Bounds Green Station, North London parking vultures, anyone had experience?

[dax]

G:\independent article car clamping co.htm

 

I just got my car stolen, (clamped and towed apparently) in my absence. From where I left it, on a road with no signs to suggest otherwise and no yellow line. It was gone when I returned. There is a sign (as I later discovered, after looking) that a local shop owner told me about.

 

However, having returned home and checked out online how this is able to happen. I discovered its a great little earner for the person behind it and absoluteley nothing that I can do, bar pay whatever this person asks me to, to get my car back. The contact address on the sign is a PO Box number and the phone number didnt work either. Id like to know where my car is and who has it. I can not get it back till pay day and thats over a week away and already spoken for, so I dont need this obstacle presented to me, and at a time when I needed my car everyday this week.

 

The sign also says it takes no responsibility for damaging cars while removing them, and my car is vinatge and mint. I am therefore worried what might have happened to it.

 

Seemingly neither the police nor the council can do anything to stop this and I wondered whether anyone else has dealt with these people, whoever they are. What money they paid to get there cars back and what happened to them, their story?

 

I can do no more this evening and will have to make some contact tomorrow. Apparently they have already been in the press and they are a security co called Sangro Security Ltd.

 

Can anyone help!

[dax]

Calls grow for probe into clamping firm (From Haringey Independent) hope this link works if the other didnt.

[buzby]

I'm assuming you parked on private property?

[dax]

yes but unbeknown to me

[buzby]

In that case 'appeals' are not regulated. You'd have to pay to have the car released, then request an immediate refund and take them to the Small Claims Court for repayment if they don't.

[dax]

They wont refund, and by Law they can charge what they like, which happens to be £425 that was due to be paid by 5pm today to collect the car, at an address that will be made available to me when I pay. However I was unable to get that amount until tommorrow, so we roll over and get it sorted, day 2. I will then have to make my way to wherever the car is after work to collect it, which in my case will be early evening. Great racket, if your happy stitching up ordinary people everyday for silly money, and they must have made silly money very quickly being that greedy. Its totally screwed up my week, they have no concept.

 

Calls grow for probe into clamping firm (From Haringey Independent)

[jkdd77]

If the phone number they supplied didn't work, then the towing was almost certainly unlawful, (as release must be available immediately upon offer of payment).

 

You could also sue on the grounds that the charge is manifestly excessive.

 

However, getting the judgment is the easy bit, actually getting paid is the hard bit, as most cowboy clampers make a career out of ignoring CCJs.

[dax]

The number was unobtainable and the PO Box address was closed 6 months ago. Hence, I couldnt contact, or know who had my car, I had to loose a days work today and walk around the area today asking locals if they knew who to contact. I was lead to a garage where a fellow called the bloke on a mobile and I spoke to him. Its a bit like a ransom and my cars been hijacked.

[Graham117]

Find out who the landowner of the land you parked on is. You should be able to do this via the Land Registry website. It costs about £8 I think. Then sue them along with the clamping company (if you can ever find them). If the clamping was unlawful, the landowner is jointly liable, and often much easier to find.

 

Were you ever shown any ID by the people who towed the car away? If not, I'd inform the Old Bill. Insist they do something; don't be fobbed off with "it's a civil matter". You can aslo try complaining to the SIA if you know the identity of the 'enforcement officer'.

[dax]

The Heres the thing, the amount to pay will rise daily and I have to find the money to pay to get it back.

[dax]

The car was removed in my absence. The police can't intervene on private property to do with these offences. As it stands, it is a civil matter. The SIA have already been informed and are investigating. I spoke to the Director of the company today, Sanga Securities Ltd, and he's found a loophole that covers him. Lest of course the Government get involved and make him accountable, which is on the cards.

 

Heres how its broken down: Clamp release fee £125, penalty notice £45, call out charge £45, total release fee £215. or Tow away £165, Tow truck call out £45, plus storage. I dont know how my £425 was worked out.

 

(((((((UNBELIEVEABLE)))))))

[lamma]

what 'loophole' ?

[crem]

To get to 425 he must be charging for the clamping fee AND the towing fee. AFAIK he is only legally allowed to charge one or the other.

[londoncass]

To get to 425 he must be charging for the clamping fee AND the towing fee. AFAIK he is only legally allowed to charge one or the other.

 

All clampers charge a clamp and tow fee.... what law says they can't. A clamp is the quick fix and then gives them the chance to get the truck out asap!

[buzby]

I'm still amazed the English Govenment did noting to copy the Scottish system of outlawing private clamping as being a remedy far in excess of the actual damage caused to the complainant. One for the new government after the election?

[Graham117]

The Daily Mail are currently on the warpath about this sort of thing; send the story to them. Get Trading Standards involved over the disconnected phone number and PO Box as well. Consumer Direct can be reached on 08454 04 05 06.

[dax]

Just got my car back and had to pay the £425. It was left on a disused garage forecourt owned by Texaco in Walthamstow. I had contacted the police who said it wasn't a criminal offence, but a civil one so they wouldn't act on the theft point, that there was no contact details available to retrieve my car, so its whereabouts where unknown to me to get it back. I asked the bloke today how he managed to get away with that and he insisted that the number on the sign automatically connected to his mobile number so was a valid contact. However, I tried calling it Monday evening and Tuesday morning and it was unobtainable, so hes telling lies. The man clearly operates from his sofa too as every time I have spoken to him ive heard small children or a child in the background. He probably sits all day watching out the window for someone to park their car on his spot.

 

Yesterday I said to him that he must make lots of money daily from this, asking when the last person he ensnared at the same spot was. He said actually no one has been caught parking there for a while. Today he said , he knew the number on the sign worked as it had been ringing all day. When I then said, but I thought you said no one had been caught parking there for a while, he said, well its not the only place we tow people from is it, theres loads of them. So like I said, he's raking in silly money daily and the sign is designed not to be seen, so he can do, just that!

[dax]

Thanks for all the advise above and ive got to get on the case to try to get the money back. I'll add it to my 'stitch up Merchants' file, which is turning into a social encyclopedia.

[dax]

Just looked at the bill btw and its broken down as:

£125 clamp release fee

£45 penalty notice ( never got one)

£45 call out charge

£45 tow call out

£165 tow away fee

 

funny, the signed name on the receipt for having taken my payment over the phone with the time I paid it today. Is the same person ive been speaking to all along. Only his names changed as he said he was someone else yesterday. Joker!