Private Parking - clamp

sarahg1969

vax2002 wrote: »

To prevent towing, take a wheel off, leave the car on the jack and put the locking wheelnuts back in the holes.
Then turn the front steering to full lock and use a bike lock to fasten the steering wheel to the door handle to prevent them pulling the wheels straight.
Let them work that one out.
Another popular technique is to clamp the clamp, see if there is enough room to fit a second lock preventing them from undoing the clamp, then report them for criminal damage for removing your lock, what is good for the goose is good for the gander.

What about clamping the other wheels yourself?

fergusstrachan

Lots of pretty dodgy emotive advice here.
Withholding payment to the mgmt company, cutting the clamp off etc are very dodgy/illegal.
Besides, they suggest that as a director of the freehold company you should have special privileges. Not sure I would appreciate that if I was another resident who had been done by your clampers!

Sorry, but just needed to provide some balance here. :-)

Sirdan

fergusstrachan wrote: »

Lots of pretty dodgy emotive advice here.
Withholding payment to the mgmt company, cutting the clamp off etc are very dodgy/illegal.
Besides, they suggest that as a director of the freehold company you should have special privileges. Not sure I would appreciate that if I was another resident who had been done by your clampers!

Sorry, but just needed to provide some balance here. :-)

Dependent on the circumstances the cutting off of the clamp is perfectly legal.

There are several cases which set precedent on this plus this advice from the one Police force :-

" Where damage is caused to the clamp, deliberately or recklessly, by a motorist attempting to remove it, this may render the person doing so liable in civil law for any damage caused. This may also amount to an offence of criminal damage. However, if the person took the action because they genuinely thought they had a right to do so, as opposed merely to trying to avoid the fee, then it is likely that such a criminal prosecution would not succeed.

However I suggest the OP pays the release fee.. after all the clamping company are only doing what was asked of them..as they saying goes " as you sow ,so shall ye reap" .

Hadeon

"Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn."
Hoisted, own, petard etc.

Zamzara

It's unfortunate you have found out the hard way what the standard business model for private clampers is. They are not interested in solving your problems as that would not lead to any income. The only way for them to stay in business is to steal money from legitimate occupiers.

If they did clamp outside the terms of their authorisation, you may have a case to sue the company for unlawfully clamping you. Unfortunately, clamping companies routinely ignore CCJs as they usually own no assets to enforce against (or so they will claim). No regulatory authority will be interested as the BPA and SIA are just sham regualtion, acting in the interests of the companies. The individual clamper may be a better target to sue, but again only if he clamped outside the terms of the company's authorisation.

Even if you sack the company they may continue illegally clamping, as they are virtually untouchable.

peter_the_piper

I suspect this thread will continue without the OP.

Coupon-mad

fergusstrachan wrote: »

Lots of pretty dodgy emotive advice here.
Withholding payment to the mgmt company, cutting the clamp off etc are very dodgy/illegal.

Sorry, but just needed to provide some balance here. :-)

What utter tosh! :rotfl:

Sorry, but just needed to provide some truth here. :-)

prowla

vax2002 wrote: »

Another popular technique is to clamp the clamp, see if there is enough room to fit a second lock preventing them from undoing the clamp, then report them for criminal damage for removing your lock, what is good for the goose is good for the gander.

Ah - somebody has already thought of that?

It's a great idea - charge the clampers to remove their clamp from your property!

esmerobbo

Even if it was a "lawful" clamp [not dvla] I would chop it off, and take my chances at court rather then pay someone for nothing!

My old Mum used to say "If you cant earn a shilling fairly be skint"!