Advice needed re hotel clamping

dresstoimpress

Hi All.
I really need some advice please.
In the beginning of july I was staying in Cork for work. The hotel I was staying with was in a complex with a lot of bars and restarunts. I rang the hotel the day before I was due to arrive, to ask for parking advice. The information they gave me incorrect, and my car was clamped costing me 165euro.
I was so cross at the time, but was assured by the on-duty manager that I would definately get a refund on appeal, so I paid the fee on my credit card. The following morning, without prompt from me, another on-duty manager who must have been told of the situation again guaranted me I would be given a refund from the clamping company on appeal as I was a guest of the hotel. In hindsight I should have asked the hotel to pay the fine, if they were so sure of getting the refund, but I was so angry at the time I wasn't thinking straight.
Anyway 2 weeks ago I got an appeal rejection letter from the clamping company. I've tried to contact the hotel via e-mail and post, and they have ignored all attempts! Any time I ring, I'm told the general manager isn't available and they'll take a message but I haven't left one yet.
What would you do. I know legally I've no proof the hotel is at fault. Its fustrating because its a lot of money, and the hotel are completely in the wrong!!

Kimia

Oh I would also be so angry. I'm not sure of the legality of the situation, but can anyone answer this - if you had hired a workman to forcibly remove the clamp from your car, would you have been in the wrong?

Personally I would prefer to pay some dude to come out and take an angle grinder to the clamp, and then discard it, and pay him €120 than the clampers.

Is that ok to do though? Obviously not with county council clampers, but with private clampers?

whippet

If the hotel manager told you that if you stabbed someone walking past the hotel that you would be convicted of murder but could appeal based on the fact that you were a resident would you have taken his word for it ?

The hotel and the parking enforcement are two seperate entities. When you were parking what did the signs say .. I wouldn't have taken the hotel's word for it.

I too got burned badly a few years ago in Italy. The hotel valet reversed my rental car in to a wall in the car park. I had an excess of about €250 on my rental agreement. The duty manager said that the hotel would deal with Hertz and pay the excess for me when I returned the car a few weeks later.

Guess what, I returned the car and Hertz charged me for the excess as they had nothing to do with the hotel, I should have got the hotel to pay. NEedless to say I got nothing back from the hotel .. not even a returned call. Lesson learned the hard way.

RangeR

dresstoimpress wrote: »

Any time I ring, I'm told the general manager isn't available and they'll take a message but I haven't left one yet.!

Why haven't you left a message?
Where are you based?

If it was me, I'd drive down and talk face to face. It's only a 3 hour drive from, say, Dublin. Motorway all the way. I'd like to see them ignore a face to face meeting.

dresstoimpress

Whippet, like I said I was so angry to find the car clamped, I wasn't thinking straight. Hindsight is a great thing!

Ranger R, I haven't left a message because I rather speak to the general manager directely, rather than being fobbed off by another on-duty manager. Driving down to speak to the manager isn't really an option for me right now, but thanks for the advice.

Sponge Bob

make sure you warn everybody on Tripadvisor!!

Run_to_da_hills

A portable cordless 4 1/2" angle grinder with a 1mm cutting disk and a pair of goggles is now an essential tool to carry in the boot of any car.

I wouldn't use one of these on any of the Corporation clamps as they photograph your car etc, however I would have absolutly no hesitation on using it on rogue private clampers.

Guy:Incognito

I love how you go straight for "rogue" rtdh . At the end of the day when you park on someone elses private land you are a guest and should either abide by whatever rules they set out or if you don't agree with said rules take yourself off somewhere else. I have no issue with people using clampers to enforce rules on their own property, no one is forcing anybody to use the land.

the_syco

dresstoimpress wrote: »

The information they gave me incorrect, and my car was clamped costing me 165euro.

As you don't say where you parked, I can only say you should've read the sign. If it was in a hotel carpark, you'd have some comeback, but you don't mention this.

Stekelly wrote: »

At the end of the day when you park on someone elses private land you are a guest

What happens if it's public land? Do you still support the clamper?

Stekelly wrote: »

should either abide by whatever rules they set out or if you don't agree with said rules take yourself off somewhere else.

And if the rules are not shown anywhere, as what usually happens.

jor el

Initiate Small Claims Court proceeding against the hotel for the cost of the clamp removal, since it was their mistake and they told you it would be refunded.

Appealing with a clamping company is an exercise in futility if there was ever one.

dudara

Unfortunately you don't have anything in writing from the hotel, or any documentation around the parking arrangements. Without this, it will be very hard to prove that they mislead you.