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retro clamping

Hi, one of today's threads mentioned retro clamping so I googled it. The top advert that came up was a link for a parking company. Was it immoral of me to deliberately click this link, thus causing google to charge the parking company for advertising, even though I had no intention of using their services?

I know I don't like these parking companies, but can that be a justifiable excuse for me, in my own little way, to hurt their bottom line?
Dedicated to driving up standards in parking
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Comments

  • give_them_FA
    give_them_FA Posts: 2,998 Forumite
    Put the link up (you will probably have to split the http: as you are a newbie) and we can all click it. Just out of curiosity, of course....
  • peter_the_piper
    peter_the_piper Posts: 30,269 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    hoohoo wrote: »
    Hi, one of today's threads mentioned retro clamping so I googled it. The top advert that came up was a link for a parking company. Was it immoral of me to deliberately click this link, thus causing google to charge the parking company for advertising, even though I had no intention of using their services?

    I know I don't like these parking companies, but can that be a justifiable excuse for me, in my own little way, to hurt their bottom line?
    Once you have put the link up we'll all join you on the naughty step.
    I'd rather be an Optimist and be proved wrong than a Pessimist and be proved right.
  • hoohoo
    hoohoo Posts: 1,717 Forumite
    google only charges if you do the search then click on their advert, so I would of course have a free conscience repeating the link here because then the parking company would not be charged.
    Dedicated to driving up standards in parking
  • pogofish
    pogofish Posts: 10,853 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Oooohh - Its one of the shonkiest outfits too.

    Not that I would advise anyone else to deliberately google and click, oh no-no-no! ;)
  • Crabman
    Crabman Posts: 9,936 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    pogofish wrote: »
    Oooohh - Its one of the shonkiest outfits too.

    Are you talking about the clamping company, or Google?

    ;)
  • hoohoo
    hoohoo Posts: 1,717 Forumite
    There is no hope for me now. I accidentally phoned their 0800 number too.
    Dedicated to driving up standards in parking
  • peter_the_piper
    peter_the_piper Posts: 30,269 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    If this is the company in question, please list all the glaring errors in their ""legal"" statement.
    Parking on private land without permission from the legal occupier comes under the laws of trespass. Anyone who enters and parks on privately owned land without the permission of the legal occupier will be trespassing on that given piece of land for the duration they are there. If the claimant can prove the trespass he is entitled to recover nominal damages, even if he has not suffered any actual loss or damage. If the trespass has caused the claimant actual loss or damage he is entitled to receive an amount which will compensate for that loss. If a claimant can prove that a trespasser has entered and made use of the claimants land without permission, the claimant is lawfully entitled to receive a reasonable level of compensation in the form of damages for that use. A claim can also be made where there is a breach of parking regulations which are clearly stated on warning notices.
    CONTRACTUAL LAW:

    By parking and thus ignoring the warning signs the offending motorist has entered into a contractual agreement to pay a parking charge. We operate our collection procedures under the Administration of justice act 1970.
    DVLA CODE OF PRACTICE FOR PRIVATE PARKING ENFORCMENT:

    Flashpark adheres to the DVLA′s code of conduct to ensure lawful ethical and fair business practice when obtaining the offending vehicle keeper′s registration details for the purpose of enforcing parking charge which remain un-paid.
    DATA PROTECTION ACT 1998:

    After we have obtained the registered keepers details from the DVLA we will not disclose this information just as we will not disclose the site holder′s details to offenders.
    I'd rather be an Optimist and be proved wrong than a Pessimist and be proved right.
  • victor2
    victor2 Posts: 8,428 Ambassador
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Could be a whole new game - google the subject and click on the ads that come up. Interestingly, I googled "retro parking" and flashpark came up in an ad. Then it didn't, and other organisations in the same business (assuming scamming can be called a business) came up. So, what terms consistently bring up the companies and how many different ads have you clicked on today? Calling the 0800 number should be worth extra points too. :)

    I’m a Forum Ambassador and I support the Forum Team on the In My Home MoneySaving, Energy and Techie Stuff boards. If you need any help on these boards, do let me know. Please note that Ambassadors are not moderators. Any posts you spot in breach of the Forum Rules should be reported via the report button, or by emailing forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com. 

    All views are my own and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.

  • ManxRed
    ManxRed Posts: 3,530 Forumite
    We should have a competition on calling the 0800 number and keeping them talking for the longest.
    Je Suis Cecil.
  • Crabman
    Crabman Posts: 9,936 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    ManxRed wrote: »
    We should have a competition on calling the 0800 number and keeping them talking for the longest.

    If an 0800 number is called from a BT Payphone, a PPLC (Payphone Levy Charge) of around 20p/min is payable by the firm paying for the call.

    Just stating a fact :whistle:
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