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| NEWS |  | | | | SPORT | | | | | | COMPETITIONS | | Confronting the clampers
Reporter Alex Hayes went to a car compound near Iver to collect a car which had been towed away by a clamping company.
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Clamped - in the work car park
A WOMAN was forced to pay a total of £375 after being clamped in her company's car park on two separate occasions - despite managers intervening on her behalf.
Nalina Mistry, a 49-year-old mother of two, from Waverley Road, Harrow, was clamped at the Superdrug car park in Station Road by employees of Parking Control Services (PCS), a private parking company.
Staff at the store are allowed to use the car park but need permits which have to be shared since there are not enough for every staff member.
In the first incident she left her car for less than ten minutes before returning with a valid permit.
Three employees, including two managers, told the clampers that Mrs Mistry was an employee of the company and was allowed to park there.
She said they paid no notice and she was forced to pay £185 for the car to be released.
She said: "I sent an appeal against this and it was rejected on the grounds that they had photographic evidence of the car without the permit visible.
"They ignored my explanation that we had informed the clamper, before he started, that the car belonged to a member of staff.
"My manager was unable to reason with PCS and head office fobbed me off saying that it was my fault that the permit wasn't displayed at that time."
Mrs Mistry was clamped again the following month after her permit fell off her dashboard and turned upside down.
Again two members of staff, including the store manager, told the clamper she was an employee before the clamp had been fitted.
This time she had to pay £190 to release the car.
She said: "I took the permit out of the car to show the clamper and he refused to acknowledge this.
"He was shouting over me and generally behaving in a very intimidating way.
"They shouldn't be given this power, I want them to not have this power. It's legal robbery because they are allowed to do it."
When Mrs Mistry told her husband, who works for BT, about the fines he was angry, not just with the clampers, but also with Superdrug who refused to pay for the car to be released.
She said: "It was really bad because I'm on less than £6 an hour.
"My husband is very annoyed with my company - I didn't go to work for two days because he said it's your work or me'.
"He has his own van and often he gets clamped but his company foots the bill.
My boss understood me not coming into work but she thought it was a bit drastic."
Jenny Hill, a spokesman for Superdrug told the Harrow Times: "We sympathise with our colleague but it is vital that all members of staff display the permit they are issued with."
Mario Ireland, a spokesman for PCS, said: "The warning signs on the site clearly state the permit must be displayed clearly in the window. If a permit is not on the window of the car it will be clamped.
"We have put up signs - we can't do any more than that."
11:20am Thursday 10th January 2008
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CommentPosted by: Smith, Kenton on 9:21am Wed 6 Feb 08
Its a con a way of making money out of hard working people.
It needs more regulation. How can the clampers justify £190 to put a clamp on and wait for the person to come back.
In this case it seems there was no negotiation which is beyond belief.
At least the council has fixed fees and allows you to appeal in some cases.
With the clampers there is no choice pay up or else the car goes to the pound. No negotiation.
Further more they ask for cash payment, avoding any paper trails, and most likely avoiding taxes rightfully due to the Government....
Its a con a way of making money out of hard working people.
It needs more regulation. How can the clampers justify £190 to put a clamp on and wait for the person to come back.
In this case it seems there was no negotiation which is beyond belief.
At least the council has fixed fees and allows you to appeal in some cases.
With the clampers there is no choice pay up or else the car goes to the pound. No negotiation.
Further more they ask for cash payment, avoding any paper trails, and most likely avoiding taxes rightfully due to the Government....
Posted by: sam dixon, Watford on 7:40pm Sun 13 Apr 08
I got clamped on Friday April 11 in our staff car park. It was my last day at work and I had surrendered my permit just moments before taking stuff from my desk to my car only to find that I had been clamped by PCS who had clamped my car whilst un-clamping another unlucky motorist. I phoned and explained the situation but the person I spoke to just said that there was no permit displayed and that I simply had to pay the fine. When I went to the car park to pay the release fee once the PCS employees had already clamped 2 other cars, one owner had just arrived and gone into her place of work to collect the shared permit. The guy said that I had a 75% chance of reclaiming the money but after reading other accounts of similar situations it seems like an appeal, although I will still make one, will be futile. Does anyone have any success stories?
I got clamped on Friday April 11 in our staff car park. It was my last day at work and I had surrendered my permit just moments before taking stuff from my desk to my car only to find that I had been clamped by PCS who had clamped my car whilst un-clamping another unlucky motorist. I phoned and explained the situation but the person I spoke to just said that there was no permit displayed and that I simply had to pay the fine. When I went to the car park to pay the release fee once the PCS employees had already clamped 2 other cars, one owner had just arrived and gone into her place of work to collect the shared permit. The guy said that I had a 75% chance of reclaiming the money but after reading other accounts of similar situations it seems like an appeal, although I will still make one, will be futile. Does anyone have any success stories?
Posted by: Arif Hayat, Southall on 4:18pm Wed 23 Apr 08
The clampers are operating on your employer instructions and if the employers has not got enough passes to go around then they have no rights to instruct a clamper company to operate and liable to pay your cost, an appeal to the clampers is waste of time, all of the people clamped there should write to the employer and claim the money from them,then the employer will have better understanding with clampers for refunds.let me know if you succeed
The clampers are operating on your employer instructions and if the employers has not got enough passes to go around then they have no rights to instruct a clamper company to operate and liable to pay your cost, an appeal to the clampers is waste of time, all of the people clamped there should write to the employer and claim the money from them,then the employer will have better understanding with clampers for refunds.let me know if you succeed
Posted by: Arif Hayat, Southall on 4:21pm Wed 23 Apr 08
You should claim your cost from the employers who authorised the clampers to do what they are doing. they have no rights to instruct for clamping if they do not have enough passes to go around.They are liable for your cost.[bold]bold[/bold]
You should claim your cost from the employers who authorised the clampers to do what they are doing. they have no rights to instruct for clamping if they do not have enough passes to go around.They are liable for your cost.
Posted by: Vivek, Basildon on 12:45pm Fri 23 May 08
I am assumed to see this kind of legalized and government approved extortion in great britain. Even if one displays the permit, still the private contractors can intimidate and force drivers to pay just because they can use force.
I am assumed to see this kind of legalized and government approved extortion in great britain. Even if one displays the permit, still the private contractors can intimidate and force drivers to pay just because they can use force.
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