Compare Travel Essentials Reviews 83

I had a disappointing experience. The service didn’t meet my expectations, and communication was slow. Hope they improve in the future.

So they are the umbrella company / linked to the illegal parking firms they promote. It is owned by a Hamza Shaukat, his wife is also on the business records.

They have repeatedly shunned customers, damaged property and left families stranded.

The scam goes deep on this one and Trading Standards are on the case.

Was ripped off, do not use . Booked parking on line for Manchester airport, no confirmation, went to my bank and got details of Compare Travel and phone number from their reference , number is not in use. I found out the car park advertised has not been used since Covid. I had no alternative but to book an alternative car park. On the morning of travel on the way to the airport a guy rang me and asked me what time I was arriving, told him the story , said he would text me a email address to complain, did do , they have no knowledge of the company or booking, Few minutes later another guy rang same question, what time I arriving and he would meet me somewhere in Stockport, Coming from Preston no way I would book parking on the far side of the airport, basically have had money stolen from me. Please be warned , do not use, they need investigating, imagine they are not insured either,

Not even a 1* rating. Do not use this company. They are complete cowboys.
Car damaged on return approximate cost £150 repairs.
No response to several emails. Unhelpful driver, and so called manager at the end of the phone.
Car also driven 54 miles, using 1/4 of a tank of petrol.
Terrible service, delays at drop off and collection.
DO NOT USE!

Review in relation to :
COMPARE TRAVEL SERVICES LIMITED
Company Number: 12449375
This is what is shown on the booking confirmation received.
I thought I was booking Meet & Greet parking at Heathrow T5. But it was anything but "Meet & Greet"!
Over 30mins was spent waiting at the airport for my car to get collected. Returning from holiday to pick up my vehicle was even worse. I phoned from the baggage claim as requested, which should have given them more than enough time to have my car ready and waiting for us by the time we went to the collection point. But no, we ended up waiting more than an hour with 2 additional calls and a text to chase them. And finally, to add insult to injury, upon leaving the car park collection point we had to pay an extra £5.30 parking which was never told to us. This was in addition to the parking fee which we had already paid in full prior to the trip.
Before writing this review, I have sent a email complaint to the company and have received no response at all. So this left me with no other choice, but to write this review. Hopefully there will be people out there who see it before booking so they do not have to experience the same shambles and get the opportunity to book with a reputable company instead. Do NOT book Meet & Greet parking from this company!

Company Number: 12449375 (COMPARE TRAVEL SERVICES LIMITED) is the company mentioned on the email they send you.

I booked through compare your parking.

Unprofessional, cowboys - their two hands do not know what they are doing and they expect the customer to follow what the controller thinks. Meet and Greet (They do not know the meaning of the service). BEWARE - My mileage was changed by 5km but my diesel gauge showed a 120 mile drop for a 4km journey.

I will never book with a meet and greet service.

Please book a service where you park and keep your keys - they will transport you to and from the airport in a much faster manner than these cowboys who should not be in this business at all.

No answer to any of our enquiries to alter a booking. Do not use!

We had our travel cancelled due to Covid last year, and I was compelled to accept a 12 month voucher as they refused a refund - despite being closed. I cannot travel again this year and want the refund, but nobody responds to my messages at all. Does anybody want to club together to take legal action? These people are a joke and it might make sense for a group to get together to follow this up, as individually our claims are all small? They have my money and simply refuse to give it back, despite the fact that they haven’t provided a service

Been on phone waiting for hours for them to answer. Quick enough to take money from your card but try to cancel don’t answer the phone.

We booked parking with CTE for a September trip to the USA. Along came COVID 19 and our flights were, as expected cancelled and the costs refunded by BA. It is a shame that the same cannot be said for these bandits. Despite several emails, we are still to receive our refund for the parking charges.
AVOID USING THIS COMPANY. They are unhelpful and we would never use them again.

DO NOT BOOK CAR PARKING with
COMPARE TRAVEL ESSENTIALS of Burton on Trent.
I booked Hunters Car Parking, Manchester through CTE. I cancelled my Car Parking at Hunters, Manchester through Compare Travel Essentials in February 2020. Asked for a Refund, due to Holiday cancelled due to Covid.
They gave me a Ticket Number then Cancelled the Ticket immediately without any notification.
CTE also got me to take out cancellation insurance for Hunters Car Park (a extra premium).
Since March 2020 they have refused to reply to any of my many emails or calls, regards my refund. No answer to emails, no answer to phone calls, whatsoever.
AVOID COMPARE TRAVEL ESSENTIALS at all costs, they are the most Dishonourable business you could wish to meet. They take your money for Car Parking (in my case Hunters Car Parking, Manchester) then when you have to genuinely Cancel it, they totally ignore any request you make for a Refund. They take your money, con you into taking out cancellation insurance, give promises, then cut you off totally. They must be the most Dishonourable Compare Travel Essentials business in the UK. Avoid, Avoid, Avoid.
One Star above is because you cannot give Zero for such a cheating company as this - take your money and give you nothing back in return, is this is not criminal?

Avoid at all costs. These guys are a total bunch of cowboys! The customer service department is a total joke and don’t even have the courtesy to respond the the simplest of emails. You generally pay for what you get and there is a good reason why these guys are cheap, it’s because there useless. Spend a little more and don’t get ripped off (I wish I had). AVOID AT ALL COSTS!!!

I'm only giving 1 star as no stars is not an option.
Asked for a refund as we can no longer travel due to Covid-19, they said they'd give a voucher, but I want a refund.
They said they'd processed that 23 July, when it had not arrived 3 days later they said 5-7 working days (after 3 follow up emails).
Now after 10 working days, no money and no response to email.
They have lied to me about the refund, and then ignore me.
total unacceptable, polite way of putting it, I can't write my real feelings/words about the company here - but STEER CLEAR OF THIS COMPANY.

I have been trying to get hold of the customer service team for 3/4 months now and am on hold for up to an hour each time then I give up (I think that’s what they want you to do)
We booked two different dates to use the car parking and of course they were cancelled I was told that we could not have a refund as they had changed the policy and we could book another time
I have asked for a voucher to be sent but they say they don’t do that ( this is all by email when they answer ) I sent another two and that was weeks ago with still no response
Now it appears that we will not be able to travel this year at least maybe not at all for a long time as as I have also explained my husband is shielding as he has a serious medical condition
I now want a refund as both booking are nearly 70.00 and we need every penny we can get right now
I would appreciate a call back from someone when this message is picked up
These are the bookings for ref
Thank you for choosing CTE. Your booking with Ref# CTP-20022213458 is confirmed, for arrival & departure procedure please check your email.

Thank you for choosing CTE. Your booking with Ref# CTP-20022213461 is confirmed, for arrival & departure procedure please check your email.
Thanks

Will not issue cash refund even though only cancelling because of Covid-19. They have changed their policy to a voucher system. Which I doubt I will get chance to redeem or actually need. If they even stick by this policy.

AVOID.

Worse company to deal with. Booked meet and great parking at Heathrow airport. Everything cancelled during to the global pandemic. Contacted the company for a refund as stated that all payments would be refunded by companies due to the lockdown. The company refused to refund anything ! I have contacted my bank who have told me that I am entitled to a refund. So basically they are keeping money without providing a service and in these financially challenging times for people. Avoid at all costs! And claim back via your bank !!

DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES

Like all the other reports here, I can't express more strongly... Do not book with this company. I booked two trips at the same time for my sins. The first time I actually used them I had to wait 40mins for my car to be collected and was told to wait in the drop off lane at Heathrow against the rules of the airport. Got moved on twice before the car was eventually collected. Had a 45 minute wait for the car to be collected. I would have cancelled my second booking but cancellations were not allowed. My second trip has now been cancelled due to the Coronavirus outbreak so I contacted them and expected a voucher for future use at least and possibly a refund. I got told that my booking was not refundable and they would cancel the booking (and keep my money) for doing nothing.

These are a bunch of scammers and should not be allowed to trade!

Scammers. Had to cancel due to Covid19 as flights grounded, apparently that’s my fault! Charged me £10 admin plus refund card charges which were banned a while ago. Complained and no response. Lying cheating scum

Like many of the negative reviews here, I went through the extra airport fees, hours waiting for collection, etc. Don't want to duplicate what's already been said, but add something I've not seen here before. . . .
The company touts secure parking. Maybe for some time it was, maybe the definition varies, but according to the GPS Tracker I have fitted to my vehicle, my car was moved to several places and for the majority of the duration, it shows it being parked on a Public Road.
Next time I will pick another company. You choose.

SHUT DOWN THIS COMPANY NOW. WE ALL NEED TO SEEK LEGAL ADVICE ON THIS COMPANY. IF ANYONE CAN ADVISE PLEASE REPLY.
CompareTravelEssentials are saying to complain on their online page. I have and had no response. They are clearly abstaining from any responsibility.
VERY DANGEROUS. Used the Premium Meet and Greet at Heathrow last Friday. The back of my car is damaged and the light smashed. They were keen to take photos at pick up but used many distraction techniques at drop off which meant no photos were taken by them or me. Only noticed as I stopped at a service station. They knew the light had been smashed and they allowed me to drive off. Thank goodness it was daytime. If it had been at night - they were putting my life in danger.

Some distraction techniques ... demanding £20 cash for early drop off. I requested a receipt. The man told me to expect it via email. Still no receipt. As a lone female traveller I felt intimidated not do handover the money. I didn’t think for £20 it was worth my welfare being in danger at that point.

The driver also was showing me his phone. Again another distraction technique to prove he had been calling me. It was NO CALLER ID, so I could not return his calls.

I was rudely shouted at by the man on the telephone that I was waiting in the wrong place. He had assured my twice that I was in the right place. I had to pay extra to get out the car park.

Phoned to complain and filled in online complaint form. Constantly fobbed off.
IF ANYONE UNDERSTANDS THE LEGAL ASPECTS OF THIS PLEASE SHARE