Wheel clamp warning!
Discussion
Today I was collared for £180 clamp release fee in the car park of the apartments complex along Henry Bird Way, Northampton NN4 8GH. I was visiting some friends in one of the apartments at lunch time and parked in a visitors place. I returned 30 - 40mins later to find the clamp. I have parked the same area off & on for some years with no previous troubles, always careful to use a visitor spot rather than a numbered one assigned to a resident. I was clamped by a residents’ vigilante group (who are SIA registered). Not stated in the signs was that the visitors’ bays in question are assigned to a certain group of apartments, not to any apartment in the entire development and are also subject to permits.
My friends in the distant past just said to use the visitor spots. Unfortunately, it now transpires that there is a dispute between residents of the various apartment buildings about rights to use of these visitor spaces. The chap who unclamped me claimed to be a lawyer resident in one of the apartments. He listened to my reasons explaining that I had parked there in ignorance, trying to do the right thing, but being a lawyer the letter of the current law prevailed over my arguments. I had to walk across the river to a cash machine at Morrisons . Sadly too far from home for me to go fetch escape equipment.
What really hacked me off was that he was a resident, just a guy like any of us, not a professional clamping shark and he refused the opportunity to exercise discretion towards a genuine misunderstanding in a car park with plenty of spare spaces. Be warned.
My friends in the distant past just said to use the visitor spots. Unfortunately, it now transpires that there is a dispute between residents of the various apartment buildings about rights to use of these visitor spaces. The chap who unclamped me claimed to be a lawyer resident in one of the apartments. He listened to my reasons explaining that I had parked there in ignorance, trying to do the right thing, but being a lawyer the letter of the current law prevailed over my arguments. I had to walk across the river to a cash machine at Morrisons . Sadly too far from home for me to go fetch escape equipment.
What really hacked me off was that he was a resident, just a guy like any of us, not a professional clamping shark and he refused the opportunity to exercise discretion towards a genuine misunderstanding in a car park with plenty of spare spaces. Be warned.
Edited by jwoffshore on Thursday 16th February 21:53
http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=cordless+...
£27 in your boot... never worry about a clamp ever again
I think the 'lawyer' was trying this on.
IMO this is obtaining money under false pretences. I dislike Extortion.
I would sue through the courts report and it to the Police.
I assume he insisted on cash. He would.
I have done just this with a firm in Birmingham.
They are now in jail for extortion. Struck off SIA lists. Bankrupt.
I was not alone in pursuing this crowd the Police and the City council were involved. Took three years. It is worth the effort.
IMO this is obtaining money under false pretences. I dislike Extortion.
I would sue through the courts report and it to the Police.
I assume he insisted on cash. He would.
I have done just this with a firm in Birmingham.
They are now in jail for extortion. Struck off SIA lists. Bankrupt.
I was not alone in pursuing this crowd the Police and the City council were involved. Took three years. It is worth the effort.
The sign was visible enough, just a square yellow thing on a fence warning of clamping and saying the usual stuff about permits. So technically you might say I was in the wrong. However, the friends advised me years ago that the visitor spaces were OK but not to park in a numbered spot and I have never had a problem (or warning) before. I was under the (mistaken) impression that the permits/clamping applied only to the numbered places. And who would imagine that certain apartments have rights to the visitor spaces but others do not?
I only see these people off & on, so maybe they forgot to warn me of any changes since it was old news for them.
Yes, he did require cash. To be fair, he released the clamp while I was away at the cash machine and waited for me. I could have pushed past him, jumped in the car and scarpered. I'm too honest!
Re angle grinder - I never normally park anywhere that clamping is in operation. This is the only place I go once in a while. It's not my habit to take the mick parking in dodgy places, so I never would need the grinder, until now!!
I'm disappointed in human nature more than anything. Don't expect to get the money back. But as residents, these people are sitting ducks if they clamp unfairly like this. Suppose they clamped the wrong type of person, who might go back and let down some tyres or something!!
I only see these people off & on, so maybe they forgot to warn me of any changes since it was old news for them.
Yes, he did require cash. To be fair, he released the clamp while I was away at the cash machine and waited for me. I could have pushed past him, jumped in the car and scarpered. I'm too honest!
Re angle grinder - I never normally park anywhere that clamping is in operation. This is the only place I go once in a while. It's not my habit to take the mick parking in dodgy places, so I never would need the grinder, until now!!
I'm disappointed in human nature more than anything. Don't expect to get the money back. But as residents, these people are sitting ducks if they clamp unfairly like this. Suppose they clamped the wrong type of person, who might go back and let down some tyres or something!!
Edited by jwoffshore on Thursday 16th February 19:08
SystemParanoia said:
http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=cordless+...
£27 in your boot... never worry about a clamp ever again
Yes, he did show his SIA card and wrote the number on the receipt. The receipt is just hand written on a piece of A4, as per the residents vigilante co-op! I could post his name and mobile number, but I guess that would fall foul of some forum rules!!
More just to warn anybody else local who might park in that area, or anyone who lives there might know something?
More just to warn anybody else local who might park in that area, or anyone who lives there might know something?
jwoffshore said:
Yes, he did show his SIA card and wrote the number on the receipt.
He's supposed to wear the badge.The story seems incredible to me (or a scam). Would a resident ex-solicitor really have gone to the trouble of obtaining a Level 2 Award in Vehicle Immobilisation qualification which is needed for the licence?
Deva Link said:
He's supposed to wear the badge.
The story seems incredible to me (or a scam). Would a resident ex-solicitor really have gone to the trouble of obtaining a Level 2 Award in Vehicle Immobilisation qualification which is needed for the licence?
Entirely possible, especially if he's a tosspot, which it does sounds as if he is.The story seems incredible to me (or a scam). Would a resident ex-solicitor really have gone to the trouble of obtaining a Level 2 Award in Vehicle Immobilisation qualification which is needed for the licence?
OP, without publishing his mobile number, have you run the SIA number through their website? And if he is the same name as the chap above, I only ask as he appears to be a card carrying BNP member
Good idea. Licence 0230-0150-2311-1869 checks out with the same name as he has given on the receipt. The licence has only been active since 26-Jan-12 and the paper he has given me is marked #1 out of his receipt book. I guess since I am apparently his first customer, that is perhaps why he was reluctant to back down. There will be some costs to recoup in the gaining of the licence and buying the clamp.
If they have a bad parking problem, it's currently within their rights to clamp, but a little flexibility in the process wouldn't go amiss.
If they have a bad parking problem, it's currently within their rights to clamp, but a little flexibility in the process wouldn't go amiss.
Edited by jwoffshore on Thursday 16th February 19:16
Edited by jwoffshore on Thursday 16th February 21:48
A review site for solicitors, you say?
http://www.goodlawyerguide.co.uk/lawyers/57750-jus...
I'm sure he's doing the good name of the Development and Regeneration Team at Harvey Ingram LLP a power of good. http://www.harveyingram.com/biographies/justin-pri...
http://www.goodlawyerguide.co.uk/lawyers/57750-jus...
I'm sure he's doing the good name of the Development and Regeneration Team at Harvey Ingram LLP a power of good. http://www.harveyingram.com/biographies/justin-pri...
randlemarcus said:
A review site for solicitors, you say?
http://www.goodlawyerguide.co.uk/lawyers/57750-jus...
I'm sure he's doing the good name of the Development and Regeneration Team at Harvey Ingram LLP a power of good. http://www.harveyingram.com/biographies/justin-pri...
Oooh! That's nice. And the picture in the first link is definitely him, except he was unshaven and wearing a track suit, not a sharp suit.http://www.goodlawyerguide.co.uk/lawyers/57750-jus...
I'm sure he's doing the good name of the Development and Regeneration Team at Harvey Ingram LLP a power of good. http://www.harveyingram.com/biographies/justin-pri...
At least you folks are making me laugh about it! Perhaps we could fairly say that he is highly zealous in pursuit of the law? Anyways, I've sent him an e-mail so we'll see what happens, though I'm not optimistic.
Just to add, I'm sure this guy is following the letter of the law, as after all he is a lawyer and can't afford to be doing anything out of order. Just that I feel the law hasn't worked out fairly for me on this occasion and so a bit of discretion would have been nice!
And seriously, please don't go posting bogus reviews of him!
And don't go parking in that area!
Just to add, I'm sure this guy is following the letter of the law, as after all he is a lawyer and can't afford to be doing anything out of order. Just that I feel the law hasn't worked out fairly for me on this occasion and so a bit of discretion would have been nice!
And seriously, please don't go posting bogus reviews of him!
And don't go parking in that area!
Edited by jwoffshore on Thursday 16th February 21:26
Edited by jwoffshore on Thursday 16th February 21:29
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