Elgrands Banned by Holiday Extras / Purple Parking

[DickH]

* ALERT* All our Elgrand vehicles have been banned by Purple Parking / Holiday Extras! It seems the Nissan Elgrand is on their 'Black List' which includes Elgrands as Commercial Vehicles along with Mini-busses, camper vans, commercials and extra long vehicles. No amount of calm logical reasoning with the local staff on site at LGW would convince them that my PLG taxed transporting my family ( just 6 of us in the 8 seat version) on holiday is NOT a commercial activity! The Duty Manager stated that it is 'due to Company Insurance'....The Elgrand is not overlength, over wide or over high..according to the Holiday Extras booking website, however they threatened to charge me an extra £25 per day (fine) if I ever use them again. I have been using them for over 20 years at LGW for my family holiday airport parking with no problems - so I can not understand this Holiday Extras / Purple Parking decision...Anybody else had this prohibition levelled at them?

 

[jboy72]

* ALERT* All our Elgrand vehicles have been banned by Purple Parking / Holiday Extras! It seems the Nissan Elgrand is on their 'Black List' which includes Elgrands as Commercial Vehicles along with Mini-busses, camper vans, commercials and extra long vehicles. No amount of calm logical reasoning with the local staff on site at LGW would convince them that my PLG taxed transporting my family ( just 6 of us in the 8 seat version) on holiday is NOT a commercial activity! The Duty Manager stated that it is 'due to Company Insurance'....The Elgrand is not overlength, over wide or over high..according to the Holiday Extras booking website, however they threatened to charge me an extra £25 per day (fine) if I ever use them again. I have been using them for over 20 years at LGW for my family holiday airport parking with no problems - so I can not understand this Holiday Extras / Purple Parking decision...Anybody else had this prohibition levelled at them?

Not a very welcome trend! The only time I took an Elgrand to an airport was Stansted official valet parking which was fine but that was a few years ago. The only issue I had was that I had accidentally entered the wrong reg plate and a couple of guys were excitedly waiting for a superbike to take off site! It’s ridiculous - I bet you would have no problem with a BMW i7

 

[sg66]

I got a fine for mine at our airport because I missed the no 8 seat vehicles bit

I was tempted to spin the seats round and change logbook to 7 seats, I think it's the number of seats that's the problem.

Our local tip now has same rules ffs

 

[jboy72]

I got a fine for mine at our airport because I missed the no 8 seat vehicles bit

I was tempted to spin the seats round and change logbook to 7 seats, I think it's the number of seats that's the problem.

Our local tip now has same rules ffs

Really! My last Elgrand that was ok at Stansted was 7 seats, but my current one is 8 and I’ve never taken that to an airport. I did go to the tip a week ago and that was ok - surely the more seats the better as the less van like it is!

 

[Silverking]

Never tel

Really! My last Elgrand that was ok at Stansted was 7 seats, but my current one is 8 and I’ve never taken that to an airport. I did go to the tip a week ago and that was ok - surely the more seats the better as the less van like it is!

Never tell them it has 8 seats , stick to 7 , 8 seats will be classed as a mini bus
7 seats is a MPV , find this works at my local tip

 

[Lpgc]

Really! My last Elgrand that was ok at Stansted was 7 seats, but my current one is 8 and I’ve never taken that to an airport. I did go to the tip a week ago and that was ok - surely the more seats the better as the less van like it is!

But the more seats the more minibus like it becomes...

 

[LeStempy]

Before leaving the UK I had the DVLA change the V5 to 5 seats as I have removed the others. They just wanted photographic proof.

 

[sg66]

Really! My last Elgrand that was ok at Stansted was 7 seats, but my current one is 8 and I’ve never taken that to an airport. I did go to the tip a week ago and that was ok - surely the more seats the better as the less van like it is!

Anpr and then they requested a pic of the logbook seating capacity, I could have gone to tribunal but they would have requested the same

 

[Magnu]

Bummer! I had a similar experience to @sg66 at Newcastle International airport. Not an outright ban but was fined for not being in the right area.

Thread 'Warning: Newcastle Airport 8 seater rule.' https://forum.elgrandoc.uk/threads/warning-newcastle-airport-8-seater-rule.45499/

 

[MRB]

That’s a real pain. I regularly park mine at LHR (Heathrow Official Parking) with no issues.

 

[SteevieB]

Has anyone used Purple Parking at Heathrow since this post? My partner is heading down there today with her sisters and has to use our van. Is it just a case of paying the £25 daily surcharge or is there a chance she won't be able to park?

 

[Importland]

Can't people go old skool, and just get a National Express coach to their airport and back. I've done it for literally every holiday, hard work of sorts having to first get a lift or a taxi to the nearest National Express pick up place, and get them to pick you up again from that place, but if possible, I've found it infinitely better than airport parking and all the faff. I try not to use supermarket car parks unless their are shed loads of spaces far away, so sandwich parking in an airport is the stuff of nightmares, and you pay for the privileged, too.

 

[Nevillerover]

I take the wife's car to the airport.

 

[DickH]

Anyone else had this very negative parking experience recently - needless to say neither Purple Parking nor Holiday Extras have replied on paper (or otherwise) to my expressed complaint...How did you get on SteevieB?

 

[SteevieB]

Anyone else had this very negative parking experience recently - needless to say neither Purple Parking nor Holiday Extras have replied on paper (or otherwise) to my expressed complaint...How did you get on SteevieB?

My other half is still in Iceland until tomorrow. Apparently they parked the van themselves and then handed the key in, so if there are any issues with the type of vehicle and any surcharges etc then I guess they'll find out when they go to collect it tomorrow!

 

[DickH]

That's exactly what I did Steevie B...it was on my return that I was told '....NOT TO BRING MY Elgrand BACK TO PARK IN FUTURE'. On pressing the issue I was shown an A5 sized sheet of paper with a number of vehicle makes and types which were 'no longer welcome'. The ONLY Nissan mentioned was the Elgrand with no qualification as to 7 or 8 seats or any lesser number of passengers. Obviously they were unaware of the DVLA licence difference between an MPV ( total 8 seats including the driver) and a Mini Bus ( total 9 seats plus including the driver). The staff there were not prepared to let me have a copy of their local advice note nor was I allowed to take an image of it. I advised the Duty Manager that they had my booking for several months and had said nothing about the type ban. They did not charge me the threatened extra £25 a day . After years of using that company at LGW with my E50 I will not be using them again. Pls let us all know if your other half was similarly treated on return to Purple Parking LGW.

 

[SteevieB]

That's exactly what I did Steevie B...it was on my return that I was told '....NOT TO BRING MY Elgrand BACK TO PARK IN FUTURE'. On pressing the issue I was shown an A5 sized sheet of paper with a number of vehicle makes and types which were 'no longer welcome'. The ONLY Nissan mentioned was the Elgrand with no qualification as to 7 or 8 seats or any lesser number of passengers. Obviously they were unaware of the DVLA licence difference between an MPV ( total 8 seats including the driver) and a Mini Bus ( total 9 seats plus including the driver). The staff there were not prepared to let me have a copy of their local advice note nor was I allowed to take an image of it. I advised the Duty Manager that they had my booking for several months and had said nothing about the type ban. They did not charge me the threatened extra £25 a day . After years of using that company at LGW with my E50 I will not be using them again. Pls let us all know if your other half was similarly treated on return to Purple Parking LGW.

OK, thanks, should be exciting. She's not shy of an argument! This is the first time she's used them, we usually use Park, Stay and Go at Holiday Inn hotels when we go to the airport.