NCPS Clamping

martyf84

Hi,

I was just wondering if anyone has had any issues with NCPS?

Apologies if this is long, I would appreciate any feedback and advice anyone may have.

I live in an apartment block where there is visitors parking, when a visitor parks there, they need to text in the reg of their car and that entitles them to park their car there for 24 hours.

My girlfriend parked her car there on 21.05.11 at approx 9pm, i text in the details of her car, we went out to her car around 11 the next morning to find her car had been clamped overnight.

I rang NCPS who sent out a rep who informed me I had to pay €90 to have the clamp removed and then I could appeal at www.ncps.ie with the receipt of payment and evidence of the text that had been sent that should have registered the car.

I paid him the €90 and went onto the website to make my appeal. On the website there is nowhere to add an attachment of the evidence. I stated in my appeal that I have evidence that the text had been sent, but there was nowhere to attach it.

They got back to me and said that my appeal had failed due to the fact that said I had not registered for parking. I mailed them back and this time I was able to attach my copy of my phone bill showing the time and date the text was sent. This was 10 days ago, they have not replied.

I decided to try ringing them instead. I am unable to speak to anyone in Appeals, but I have been promised a callback on 11 occasions, But they have not contacted me.

Any advice on what i can do??

Thanks for taking the time to read through.

intrigued12

all clampers are scum. I'd advise ringing up and pretending to be a solicitor, that'll get them moving. Also, consider defecating on the lock and chain the next time you get clamped. It'll leave a bad taste in their mouth- almost as bad as the one you'll have in your wallet.
alternatively, grab a big lock and chain, go into their lobby stinking of something, and proceed to scream jim carrey style until they do something for you. You can bet yoru arse they'll call you if nothing else at that point.

jor el

Attach your evidence to a Small Claims Court forum, that should do it.

BrianD

Put it in writing and mail it to them. Register the letter if you wish.

I got a refund from NCPS but it took two letters.

Make sure you keep to the facts - you followed proceedure, have evidence of text from bill and even a copy of the text if you have it.

Remind them that you have been in contact and detail the dates and times and the promises made. Diary all further communications.

They can only claim now that they did not receive the text (just in case they try to state that the reg is wrong).

Obviously with SMS there is no guarantee of delivery or that delivery will be instantaneous. NCPS must accept this fact if they chose this means of communication. Therefore, if you can demonstrate that the SMS was sent then it is fair grounds for a successful appeal.

Keep at them! Unfortunately, your credit card company will not entertain a charge back or the amount to be disputed. I've been down that route before!

@intrigued29 - nothing you suggest will get this chaps money back.

dudara

intrigued12 wrote: »

all clampers are scum. I'd advise ringing up and pretending to be a solicitor, that'll get them moving. Also, consider defecating on the lock and chain the next time you get clamped. It'll leave a bad taste in their mouth- almost as bad as the one you'll have in your wallet.
alternatively, grab a big lock and chain, go into their lobby stinking of something, and proceed to scream jim carrey style until they do something for you. You can bet yoru arse they'll call you if nothing else at that point.

Post anything like that again, and you will be taking an enforced break from this forum.

As you are a new poster, I would highly recommend reading the forum charter and learning how this forum works.

dudara

martyf84

Thanks for the replies guys, I think I will try the registered letter approach firstly and if that does not work, then I will go to the small claims court.

It's not even about the money at this stage, its about the principle of this. I think they just hope people will just give up and let them away with it.

Ken.

If you do go the small claims court route don't forget to add on the extra cost's that you'll be forking out.

intrigued12

dudara wrote: »

Post anything like that again, and you will be taking an enforced break from this forum.

As you are a new poster, I would highly recommend reading the forum charter and learning how this forum works.

dudara

wow wow wow, calmness, & easy on the bold type there-didnt know you loved clampers so much....i was joking- mind you, clamping companies have a policy of dragging things out, because they know everyone hates them, so customer service doesnt really matter to them. I should know, i worked as one for 2 months, but when this woman started crying because she said she couldnt afford it, and her kids were starving, and I believed her, i quit my job. It's disgusting.

They hope you give up because they don't need to please any customers, and will keep dragging it on in the hope that you do. As i said, i worked for them.

BrianD

I can imagine that it's a difficult job and you have to be pretty thick skinned. However, clamping is a necessary evil and a good system once there is fair play and a transparent system.

The OP has a good claim, has followed the procedure and should get a refund. It is unreasonable that they should drag it out so long.

intrigued12

BrianD wrote: »

I can imagine that it's a difficult job and you have to be pretty thick skinned. However, clamping is a necessary evil and a good system once there is fair play and a transparent system.

The OP has a good claim, has followed the procedure and should get a refund. It is unreasonable that they should drag it out so long.

it's only unreasonable in the normal consumer arena. This lot have no need to please anyone, theyre ruthless, and they want you to give up.

If you call into their office with an issue, they resolve it fairly quick, make them uncomfortable i say. We once did two clamps on one street in Phibsboro. After we did the clamps, ( on different sides of the street) i noticed that one of the cars was in an unsignposted area, and essentially, we had made a mistake. The boss said leave it on, they'll have to pay it anyway cos they'll need the car won't they and the only way they can get through is on the automated card number. The lad in the van got off the phone with him and he said they'll drag it out for a while even if they appeal it. I said ' but that person's day could now be well f*cked up wth kids to pick up, or elderly relatives, or work or whatever'. He said, fu*k it, thats what the boss said, and we're here to make money.

ALL WE HAD TO DO WAS TAKE THE CLAMP OFF AND NOT RUIN THIS PERSON'S DAY!!!! Unreal or what? It ws blatantly wrong and parking that far up the street was definitely NOT enforced.

This is the mentality you're dealing with mate. It's violating civil liberties as far as im conerned, and noone gives a ****. it's sickening. I quit a few weeks later.

martyf84

Hi,

Just to update on this. I contacted the letting agent, who sent on my details to the management company. I sent on my proof of payment and my bill to show I had sent the text to the management company and ncps.

I did not recieve a reply so I mailed them again after a week. I did not recieve a reply again for 3 days so I mailed them again yesterday evening with my evidence and a list of the 21 times I made contact with them that they had not replied. This time I got a reply within an hour saying that they would be sending a cheque in the post for €90.

Finally, they have admitted their wrongdoing and gave me my money back. They want you to give up, which I felt like doing, but, thankfully I didn't.

Thanks to all who gave their advice and feedback.

robo

martyf84 wrote: »

Hi,

Just to update on this. I contacted the letting agent, who sent on my details to the management company. I sent on my proof of payment and my bill to show I had sent the text to the management company and ncps.

I did not recieve a reply so I mailed them again after a week. I did not recieve a reply again for 3 days so I mailed them again yesterday evening with my evidence and a list of the 21 times I made contact with them that they had not replied. This time I got a reply within an hour saying that they would be sending a cheque in the post for €90.

Finally, they have admitted their wrongdoing and gave me my money back. They want you to give up, which I felt like doing, but, thankfully I didn't.

Thanks to all who gave their advice and feedback.

Great that you got your money back for something you should not have been fined for. But you should not have had to contact them so many times. There can be over-regulation sometimes in this country but I think when it comes to clamping companies, there needs to be some sort of regulator or agency that people can contact after a certain amount of time if no reply has been given or acknowledgement. The private clampers seem to be a law onto themselves & give the good ones and reason why the clamp, a bad name.

Shelflife

I think an example should be made of these companies who operate in such a slipshod manner.

it seems to be acceptable to totally discommode "customers" in the wrong , make them pay for their mistake and then give them the runaround.

in the case that intrigued12 talks about i would seriously look at criminal proceedings against the supervisor for a flagrant breach of rules where they effectively "kidnapped" or stole the use of someones property in the wrong.

They should be made pay and the op should engage a solicitor to get compensated for the time and effort involved in getting money that should never have been taken off him in the first place back.

Sizzler

OP, did you pay by credit card or laser card?

If so, just charge it back.

Del2005

Sizzler wrote: »

OP, did you pay by credit card or laser card?

If so, just charge it back.

Did you read the thread?

BrianD wrote: »

Keep at them! Unfortunately, your credit card company will not entertain a charge back or the amount to be disputed. I've been down that route before!

Shelflife wrote: »

I think an example should be made of these companies who operate in such a slipshod manner.

it seems to be acceptable to totally discommode "customers" in the wrong , make them pay for their mistake and then give them the runaround.

in the case that intrigued12 talks about i would seriously look at criminal proceedings against the supervisor for a flagrant breach of rules where they effectively "kidnapped" or stole the use of someones property in the wrong.

They should be made pay and the op should engage a solicitor to get compensated for the time and effort involved in getting money that should never have been taken off him in the first place back.

Or if you are 100% confident that you are in the right get someone else to cut it off into as many pieces as possible.

martyf84

I think if it happened again, I would get the guy out to unclamp, but instead of paying, not let him leave and get the guards to arbitrate on the spot.

I would not be the type of person who enjoys making a scene, but, after going through their other route of appeals process where they don't seem to want any contact with you, I think a resolution straight away is the only answer.

daheff

if the person who turned up was only a visitor...why not just cut the clamp off...they wont be back (or can maybe avoid coming and parking there again) and then no release fee to be paid


In general there is no reason to have clamping...only for limited specific circumstances - ie parking in ambulance bays

A properly functioning system of fines would work. The problem is that there wasnt one in practice beforehand and a lot of people just didnt pay.

Del2005

martyf84 wrote: »

I think if it happened again, I would get the guy out to unclamp, but instead of paying, not let him leave and get the guards to arbitrate on the spot.

Gardaí won't get involved. It's a civil mater.

Ste.phen

Del2005 wrote: »

Gardaí won't get involved. It's a civil mater.

Well they will, if you try and kidnap a clamper...

Sizzler

Del2005 wrote: »

Did you read the thread?

.

Nah, sizzler doesnt read threads, he scans them LOL