Just been clamPed outside my door.

slemons

Some P*rick in a bmw took uP a sPace and a bit, so I had to go on the kerb slightly. Now im clamped.
Not next nor near in the way of anyone or anything…
Is there anyting I can do?
They clamPed the rear right wheel.
Maybe im clutching at straws here but I thought it had to be the front drivers side wheel of the car?
Any advice?
Im sitting exams soon and skint!
Thanks…

spadder

Is this a private clamp?
Do you have a mate with a angle-grinder?

Yakult

I really didnt think they could clamp your car straight away?

Hate the cnuts.. not sure what you can do other than pay the fine/fee or what ever it is!
^Or an angle grinder as spadder said lol.

biko

Take a few snaps first if you plan to appeal it.

slemons

Cant they prosecute me if i cut it off though?
Its a clamping company, that comes to our estate. And they only take cash.
I dont know if they're private or anything?

Man, this recession cant come soon enough, if it puts these parasites out of business.
The b@stards that have bled this country dry like publicians charging €5 a pint, auctioneers driving prices through the roof, cowboy builders making cardboard houses and charging for a palace.

Personally im delighted the money is gone. We couldnt handle it, without a fair share becoming greedy self-centred pricks. Maybe now people will be nicer to each other, a bit more altruistic...

Sorry rant over.
I needed to say that. lol

alias no.9

You may be able to declamp by leaving the air out of the tyre and taking the wheel off. If it's a private company, there's sweet FA they can do about it as long as you don't damage the clamp.

maceocc2

Cut it off. Private clampers are the worst and more often then not won't get the cops involved

daveharnett

slemons wrote: »

Cant they prosecute me if i cut it off though?
Its a clamping company, that comes to our estate. And they only take cash.
I dont know if they're private or anything?

Man, this recession cant come soon enough, if it puts these parasites out of business.
The b@stards that have bled this country dry like publicians charging €5 a pint, auctioneers driving prices through the roof, cowboy builders making cardboard houses and charging for a palace.

Personally im delighted the money is gone. We couldnt handle it, without a fair share becoming greedy self-centred pricks. Maybe now people will be nicer to each other, a bit more altruistic...

Sorry rant over.
I needed to say that. lol

You forgot about fog lights :rolleyes:.

As long as it's a private operation, just remove the clamp IMO.
The general consensus is that cops don't have any interest in refereeing this nonsense.

agent_smith

If it is a private clamping company. Ring them and ask them to remove it but that you will not be paying. Tell them you live in the area and your car is parked outside your house/appartment and not illegally parked by irish law.
If they say you will ahve to pay, tell them this is entrapment and entrapment is illegal. If they then refuse to remove the clamp for free, take an angle grinder to that mofo.

Alun

agent_smith wrote: »

Tell them you live in the area and your car is parked outside your house/appartment and not illegally parked by irish law.

It's technically illegal (although rarely enforced) to park with even one wheel up on the kerb though.

Seth Brundle

Alun wrote: »

It's technically illegal (although rarely enforced) to park with even one wheel up on the kerb though.

I recall working in a pub in CLontarf years ago and every night the gardai would come and do people for parking on double yellows and if the car was parked in any way on the path (as they all were) then that got added to the ticket! Still you frequently saw the same cars getting ticketed - people never learn.


Anyhow, I don't think its an offence to park on the path when it is in a private estate (as is the case with this apartment complex).

Hal1

Agree with removing the clamp it was technically still on your property (wheel on kerb).

Alun

Alun wrote: »

It's technically illegal (although rarely enforced) to park with even one wheel up on the kerb though.

I wouldnt have thought this was the case in private estates though. In a lot of estates I know most parking is done with half the car on the footpath other wise the place would be blocked up. The estates Im thinking of dont have any clamping in operation at all though.

OP get it off yourself, try to get it of without braking it but if not an angle grinder or con saw will sort the problem, private clamping companies are gangsters.

Tipsy Mac

I'd cut it off even if it cost me €100 to rent out a grinder to do it, you couldn't put a price on the grin that would be on your face afterwards

Alun

Colson Scarce Snowshoe wrote: »

I wouldn't have thought this was the case in private estates though.

Not in Irish law, no, but seeing as this is essentially private land, then the owners of that land can surely make up whatever rules and regulations they want?

Victor

OP, I presume and/or your landlord have signed up to rules of behaviour for the estate? I presume parking is covered by this.

slemons wrote: »

I had to go on the kerb slightly

No you didn't. I don't know how wide the footpath is, but what happens when someone with a wheelchair or buggy can't get by?

seamus

Alun wrote: »

Not in Irish law, no, but seeing as this is essentially private land, then the owners of that land can surely make up whatever rules and regulations they want?

They're not permitted to interfere with or otherwise detain your vehicle, even if it is on private land. If you refuse to pay, they still have to remove the clamp to let you take your car and then they have to chase you in court.

The same is true for car parks - if you simply refuse to pay the parking fee, the company still have to let you leave, and then armed with your reg and whatever other information they can get (such as CCTV footage), they have to chase you in court.

The law of the lien may apply, but I doubt it. A lien allows someone to detain your property while they wait for you to settle a bill (or in lieu of the bill). I know it applies to hotels and mechanics, but I doubt it applies to car parks.

OP, if you take an angle grinder to it, they can prosecute you for damaging their property.

Supra lover 87

Id check for signs saying they did clamp in that area and ring them up and say to them i was parked outside my house and to come and take it off because you where parked on your own property and you where trespassing.

If they say no angle grind it off and follow them home and put one on theres ha ha

Alun

Alun wrote: »

the owners of that land can surely make up whatever rules and regulations they want?

This is true I suppose.

old boy

if you know any one working in a legal office, get them to write you an official looking letter, deliver it by hand, it gives the impression of a court bailiff, bluff them like they bluff you. they hate letters, they have to be replyed to, the sender has them on file, a tinkers arguement they love, fone calls, roaring, shouting, they lap that up, the letter is your only man. as they have to think when they recieve it, some of them have trouble doing that.

zulfikarMD

I had similar issue and it was my mistake that I paid 365 euros to declamp my car..I wrote two letters to appeals officer and none of them have been answered as of yet. I would say declamp the car yourself or go to solicitor but never ever think of paying fine now and claiming it back..

coco06

out of interest, does anyone know of any cases that ever went to court for damaging a clamp?

Anan1

Or you could just pay it and not park on the path again. Your neighbours might appreciate that too.

Henry Ford III

That must really suck. I'd remove it myself if I could, and be sure to have a word with the person who ruined last nights parking.

Victor

Hal1 wrote: »

Agree with removing the clamp it was technically still on your property (wheel on kerb).

He doesn't own the kerb.

Supra lover 87 wrote: »

Id check for signs saying they did clamp in that area and ring them up and say to them i was parked outside my house and to come and take it off because you where parked on your own property and you where trespassing.

His property ends at his front boundary. He was part on the road, part on the footpath.

Scottie99

Extortion!

seventeen years ago clamping on private land was outlawed in Scotland by the Scottish courts after a judge said it amounted to extortion and theft.

Shame its not the same here!!!

slemons

Does anyone know of someone who cut off or otherwise removed a clamp?
Specifically a clamp put on by a private firm in a housing estate.
What happened? Were they prosecuted?

They were at it again last night. 3 clamped cars, not mine, for nothing really. They werent blocking a path or road...

I really really hate this carry on...
Its the lowest form of extortion.
I dont know how anyone could sleep at night working at that job

Darragh29

Take a picture of the offending clamp and I'll see if we can come up with the easiest way to take it off. You don't necessarily need an angle grinder.

Contact the company and give them the opportunity to take it off, tell them if it is still there in the morning, you'll be taking it off for them and it won't be much use for clamping cars after you take it off.

Darragh29

This is The man!

CharlieCroker

Fantastic!!!

towger

slemons wrote: »

so I had to go on the kerb QUOTE]

How about you ask somebody in a wheelchair or with a baby's buggy who actually needs the footpath to help you .... I'm sure they'll oblige :mad:

Paulw

slemons wrote: »

Does anyone know of someone who cut off or otherwise removed a clamp?
Specifically a clamp put on by a private firm in a housing estate.
What happened? Were they prosecuted?

The reality is, is that someone employed the clampers to work in the estate. Most likely the management company.

Why not find out from the management company WHY a clamping firm was introduced?? In many cases, there are valid reasons - non-residents taking up resident's parking spaces, people taking up other people's spaces, illegal parking/dumping of cars, etc.

towger

towger wrote: »

How about you ask somebody in a wheelchair or with a baby's buggy who actually needs the footpath to help you .... I'm sure they'll oblige :mad:

In fairness as I have said before on this thread in a large number of estates around galway the only place to park(especially if there are more than 1 or 2 cars in the house) is with half the car on the footpath otherwise with cars parking both sides of the road, the road gets blocked.

kmick

Just pay the fine - you parked on the pavement. That is against the law. You broke the law and got caught. Pay up and don't park on the pavement again. You are blaming everyone but yourself here.

stealthyspeeder

slemons wrote: »

Does anyone know of someone who cut off or otherwise removed a clamp?

Myself! i removed a clamp, have heard nothing from the guards or the clamping company!!

What sort of clamp is it? if its like the one in my photo all you really need is a hack saw!

slemons

Lol i didnt blame anyone other than myself, and the fine was paid about 5 mins after i put this thread up 2 days ago.

I do really hate the idea of clamping so that why im asking...
So, can we leave morality and ethics aside for a minute?

Does anyone know of anyone who either took off or cut off a clamp?

stealthyspeeder

For everyone who is saying "just pay it", "you were in the wrong", "your taking up the pavement", "be more considerate next time", I suggest you all grow a pair and stand up for your civil liberties by resisting in everyway actions that are tantamount to extortion by private companies!:mad:

Paulw

stealthyspeeder wrote: »

For everyone who is saying "just pay it", "you were in the wrong", "your taking up the pavement", "be more considerate next time", I suggest you all grow a pair and stand up for your civil liberties by resisting in everyway actions that are tantamount to extortion by private companies!:mad:

Do your "civil liberties" include parking in someone else's space, parking illegally, parking on a footpath? I don't think so.

Again, clampers are EMPLOYED to clamp you. They don't go around clamping anyone for the fun of it.

If people parked properly, then they would have no work. Simple as that.

kmick

kmick wrote: »

Just pay the fine - you parked on the pavement. That is against the law. You broke the law and got caught. Pay up and don't park on the pavement again. You are blaming everyone but yourself here.

There is no Law against parking on a pavement in a private estate just whatever stupid ideas the management company decide to impose to extort money out of residents and their visitors.

No way should anyone pay a private clamping company. Angle grinder or consaw is by far the best solution.

slemons

stealthyspeeder wrote: »

For everyone who is saying "just pay it", "you were in the wrong", "your taking up the pavement", "be more considerate next time", I suggest you all grow a pair and stand up for your civil liberties by resisting in everyway actions that are tantamount to extortion by private companies!:mad:

Thanks stealthy...

Do you know the Law relating to this though?
I've no problem standing up for myself against this, if even a smidgeon of the Law is on my side. That and that half my rugby team lives in the square of the estate as me.

Btw I dont endorse violence or damage to clamps/clampers

Paulw

Colson Scarce Snowshoe wrote: »

There is no Law against parking on a pavement in a private estate just whatever stupid ideas the management company decide to impose to extort money out of residents and their visitors.

Actually, the management company don't make any money from clamping. It costs them.

Most times, a clamping company is employed, after enough residents complain about parking problems, and at an AGM it's voted to bring in clampers.

Management companies (more usually the management agent) is only given instructions by the residents.

In our development, we brought in a clamping company (by majority vote at an AGM), and it quickly solved most of our parking problems.

stealthyspeeder

Paulw wrote: »

Do your "civil liberties" include parking in someone else's space, parking illegally, parking on a footpath? I don't think so.

Again, clampers are EMPLOYED to clamp you. They don't go around clamping anyone for the fun of it.

If people parked properly, then they would have no work. Simple as that.

I dont think the punishment fits the crime, and when punishments become too severe for tiny crimes, your civil liberties are at risk.

"Clampers are employed to clamp you" in this sentence you sum it up, of course i dont think the clampers go round cracking jokes and laughing as they clamp another victem, they are paid, they get the money from the victem which pays their wages and possibly their bonus, this their incentive, fun has nothing to do with it, I dont know why you'd even say that!?

When I got clamped I was parked properly, I know of at least 5 other people who were parked properly (when I say properly I mean in accordance with the imaginary laws that the land owner has posted on signs around the parking areas). So basically no, its not as simple as that.

Paulw

Paulw wrote: »

Actually, the management company don't make any money from clamping. It costs them.

Most times, a clamping company is employed, after enough residents complain about parking problems, and at an AGM it's voted to bring in clampers.

Management companies (more usually the management agent) is only given instructions by the residents.

In our development, we brought in a clamping company (by majority vote at an AGM), and it quickly solved most of our parking problems.

No wonder there are so many cowboy clampers going around so, clamping cars for no reason when they get to keep all the money.

I would get a large amount of satisfaction in cutting one of their clamps into tiny pieces and giving it back to them.

who007

slemons wrote: »

Lol i didnt blame anyone other than myself, and the fine was paid about 5 mins after i put this thread up 2 days ago.

I do really hate the idea of clamping so that why im asking...
So, can we leave morality and ethics aside for a minute?

Does anyone know of anyone who either took off or cut off a clamp?

Did you pay in cash??! Please say you didn't. That's prob in that guy's back pocket now so he can go for a night on the town at your expense!

Jip

Paulw wrote: »

Actually, the management company don't make any money from clamping. It costs them.

Not always. A management company can simply ask their management agent to bring in clamping and the agent can just contact a company and give them premission to clamp in the area, they money is made by the release fees so they don't need to be paid to patrol the area.

And parking on the footpath is extremely selfish. There's a similar operation in my area so clamping was brought in. It soon brought a stop to having people with prams or kids for example come off a footpath to walk down the middle of the road to get around the car. When I was out walking or running I'd simply just trample over their plants in their garden or bounce off their wing mirrors.

It's nothing to do with civil liberities ffs. You live in a private area so more than likely have a signed a contract which outlines various rules etc, one of them always being to park in deisgnated areas and not one footpaths.

Kendrick Calm Transportation, you're exactly the reason why people want clamping, you fail to see what's wrong with people parking the way they do.

who007

Jip wrote: »

And parking on the footpath is extremely selfish. .

True, but I note that people are blaming the OP when he was forced to do that by the BMW taking up too much space. I have noticed that those with SUV's, BMW and AUDI and <insert large car here>'s don't seem to give a toss about elementary things like fitting into a space that allows others park correctly beside them.

To what extent is someone supposed to go looking for another space to park in outside their own home if some tosser just decides to park in a mannner that prevents them from doing so? (I agree that people shouldn't block up paths, I just ask the question is all).

kmick

who007 wrote: »

True, but I note that people are blaming the OP when he was forced to do that by the BMW taking up too much space. I have noticed that those with SUV's, BMW and AUDI and <insert large car here>'s don't seem to give a toss about elementary things like fitting into a space that allows others park correctly beside them.

To what extent is someone supposed to go looking for another space to park in outside their own home if some tosser just decides to park in a mannner that prevents them from doing so? (I agree that people shouldn't block up paths, I just ask the question is all).

Thats a different point. When people block my space I have to go knocking on doors, see who owns the car and get them to move. I dont just park on the pavement which in turn screws someone else.

jim o doom

who007 wrote: »

True, but I note that people are blaming the OP when he was forced to do that by the BMW taking up too much space. I have noticed that those with SUV's, BMW and AUDI and <insert large car here>'s don't seem to give a toss about elementary things like fitting into a space that allows others park correctly beside them.

To what extent is someone supposed to go looking for another space to park in outside their own home if some tosser just decides to park in a mannner that prevents them from doing so? (I agree that people shouldn't block up paths, I just ask the question is all).

Thank god the don't clamp motorbikes - parking illegally on a bike is what it's all about!

Quick friend of a friend story to improve the moods of the clamp hating crowd;
chap I know, his mate lives in an apartment block, lot of clamping goes on, lot's of his neighbors had been clamped, him, his friends, his neighbors friends.. a lot of bad feeling as you might imagine

He gets sick of this & buys a angle grinder & removes any clamp he sees from that point on. His neighbors regularily drop into him to borrow his consaw for the same purpose..

and now for the best part; he had these clamps in his house; one day the clampers are out and about searching for "victims" and he bails out, clamps the clamping van using his own padlock and legs it off unnoticed laughing his hole off.

Result; the clampers stopped operating there eventually.
Moral of the story; revenge is a dish best served cold

chiliconparmi

Jip wrote: »

When I was out walking or running I'd simply just trample over their plants in their garden or bounce off their wing mirrors.

Kendrick Calm Transportation, you're exactly the reason why people want clamping, you fail to see what's wrong with people parking the way they do.

You sound like a nice person indeed.

So because they break the "law" by parking on the footpath it’s ok for you to break the law by damaging their property?


My point being you think its wrong for them to break the law but ok for you?

Jip

who007 wrote: »

I have noticed that those with SUV's, BMW and AUDI and <insert large car here>'s don't seem to give a toss about elementary things like fitting into a space that allows others park correctly beside them.

I've also seen people who parks like that clamped or stickered. Don't know if clamping is appropriate in these instances though as you're essentially punishing 2 people.

Jip

chiliconparmi wrote: »

You sound like a nice person indeed.

So because they break the "law" by parking on the footpath it’s ok for you to break the law by damaging their property?


My point being you think its wrong for them to break the law but ok for you?

Why thank you, I am indeed a very nice person.

But your comments show alot about your mindset. Despite several posts here advocating the damaging of the lock or clamp in removing it you chose to pounce on me because I run over someones flowers ?