For nearly three years, a group of vehicle owners in London have found themselves locked in a seemingly endless struggle for compensation after their cars were trapped inside a malfunctioning automated car park at Rathbone Square, just off bustling Oxford Street. The saga, which began in late 2022, has left many out of pocket by tens of thousands of pounds and facing mounting debts, with no resolution in sight and little in the way of clear answers from those responsible.
The ordeal began when an automated stacker system at Rathbone Square broke down, stranding around 25 vehicles inside the underground facility. Owners were left without access to their cars for a staggering 28 months, finally retrieving them in April 2025. But as of November 4, 2025, not a single pound in compensation has been paid to those affected, according to reporting by the BBC.
For Mark Lucas, a small business owner from Buckinghamshire, the financial fallout has been devastating. Lucas, who runs a furniture business, now faces debts of £50,000. The costs piled up through months of van hire, the purchase of a replacement vehicle, and ongoing loan repayments for the original van that was trapped in the car park. "Daily it's a fear that if we took another hit, that we might not be able to survive that," Lucas told the BBC. The uncertainty has left him living with a "daily fear" of losing his business altogether.
Chris, another affected owner and a former insurance professional, was visiting a relative when the stacker system failed. He estimates his own claim exceeds £100,000, having incurred significant costs renting a vehicle "commensurate with" the value of his BMW 5 Series while his own car remained inaccessible. He never received any clear communication about when the stacker would be fixed, forcing him to pay for the replacement on a monthly basis. Chris believes that the total claims across all affected owners could exceed £1 million, noting, "I understand there were very, very high end vehicles [trapped in the car park]."
Both men have been frustrated by what they describe as a "massive lack" of duty of care from the various parties involved. Chris called on those responsible to "come and deal with us individually, go through our costs and settle it." But despite repeated attempts to engage with the building's public liability insurer, AXA XL, and other parties, neither Lucas nor Chris has received any meaningful response or compensation.
The confusion over responsibility has only deepened the owners' frustration. Multiple parties have denied liability for the mechanical failure. Deka, the German investment fund that owns the Rathbone Square development, and CBRE, the managing agents for the building, have both stated they are not responsible for the failure of the parking system. They cited the difficulty of sourcing specialist parts as the main reason for the lengthy repairs, expressing regret for the delays and the impact on those affected but stopping short of accepting blame.
Klaus Multiparking, the manufacturer of the stacker system, said that investigations into the incident are still ongoing. However, they believe that a broken chain was the root cause of the breakdown. The UK-based Double Parking Systems, responsible for maintaining the equipment, has also distanced itself from the debacle, stating it has never been the owner, operator, or insurer of the car park. The company further claimed that the time taken to resolve the issue was not their fault, insisting they had advised that vehicles could have been retrieved seven months before they were actually released.
The lack of a clear point of responsibility has led to a bureaucratic maze for the owners seeking redress. In January 2024, barrister Keith Wise contacted those affected, saying he was acting on behalf of AXA XL. He advised vehicle owners to collate any costs and expenses incurred as a result of the incident, following an inspection by forensic scientists. But both Lucas and Chris report that communication with Wise has been sporadic at best, with months often passing without any response. Lucas described being "kept in the dark," noting, "He doesn't always return our calls, and when he does it's the same story – we're still awaiting investigations."
Six months after that initial contact, the owners say they still haven't received "a penny in compensation for the costs that we endured over the last two and a half years," as Lucas put it. The BBC attempted to contact Keith Wise for comment, but he declined. His employer, Crawford & Company, stated, "We are not authorised to speak on behalf of our clients or discuss any aspects of their business, as all information regarding claims is confidential."
As the stalemate drags on, the vehicle owners feel increasingly powerless. Lucas described the experience as a small business "going up against huge multinational companies" in a battle for compensation. Chris echoed the sentiment, pointing out, "These companies are worth billions. They're treating people disgracefully." The sense of being ignored and dismissed by powerful corporations has only added to the emotional toll of the ordeal.
The mechanical failure and subsequent delays in repair have been attributed to the difficulty in sourcing specialist parts. Deka and CBRE both acknowledged that this made the process "very time-consuming," but they have not accepted responsibility for the underlying failure or the protracted disruption. Klaus Multiparking's ongoing investigation has yet to produce a final report or clear recommendations, leaving the cause of the breakdown officially unresolved.
Meanwhile, Double Parking Systems' claim that vehicles could have been retrieved seven months earlier than they were adds another layer of frustration for the owners, who feel that unnecessary delays may have compounded their losses. With no party stepping forward to take responsibility, the affected individuals remain trapped in a cycle of unanswered questions and mounting financial strain.
For now, the owners of the cars once trapped beneath Rathbone Square can only hope that their calls for compensation will eventually be heard. Their experience stands as a cautionary tale about the perils of modern automated infrastructure – and the difficulties ordinary people face when things go wrong and the system fails to deliver justice. As the months turn into years, their patience, and their finances, are wearing thin.
