Maidstone Services M20
Comment on Maidstone Services MSA
I stopped at Maidstone with a caravan for about 4 hours last year without trouble, although a dutch camper van next to me was clamped and fined 300 euros for parking in the wrong area. As I wanted to stop off again this year, and was horrified by some of the comments, I emailed Road Chef and asked them what it would cost and how to pay (contact link from their web site). I received a reply the same day from a "real" person (name and title supplied) with some very helpful information about how to pay. Well worth the time and effort to find out -Thanks Road Chef. By the way it is a Β£10 charge for anything over 2 hours, but well worth it if you have just travelled 800 miles through France and need a rest!
Tony Udall, 29 June 2010
We were hoping to park overnight at these services at the end of May as all campsites are full(or won't accept one night stays). I am worried now after reading these comments as I thought it was OK to stay overnight as long as the fee was paid.
Jeddfran, 18 May 2010
Husband is a Class 1 driver, needed to use the facilities (loo) but the lorry park was full. The car park security officer instructed him to park in one of the coach bays. When my husband came out of the toiliet his lorry was in the progress of being clamped. Β£250.00 fine which he payed straight away for the threat of the vehicle being seized. He told the clamping attendant he was told to park there temporarily (approx 5 mins he was there) was negative response ''I don't give a f*ck who told you to park there, pay it now, or we seize'' Absolutely diabolical.
Gemma Russon, 11 March 2010
Be careful, do not stop there. I parked my van at 11:10pm and then I found clampers in action at 1:30am. To go away, I had to pay 140 euro cash without any receipt and the missing money to reach the required 300 euro were drawn from my Visa card. When I asked explanations about my trouble to the clampers, they answered that I had to stay in Italy If I did not know the rules. Is this the way how things actually go in England?
Marco Filippi, 7 February 2010
We called in at 9.50am on Christmas Day only to find the whole service area, apart from fuel, closed. Why was this? You have been open on Christmas Day in previous years. If you do close down for a day why not say so on the overhead motorway information display boards - that would be a great help.
Barry Venn, 26 December 2009
the smiths is a disgrace, confused offers and rude staff
thompson, 3 December 2009
Please be careful where you park, Today I parked my VW Caddy Van in the coach area at 08.15am, there are approximately 15 parking bays for coaches all of which were empty! However I did not park in the coach bays I parked at the kerbside opposite keeping the area clear for coaches. I went to use the toilet facilities returning to my van within 5 minutes to find a clamp had already been applied and a ticket being written, the time on the ticket is 08.21. The clampers do not use sign written vans, they use hire vehicles so as not to advertise clampers are on site! They maybe licenced, but this doesn't guarrantee a proffesional attitude they are ruthless! It was not a pleasant experience, I feel robbed of Β£195!
Alan Hartnoll, 17 November 2009
They have recently decided not to offer 24 hour food now only 6am to 9pm
peter uings, 10 November 2009
BEWARE if you park there. The clampers are theives. You will get clamped and ripped off. DO NOT STOP THERE. See www.pepipoo.co.uk for details. Strange how the clampers card machines "don't work" so you have to pay cash to get released. what a con.
roy the bus, 18 September 2009
I visit the services every fornight as its a collection/drop off point for my son when he stays with his dad. I got to say the staff are fine, not the happiest bunch but do thier job. The floor is normally tidy tho not everytime I visit. The toilets however always seem rather dirty in my opinion, I am sure they are cleaned but are they cleaned throughly and if they are it must be very rare. I have been in other service stations and seen ones dirtier and ones much cleaner but these ones I visit often so would appear to me that its not just the rare occasion that cleanliness slips. Toilets are germ ridden and with swine flu floating around I wouldnt use them!
Natalie Lane, 29 July 2009
Awesome services
James, 2 May 2009
I quite agree with th comment about the rundown badly managed services. Creates a really bad impression when arriving from abroad. Shameful
Angi, 11 February 2008
I stopped there on the 19th October 2007 on my way to Paris to watch the Rugby World Cup Final. To cut a long and particularly gruesome story short, my wife and I shared a burger from the Wimpey at the service station and later that evening were both horrendously ill with food poisoning. Our weekend was completely ruined as we were both so ill; I have never been so ill in my entire life and canât even imagine what we ate there.
Matthew Unsworth, 23 October 2007
At 19 july, at 3:00 at morning I visit with my co-driver the Roadchef Services in Maidstone on Motorway M20. The parking place for lorrys was overfilled. I am parking my bus on the parkground for coaches. ( in germany the name for a 3,5 tons transporter is âbusâ â in england is the name for a bus a âcoachâ ) I go to visit the toilet and drink a coffee. Than I make a fiew minutes break with my partner in my bus. After 20 minutes we hear a noise on our bus. I go out from the bus and see the parking fine notice under my windscreen whipper. This parking fine notice was from CP Plus company with the no. 8009771 to pay 80 pound sterling. Than I go around my bus and see the wheel-clamb on my rear wheel. In this moment came two employees from the Parking Control Management Limited with her car to my parkplace. They give me a parking fine notice with no. 54012 from her Company to pay 180 pound sterling ! It is common in england that two several companys write parking fine notices for the same car and the same time ?? And now came the best : the two employees from PCM Limited ( great and big bodys, but a very small brain â like gorillas ) extortet me with the following menace : âwhen you not pay the 180 pound we bring your car with a trailer to london, and than you must pay 500 pound sterling !â â it is extortion !! And now came the criminal act from the two employees : they took 225 pound sterling instead 180 pound sterling money from me !! And they where so silly to confirm their fraud on the receipt ! These are robber baron methodes like the middle age, but not appropriate in the united europe from today. my lawyer said it is a criminal act and we want to make a reporting of an offence against the PCM Limited Company ! I must say in england give it a very good service on the motorway-stations. A good service to rob foreignersâ¦â¦.
Andreas Knoch, 22 July 2007
visited these services on the way to dover very clean toilets and generally a good experience if a little small for the amount of coaches heading for dover
bryancashmore, 24 February 2007
i had recently returned from my holiday in the south of france and had a 12hour journey through france. during which i needed to stop at various service stations for fuel and rest breaks. The service areas in france were top class. Imagine my embarrassment when i arrived at dover and made my way along the m20 and had to stop for further fuel at maidstone services where the facilities were very different. having refuelled, i went in to the payment area to also get some coffee. The coffee area was very poorly stocked and had to ask for cups, this took several minutes whilst the staff tried to find the cups, then a further 10mins trying to find the lids for these cups. The whole of the forecourt shop was extremely untidy with empty boxes and packaging laying around. Staff were helpful, but it appeared improperly managed as they were wandering around aimlessly as noone seemed to know where the cups or lids were kept. As this service area is probably the first that our EU friends will see in the UK, it is really embarrasing that this is what we have in comparison to their top rate service areas. I was not happy and something needs to be done.
stephen milgate, 28 August 2006 (This comment relates to a visit to this service area at: 1 PM 26 August 2006)
recently been slated by jeremy clarkson in his top gear coloumn
Scott Woodrow, 5 February 2006
And, if you've got one, you can upload a picture of Maidstone Services!
