Clampers use spotter workaround

Ubbquittious · 24-09-2020 10:21AM #1

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/clampers-used-unauthorised-spotter-workaround-for-higher-bonuses-1.4363482?mode=amp

Scum, dirty evil robbing scum. Is there any way we could get rid of these shaggers, ship them all out to sea or something.

Companies themselves are as bad with giving bonuses and quotas.

errlloyd · 24-09-2020 10:27AM

So the workaround here is that a vehicle is "spotted" by one clamper, who doesn't want to wait around for it's grace period to expire. So he notifies a whatsapp group of his colleagues (presumably) and if one of them is in the area a few minutes later they can clamp it.

Miscreant · 24-09-2020 10:40AM

I have seen this happening for years and years. Funny it is only coming to light now.

biko · 24-09-2020 10:45AM

In his findings, Mr Baneham stated that the workers’ bonus payments depended on how many vehicles they clamped and he stated: “Staff have the obvious incentive to bend the rules in order to stave off criticism of their performance or to earn additional remuneration.”

Pretty obvious

GLaDOS · 24-09-2020 10:46AM

So they clamped cars that were illegally parked?

Sounds like the companies just pissed they had to pay a big bonus.

Atlantic Dawn · 24-09-2020 10:48AM

It's a poorly regulated industry, you could walk out of Mountjoy after serving 20 years for murder and kidnapping and set up a clamping business the next morning.

The Continental Op · 24-09-2020 10:50AM

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

It's a poorly regulated industry, you could walk out of Mountjoy after serving 20 years for murder and kidnapping and set up a clamping business the next morning.

Isn't that how they are all set up?

errlloyd · 24-09-2020 10:51AM

I hate being clamped as much as the next man, and I have been clamped many times. But I must confess I don't see what the problem is here?

Why do the spotter and clamper have to be the same person?

whisky_galore · 24-09-2020 10:52AM

Here's a thing, how about don't park illegally?

seamus · 24-09-2020 10:54AM

“It is imperative for public confidence in the administration of a clamping regime,” he said.

He stated that neither the regulations, nor the employer’s policy “permit one staff member to spot and another to clamp”.

It goes to show how utterly flimsy and pointless the clamping laws are.

The purpose is to discourage illegal parking by charging those who do.

Instead the WRC (and apparently the regulations) believe that illegal parking is OK so long as the clampers don't see you parking.

The "grace period" issue would be easily solved by simply printing out "grace period" tickets from the machines and making it a legal requirement for all vehicles to display a ticket, even inside the grace period.

The Continental Op · 24-09-2020 11:01AM

seamus wrote: »

It goes to show how utterly flimsy and pointless the clamping laws are.

The purpose is to discourage illegal parking by charging those who do.

Instead the WRC (and apparently the regulations) believe that illegal parking is OK so long as the clampers don't see you parking.

The "grace period" issue would be easily solved by simply printing out "grace period" tickets from the machines and making it a legal requirement for all vehicles to display a ticket, even inside the grace period.

Welcome to Dungarvan, if you park when there are no charges you still have to display a ticket. If you are in an area with half hours free parking and then park at night your half hours free gets added to the following morning. If you park during the day for the free half an hour you still need to get a free ticket from the machine. Its a very simple system.

DangerScouse · 24-09-2020 11:03AM

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

It's a poorly regulated industry, you could walk out of Mountjoy after serving 20 years for murder and kidnapping and set up a clamping business the next morning.

So what if they have served their time.

Del2005 · 24-09-2020 11:17AM

seamus wrote: »

The "grace period" issue would be easily solved by simply printing out "grace period" tickets from the machines and making it a legal requirement for all vehicles to display a ticket, even inside the grace period.

Plenty of places where commercial vehicles can park don't have pay and display.

From my reading the employee was fired for taking a van home. No idea why the "spotting" is even an issue, if a vehicle is illegally parked does it matter how its caught. Can you imagine the Gardai only being able to arrest criminals if they actually saw the offence being committed.

biko · 24-09-2020 11:36AM

Will putting your hazards on still deter clampers?

DeepBlue · 24-09-2020 11:59AM

So there is a 20 minute grace period before you can be clamped?

biko · 24-09-2020 02:17PM

DeepBlue wrote: »

So there is a 20 minute grace period before you can be clamped?

And if you add this period to the hazards you get 45 mins free parking.

24-09-2020 02:23PM

lets all go and shop / work in Roscommon town, free parking for all. Fair few Clampetts there but no Clampers.

Vic_08 · 24-09-2020 03:00PM

DeepBlue wrote: »

So there is a 20 minute grace period before you can be clamped?

The article makes no mention which company or where this was.

It wouldn't be the smartest thing to assume there is a grace period somewhere unless you see it somewhere official.

The Continental Op · 24-09-2020 03:11PM

Any grace period is purely in the imagination of the owner of the clamped car.

KaneToad · 24-09-2020 03:13PM

errlloyd wrote: »

I hate being clamped as much as the next man, and I have been clamped many times. But I must confess I don't see what the problem is here?

Why do the spotter and clamper have to be the same person?

I assumed this was how they all operated. I don't like being clamped but if the car is illegally parked, it's illegally parked.

Learn something new every day...

KaneToad · 24-09-2020 03:14PM

biko wrote: »

Will putting your hazards on still deter clampers?

No. But leaving a child in the front seat will!

kona · 24-09-2020 03:16PM

Ratbags.

accensi0n · 24-09-2020 03:19PM

I'm more bothered by this in the article:
18.24pm

Irishphotodesk · 24-09-2020 03:39PM

The Continental Op wrote: »

Any grace period is purely in the imagination of the owner of the clamped car.

Grace periods are written in the bye-laws of the various areas, if my memory is correct Dublin city centre is 10mins grace period, dun laoghaire is 15minutes.

kirving · 24-09-2020 03:43PM

The Continental Op wrote: »

Any grace period is purely in the imagination of the owner of the clamped car.

I doubt you'd have the same opinion if a clamper stood beside your vehicle, and clamped your car while you walked to the meter. Shout out to the parking warden in Rathfarnham village who hides behind a wall and does this.

I suggest you read Section 5.1.4.

https://www.nationaltransport.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Draft_Clamping_Code_of_Practice.pdf wrote:

The ‘grace period’ concept enshrined in the suite of clamping legislation is a ten minute ‘window’ The ‘grace period’ concept enshrined in the suite of clamping legislation is a ten minute ‘window’ afforded to motorists to enable them pay for parking
.

The issue with a single clamper not observing your vehicle for 10 minutes, is that the spotter sees your car at 6am with no ticket, but the payment time is 7am-7pm. They note the reg and send to a colleague.

You leave at 6.30am and return at 7.30am. You walk off to buy a ticket.

Clamper no. 2 drivers up at 7.35am and clamps your car despite legislation disallowing that. How is that fair?

seamus · 24-09-2020 03:44PM

Del2005 wrote: »

Can you imagine the Gardai only being able to arrest criminals if they actually saw the offence being committed.

In some cases, this is the truth.

Basically hearsay is not evidence.

If one Garda tells another Garda that he saw someone littering, then the first Garda is the one who must issue the on-the-spot fine, because his word is the evidence. The second Garda couldn't do anything, because he has zero evidence the offence took place.

This is probably the same issue. The clamper who clamps the vehicle probably has to personally observe the vehicle breaching the grace period, and cannot rely on hearsay from another about when they saw the vehicle.

Irishphotodesk · 24-09-2020 03:44PM

I do agree with the poster who said there should be an automatic "grace period" ticket issued for 100% clarity, any vehicle parked without a ticket is fair game to be clamped.

I have been clamped in the past and have had a number of issues with the clampers giving special attention to my vehicle (walking to the traffic side specifically to read the tax/insurance/NCT disks, but it wasn't done to any vehicle on the street, I witnessed it myself and sent an email to Dublin city council and was told they are permitted to do so as part of their role, I still have that letter)

24-09-2020 03:47PM

[Deleted User] wrote: »

lets all go and shop / work in Roscommon town, free parking for all. Fair few Clampetts there but no Clampers.

I got the joke

Spook_ie · 24-09-2020 04:07PM

Kevin Irving wrote: »

I doubt you'd have the same opinion if a clamper stood beside your vehicle, and clamped your car while you walked to the meter. Shout out to the parking warden in Rathfarnham village who hides behind a wall and does this.

I suggest you read Section 5.1.4.

The issue with a single clamper not observing your vehicle for 10 minutes, is that the spotter sees your car at 6am with no ticket, but the payment time is 7am-7pm. They note the reg and send to a colleague.

You leave at 6.30am and return at 7.30am. You walk off to buy a ticket.

Clamper no. 2 drivers up at 7.35am and clamps your car despite legislation disallowing that. How is that fair?

But you've had 35 minutes to put a ticket on your car!

24-09-2020 04:12PM

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

It's a poorly regulated industry, you could walk out of Mountjoy after serving 20 years for murder and kidnapping and set up a clamping business the next morning.

Applies to a lot of industries including PSV and Security. The person clamping my empty car in a random parking space has little knowledge that concerns me compared to the lad keeping my property safe and bringing me home

But this system as described in the article is dishonest

24-09-2020 04:14PM

Ubbquittious wrote: »

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/clampers-used-unauthorised-spotter-workaround-for-higher-bonuses-1.4363482?mode=amp

Scum, dirty evil robbing scum. Is there any way we could get rid of these shaggers, ship them all out to sea or something.

Companies themselves are as bad with giving bonuses and quotas.

While I disagree with the practice as described in the article, and indeed a staff member was fired for it, if you are legally parked theres no issue.

Clampers use spotter workaround

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