my family home would be to book and pay for another car which would cost £90. As you can expect, I was not happy to receive this information so close to me arriving home and just as I was about to board my flight home but didn’t see another viable option. I reluctantly paid the £90 with the promise that in addition to the vehicle made in the original booking, I would also be sent a saloon car to transport my family home. Approximately 10 minutes after finishing the call with Omar, he called back to advise that he would actually be able to honour the original booking made and that he would refund the £90 payment just made for the additional car. (Up until today’s date of Tuesday 2nd November 2021 no such refund has been made and the payment of £90 still remains on my Credit Card.)

Once we had landed and retrieved our luggage, I messaged the driver who arranged to meet us outside Costa at Terminal 5. We did so and made our way back to what I believed to be the advertised vehicle I had originally booked and paid for. To my surprise the vehicle sent was not as advertised and was no where near large enough to accommodate my family as it was initially advertised. The driver was only able to fit 4 large suitcases in the boot and there was only enough space inside for 7 passengers. He advised that we would not be able to take us all and that there were no other cars available to come and take the rest of my family and luggage. I immediately called London Heathrow Cars to complain and advise of the situation. I once again explained that I had paid and booked for a vehicle that would take 8 people, 8 large bags and 8 carry ons and this was not the vehicle that had been sent. The person who I spoke to was very dismissive of the situation and advised that there were no other vehicles he could send and that we got what we paid for. I tried to explain that the website advised we would be receiving a vehicle large enough to take 8 passengers and their luggage but he again dismissed what I was saying stating that he personally didn’t agree with what the website said surrounding the luggage requirements and that he was in no way prepared to offer a refund or absorb the cost of arranging alternative transport home. At this point I was fuming as I was now in a position where my family was stuck at Heathrow Airport with no way to get us home together safely…. An additional £90 paid for a vehicle that never arrived and a vehicle which had been mis-sold to me with false advertising.

In order to get us all home my family had to split up and the vehicle that was sent had to have one of the back seats put down so that an additional case could be put in the car which obviously meant one less space for a passenger and I was left in a position where I had to pay an ADDITIONAL £99 for a taxi back home for the rest of my family. In total I am out of pocket £331 for a booking which should have cost me £142