WARNING Avoid Changegate Car Park, Haworth. Notorious for Clamping

peter_the_piper

What I can see is that ticket placed on car, car waits until busy time, driver removes ticket, gets in queue and slides out sitting on bumper of car in front. Dropping the barrier would be classed as maliscious damage? Don't know how big car park is but it would be if car had been there a long time with ticket removed how would they know which to drop barrier on? Don't say reg as it would be difficult in a queue.

Sirdan

peter_the_piper wrote: »

What I can see is that ticket placed on car, car waits until busy time, driver removes ticket, gets in queue and slides out sitting on bumper of car in front. Dropping the barrier would be classed as maliscious damage? Don't know how big car park is but it would be if car had been there a long time with ticket removed how would they know which to drop barrier on? Don't say reg as it would be difficult in a queue.

Yes in practical terms such (mis)use of a barrier seems pretty unlikely , although that doesn't mean some cowboy won't at least try it !

Clearly the real reason the clause 54(3) exists is to allow car parks that operate a pay on exit to lift the barrier system to continue without falling foul of the offence created by 54(1).

pineapple

I live not far from there and yes it is all true.
There are even notices up in the shops about them.
I would rather poke sharp sticks in my eyes than give these scum any money by parking there.
If anyone wants to come to Haworth I can tell you where you can park safely and securely (and perhaps even freely).

UnconsciouS

tomatoevousparlour wrote: »

At risk of getting flamed here, Just watched the program about this on 4od and it seems most of the people getting the tickets are either:
not parking within the space (a problem I see in every car park I go to)

Overstaying their tickets

not properly displaying their tickets (with accordance to the displayed rules)

taking someone else's ticket (forbidden within the rules).

Has anyone one here been caught without one of these errors, or is it purely that the people who are getting caught are not following the published rules?

Let's for once and all make this really clear!
Evans has a limited number of signs, mainly in difficult to see places, which post a number of rules. However, the entire scam is principally designed around a clever device. That is: that he makes it extremely difficult for people to adhere to the rules.

For example:

a) The parking spaces are not properly marked. Therefore it is not clear what is and isn't a parking space. Some of the spaces are as much as half the size of a car.

b) A common ploy he uses is to say that your car is parked 'over the line'. Yet on some of the spaces, the line to the rear of you, has been moved so as not to line up to the spaces either side of you - so that when you reverse in, it appears that you are parked in line, but your spaces has the rear line marked 4 foot shorter than those either side of you - for no reason other than to catch you out.

c) There are no signs visible to any car entering the car park that clamping and large fines are operating. The sign facing the road at the front makes no mention of this. The other signs (bar one) are all obscured. By the time you walk to the machine, buy your ticket and see the sign about parking over the line and clamping - it's too late - you may have already been clamped while purchasing your ticket!

Some of the above is criminal, as it means that he is unlawfully enforcing a non-existent contract by clamping - no contract was ever established.

However - what I will describe now is entirely criminal. (Martin at MSE is welcome to use the evidence if he wishes). I purchased a series of tickets without parking there (I still have them). Inspection of the tickets proves that the machine is rigged. You do not always get the time advertised. Evans and his team could be arrested and charged with fraud for this.

I reported this matter to the police. The police have one stock answer. "It is a civil matter". The police wrongly claim to ALL complainants that Evans is acting lawfully - why do they repeatedly claim this? This IS a criminal matter. I took the liberty of recording the voice of the police inspector who failed to properly deal with this. He refused to investigate. His excuse was "Evans has been doing this for too long".

My complaint was ignored as if I had never mentioned it. The evidence is that Evans has been pulling the same trick for years. The police know that if this goes to court, it will reveal that the police have ignored the problem for 10 years. Hundreds of people could have a case against the police let alone Evans.

rdwarr

Looking at TripAdvisor it's clear that many visitors blame not only the car park operator but also the wider community for "allowing this to happen".

Assuming that the entire population of Haworth don't support this war on tourists, what should they be doing to stop this and save the reputation of their town?

peter_the_piper

UnconsciouS wrote: »

Let's for once and all make this really clear!
Evans has a limited number of signs, mainly in difficult to see places, which post a number of rules. However, the entire scam is principally designed around a clever device. That is: that he makes it extremely difficult for people to adhere to the rules.

For example:

a) The parking spaces are not properly marked. Therefore it is not clear what is and isn't a parking space. Some of the spaces are as much as half the size of a car.

b) A common ploy he uses is to say that your car is parked 'over the line'. Yet on some of the spaces, the line to the rear of you, has been moved so as not to line up to the spaces either side of you - so that when you reverse in, it appears that you are parked in line, but your spaces has the rear line marked 4 foot shorter than those either side of you - for no reason other than to catch you out.

c) There are no signs visible to any car entering the car park that clamping and large fines are operating. The sign facing the road at the front makes no mention of this. The other signs (bar one) are all obscured. By the time you walk to the machine, buy your ticket and see the sign about parking over the line and clamping - it's too late - you may have already been clamped while purchasing your ticket!

Some of the above is criminal, as it means that he is unlawfully enforcing a non-existent contract by clamping - no contract was ever established.

However - what I will describe now is entirely criminal. (Martin at MSE is welcome to use the evidence if he wishes). I purchased a series of tickets without parking there (I still have them). Inspection of the tickets proves that the machine is rigged. You do not always get the time advertised. Evans and his team could be arrested and charged with fraud for this.

I reported this matter to the police. The police have one stock answer. "It is a civil matter". The police wrongly claim to ALL complainants that Evans is acting lawfully - why do they repeatedly claim this? This IS a criminal matter. I took the liberty of recording the voice of the police inspector who failed to properly deal with this. He refused to investigate. His excuse was "Evans has been doing this for too long".

My complaint was ignored as if I had never mentioned it. The evidence is that Evans has been pulling the same trick for years. The police know that if this goes to court, it will reveal that the police have ignored the problem for 10 years. Hundreds of people could have a case against the police let alone Evans.

Take all this and also post on pepipoo.com and they will find it very interesting and may be able to do something.

Kite2010

UnconsciouS wrote: »

Let's for once and all make this really clear!
Evans has a limited number of signs, mainly in difficult to see places, which post a number of rules. However, the entire scam is principally designed around a clever device. That is: that he makes it extremely difficult for people to adhere to the rules.

For example:

a) The parking spaces are not properly marked. Therefore it is not clear what is and isn't a parking space. Some of the spaces are as much as half the size of a car.

b) A common ploy he uses is to say that your car is parked 'over the line'. Yet on some of the spaces, the line to the rear of you, has been moved so as not to line up to the spaces either side of you - so that when you reverse in, it appears that you are parked in line, but your spaces has the rear line marked 4 foot shorter than those either side of you - for no reason other than to catch you out.

c) There are no signs visible to any car entering the car park that clamping and large fines are operating. The sign facing the road at the front makes no mention of this. The other signs (bar one) are all obscured. By the time you walk to the machine, buy your ticket and see the sign about parking over the line and clamping - it's too late - you may have already been clamped while purchasing your ticket!

Some of the above is criminal, as it means that he is unlawfully enforcing a non-existent contract by clamping - no contract was ever established.

However - what I will describe now is entirely criminal. (Martin at MSE is welcome to use the evidence if he wishes). I purchased a series of tickets without parking there (I still have them). Inspection of the tickets proves that the machine is rigged. You do not always get the time advertised. Evans and his team could be arrested and charged with fraud for this.

I reported this matter to the police. The police have one stock answer. "It is a civil matter". The police wrongly claim to ALL complainants that Evans is acting lawfully - why do they repeatedly claim this? This IS a criminal matter. I took the liberty of recording the voice of the police inspector who failed to properly deal with this. He refused to investigate. His excuse was "Evans has been doing this for too long".

My complaint was ignored as if I had never mentioned it. The evidence is that Evans has been pulling the same trick for years. The police know that if this goes to court, it will reveal that the police have ignored the problem for 10 years. Hundreds of people could have a case against the police let alone Evans.

Trading Standards would love to know if the machines are rigged.

Coupon-mad

Trading Standards and Police should be doing something, if this is the case then the owner should be in Court like Steven Ryan:

http://www.birminghampost.net/news/west-midlands-news/2011/02/03/owner-of-car-clamping-firm-which-targeted-digbeth-motorists-jailed-65233-28110547/

“We hope this will send out a clear message; that illegal car clamping will not be tolerated and those conducting such activities will not only face prosecution but also jail.”

Very similar-sounding con - but how to get the TS and Police in Howarth to look more closely at it?

Hadeon

UnconsciouS wrote: »

I reported this matter to the police. The police have one stock answer. "It is a civil matter". The police wrongly claim to ALL complainants that Evans is acting lawfully - why do they repeatedly claim this? This IS a criminal matter. I took the liberty of recording the voice of the police inspector who failed to properly deal with this. He refused to investigate. His excuse was "Evans has been doing this for too long".

My complaint was ignored as if I had never mentioned it. The evidence is that Evans has been pulling the same trick for years. The police know that if this goes to court, it will reveal that the police have ignored the problem for 10 years. Hundreds of people could have a case against the police let alone Evans.

How about making a 'formal complaint against the police' (for neglect of duty) directly to the Professional Standards Unit of the West Yorkshire Police, and/or to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).

UnconsciouS

Hadeon wrote: »

How about making a 'formal complaint against the police' (for neglect of duty) directly to the Professional Standards Unit of the Greater Manchester Police, and/or to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).

Thank you for this advice - it will be useful.:T