Council forgets to tell driver it towed car away for a year!

[wibble cb]

I am amazed at the sheer audacity of a council not only forgetting to tell a car owner their car was towed, but to then demand storage fees is just astonishing.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/article/2024/j...

Then to compound it, the insurance co demanded their settlement back...!

[Oliver Hardy]

"South Yorkshire police admitted they had been alerted by the council that the car had been removed in case it was reported missing. However, staff failed to inform Ruse when she reported it as stolen."

Failure of the police too.

[JagLover]

wibble cb said:

I am amazed at the sheer audacity of a council not only forgetting to tell a car owner their car was towed, but to then demand storage fees is just astonishing.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/article/2024/j...

Then to compound it, the insurance co demanded their settlement back...!

Well done to the Guardian for picking up the case as both the council and insurer backed down once there was media involvement.

[sherbertdip]

Talk about the Swiss cheese effect leading to a set of unwanted consequences, in effect the Police were most at fault for not carrying out their duty, compounded by the then demands for money by council and insurance.

[sherbertdip]

JagLover said:

Well done to the Guardian for picking up the case as both the council and insurer backed down once there was media involvement.

Begs the question as to why didn't they back down before the press were involved, both could see there had been mistakes made and not by the person they were demanding money from.

[FiF]

sherbertdip said:

JagLover said:

Well done to the Guardian for picking up the case as both the council and insurer backed down once there was media involvement.

Begs the question as to why didn't they back down before the press were involved, both could see there had been mistakes made and not by the person they were demanding money from.

It's the old story of "We're big you're small, we're right and you're wrong. So what are you going to do about it small fry?"

Another example why trust in authority has been lost. Little trust to do the right thing, even less to accept fault when caught making an error, even less trust that will act properly to make amends.

[Type R Tom]

Not victim blaming here but I would have pushed the council harder. I wonder if she didn't use the car very often. The suspension signs usually go up a good week or so before (unless there is an emergency), and I'm sure there would have been some evidence of road works going on / gone on when she got back to it to find it missing.

In London, it is recommended that you check your car at least once a week, as things can move quickly.

[Biggy Stardust]

FiF said:

It's the old story of "We're big you're small, we're right and you're wrong. So what are you going to do about it small fry?"

Another example why trust in authority has been lost. Little trust to do the right thing, even less to accept fault when caught making an error, even less trust that will act properly to make amends.

And they still get paid the same regardless of performance. Doubtless the council will find a way to blame central government & the police will somehow blame lack of funding. Systemic or procedural error will be cited, lessons will be learned, life will go on as before.

[Pit Pony]

Type R Tom said:

Not victim blaming here but I would have pushed the council harder. I wonder if she didn't use the car very often. The suspension signs usually go up a good week or so before (unless there is an emergency), and I'm sure there would have been some evidence of road works going on / gone on when she got back to it to find it missing.

In London, it is recommended that you check your car at least once a week, as things can move quickly.

My daughter came back to her car (in Didsbury, Manchester) to find it was facing the opposite way round and there was new tarmac under it, with a note from the council to say they had temporarily moved it. (She looked and there was a note on 80% of the cars) She'd been 5 hours, having parked to get the tram into the big city.

A mate of mine came back from holiday to find 7 parking tickets on his car. On the day he left they had painted single yellow lines and introduced a 2 hours parking limit.
It was a yellow RS2000, and the year was 1986. He paid £1200 for it, and I drove it back from Shirley to Coventry when he bought it. I think he sold it for about £2k about 6 months later.

[Biggy Stardust]

If only there was some method for identifying the owner of a car- maybe some form of unique marking on the vehicle with a central database of such markings.

[Eric Mc]

Biggy Stardust said:

If only there was some method for identifying the owner of a car- maybe some form of unique marking on the vehicle with a central database of such markings.

You are correct - because the current system does not record that information.

[Biggy Stardust]

Eric Mc said:

Biggy Stardust said:

If only there was some method for identifying the owner of a car- maybe some form of unique marking on the vehicle with a central database of such markings.

You are correct - because the current system does not record that information.

DVLA doesn't have such data?

[Bluevanman]

Biggy Stardust said:

DVLA doesn't have such data?

Pistonheads pedantry at it's finest .
DVLA know who the registered keeper is,that is not necessarily the same as the owner