Got my car towed !! Central Parking Ltd
11 April 2010, 10:08 PM
#1
Got my car towed !! Central Parking Ltd
What a bunch of robbing ****ing *******s 
Went out on Friday night for a very rare night out with mrs swiss. We popped into our local village and parked in the village hall car park, where we have parked before countless times. Went off to the pub, had a great time and then walked home.
Next day, after the hangover had subsided, drove into the village to pick up my car to find it had gone !!!
There were some small white signs near a hedge which read that the car park was controlled by some robbing ****s called Central Parking Ltd and they towed vehicles..couldnt ****ing believe it as it is such a sleepy village
Called up the **** on the phone who informed me that my car had been towed and was now all the way in Uxbridge !! And here is the ****ing joke
They charge £300 to collect it, plus £33 for every day they store it and £60 extra if they have to use 'special equipment' to tow it ..
And they will only accept CASH !!
Are they having a ****ing laugh !!
And the ******** said on the phone, because it was 12:30 the pound was closed and I could not pick it up until Monday to which they charge me an extra day of Sunday even though they are closed
Now firstly I am bloody livid as you can imagine at the costs etc, but my car is mondeo for ****s sake. What special equipment would they need for that ???
And payment in cash only ??
Can they do this ?
Absolutely gutted as this is now a sizeable chunk of the wedding fund gone
Anyone hear of this dodgy cowboy company ?
Went out on Friday night for a very rare night out with mrs swiss. We popped into our local village and parked in the village hall car park, where we have parked before countless times. Went off to the pub, had a great time and then walked home.
Next day, after the hangover had subsided, drove into the village to pick up my car to find it had gone !!!
There were some small white signs near a hedge which read that the car park was controlled by some robbing ****s called Central Parking Ltd and they towed vehicles..couldnt ****ing believe it as it is such a sleepy village
Called up the **** on the phone who informed me that my car had been towed and was now all the way in Uxbridge !! And here is the ****ing joke
They charge £300 to collect it, plus £33 for every day they store it and £60 extra if they have to use 'special equipment' to tow it ..
And they will only accept CASH !!
Are they having a ****ing laugh !!
And the ******** said on the phone, because it was 12:30 the pound was closed and I could not pick it up until Monday to which they charge me an extra day of Sunday even though they are closed
Now firstly I am bloody livid as you can imagine at the costs etc, but my car is mondeo for ****s sake. What special equipment would they need for that ???
And payment in cash only ??
Can they do this ?
Absolutely gutted as this is now a sizeable chunk of the wedding fund gone
Anyone hear of this dodgy cowboy company ?
11 April 2010, 10:19 PM
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11 April 2010, 10:22 PM
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Sounds very dodgy to me, cash only FFS, this isn't the dark ages
Do these people not need to be registered, and if so regulated. There's been a lot of stuff in the media about cowboys like this.
Do these people not need to be registered, and if so regulated. There's been a lot of stuff in the media about cowboys like this.
11 April 2010, 10:32 PM
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Swiss have a butchers on here for some help with this...you never know, they not be kosher pepipoo.com.
11 April 2010, 10:36 PM
#7
Swiss have a butchers on here for some help with this...you never know, they not be kosher pepipoo.com.
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11 April 2010, 10:39 PM
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Simple checks like google and yahoo can't even find the company
Unless it's this bunch that do 'garaging'
Have you tried a call to the old bill, they may have a file on the company
Unless it's this bunch that do 'garaging'
Have you tried a call to the old bill, they may have a file on the company
Last edited by JonMc; 11 April 2010 at 10:43 PM.
11 April 2010, 10:48 PM
#11
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How much 
That is legalised robbery. If it is legal. Have a word with the local Police and see what they have to say about it.
That is extorniate Oh and if you HAVE to pay, make sure you get a receipt then take the buggers to court.
That is legalised robbery. If it is legal. Have a word with the local Police and see what they have to say about it.That is extorniate
Oh and if you HAVE to pay, make sure you get a receipt then take the buggers to court.
11 April 2010, 10:49 PM
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I run a security company and have experience of running vehicle immobilization contracts ie clamping!
If u pm me I will try to clarify some of the rukes and laws surrounding this tupe of activity which may hopefully help you out.
Won be able to reply till tomorrow though.
If u pm me I will try to clarify some of the rukes and laws surrounding this tupe of activity which may hopefully help you out.
Won be able to reply till tomorrow though.
11 April 2010, 10:49 PM
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I run a security company and have experience of running vehicle immobilization contracts ie clamping!
If u pm me I will try to clarify some of the rukes and laws surrounding this tupe of activity which may hopefully help you out.
Won be able to reply till tomorrow though.
If u pm me I will try to clarify some of the rukes and laws surrounding this tupe of activity which may hopefully help you out.
Won be able to reply till tomorrow though.
11 April 2010, 10:55 PM
#14
I run a security company and have experience of running vehicle immobilization contracts ie clamping!
If u pm me I will try to clarify some of the rukes and laws surrounding this tupe of activity which may hopefully help you out.
Won be able to reply till tomorrow though.
If u pm me I will try to clarify some of the rukes and laws surrounding this tupe of activity which may hopefully help you out.
Won be able to reply till tomorrow though.
11 April 2010, 11:05 PM
#16
at least it wasn't by these excuse the pun "clampits" who mainly targeted football fans, and basically took the downright ****.
http://www.tradingstandards.gov.uk/e...cfm/newsid/443
http://www.tradingstandards.gov.uk/e...cfm/newsid/443
11 April 2010, 11:34 PM
#17
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I'd like to hear how this turns out, but I fear it will not be good news. 
I don't think the new laws have come in yet, and if they have not you are pretty screwed. The police will call it a civil dispute so will not even intervene. If you don't pay what they want they can keep your car, and eventually sell it. Previous advice I have heard is that you should pay to get your car back, and then seek redress through the courts if you think you have a case.....and if you think they will still be there when the case does come to court....
Good luck!
I don't think the new laws have come in yet, and if they have not you are pretty screwed. The police will call it a civil dispute so will not even intervene. If you don't pay what they want they can keep your car, and eventually sell it. Previous advice I have heard is that you should pay to get your car back
, and then seek redress through the courts if you think you have a case.....and if you think they will still be there when the case does come to court.... Good luck!
12 April 2010, 06:53 AM
#18
This is my reply to the guys on Pepipoo who have been very helpful so far
Thanks for all the replies to my first ever post on here
Known about this place for a while and directed loads of members from other forums I am on but never actually used it myself until now. But after my experience on Friday, I feel that what this company is doing is highly unethical and completely taking the proverbial. Please excuse my outbursts in the first post, as you can imagine I was a tad upset !!
Anyway great advice so far , thanks.
My beef so far with them comes down to this :
1. I have lived in this village for about 6 years now and never once seen these signs before as I regularly have used the car park because it is the car park where my youngest went to nursery at the village hall and for other functions there. Never have I seen these signs before though the guy on the phone said they had been there for ages !
2. Two signs were visible when I went to collect my car, but one at hedge level was obscured by another car that was parked there (apparently is is now permit only ) and the other sign is on a wall. Bit difficult to spot at night which is was when I parked on Friday night
3. The outrageous cost they are charging just for the towing £300. Is it allowed to be that much as it sounds they are just making up a price.
4. The fact that because they towed my vehicle at 11.am on Saturday morning , 30 miles to the pound and then closed at midday, means I had little chance to recover my car on the saturday and so am now being charged for the sunday as well
5. The £60 charge IF they have to use 'special equipment' to tow !! My car is Ford Mondeo which is front wheel drive, was not in gear and after speaking to a friend who works in a Ford Garage, would not need any equipment to tow.
6. and lastly the worst one. Payment in CASH. They do not accept any other forms of payment. Is this legal ??
Who the hell has £450 in CASH just lying around to pay.
I obviously need to get my car before it incurs any further costs, but I am not prepared to let these robbing *******s get away with it.
Thanks once again for all the help
Known about this place for a while and directed loads of members from other forums I am on but never actually used it myself until now. But after my experience on Friday, I feel that what this company is doing is highly unethical and completely taking the proverbial. Please excuse my outbursts in the first post, as you can imagine I was a tad upset !!
Anyway great advice so far , thanks.
My beef so far with them comes down to this :
1. I have lived in this village for about 6 years now and never once seen these signs before as I regularly have used the car park because it is the car park where my youngest went to nursery at the village hall and for other functions there. Never have I seen these signs before though the guy on the phone said they had been there for ages !
2. Two signs were visible when I went to collect my car, but one at hedge level was obscured by another car that was parked there (apparently is is now permit only ) and the other sign is on a wall. Bit difficult to spot at night which is was when I parked on Friday night
3. The outrageous cost they are charging just for the towing £300. Is it allowed to be that much as it sounds they are just making up a price.
4. The fact that because they towed my vehicle at 11.am on Saturday morning , 30 miles to the pound and then closed at midday, means I had little chance to recover my car on the saturday and so am now being charged for the sunday as well
5. The £60 charge IF they have to use 'special equipment' to tow !! My car is Ford Mondeo which is front wheel drive, was not in gear and after speaking to a friend who works in a Ford Garage, would not need any equipment to tow.
6. and lastly the worst one. Payment in CASH. They do not accept any other forms of payment. Is this legal ??
Who the hell has £450 in CASH just lying around to pay.
I obviously need to get my car before it incurs any further costs, but I am not prepared to let these robbing *******s get away with it.
Thanks once again for all the help
12 April 2010, 09:46 AM
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last time this happened to me was by a company called strashleigh near plymouth.after the same sort of response from owner ie pay lots in cash or we keep the car i decided to turn up with a few mates from 42 commando which i was serving with at the time(long time ago now)lets just say i was the smallest at 6 foot and 15 stone....funny how a 6 foot 7 bootneck can just walk in and take car with my keys.owner didnt say a word.
if they only want cash then its being run off the books so just threaten to report them anyway.
if they only want cash then its being run off the books so just threaten to report them anyway.
12 April 2010, 10:02 AM
#22
The company that removed your car must be licensed with the Security Industry Authority (SIA). The operative must have an SIA licence also.
There are guidlines and rules thay MUST follow. If you believe they are in breach of any of the regulations, you can make a complaint to the SIA. Actually, you should make a complaint regardless. You can make your complaint here;
http://www.sia.homeoffice.gov.uk/Pag...reporting.aspx
It seems though that it amounts to nothing more than extortion, and the only way to get your car back its to pay up. After that, you can take up your case with the courts system.
In addition to the pepipoo website, there's another one I find useful called ticket fighter.
http://www.ticketfighter.co.uk
There are guidlines and rules thay MUST follow. If you believe they are in breach of any of the regulations, you can make a complaint to the SIA. Actually, you should make a complaint regardless. You can make your complaint here;
http://www.sia.homeoffice.gov.uk/Pag...reporting.aspx
It seems though that it amounts to nothing more than extortion, and the only way to get your car back its to pay up. After that, you can take up your case with the courts system.
In addition to the pepipoo website, there's another one I find useful called ticket fighter.
http://www.ticketfighter.co.uk
12 April 2010, 10:13 AM
#24
last time this happened to me was by a company called strashleigh near plymouth.after the same sort of response from owner ie pay lots in cash or we keep the car i decided to turn up with a few mates from 42 commando which i was serving with at the time(long time ago now)lets just say i was the smallest at 6 foot and 15 stone....funny how a 6 foot 7 bootneck can just walk in and take car with my keys.owner didnt say a word.
if they only want cash then its being run off the books so just threaten to report them anyway.
if they only want cash then its being run off the books so just threaten to report them anyway.
1. They are charging me for today even though they have given me a slot at 10 a.m
2. They dont allow you to turn up, you have to be escorted into the pound by their mobile team
3. Cash only as they have suffered by the scheme whereby people upset at the charges have asked for a chargeback by the credit card company
4. They say that because the sign says CASH ONLY they can do that
5. The special equipment they needed was because steering locks on Ford Mondeos are weak apparently..what a load of bull****
12 April 2010, 10:13 AM
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I have use PePiPoo a couple of times when i have had run-in's. read the thread on there just now.
I have got advice for parking (tickets) twice and DVLA after they tried to take me to court for not informing them of change of ownership (which i did three times)
Only ever had good constructive advice and won/beaten all three!
In your ssituation do follow their advice re paying - writing 'under duress' and keeping chat to a minimum, do not get drawn into a discussion or vent whilst there and do not point out any errors on paperwork. all grist to the mill.
Good luck!
I have got advice for parking (tickets) twice and DVLA after they tried to take me to court for not informing them of change of ownership (which i did three times)
Only ever had good constructive advice and won/beaten all three!
In your ssituation do follow their advice re paying - writing 'under duress' and keeping chat to a minimum, do not get drawn into a discussion or vent whilst there and do not point out any errors on paperwork. all grist to the mill.
Good luck!
12 April 2010, 10:14 AM
#26
The company that removed your car must be licensed with the Security Industry Authority (SIA). The operative must have an SIA licence also.
There are guidlines and rules thay MUST follow. If you believe they are in breach of any of the regulations, you can make a complaint to the SIA. Actually, you should make a complaint regardless. You can make your complaint here;
http://www.sia.homeoffice.gov.uk/Pag...reporting.aspx
It seems though that it amounts to nothing more than extortion, and the only way to get your car back its to pay up. After that, you can take up your case with the courts system.
In addition to the pepipoo website, there's another one I find useful called ticket fighter.
http://www.ticketfighter.co.uk
There are guidlines and rules thay MUST follow. If you believe they are in breach of any of the regulations, you can make a complaint to the SIA. Actually, you should make a complaint regardless. You can make your complaint here;
http://www.sia.homeoffice.gov.uk/Pag...reporting.aspx
It seems though that it amounts to nothing more than extortion, and the only way to get your car back its to pay up. After that, you can take up your case with the courts system.
In addition to the pepipoo website, there's another one I find useful called ticket fighter.
http://www.ticketfighter.co.uk
I am not taking this lying down
12 April 2010, 10:51 AM
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I am very sorry to hear about all that Swiss. Ther is no way they can justify those sorts of charges and even if you were committing a parking offence the penalties are way way over the top.
I would be tempted to go to court over it and make them justify their charges for a start and also for the return of your car which they have effectively stolen.
Glad to hear you are not going to take it lying down and I wish you all the success over it. I would also have a meaningful chat with the owner of the land concerned.
Les
I would be tempted to go to court over it and make them justify their charges for a start and also for the return of your car which they have effectively stolen.
Glad to hear you are not going to take it lying down and I wish you all the success over it. I would also have a meaningful chat with the owner of the land concerned.
Les
12 April 2010, 11:09 AM
#28
If you do go down the route Leslie has suggested, dont forget to keep records of all the costs you have incurred as a result of having your car removed. Taxi, phone calls etc.
12 April 2010, 11:19 AM
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12 April 2010, 11:30 AM
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If that was me and it was all honest (if i parked knowing the risks) I'd expect to pay about £100, but i would also expect a reasonable amount of time until they start charging for keeping the car in the pound. I'd expect it to be free (HA) until about 3 or so days have passed to give reasonable time to pick the car up.
I'd report this to everyone going, watchdog, citizens advice, and any other place who would be interested. I'd also report to the tax office to make sure they arent cheating tax.