Ian Cook, a taxi driver, experienced significant financial distress when £1,955 was deducted from his bank account by a parking firm, NCP, after he made two drop-off trips at Birmingham Airport. The deduction occurred due to an issue with the automated number-plate recognition (ANPR) system which erroneously charged him for almost 80 hours of parking during his second visit, despite him only performing a brief drop-off.

Cook, who frequently uses the Premium Set Down Car Park for airport drop-offs, had established an automatic payment account with NCP to ease transaction processes. Upon receiving the unexpected charge, he expressed frustration, indicating that he regularly uses this service over a hundred times a year without issue. The automated system registered his vehicle on the first visit but inaccurately logged his second brief visit as a lengthy stay, which led to the excessive charge.

Currently, NCP has stated that they will not refund the amount until they conduct an investigation into the incident. This raises questions about the reliability of automated systems and their impact on customers, particularly those like Cook who depend on such services for their livelihood. The situation underscores the need for parking companies to ensure their systems are thoroughly vetted and user-friendly to prevent similar financial mishaps.