norbert

Hello.

Today I parked where I shouldn't have ( I admit that) for what was no more than 4 minutes.

I came back to my car to find the lovely wheel clampers with their van, ready to tow it away. At this stage they were putting the brace on, nothing more.

I asked politely if they would let me off as they had only been there for a very short time - answer 'NO'.

I then said what would it take to get my car back. He said I would have to pay the £65 release fee.

I was in a rush and couldn't be arsed to argue, so paid it.

My point here is that at no time was my car clamped, yet he said I had pay a release fee. So, in effect he was taking payment for something that never actually happened. I have a witness who is a police officer and he said he will back me up. He was the one who pointed out that I wasn't ever clamped but paid for removal of this imaginary clamp.

Anyone ever had a similar experience??

darts_aint_sport

If it wasn't clamped why didn't you just drive away ?

norbert

Because there was a 3 ton van blocking me in, ready to tow me away!

Freak

Should have sat in the car and called the cops about them blocking you in.
especially as you had a (credible) witness.
A parking ticket isnt valid unless its actually on your car- if you drive away before its fixed, it is invalid.
if they were to obstruct you, in order to prevent you driving off so they could fix the clamp... well im pretty sure that isnt very legal
But as you have paid it now, you have a snowballs chance in hell of getting any $ back.

Wish

iTrader: (2)

You could fight it. But to be honest .... Is it really worth the stress / build up of stress.

Put it down to experiance, tomorrow is another day.
And dont park where you shouldnt !

Tim-Grove

Our van was clamped outside the old Sainsbury’s im Walsall few months back. The Sainsbury’s is being knocked down soon and we were removing the electricity supply from the building, there was no one on the site so we had just been given the keys to a side door. We parked our van on the car park which was empty and saw the no parking signs, but as we were working in the building we thought it would be ok.

WRONG!!!

While we were in the building removing the electricity meter this guy turned up and proceeded to clamp our van. When we came outside this guy was getting into his van, we saw the clamp and ran over to explain we were working in the building. This idiot was having none of it. We were saying "look we've got the keys to the building we're working hear, he just kept saying read the board it say no parking. He then said if you pay up now and I’ll release you, which we preceded to **** our self’s laughing. I told him I’ll catch the bus home before I pay to release a company van which doesn’t belong to me. He then told us that a lorry would be hear within the hour to lift our van and impound it, to which I replied "trust me mate me and the van are gona be gone in the next ten mins" which confused him. So then I opened up the back of the van to get my 14" petrol stihl saw out and get on with cutting the thing off. He reconed he was going to make a complaint to our company and get me the sack because it was criminal damage, so I said “if it’s criminal damage ring the police”.

Still waiting to get sacked. Told my gaffer when I got back the office and he pissed him self laughing.

Wish

iTrader: (2)

So you cut it off !

Brendan Hughes

Could you also have got out your arc welder and welded it round his frikkin neck?

Tim-Grove

Yep took about 20mins to get it off without damaging the wheel but it came off. He just sat in his van pretending to ring the police.

Wish

iTrader: (2)

EXCELLENT STUFF !

BRILLIANT

norbert

Frig it - I'll appeal it anyway.

ajm

I liked the approach a farmer took that I read about in the paper a few years back. He came back to find the clampers clamping cars that had been parked in a carpark with no clearly visible signs. His car was amongst those being clamped so he left the car, went home and came back with his tractor with which he parked the clampers van squarely in. He then refused to let their van out until they removed the clamps. They couldn't clamp the tractor because the wheels are far too big, neither could they move it, so they had to give in and release the cars!

Justice the rural way. Gotta love it!