Absolute shambles of a company needs closing down.
Absolutely disgraceful service – avoid at all costs!
I have used various airport parking companies over the years, but I have never experienced such appalling service as I did with A1 Livery Stables Airport Car Parking in Bristol. I chose them because their prices appeared cheaper than other providers. Having experienced their service first-hand, I now understand why.
The problems started before we had even left for the airport. The access road to the premises is in an absolutely dreadful state, with excessive potholes and large areas lacking proper tarmac. It is totally unsuitable for vehicles and makes a terrible first impression.
On arrival, you unload your suitcases and leave them standing on dirt and gravel while your car is taken away and you wait for the bus to the airport. Numerous dogs wander freely around the premises, and one actually cocked its leg and urinated on my suitcase before I managed to shoo it away. Absolutely disgusting and completely unacceptable.
Another issue is that the quoted parking fee does not include the barrier charge, which apparently varies depending on who you book through. This is something customers should be made fully aware of upfront, rather than discovering additional costs along the way.
However, the real disgrace came when we returned from our holiday.
Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, we had to cut our holiday short by three days. I contacted A1 in advance, explained the situation and was told there would be a £20 charge to change the collection date. I paid this over the phone there and then, expecting the arrangements to be updated accordingly.
Our flight was due to land at 1.30am but arrived at 2.30am, an hour late. As instructed, I called A1 at 2.40am to let them know we had landed. Nobody answered. I called again ten minutes later. Still no answer. I continued trying repeatedly, but it was not until 3.47am that someone finally picked up. We were then told the bus would be there in half an hour.
At 4.22am, with no sign of the bus, I called again. He eventually arrived ten minutes later.
By this point, around 14 people were left waiting in the freezing cold in the early hours of the morning. Not once was there an apology, an explanation or even the slightest acknowledgement of the inconvenience and discomfort everyone had been subjected to. The complete lack of customer service was astonishing.
You would think things could hardly get any worse, but they did.
On returning to the car park, customers are supposed to find their vehicles waiting for them. Everyone else appeared to have their car ready. Mine, however, was nowhere to be seen.
I explained that I had specifically paid an additional £20 to change my collection date. It was now around 5am, and after the delays and the freezing wait, all I wanted was to collect my car and get home.
Instead, staff had to search around the car park trying to locate it. When I requested a refund of the £20 I had paid for the date change, I was completely ignored. No explanation, no apology, no attempt to resolve the issue. After around ten minutes of searching, they eventually found my car and I was finally able to leave.
Let’s be clear: I had notified them of the change, paid the additional fee they demanded and followed their instructions for collection. Yet I was left waiting in the early hours, endured a lengthy delay with no meaningful communication, and then had to wait even longer while they searched for a car they should have had ready.
The entire experience was utterly disgraceful.
A poor access road, dogs wandering around the luggage drop-off area, additional charges that need greater clarity, unanswered telephone calls, a freezing wait, no apology and a car that wasn’t ready despite paying extra for a change of collection date. It is difficult to see how the service could have been handled much worse.
Things can go wrong, and delays can happen. What separates a decent company from a terrible one is how it communicates with customers and puts things right. A1 failed on both counts.
I received no meaningful apology, no satisfactory explanation and no resolution to my request for a refund.
I will never use A1 Livery Stables Airport Car Parking again, and I would strongly advise anyone considering them to think very carefully before booking. The cheaper price simply wasn’t worth the stress, inconvenience and utterly unacceptable service.
Avoiding this experience is worth paying a little extra elsewhere. Never again!
18 ottobre 2026
Non scritta su invito