UCD Clamping

DANG333

Was recently clamped in UCD, as my time had expired, but in my opinion the ticket machine was no clearly readable. I appealed and was sent out a generic email telling me to make sure my ticket was visible on my dashboard. So I rang up to ask why my appeal was not properly dealt with. It has come to my attention that there is no real appeals section in in NCPS, they just keep on sending you onto staff members who tell you to appeal to the Independent appeals (IPAS) and this costs a further €20. If you look into the directors and also the IP addresss register of this company you will see clearly that in fact it is not independent as they so claim. I have reported this the the National Consumer Agencey, and UCD and both seem very interested in this.

Have been told that unless there is a sufficient appeals process all clamping is void and therefore illegal and both UCD and NCPS are liable.

badtinegirl

I would ask UCD for a copy of there contract with NCPS. There must be sections about appeals and refunds in it.

I assume NCPS where appointed to operate on the college grounds through a similar contract and tender process as Cafe Kylemore won
this year. UCD must get a cut of the clamping fines.If true I guess UCD and NCPS are going to owe alot of people a lot of money. Has clamping
always been allowed on campus or is it a recent thing?

DANG333

Not sure this is my first year there. Would I be entitled to see a copy of the contract

badtinegirl

I dont see why not. Your not looking for any of the financial information
just the rules of the agreement between UCD and NCPS. You may have to go Freedom of Information route well worth a go.

I think NCPS do a lot of apartment blocks around the city, I think so they could be in real trouble if what you have found out is true.

HavingCrack

To be honest OP, private clamping operates in a very grey area of legality in Ireland. I reckon one very public courtcase could bring the whole thing to an end, similar to Scotland and France. I'd do everything possible to get to see that contract.

Alkers

Did you get the clamp removed already? I've heard that if you just leave the car and don't bother calling them or anything that they will remove the clamp after a number of days. There's all sorts of stories over in motors of people removing the clamp etc and nothing happening to them as its such a grey area.

errlloyd

Got clamped in that yard beside roebuck that was a perfectly legitimate place to park 3 weeks ago. Unsmiley face.

Mycroft H

Remove the clamp. I've done it before with ncps clamps

Timmaay

Only thing for those bast**ds :pac:

Well no, we really really should all do as the french started doing a while back, superglue the locks on the clamps ha!

And don't get me wrong, week in week out I see stupid doubleparking or parking somewhere that totally disrupts traffic, these people are getting whats coming to them and should be fined and towed away, but NCPS have clearly gone wayy overboard in UCD clamping anything that they can.

Hammer Archer

Thankfully I don't drive into college but I do chuckle when I see NCPS staff cars parked in the disabled spaces in the carpark near O Reilly Hall. At one stage a week or two ago, all 6/7 disabled spaces in the carpark were taken, 3 of them by cars with NCPS disks on them but no disabled disks.

chillywilly

DANG333 wrote: »

Was recently clamped in UCD, as my time had expired, but in my opinion the ticket machine was no clearly readable. I appealed and was sent out a generic email telling me to make sure my ticket was visible on my dashboard. So I rang up to ask why my appeal was not properly dealt with. It has come to my attention that there is no real appeals section in in NCPS, they just keep on sending you onto staff members who tell you to appeal to the Independent appeals (IPAS) and this costs a further €20. If you look into the directors and also the IP addresss register of this company you will see clearly that in fact it is not independent as they so claim. I have reported this the the National Consumer Agencey, and UCD and both seem very interested in this.

Have been told that unless there is a sufficient appeals process all clamping is void and therefore illegal and both UCD and NCPS are liable.

I believe there is a website that you appeal through and that they are meant to let you know of the outcome within 30 days. Did they take longer than that to get back to you? If they did then theymay have broke the contract agreement

ironclaw

What you have to remember is this, the clamping fine is €X's, if you cut the clamp off, they have to take you to court for malicious damage (IF you damage the clamp and THEY can prove YOU damaged it) which would cost 100 times the cost of the clamping fine. So they don't bother. Take a look at the threads here, on other Irish forums and abroad, no private clamping company (To my knowledge) has ever taken someone to court. Public clamping bodies e.g. Dublin Corporation will as they have the time, money and energy to do it.

So the moral of the story is, if your clamp came off, without damage or IF the clamp was removed by SOMEONE ELSE, you'd be fairly off the hook.

OR if you are clamped, and fancy getting one back, fill the lock with epoxy. At least they'll had the added cost of replacing the clamp.

On the same note, I'd disown my own son if they were a clamper. Its the equivalent of being a paid leper. Personally I'd be all for a campaign against NCPS in UCD. Just make their lives miserable.

Tayto2000

Hammer Archer wrote: »

Thankfully I don't drive into college but I do chuckle when I see NCPS staff cars parked in the disabled spaces in the carpark near O Reilly Hall. At one stage a week or two ago, all 6/7 disabled spaces in the carpark were taken, 3 of them by cars with NCPS disks on them but no disabled disks.

Do you mean the NCPS parking permit discs? Those are issued to UCD staff, NCPS don't use them, they're in those white vans.

db330

You can also pay a yearly fee of €50 for one of those permits (staff don't get those they must pay) but all that money does go to ncps so i decided to just go in early every day and have to pay for parking, don't want to give those robbing B*****ds any of my money

On a side note anyone see the line of cars clamped in the engineering carpark during the graduations?? Well someone superglued all those locks bar the last 2 in the line yet the clampers cut them all including the last 2 that this person didn't glue

beardedmaster

db330 wrote: »

You can also pay a yearly fee of €50 for one of those permits (staff don't get those they must pay) but all that money does go to ncps so i decided to just go in early every day and have to pay for parking, don't want to give those robbing B*****ds any of my money

+1

suzie987

ironclaw wrote: »

So the moral of the story is, if your clamp came off, without damage or IF the clamp was removed by SOMEONE ELSE, you'd be fairly off the hook.

.

Is this possible?? If so do tell!!!!

ironclaw

suzie987 wrote: »

Is this possible?? If so do tell!!!!

They have to prove, in court if required, that you cut / damaged the clamp. They can't use the excuse "Well it was on your car" because ANYONE could have cut it off. Provided your didn't ask someone to do it i.e. They cannot successfully prove you asked your best mate to cut it off.

To do it without damage, compressed air to the lock cylinder or drop the wish bone of the car (Which is actually pretty hard to do, but well worth it for €80 or whatever the fee is)

suzie987

ironclaw wrote: »

They have to prove, in court if required, that you cut / damaged the clamp. They can't use the excuse "Well it was on your car" because ANYONE could have cut it off. Provided your didn't ask someone to do it i.e. They cannot successfully prove you asked your best mate to cut it off.

To do it without damage, compressed air to the lock cylinder or drop the wish bone of the car (Which is actually pretty hard to do, but well worth it for €80 or whatever the fee is)

Yes it is €80. I was stung. Once. Don't plan to do it again. Also, when I returned to my car I was on my way to an emergency and was waiting 45mins-1hr for them to come and take the clamp off :mad:

In all fairness I totally agree with clamping people who park in illegal places (disabled spaces, double yellow lines, etc). But the NCPS guys who patrol UCD are ridiculous!!!!

Mycroft H

ironclaw wrote: »

They have to prove, in court if required, that you cut / damaged the clamp. They can't use the excuse "Well it was on your car" because ANYONE could have cut it off. Provided your didn't ask someone to do it i.e. They cannot successfully prove you asked your best mate to cut it off.

To do it without damage, compressed air to the lock cylinder or drop the wish bone of the car (Which is actually pretty hard to do, but well worth it for €80 or whatever the fee is)

Pretty much what I did. Clamp is still at home

Timmaay

Interesting, Do ya need to jack up the car when you do this? And can you lock the steering enough to get a spanner in and loosen the kingpin nut?

Hammer Archer

Tayto2000 wrote: »

Do you mean the NCPS parking permit discs? Those are issued to UCD staff, NCPS don't use them, they're in those white vans.

Fair enough. Didn't think that would give them an entitlement to use disabled parking spaces though.

ironclaw

Timmaay wrote: »

Interesting, Do ya need to jack up the car when you do this? And can you lock the steering enough to get a spanner in and loosen the kingpin nut?

Depends on the car but there was a massive thread here on Motors about it. Be warned however, it can take some skill and some amount of time to drop the wish bone etc.

stop

Hammer Archer wrote: »

Fair enough. Didn't think that would give them an entitlement to use disabled parking spaces though.

AFAIK NCPS issue a "temporary" disabled permit in lieu of the big blue ones which allows holders to park in disabled bays in NCPS operated car parks. It is not to be confused with the €50 permit which enables people to park in the €0.50 p/h spaces (but not in the €5.00 p/h spaces).

CramCycle

chillywilly wrote: »

I believe there is a website that you appeal through and that they are meant to let you know of the outcome within 30 days. Did they take longer than that to get back to you? If they did then theymay have broke the contract agreement

Timmaay wrote: »

Only thing for those bast**ds :pac:

Well no, we really really should all do as the french started doing a while back, superglue the locks on the clamps ha!

And don't get me wrong, week in week out I see stupid doubleparking or parking somewhere that totally disrupts traffic, these people are getting whats coming to them and should be fined and towed away, but NCPS have clearly gone wayy overboard in UCD clamping anything that they can.

There is also Liquid Nitrogen in several of the Science buildings, I paid once for a clamp to be removed even though I was validly parked. Their dispute centre does not work, everyone keeps fobbing me off. I am currently getting a chargeback through my cards dispute centre (should be back in my account by Friday) but if it happens again, that lock is getting frozen off by someone, not me obviously because I disagree with criminal damage.