Unbelievable

ghogie91

So my friend just got clamped in college while parked in a student car parking space with a student parking permit.

He went to the Apcoa guy to take off the clamp because he had a permit to be parked there, the man said he would have to hand over 80 euro to get the clamp off because his permit read 1997-D-123456 instead of 97-D-123456

Now come on thats f***ing ridiculous

Anan1

That is ridiculous. Has he talked to the college authorities?

Anan1

OSI wrote: »

College eh? I'd say the engineering dept. have some nice power tools lying around. No idea what to do about your clamp though, sorry.

Yeah, college. That means CCTV, records of car ownership, and internal disciplinary procedures. On the other hand, the college authorities can help.

John_Mc

The college will wash their hands of it just like property management companies always do.

Ring them up to tell them you're going to remove it yourself if they don't take it off. They won't.

Rent a bolt cutters and it'll be off in 30 secs. Do not leave the clamp behind as they'll do you for criminal damage. Take it with you and dispose of responsibly.

I did it with NCPS and never heard from them

mikeecho

John_Mc wrote: »

Ring them up to tell them you're going to remove it yourself if they don't take it off. They won't.

Rent a bolt cutters and it'll be off in 30 secs.

Either take it off yourself, or ask them to take it off, but dont tell them over the phone that you will take it off yourself

Thats just asking for trouble

Idbatterim

The college will wash their hands of it just like property management companies always do.

Ring them up to tell them you're going to remove it yourself if they don't take it off. They won't.

Rent a bolt cutters and it'll be off in 30 secs. Do not leave the clamp behind as they'll do you for criminal damage. Take it with you and dispose of responsibly.

I did it with NCPS and never heard from them

Brilliant! You legend

This wasnt you per chance was it?

John_Mc

mikeecho wrote: »

Either take it off yourself, or ask them to take it off, but dont tell them over the phone that you will take it off yourself

Thats just asking for trouble

No, that's giving them the option of removing the clamp without it being damaged.

What do you think is going to happen? They're going to come down and guard it?

NCPS told me to fire away and remove it myself and then they hung up.

dr.fuzzenstein

Whatever you do, keep us posted!
I would take this opportunity to badger and annoy them as much as I can and in the end tell them that hell will be used to store sides of beef before I pay ths fine.

John_Mc

Idbatterim wrote: »

Brilliant! You legend

This wasnt you per chance was it?

Nope - why bother with the sparks and electrics when a good old bolt cutters works just as well

biko

This is an issue between the dept issuing parking permits and Apcoa.
Apcoa must recognise official Uni parking permits or feck off.
Get in touch with the dept.
Also Acoa are now obstructing the car which has an official parking permit. That's probably not legal.
I doubt a judge would see it their way, and they know it.

BMJD

Apcoa only recognise money and how to extract it:)

Anan1

BMJD wrote: »

Apcoa only recognise money and how to extract it:)

Which is why they'll listen to the college.

ghogie91

He said the college policy is that Apcoa are an external company and that they had to deal with the issue, So instead of him taking my advice and cut it into a million pieces, he paid the fine and is going to appeal the decision, apparently this can take weeks to ever get looked at, not alone sorted.


Edit:

He challenged the clamper and he said he just was not going to remove it, also he was in the area so he would probably see a bolt cutter a mile away.

Another friend of my mates said he got clamped also, he was 'going to lower the wishbone', which I presume will allow him to get off the clamp, and the clamper had put the chain through a hole in the wishbone

Holsten

Crazy stuff.

I'd cut it off if it was me.

If he paid it by card simply cancel the card asap.

biko

He should definitely take it up with whoever gave him the permit.
Other students, teachers and staff are now at risk of Apcoa clamping their cars too.

Interslice

biko wrote: »

He should definitely take it up with whoever gave him the permit.
Other students, teachers and staff are now at risk of Apcoa clamping their cars too.

APCOA issue the permits. It looks that way in my college anyway. They knowingly issued a false permit if that's true.

Can't believe he paid, I would have been passing through athlone tonight and all.

5uspect

Get onto the student paper and let them run with it.
This is the kind if thing you want everyone on campus to know about and be angry about.

listermint

Id question the literacy of the clamper in this matter and give out reams down the phone to what ever flake told him it was okay to continue with the clamping.

ghogie91

Thats what I would have done too I cant believe he paid it but like he wouldnt be a speak up kinda guy, if it was me though

And yes they are apcoa authorised permits which means when he applied online someone in their office processed his permit incorrectly, he provided simple and accurate information

GTE

Keep pressing the Uni and get the student union involved if you have one.

The parking people at my old Uni clamped me and 3 other cars for parking in a car park open to students. The clamping people claimed a sign told students to stay out.

After pressing the Uni department, we got our money back and an apology from the clampers because the sign was covered by trees/plants, the gate entrance gate was stuck open.

So there were pretty big reasons why the clamping was wrong, the 1997 instead of 97 thing should be a push over.

Good luck!

EDIT:
Well feck that, he paid.

galldar

OSI wrote: »

Ha. Appeal? Not gonna happen buddy. You're appealing with the company, and probably the same person that processes the fines, that they were wrong to clamp and fine you in the first place. The moneys gone. Don't waste money on an appeal that's not going to happen.

x 2

Took APCOA four months the respond when I appealed.
They replied that they rejected my appeal because 'your vehicle was parked on a roadway'
Forgot to hang it from a tree. They obviously totally ignored the details of my appeal, probably send the same response to everyone.

They did send me a form that I could send to the Independent Parking Appeals Service, who, for another (waste of) €20 would look into it. Looks to me like they're part of the clamping cartel, don't even have an address just P.O. Box.

AND it cost €120 to get the damn clamp off.

Think I'll use the €20 wisely the next time they have bolt cutters in Aldi