Clampers finally get their comeuppance

[Flatmate]

It looks like from November, Clamping firms will not be able to clamp or tow cars away on private land

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-10993473

here’s a story with a nearly great outcome

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-10996451

Well this is one business I won't miss

I know people have to make money but their charges are outrageous

90 % off clampers = Scum

and yes I got my car clamped 4 weeks ago by a firm called frontline and had to pay £150

 

[mit74]

About time someone did something about these cowboys.

 

[kontracta_com]

Every now and again you get a story that warms the cockles of your heart, My cockles are now nicely warmed

 

[harryboon]

ha ha ha ha ha my heart bleeds - this is simply the best news I have had in weeks, I have lost count of the number of times I have had to deal with those cowboys.

Just going to sit down with a glass of wine and gloat ...... ah yes feel better already!

 

[onlineconnect]

About time to, one clamping firm near me clamped a lady whilst she was in her car breast-feeding her baby, her ticked had expired.

 

[MH1]

Understand the sentiments expressed, but reckon people will eventually wish the UK GOV had chosen a better soloution than simply banning them outright, correct monitoring, enforcing company registration and setting a reasonable level of fee would be better than issuing tickets which will be ignored.

After all, there was a reason why clampers were encouraged in the first place.

 

[benjamin_c]

I was just about to start a thread on this! I think its fantastic news! I hate the scum! never had my car clamped but my friend has, they wanted £90 for going a few minutes over his ticket with a mobile number on the ticket, fortunatly for him there was a machine mart accross the road, £25 for some bolt cutters..... Some things are priceless He also got about £30 for the clamp on ebay :') although this may class as sale of stolen goods but they deserve it

 

[patientlady]

Woo hoo magic to my ears! woo hoo, woo hoo... I'm so excited I just can't hide it

 

[Eagle]

Err... what gives people the right to park on private land?...

 

[An Oasis]

90 % off clampers = Scum

Only 90% seems that 100% would be classed as leaches in most parts of the country.

 

[mit74]

Err... what gives people the right to park on private land?...

They can be fined in the correct manner and if disputed can go to court. Holding someones car for ransom is simply not fair and the fees they charge for release are scandalous. Clamping is a good deterant for persistant offenders but unfortunatlely the clamping companies have abused their powers far too long.

The worst example I've seen personally was while waiting at bristol airport and family had got off the plane and as it was raining heavily waited inside the foyer while the husband got the car. This was a few years ago when it was quiter and parking was different but the 200m stretch in front of the doors was for drop off and loading only. There was no cars or buses what so ever on the road and this man stopped the car to load his baggage. He made the big mistake of getting out the car and going into the foyer for 30secs to tell his family to come out. In that time a van who had been watching shot up the road, clamped his car and finished just as he was exiting the doors. They charged him £60 to release the car as he was 'parked' there. He couldn't refuse. Let's just say there were several F words directed at them and what really angered me is that they were actually laughing at him as he drove off.

 

[Beachcomber]

While I'm sure there are many scumbag clampers out there - I'm sure there are an equal number of inconsiderate drivers who obstruct people, inconvenience other drivers and risk accidents by their mindless parking habits.

Bans are never a good way to resolve a problem.

Shame to think that there could be many hard working businesspeople who have put everything into a business only to have it outlawed.

 

[Eagle]

Happy to say that I've never double-parked in over 27 years of driving. Dubble Yellas are for lazy folk.

 

[benjamin_c]

While I'm sure there are many scumbag clampers out there - I'm sure there are an equal number of inconsiderate drivers who obstruct people, inconvenience other drivers and risk accidents by their mindless parking habits.

Bans are never a good way to resolve a problem.

Shame to think that there could be many hard working businesspeople who have put everything into a business only to have it outlawed.

That could be said for police who do drug raids on canabis farms and illegal drug labs, it's a socially unaccepted form of business, they deserve to have it outlawed.

 

[patientlady]

Err... what gives people the right to park on private land?...

Eagle i think you have missed something here!
One of our drivers was delivering to a pub, just today. Parked in the pub car park delivering a keg of beer! By the time he got back to his van he was clamped! The landlord came out to release the van. he had taken over the pub last week but the the clampers have one month contract from head office. he has asked them to stop as he has now taken over the lease but they will not stop until the months contract has finished! True! you just couldn't make it up! So for another three weeks the clamper is going to clamp all the pubs customers!

 

[Beachcomber]

That could be said for police who do drug raids on canabis farms and illegal drug labs, it's a socially unaccepted form of business, they deserve to have it outlawed.

er, no!
Stressful though it may be to get clamped, I've never seen it lead to psycological problems, crime, organised violence or racketeering.

 

[benjamin_c]

er, no!
Stressful though it may be to get clamped, I've never seen it lead to psycological problems, crime, organised violence or racketeering.

It is psychological intimidating to people, especially the vulnerable, it certainly leads to violence, it's equivalent to day light robbery, it is tantamount to handcuffing someone to a lamppost and making them pay you to unlock them. It's just disgusting bullying, and the government clearly agree which is why they are outlawing it! There’s no way on earth I would ever pay to be unclamped, I’d sooner cut the thing off!

 

[captaincloser]

It is actually very revealing watching the 'clampers' being interviewed.

If there is a need for such a system and clearly there are arguments for it -why do they not nationalise clamping and regulate it with profits going back into road building or some such ?

 

[onlineconnect]

er, no!
Stressful though it may be to get clamped, I've never seen it lead to psycological problems, crime, organised violence or racketeering.

What was really concerning about clampers is they had access to DVLA records and the names and addresses of people they clamped. Just like the old racket where when you used to have labels on your luggage with your name and address at the airport and came back to find your house burgled the same risks applied with clampers that would delight in clamping a family on holiday and then organise a burglary on top.

Beachcomber you should perhaps recall the government restricted access to DVLA records first for clampers before the outright ban.

 

[wevet]

I wholeheartedly agree that there are cowboys who are making excessive charges.
BUT
What if I turn up and park on YOUR driveway? Is that ok? If I did it everyday would that be OK?

I have this everyday of the week where people park in my car park for which I pay rent and rates and to date my only sanction has been to walk out with my clamp and charge the uninvited.

Now, what will my remedy be? I will actually be obliged to spend money and go through all the paperwork of getting a registered owner's details and then almost certainly need to take them to court.

What jas happened is that the government has taken this populist action without considering that in many circumstance clamping is the ONLY way to effectively protect your property. Whereas what was needed wqas a proper regulation; capped fees and an appeals process together with regulations on signage.

Is the government also going to ban the largest bunch of cowboy clampers i.e.e the local authorities where clamping is often undertaken in circumstances where there is poor or ambiguous signage.

The othe laughable aspect was a goverment transport minister stating her abhorance of the practice of clampers taking people to a cash point to withdraw money before the clamp is removed. Does the poor darling not know that if a local council clamps you, you are obliged to pay before the clamp is removed and the local council won't even run you to a cash point to get the cash.

Clampdown on cowboy clampers not on people simply protecting rights to their own property.

 

[Thomas Tracey]

Glad to see the back of the scum! I agree that people should be penilised, but holding the car ransom is out of order. People complain about the inconvieniance parking causes, but surly clamping a car so it cannot be moved for a longer period of time while it takes time to get it unclamped or towd is a little ironic, i agree with fines etc but clamping is just wrong.

 

[patientlady]

Oh this is just my pet subject. I am just loving it. There are so many points of view on this, all probably right!
I cannot help but think that if you own a property one uses preventative measures such as locks and security to keep the un-invited out, so why should this not apply to land. it should be preventative not reactive...

 

[Estimator]

Oh this is just my pet subject. I cannot help but think that if you own a property one uses preventative measures such as locks and security to keep the un-invited out, so why should this not apply to land. it should be preventative not reactive...

Because many businesses have parking spaces which they have leased or paid for, for the use of staff and customers. Likewise hospitals and surgeries have parking areas for their patients, visitors and staff. These can't be fenced off easily in some cases, they need to be open for traffic going in and out. Don't forget that the introduction of clamping was a response to the scumbags in our society who felt selfish enough to park anywhere they wanted, including disabled spaces, their deluded consciences are always clear. Granted the scumbag clampers have got out of control, but regulation of them is the answer, not banning. Which scumbag came first?

 

[adventurelife]

It has been banned in Scotland for years. About time you followed on

 

[ReaperGroup]

They can be scum, but as has been already mentioned, it has its use.

My dad had one clamp his van when he was on a construction site because he was "within 5 feet of the path" even though he was on the land his company owned.

Amazing how fast the clamp came off and the clamper ran away when the cutting gear came out.....

 

[activealex]

Yay! Music to my ears!

 

[computaguy]

Clamping is sometimes an added component to an already scandalous security company's rangeof dodgy services.

I honestly believe that there are a few cases where clamping is legitimate. However legislation must protect the vulnerable and the majority.

You will notice that at no point in this conversation has a so called "cowboy" clamper been confident enough to place an opinion or defend his/or her actions.

The simple case is that the security industry in this country is nowhere near regulated enough. I personally know of one company in west london who has adopted a clamping policy as ann extra form of revenue... despite the fact that they already carry out illegitimate debt gathering exercises.

This is a shame because I also believe that there are many reputable security consultants.

I guess that the idea of "We have heavies and they can get us cash..." attitude is going to lead to the lgitimate enterprises being legislated against!

 

[jimjamuk1]

I've had my car clamped by Frontline, they are absolute scum bags. The people that turned up to unclamp were nothing but thugs!

 

[computaguy]

Name and shame... that's what I like to see!