got clamped today, whilst going for a parking ticket

[portzy]

Being a 'Bradford' lad and Haworth only being a couple of miles from where I live this scam is well known to me as it is to most Bradfordians. Its the car park right opposite the mill shop at the top of the hill, if anyone else happens to visit.

Errr, I am rather lucky in that I work for what you might call an Housing Association and as we have some properties in Haworth I park outside those in the 'Tenants Area' with my company Parking Disc in my window. Sorry if thats salt in the wounds . You and others will never beat this guy until proper legislation comes in and for the time being all the "Authorities" round here dont really want to know. Now, if those same Authorities caught you eating an apple and driving.......?, well you know what I mean, thats a different story I guess!.

By all means visit Haworth but park further down the hill on the pay and display on road part. It is run by Bradford Council and they wont dash out and clamp you.

Alternatively, come to Saltaire Village, its the latest World Heritage Site and theres loads of cheap or free parking and lots more to see and do. Compared to Haworth that is.

Before Saltaire became a WHS you could buy an appartment in the converted Salts Mill for £70K, the day after the status was bestowed the same appartments went up by £20K!. I dont know why I said that?, its always bugged me though, and it is Friday

Portzy.

 

[Flash]

I would definitely teach the clamper a lesson but make sure you take sufficient "reinforcemenst" i.e. ur mates with you should things get nasty. I can think of a number of ways of getting even but it would be irresponsible of me to say on the forum.

Flash

 

[glojo]

AngleGrinderMan! see the Favorites forum "Help with pesky wheel clamps"!!
Les

Thanks Dittrich,
I could not remember his 'official' title but he certainly has a following and a homepage on the Internet.

Morning Fuzzer,
Thanks for the information, I thought I had read somewhere the practice was illegal in Scotland.

I woke up this morning still fuming over the conduct of this extortionist. I cannot understand how he can legally carry on doing what he does.

Surely he MUST give anyone the oppurtunity to purchase a ticket. He can no doubt easily lie about the times and then it becomes a lawyers playground where there will only be one winner.

I am working myself up into a rant so had best shut up.

Good luck grasmere and take care,
John

 

[Flyer]

Shocking! You'd think the council would be on to these cowboys as it surely must affect trade. I know it's private land, but still! Been thinking about the legal aspect - morally they're scum, but legally are they in the wrong?

Extortion ... the use of clamps should be made illegal, like in Scotland. Our "wonderful" government bring in all these stupid new laws and fines for this, that and the other, but a law that, I would have thought, a large proportion of the country would want, they won't even consider

Be interesting if a TV company secretly filmed them doing that.

(Just had a thought: He should be on that TV advert*, "How do they sleep at night?", the ones with the baggage handlers and bus driver )


* Can't remember what it's for, so it obviously didn't work!

 

[glojo]

Extortion ... the use of clamps should be made illegal, like in Scotland. Our "wonderful" government bring in all these stupid new laws and fines for this, that and the other, but a law that, I would have thought, a large proportion of the country would want, they won't even consider

Just to really rub salt into the wound, how many of our government ministers actually come from north of the border?

John

John

 

[andy_k]

Just to really rub salt into the wound, how many of our government ministers actually come from north of the border?

John

John

I thought Scotland had it's own parliament/government

Andy

 

[Shude]

I have parked in that carpark! It's famous!

I parked there and had some lunch with my grandmother on the main street through Haworth (Grandmothers really love all the antiques shops etc there!). I casually mentioned that the time was nearly due on the parking ticket I bought and the waiter/chef in the cafe told me to run back to the carpark and make sure I definitely wasn't over the time, he would keep my grandmother fed with cups of tea in the meantime!

I ran back and sure enough they were just getting the clamp out, I had about 5 minutes left! I got in the car and left the carpark!

It was only after I spoke to the guy in the cafe again that I found out about the evil carpark owners and their clamping policies!

 

[miro]

My friend friend has an amazingly positive and kind nature except when someone tries to shaft him for a towing away fee or wheel clamping. One swift blow to the head in the correct manner and the matter was settled.

 

[Flash]

My friend friend has an amazingly positive and kind nature except when someone tries to shaft him for a towing away fee or wheel clamping. One swift blow to the head in the correct manner and the matter was settled.

Unfortunatley, in the UK the Law/Jutice System is backwards and is on the "Criminals/Crooks" side - we would end up getting locked up unless we can produce witneses to say it was self defence or something.

Flash

 

[garystu1965]

3, go and hire/buy a clamp and do it to his van whilst he is clamping somebody else - very childish but very funny and if you are quick enough he's kind of stuck Explain to him that his unreasonable parking has obstructed you so you have taken positive action and you will not remove the clamp until he pays you a ridiculous fee - if you are going down that road may I suggest you take a few friends with you as back up and if these guys are the scourge of the neighbourhood like you suggest get the local paper involved
Andy

Not childish at all. I'd do the above AND dump a tin of yellow paint all over his wreck of a car. What a low-life.

 

[garystu1965]

My friend friend has an amazingly positive and kind nature except when someone tries to shaft him for a towing away fee or wheel clamping. One swift blow to the head in the correct manner and the matter was settled.

Totally agree mate or..."If you don't take that clamp off in five seconds I've got enough dosh to get you an appointment with Mr Baseball Bat".

 

[Satch]

It all changes on 28 February when the Security Industry Act requires these scum to be licenced:

http://www.the-sia.org.uk/licences/vi.asp

Of course that means a protracted complaints procedure and proving non compliance with a Code of Conduct, so it is not going to provide an overnight solution but will eventually drive out greedy opportunists like the ones you have fallen foul of.

In the meantime your only formal recourse is under contract law, i.e, you will have to sue for unreasonable actions under the implied contract, but I bet you will find Notices displayed that they claim would cover their action. It is not worth the bother and that is what they rely on.

 

[glojo]

In the meantime your only formal recourse is under contract law, i.e, you will have to sue for unreasonable actions under the implied contract, but I bet you will find Notices displayed that they claim would cover their action. It is not worth the bother and that is what they rely on.

Totally agree with Satch,
Making threats, and other violent acts is surely the level of the clamper and not that of a civilised person.

If I could not resolve this in a legal or journalistic fashion, then life goes on. I feel for grasmere, I would be angry like grasmere.

I might perhaps consider putting this low life's details on every mailing list I could think of, including all his phone numbers. (hopefully thats not too illegal )

Before anyone suggests it, I would not send Takeaway Pizza's, Chinese meals, or taxis to his home address because this is punishing innocent tradespeople.

Bye for now,
John

 

[Satch]

The urge to give low life scum like that the good kicking they so richly deserve is always a strong one but these type of people are adept at turning it back on you: they make a living from exploiting the law.

However, a short tale.

Once upon a time the Parachute Regiment HQ was in Aldershot. "Airborne Forces Week" was in progress and some of the participants relatives found their cars had been clamped in a local pub/hotel carpark despite the fact they had been staying there the previous evening. Their crime was not to have vacated the car park by 11.00am. A fee of £100 per car was being demanded for release by the grasping hotelier

Upon being made a very clear counter offer, being the most delightful prospect of a contingent from the Regiment (plus selected guests from the 82nd US Airborne) turning up later that evening and enjoying the hospitality of that establishment to the full, the keys were very quickly produced.

 

[Shude]

The urge to give low life scum like that the good kicking they so richly deserve is always a strong one but these type of people are adept at turning it back on you: they make a living from exploiting the law.

One bloke got clamped when parking around the corner from a cashpoint and the fine was extortionate, so next time he was there he told anyone who happened to be parking that they would get clamped - they moved on elsewhere. The clampers saw this and recognised him - he got a letter later they were trying to sue him for loss of earnings! I don't think they got very far with that one though .

 

[glojo]

he got a letter later they were trying to sue him for loss of earnings! I don't think they got very far with that one though .

Apologies for going way off topic, but on the news yesterday a Dutch Bank robber actually claimed the tax back on a gun he purchased to use in the course of his profession!!

The sad thing about this was that the request was refused so he took the case to court and won.

It looks like the Dutch courts are following our own in reaching outrageous decisions.

John

 

[Howard]

I know its lowering yourself to his level, but park round the corner, select a well balanced brick, enter the carpark and lob it straight through his windscreen while he's sitting in it and then off like a rocket....

highly unlikely he'll be out of the car in time to catch you , and you have some satisfaction. make sure he doesnt see your car though or you may get busted.

If he does call plod, and theres no evidence that you were there , then it's only his word against yours.

Violence is a form of communication, and sometimes the only form these people understand . I don't advocate the use of it, but sometimes it is necessary.

H

p.s. I feel bad for having wrtitten this but i was so incensed at what had happened to you i felt i had to .

 

[grasmere]

thanks for your support guys and pammy , I've calmed down today but some of your suggestions had come to mind at one point or another and sometimes all at once and there is time, plenty of time he he he (to the sound of deranged laughter). I'll get my £50 quids worth sometime soon . . .

Legally, after all thats gone on before it would be a waste of time as even the authorities I believe should have prevented them operating a car park as cover for this legalised racket.

all the best, Ian

 

[PJH]

Where was the clamper parked and did HE have a ticket?
I don't know it clampers have to be registered at all, probably do, but how about getting your own clamp and clamping HIM, your VERY FIRST customer!
Whatever his release fee is, charge double.

 

[stwat]

Where was the clamper parked and did HE have a ticket?
I don't know it clampers have to be registered at all, probably do, but how about getting your own clamp and clamping HIM, your VERY FIRST customer!
Whatever his release fee is, charge double.

Thats exectly what i was just thinking. But why stop at one clamp?? Put four of them on the scumbags car!!!

Stu.