Should NCPS clamp here?

goz83

My sister just moved into a new place in Finglas. They get one designated spot and there is visitor parking around 100 meters up the road, which must be paid for via text message to ncps. I was up there the other day briefly and all the visitor spots were taken. I t took me a few laps of the place before someone vacated a spot on the far corner of the green, which left me with a good 300 meter walk, which woukd be fine if it wasn't for the fact that I use a walking stick and a short stroll for some is not always as easy for me. I was suffering a good bit by the time I got to her front door and then........
http://www.instantstreetview.com/@53.40583,-6.289038,14.61h,-13.28p,1z
I noticed that there was an unmarked area across the road from her place with just enough space for 2 cars maybe. Every other place to park was either numbered, or had visitor in place of a number. The whole estate is covered in double yellows, but not this one stretch, which does not block, or obstruct anything. It happens to be right where an ncps sign is .This spot looked like on street parking, but according to the BIL, their neighbour got clamped a week ago when they parked there. I don't see how ncps got away wth it. It would have been so handy for me to park there. What do you reckon? I will try add an image from google now.

Victor

If this is private property, you need to follow the rules, which may be that you can only park in designated spaces.

Greenmachine

Get used to it. They are an extortion racket.*



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goz83

Victor wrote: »

If this is private property, you need to follow the rules, which may be that you can only park in designated spaces.

It's one of their standard "warning, this is private property, parking in designated spaces only" signs alright. But, i wondered why there were no double yellows in this particular spot. These types of estates are becoming too common imo. All being controlled by clampers. Its the same when I visit my dads. No shortage of parking....far from it, but they brought in ncps last year. The management company must be making a few quid too from this.

Paulw

goz83 wrote: »

It's one of their standard "warning, this is private property, parking in designated spaces only" signs alright. But, i wondered why there were no double yellows in this particular spot.

The management company must be making a few quid too from this.

Only the council can put down double yellow lines.

In general, the management company makes nothing from clamping.

goz83

Paulw wrote: »

Only the council can put down double yellow lines.

In general, the management company makes nothing from clamping.

So, are they legally clamping a vehicle if it is parked in that spot? I use the word "legally" very loosely here. There are no double yellows, but it's not a designated spot per se.

I believe that a lot of the properties there are council owned.

LordNorbury

Victor wrote: »

If this is private property, you need to follow the rules, which may be that you can only park in designated spaces.

It may be private property but two wrongs don't make a right and there is no provision whatsoever in law for someone to clamp your car in a private place.

I've been clamped in a private estate 3 times and 3 times I've called the clamping company (NCPS), and given them the opportunity to remove the clamp and when they refused to do so, I cut the lock off their clamp with an angle grinder and put their clamp up on DoneDeal.

They threatened to call the Gardai and report criminal damage, I told them they are welcome to do so but that they have no right in law to disable my car and if they wanted their clamps back, that there was a 200 Euro release charge per clamp.

If people only understood how these firms KNOW they have no right to clamp your car and can do nothing whatsoever to you if you remove the clamp yourself, their whole business model would be undermined overnight.

It's going to take a serious incident like a seriously sick child being unable to be taken to hospital because of a clamped car, or someone losing their job because they couldn't get to work and suing the ass off these parasites, before they get the message.

There are all sorts of legal & practical concerns hanging over this practice that has crept in in recent years, of having to text a third party company and basically inform them that you are visiting a friend or a relation. What kind of a society are we living in when you have to file a report (and that is exactly what it is!), with a 3rd party private company, that you are calling in for a cup of tea with your brother or your mate?

As an aside, my mobile plan is a monthly pre-pay plan that gives me unlimited calls and texts to any national mobile or landline number. This plan does not allow me text an 0818 premium rated phone number from my mobile, even if I was minded to register my car for parking with these clowns, it would still be impossible to comply with their "rules"!

In an estate that I visit regularly, the management company have openly admitted that this is not about safety, it is not about parking control, and it is not about conserving scarce parking space for only those who are entitled to it, they have admitted that this is about generating revenue for the estate because they can't get certain householders to pay their estate management fees when they fall due. So because Mary or Johnny around the corner are taking the píss with the property management company (and taking the píss with the whole estate, the majority of whom are paying their estate management charges as they are obliged to do), the whole estate gets basically locked down, and a situation arises where you have to text a private company with your details, under threat of your car being disabled.

It truly is bizarre I think that people run with this and are obviously ponying up when they are clamped. Not on my life would I pay a clamping charge in a private estate. I'm not paying the estate management fee's for spongers living in the estate who are refusing to pay their fees to the management company.

EDIT: Despite NCPS threatening to call Gardai and report criminal damage, I am still waiting on a call from Gardai, despite me giving NCPS my name, address and phone number on no less than 3 separate occasions.

MrWalsh

goz83 wrote: »

The management company must be making a few quid too from this.

Yes, its an extortion racket revenue generating exercise.

Agree fully with LordNorburys post above.

ThisRegard

goz83 wrote: »

These types of estates are becoming too common imo. All being controlled by clampers.

Not really, they're, or should be, controlled by management companies, who use the services of an agent. The residents should be forming the management company unless the builder has not handed it over. They can then decide if they want to get rid of the clampers or not.

LordNorbury

ThisRegard wrote: »

Not really, they're, or should be, controlled by management companies, who use the services of an agent. The residents should be forming the management company unless the builder has not handed it over. They can then decide if they want to get rid of the clampers or not.

The problem is that a lot of people don't get involved in the management of their estate, so you have a small handful of the usual "Ned Flanders" type numpties who do show up and start dictating the agenda for the next 12 months. Then you have people living in the estate who are taking the absolute píss, often they are not owner occupiers but are renting, so have no vested interest in the estate being run properly and they couldn't give a **** if other people are being forced into paying car clamping charges because they aren't paying their property management fees. There is an absence of any sense of community in these estates that creates a breeding ground for the "Ned Flanders" type clowns who push through decisions such as clamping in a private estate for the purposes of generating additional revenue.

The problem is that in order to get estate fee's from someone who is not paying, you have to take them to court and you have to be prepared to get a judgement against them, if they plead inability to pay, you could be looking at getting 5 Euro a week of them for the next few 5 years.

goz83

I guess I will have to keep an angle grinder in the boot then