LBS again!!!

in_the_Cotswolds

In today's Sun, LBS had a woman's car towed away during her fathers memorial service and was then forced to pay nearly £1000 in cash to get it back.

She had to meet in a pub to pay them the £946 charge. They refused to tell her where they were based and they were really menacing she said. She even took two cops with her hoping they would arrest them but they just said it was a civil matter (as per usual).

This is a shortened version with names removed. I can't find a link.

bromsgrovebarry

Oh well done plod. If she had taken an angle grinder to the clamp, plod would have been out like a shot to do an easy nicking for criminal damage. Now will somebody do something to outlaw this scum?

peter_the_piper

Not very likely. Don't expect anything for a year or two, even then the clampers lobbying may dilute it.

Kite2010

LBS, isn't that the company which clamped an AA van which was parked up helping to sort out a broken down car?

Ah yes, here it is: http://uk.autoblog.com/2010/11/26/clampers-target-aa-van-while-it-attends-to-breakdown/

"AA president Edmund King said: "Over £1,000 to remove a clamp is absurd. I will be talking to our lawyers to see how we can get it back.""

I would love to be in court that day where the bloke from LBS tries to justify the release fee

robredz

Kite2010 wrote: »

LBS, isn't that the company which clamped an AA van which was parked up helping to sort out a broken down car?

Ah yes, here it is: http://uk.autoblog.com/2010/11/26/clampers-target-aa-van-while-it-attends-to-breakdown/

"AA president Edmund King said: "Over £1,000 to remove a clamp is absurd. I will be talking to our lawyers to see how we can get it back.""

I would love to be in court that day where the bloke from LBS tries to justify the release fee

But LBS won't turn up. I mean do they do court?

jkdd77

robredz wrote: »

But LBS won't turn up. I mean do they do court?

No, they are notorious for clamping without the direct or indirect authority of any landowner, charging outrageous amounts, towing and immediately selling unlawfully clamped vehicles, and simply ignoring all CCJs.

The only remedy for a clamping by LBS is to take angle-grinders to the clamp. If you pay, you will never see a penny of your money again. :mad:

steve1500

Surely if you caused criminal damage to their property & had to pay them compensation every man & his dog to who they owed money via unpaid CCJ's would hopefully notify the court / turn up in court asking for the money

jkdd77

steve1500 wrote: »

Surely if you caused criminal damage to their property & had to pay them compensation every man & his dog to who they owed money via unpaid CCJ's would hopefully notify the court / turn up in court asking for the money

Indeed, this could well be a third-party debt order, which is why LBS never sue their victims; the risk of using "self-help", such as it is, is not a civil case (albeit that this is theoretically possible) but rather a criminal conviction for criminal damage.

There is arguably a 'lawful excuse' for causing the damage (which would mean that no criminal offence is committed) in a case such as this.

robredz

jkdd77 wrote: »

No, they are notorious for clamping without the direct or indirect authority of any landowner, charging outrageous amounts, towing and immediately selling unlawfully clamped vehicles, and simply ignoring all CCJs.

The only remedy for a clamping by LBS is to take angle-grinders to the clamp. If you pay, you will never see a penny of your money again. :mad:

So If I owned a piece of land in an area where LBS operate, they may take it on themselves to clamp vehicles legitimately parked on my land? Or do they offer their services then start clamping even if you tell them to stick the offer where the sun don't shine?

In that scenario I would clamp their vehicles and turn the tables.