Oranoco

My lady friend left her Corsa in the car park she has doen so for the last 4 years. Yesterday the vehicle was taken by a private clamping firm.

Bearing in mind the vehicle was recovered yesterday they company are demanding £500 to release the car plus £50 a day per day it's being stored. This, imho is bordering on extortion.

Really need some urgent advice before I recover the personal effects and fill the petrol tank with sugar.

Fuming at the moment, any advice gratefully received.
Company are called Essex Recover based at RM15 6QJ

Psycho Warren

iTrader: (5)

Take it back from the compound by force. Remember trespass is a civil matter in england and wales so they cant stop you.

They take cars away these days because they know by doing so they pretty much garuntee payment. Private companys realise that they cant force you to pay up a parking invoice left on the car hence clamps and now people can get round clamps, towing away is gaining popularity.

DanW@FastFord

iTrader: (1)

Have a read of this.

But it does seem that you're going to have your work cut out.

I take it she shouldn't have been parking in the carpark, and the signs were clear and obvious?

Oranoco

Need to get there and reccy the site. Trying to arrange afternoon off to get there

Oranoco

Can we report the vehicle as stolen? Technically it has been "Taken Without Owners Consent"

DanW@FastFord

iTrader: (1)

You got a spare set of keys?

Psycho Warren

iTrader: (5)

dan thats the politically correct method of dealing with this I suspect oranoco has no intention of being PC

Psycho Warren

iTrader: (5)

i suspect he has the original keys as it would have been lifted and towed still locked etc.

The police wont be interested as its a "civil matter". As long as you dont batter fuck out of anyone then the police wont care.

Oranoco

Yes have keys as the vehicle was lifted. Trying to get a half day and will be driving to Essex to have a look. Car is a 53 Corsa and a bit sick so to be honest we're quite willing to remove personal effects and trash the car completely

Lambchop

iTrader: (1)

Have you fucked this lass yet? You seem to talk about and help her quite a lot

BM08

I noticed that too, but clearly he didnt do a very good job of fixing the broken car (joking chap)

Hope you get any personal belongings back or the whole car if she still wants it.

Psycho Warren

iTrader: (5)

check where their yard is first!!! a registered office doesnt mean thier local yard is there. depends on the company you see. If they big they might have a few yards over the region.

Oranoco

Right first things first yes I have played hide the sausage with her, we're kind of dating and she's a smashing lass.

Secondly, she has just spoken to the police and the company have not notified them that they removed the vehicle.

This is begining to get stressy as fook now

Physio

YHPM mate.

Lambchop

iTrader: (1)

You want his sausage too?

Physio

Rick Astley

Whats with the PF Admin name AJ?

You are now a pawn in their conglomerate! Shame on you!

Oranoco

Yes saw that mate, at work so trying to look on the sly as I'm still trying to do my job. Thanks for the offer but I'll decline, don't want them to profit at all through this.

Toe Knee

iTrader: (2)

you havnt answered the question bout the carpark yet, is it a private carpark and are their any signs saying you will be clamped if u park there etc etc?!

If their arnt any signs and anyone can park there then surely they have no legal right to take meaning the police should become involved?!

If their are signs in the carpark as said you'll have ur work cut out, but be worth seeing what the charges are on any signs as they nomally put up costs etc.

£500 is a fucking piss take!!! most charge £130odd to release a clamp so obviously their trying to screw u for £350odd just for towing it

Oranoco

Taking the afternoon as leave and about to head to her place. Once there I will get as many pics as possible and post them up. Don't know any more than I've posted and she isn't being overly clear at the minute

macturbo

iTrader: (2)

Cool al be keeping an eye on this thread for the pics of her
On a serious note though, thats a rediculous amount to pay, £500 release fee

tsutton

Any updates?

ronf42

iTrader: (2)

aye, from what
I have read, they had to pay the £500 and tried to to a backcharge with the credit card company, who have refused to help in this matter apart from telling them to raise a dispute.

see here

http://forums.pepipoo.com/index.php?...t=#entry447120

tsutton

No updates from Oranoco... has he & his lady friend been clamped too??

Toe Knee

iTrader: (2)

he's posted pics on there too, the sign isnt too forgiving thou!!



Althou he said it was parked roughly wher ethe 4x4 is in this pic



Which is more then the 16ft the sign says



so guess his only saving grace is if they provide a pic of exactly where it was so he/his card company can dispute the fact the clampers lied about where it was parked and towed it and made him pay under false pretenses.

Unfortuatly cant see that happening.....

focusv8

It also says must be parked in marked bays, I don't see any..

.

Lloyd

if they havnt got a picture,how can they prove they had the right to tow it away?
take it to court,with plenty of whitness statements saying it wasnt parked too close.

Toe Knee

iTrader: (2)

Thats why most of them do have pictures depending how legit a towing company they are, i would have demanded the photo of where it was parked ie what proof they had right at the beginning before it was paid for!!

Is a bit stupid havving a sign saying park in the marked bays when there aint any!! so may be worth a trip to citizens advice for some options.........

mercgrey

id go down take the car back end of!! its theft now at the end of the day! go and rip all the signs down too and call the police!

focusv8

What it also DOESN'T say is who CAN'T park there.
It says private car park.
It doesn't say visitors or employees to ??? only.
It doesn't say to pay and display.
It doesn't say to display a parking permit issued by the owner SE Clamping.
So who can and can't park there?
.

mercgrey

i think the first thing i would do is clearly state it wasnt within 16ft of the fence and there retarded company havent marked out spaces on the ground for the cars ether hence gfive them a choice of gimmi the car back for free or lose so much more money in court!! or damages to his cars :P :P

stevieturbo

Clearly the car has been stolen. Treat it as such, report to the police, and also treat whoever stole it with the contempt they deserve.

ie, severe beatings when you find out.

If they get ratty...how much is the car worth, and where is it stored ?

I'd sooner torch the car than pay those thieving scumbags. Then it'd probably burn half their yard and every car in it too, which would of course then be their responsibility.

Oranoco

Greetings, sorry for delayed response but this has been a ball ache and work has been hectic.

Basically she has had to pay out thr £500. We attempted a charge back and the credit card company were a shower of shit in the matter. Contacted the police who advised it wasn't stolen as they weren't permanently depriving us of the vehicle so it was a civil matter, they got really annoyed when I suggested to them that it had been "taken without the owners conesent" which was a crime.

I am in the process of tracing the landowners and we are going to attempt to take both them and the clamping company to the small claims court as jointly liable for the matter.

The clampers have already been to court and lost on a few occasions and Watchdog are aware of them and there is even a story on their website with this exact company. Chap I work withs wife works for The Office of Fair Trading so he's going to get some info over this weekend.

Really hacked off over it all and have every intention of making sure this was a csotly tow for them. It's not much shy of legalised car theft.

BTW they had a banner on the entrance to the pound "Specialist in Vauxhall Spares", coincidence???

Oranoco

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/watchdog/...mping_ltd.html

In fact watching that, it's actually that yard we got the car back from

stevieturbo

How can the police not follow up with a TWOC inquiry/prosecution ??

Can you report them to the complaints commision ?

Surely stealing then holding to ransom is a crime ? Extortion ?


I'd still burn the fuckers to the ground.

Oranoco

I have been advised that if we win the case in court I can then instruct bailifs to recover the monies owed. I will willingly pay half the money we get back just to make things as difficult for them as possible.

MarkyMark

in your first post it says the company name is essex recovery, on the sign is it down as SEC, who did you pay the money to? what does it say on the cc reciept?

RichieST

iTrader: (2)

Do them for all they are worth. Unless its a council run clamping firm, they do not have a leg to stand on. I stood up to a private clamping firm recently that I 'owed' money too. Just repetedly told them to fuck off and they soon got the message and there was nothing they could do.

Do not back down!

MarkyMark

just done a google on the postcode (not too far from me as it goes) and it says essex recovery and sec are both there as well as blundell associates at the same postcode, i bet they are all the same people, as i know that family well

Oranoco

As far as I can gather they are one and the same