Clamping...

Ronanom

Ok got clamped today which is fair enough really...
I returned to my car after relieving my bladder in a SubWay shop to see two clampers fixing a clamp to my front right wheel...

They hadn't the lock nor the bars in place on the clamp when i said: "Hey! Stop stop..." to which one replied in a non-national voice "we stop we stop"

Jumped into my car to move it and the other clamper shouts sarcastically (after fixing and locking the wheel after i arrived and was in the car with the ignition on) "You want drive with that on!"
Then they asked how i would like to pay...

I rang up the company in a different county (same company) and asked a lady when exactly is a car clamped and she said when the clamp is in place and locked...

Whats ya think?

FX Meister

Well the clamp was in place and locked wasn't it? It doesn't really matter if you got back when they were doing it, they still finished the job. And you were illegally parked. Hard luck, I'd hate it to happen to me.

Ronanom

The clamp was around the wheel but wasn't locked...

scargill

n i t p i c k i n g

parked illegally - got caught - learn lesson and dont do it again !!

______________________________________________________
not related to your story, but....
I saw a funny thing the other day - car parked in a wheelchair only parking space - without any "disabled driver" stickers on display.............but it did have its hazzard lights on !! the traffic warden was looking very smug - I was delighted - these people who double-park, park on footpaths, etc and stick on the hazzards make my blood boil !!!

Ronanom

well thats what i thought at first untill he said he'd stop and then just put the rest of the clamp on and locked it

slade_x

Ronanom wrote:

well thats what i thought at first untill he said he'd stop and then just put the rest of the clamp on and locked it

If you park illegaly and you come back to the car just as someone is clamping it, you can fore-go the clamping by paying the fine, on the spot

Its an immediate fine/clamp if you park illegally for any amount of time, not just when someone with the authority see's that you have illegaly parked and acts accordingly

FX Meister

But when he finished it was. There's nothing you can do about it, just deal with it. I know the feeling, I got clamped in DCU last year, they came back as I was trying to cut it off with a generator and grinder. I had to pay in the end but managed to do a chargeback on the credit card transaction. They were a private crowd though.

Ronanom wrote:

The clamp was around the wheel but wasn't locked...

Guy:Incognito

Ronanom wrote:

well thats what i thought at first untill he said he'd stop and then just put the rest of the clamp on and locked it

He musnt have understood what he or you were saying if he didnt stop though.

FX Meister

Maybe he thought it wouyld be easier to get the job done if he said he would take it off. Rather than refuse to stop and maybe have to deal with a pissed off motorist.

Ronanom

Dunno, i guess i'll appeal it cause I haven't got money flowing outta my pockets, it'll just be interesting to get the feedback as to the byelaws as the lady from Cork said your not clamped untill it's locked

FX Meister

But the point is that you were clamped, when they were done it was clamped. Can you not see that? Best of luck with the appeal but I'd bet any money you get no where. You were on the wrong and got clamped, it doesn't matter how long you were illegally parked at the end of the day.

nxbyveromdwjpg

You shouldve put your hand between the locking part before the locked it and just told them to **** off.
I dont agree with everyone here saying tough luck its the law pay up blah blah blah. They are unscrupulous ***** and I think any effort to get one over on them should be applauded and encouraged..

bmoferrall

Buzz Me

Seth Brundle

Ronanom wrote:

Ok got clamped today which is fair enough really...

Ronanom wrote:

i guess i'll appeal it

:rolleyes:

Blitzkrieger

But if he didn't clamp you how would he have got his money?

FX Meister wrote:

You were on the wrong and got clamped, it doesn't matter how long you were illegally parked at the end of the day.

What's your definition of illegally parked? If he was parked on double yellows, the clamp wasn't fully on and if "the lady in Cork" was right about it having to be locked, then he was completely correct in trying to remove the car rather than have it sitting there illegally parked and causing an obstruction for longer. It'd be much better for traffic flow if a traffic warden issued a ticket and got the car moved in this situation than keeping the car there longer.

If he was in a designated parking spot without a disc/tag it's a different story because you're supposed to have some few minutes grace to get a parking permit. In Cork this is ten minutes but you often hear of clampers or tow trucks jumping in well before that.

Clamping should never have been privatised. There's too many money grubbing assholes doing it.

RainyDay

Blitzkrieger wrote:

Clamping should never have been privatised. There's too many money grubbing assholes doing it.

This is an exaggeration. I know the Dublin clamping contract is based on a fixed-fee. The clamping company earn the same money whether they clamp 1 car or 100 cars. They aren't incentivised to catch you out.

I remember the bad old days when you had a snowball's chance in hell of getting an on-street parking spot in Dublin because of all the commuters who parked at meters and fed the meters all day. The clampers have fixed this problem. They are our friend, not our enemy.

eth0_

RainyDay wrote:

This is an exaggeration. I know the Dublin clamping contract is based on a fixed-fee. The clamping company earn the same money whether they clamp 1 car or 100 cars. They aren't incentivised to catch you out.

Do you know that for a fact?
They're certainly very motivated workers if they're getting paid a flat fee and not a per-fine bonus.

And take into account they probably have to reach a quota or the corpo won't renew their contract.

Fact! In Scotland, in 1992 wheel-clamping on private land was banned overnight, as it was declared by a judge to be extortion and theft!

ciarsd

bmoferrall wrote:

:cool:

BrianD

I got clamped once but no ticket was applied to my car just the clamp. Some local junkie looking for money directed me around the corner to find the clampers in their van writing a raft of tickets.

I raised this issue with the DCC to no avail. I asked what the procedure for clamping was and what was to stop me driving off mid clamp especially if my car was not ticketed. I argued that the car should be ticketed first (i.e. caught!) then authorised for clamping. At that point the car can be clamped. In theory, this would afford protection to the clampers and make it illegal for somebody to drive the car off while the clamping process is taking place. To be honest, if no ticket is applied you are probably within your rights to restrain the clampers from interferring with it.

Anyway I was illegally parked at the time and I never got around to writing the letter to them about due process.

lomb

where does one stand legally if you cut the clamp off yourself?
surely they have abandoned their property on your car?

Seth Brundle

lomb wrote:

where does one stand legally if you cut the clamp off yourself?
surely they have abandoned their property on your car?

presumably it is some form of vandalism or damage to property charge.

ambro25

I've cut one off before in the UK (years ago) with the 110V baby version (angle-grinder size) of one of these, running from a 12V adapter:



twin carbide-tipped contra-rotating HSS blades, sliced through that steel better than a hot knife through molten fat - clamp was off in under 6 seconds from starting :eek:

Clampers had taken a pic of the car and "sought relief" for their destroyed property.

They just couldn't prove who or what had destroyed the property (which I asked to be produced in Court, having contested that my car was ever clamped despite the pic, and produced a witness to confirm that the car was not clamped when I returned to it, nor was there any clamp or bits of it to be seen/found nearby), and I argued succesfully that I didn't know of, nor had in my possession any equipment that may have done that, so someone else than me must have interfered with the clamp unbeknownst to me - e.g. maybe him (LOL!):



Paid the parking fine (as it was clear from pic I was wrongly parked, fair do's) - but got away with destruction of property charge = minus £25 for me, minus £-whatever for the clampers.

Seth Brundle

so you purjured yourself?

vms7ply9t6dw4b

If the clamp wasnt locked they had to stop, i would take it further if i were you... nothing to loose

FX Meister

Just remembered about a car I spotted at moutjoy square during the hurling final. He was parked somewhere illegally, towed to mountjoy square and then clamped there. The car was then broken into and some contents stolen I presume. I wonder where they stand in regards to liability.

tapest

Some months age ,the evening herald posted the guidlines that the clampers are supposed to work by. These guidlines were issued by D.C.C., but they were only guidlines. Unless the clamping process is fully completed they are obliged to remove it and allow you to go, as they can't issue a fine. Same applies to them lifting a car onto tow truck.
A guy I work with left his car beside ATM machine, keys in ignition, Truck drives up , passenger jumps out taking picture almost in mid air. He ignored all protests and insisted once photo taken car had to be towed to pound. workmate even offered to pay normal clamping fee on the spot but to no avail.
Although I don't agree or condone(?) illegal parking, tell me how do force them to follow their instruction from D.C.C.
t

DubTony

Next time take a piss in a petrol station. If that's not possible and you're fortunate enough to catch the clampers in action, offer them a bribe. (Half the clamping fee?) If that's out of the question, push the guy who's standing to the ground and kick the other guy in the head. Take the clamp off quickly and smack the first guy with it as hard as you can. Then swing around and hit the second one. Open the back of their van and throw them and the clamp into it. Take their keys and close the door. Throw the keys into the nearest drain or river. It's best if you can do this without anyone seeing you. Then go home.

Our man in Havana

Clamping is a tresspass against your property and you are entitled to use reasonable force to remove tresspassers from your property. I see no problems removing clamps.

Next time take a piss in a petrol station. If that's not possible and you're fortunate enough to catch the clampers in action, offer them a bribe. (Half the clamping fee?) If that's out of the question, push the guy who's standing to the ground and kick the other guy in the head. Take the clamp off quickly and smack the first guy with it as hard as you can. Then swing around and hit the second one. Open the back of their van and throw them and the clamp into it. Take their keys and close the door. Throw the keys into the nearest drain or river. It's best if you can do this without anyone seeing you. Then go home.

That would be class!

lomb

perosnally i dont think the law can do anything to you if you remove a clamp. its all smoke and mirrors, at the end of the day they could lay a claim against you for damage to their property but in my opinion they have abandoned their property. has anyone ever been convicted of removing a clamp in ireland?

ambro25

kbannon wrote:

so you perjured yourself?

[troll]Yeah - wasn't it grand? [/troll]

BrianD

Bond-007 wrote:

Clamping is a tresspass against your property and you are entitled to use reasonable force to remove tresspassers from your property. I see no problems removing clamps.



That would be class!

it's not as its legislation and a bye-law of DCC (for example) and you are parked on a street owned by DCC.

The proper procedure should be:
Ticket the car i.e you are now guilty of an offence.
Once this is done the car owner is 'locked out' i.e cannot interfere with the clamping or towing process
This is a fair process. There should be no cars clamped and then a ticket applied. You need to be notified of the offence first.

DCC have a big problem with the actual 'method statement' for clamping and have left themselves wide open. To me clamping a car without putting a ticket on it is like being put in jail without a conviction. The ticket is the official notice of the offence and the clamp is the punishment that follows.