Angus McDonald

I selected New Year’s Day to journey away from Melbourne Airport so I might spend 7 days on the Gold Coast with my loved ones.

I remembered that I had seen in the RACV (Royal Automobile Club of Victoria) web-site that they had a reduction for their members for airport parking. So I headed to the RACV web-site and found the following:
“Jetport security parking – self park
Location: Tullamarine, Melbourne, Victoria
Jetport Self Park offers safe secure undercover parking in a modern multi story car park with easy access and efficient check in. On demand courtesy bus service will get you to and from Tullamarine Airport 24hrs, 7days per week. Located at 189 South Centre Road, Tullamarine, approximately 3-4 minutes from Tullamarine Airport.” (from the RACV website )

Jetport Self Parking version of airport parking

They were promoting Jetport Self Parking and for the week that I was away it was a $10 discount which was close to 10%. So all I had to do was to fill out a form on the RACV web-site, pay of course, and get my code that let me into the airport parking. They emailed me the code and directions for how to get there and how to use the code. So all I had to do was load the car and get there on time. I found it interesting that they referred to Melbourne Airport as Tullamarine Airport. It is located in Tullamarine but is now generally referred to as Melbourne Airport.

I travelled to Jetport Self Parking and pulled over at the boom gate to put my own code in and as I entered the second digit a male employee enquired if I had entered the code onto the keypad. Not a polite smile or “Hello and welcome to Jetport Self Parking”, but rather “Have you punched your code into the pad?” The boom gate rose, I drove in and the gentleman indicated for me to park and unload the luggage. We got out and took out the cases and the man started packing them onto a waiting van. Next I needed to locate a park for my vehicle, so I proceeded all the way down the first section, after that the second one and lastly ended on the roof where the only airport parking vacancies were to be found. I remembered thinking that located on the Jetport Self Parking web site they market a $10 reduction if you decide to park your car on the roof. I then hopped into the lift and proceeded to the ground floor where the van was ready. From the point in time when I first parked to when I was dropped off at the Jetstar terminal, at Melbourne Airport, was 16 minutes and 25 seconds. It was a good time for travelling from airport parking that is not to be found at Melbourne Airport proper. I assume that Jetport Self Parking would be hoping to get the customer from their airport parking to Melbourne Airport in a pleasing and friendly way. I would describe the man we had as business like, efficient and brusque who was more concerned with the job than the customer he was serving.

We had a relaxing time in Labrador, at the Sandy Point Beach Resort on the Gold Coast.

Melbourne Airport to the airport parking

When we got back to Melbourne Airport we recovered our gear and called Jetport Self Parking for our pick-up. We did not have to wait long for the van to reach us and he checked who was waiting and made certain to pick up anyone people who was on his list. The baggage was loaded and off we went. It took 16 minutes and 5 seconds to travel to my vehicle, at the airport parking, from the moment I requested the pick up at Melbourne Airport. As I drove the car down to the bottom floor to pick up the baggage I tossed up if I’d ask for the $10 savings for parking out in the open. In my mind it was realistic to have the discount because the airport parking I procured was undercover as stated on the RACV web-site and I clearly had parked out in the weather. Well, I thought here was an opportunity for Jetport Self Parking to rise to the occasion and give me the extra discount as I did not get precisely what I had purchased. So I made my way to the office where two gentlemen were seated having a conversation. I told them that I had pre-paid for undercover airport parking and had parked outside in the weather. They asked me if I had booked by way of RACV and my reply was yes. Then they stated that I had received my markdown through RACV when I ordered. I then said that I had purchased undercover airport parking, nevertheless they answered that you only get one discount. So I intentionally asked once more, for a third time -So you will not give me a discount of $10 for parking in the open air? The response was a definite NO! So this raises a concern of RACV giving an avenue for a service that they, I assume, are paid a commission for, that isn’t supplied as stated.

From my experience, I draw the following conclusion: that Jetport Self Parking is more focused on the bottom line of earning the dollar than making a circle of happy satisfied customers that return for more business and tell their friends of the awesome service they received. This I find very disappointing since they have great facilities. I am hoping they can turn this around so everyone enjoys the experience.