£18 for shopping, £117.50 for parking!!!

[Goldlady]

On Friday night I drove from Newcastle to Whitby across the moors with no main beam on the car and decided after that I needed a bottle of wine:p and some food for OH and kids who were already at caravan site nearby. So I stopped at the Co-op in Whitby, found a parking space and did a quick trolley dash. This was about 7.30pm.

 

I wandered out with my shopping to find a man in a van who had WHEELCLAMPED my ageing Clio. He then pointed to some A4 size signs which were not lit up informing people who happened to have their glasses on at the time that this was a 24 hour Pay and Display Car Park and that I needed to pay him £117.50 on my debit card to get the clamp taken off :o I informed him that I had exactly £40 in the bank which he could have if he had to, but that there was no way I could afford £117.50 (for ten minutes in the shop). I said that I would happily pay for a ticket to park, had I known I had to, but he said it was too late.....

 

So I then said, well what happens now? (I have already read all the great advice on this site about private parking companies but it is a bit difficult to argue when there is a bloody great wheel clamp involved). He said I could have given you a ticket, so I said OK well do that instead and I will pay you £1 per week (NOT) like I pay all my other creditors. He then said that he would have to phone someone to come and tow my car away. So I said OK, I'll phone OH and get him to collect me and my stuff and you can have the bloody car. It probably isn't worth more than £117.50 if I take the tax disc. So as I called OH (real plan would be for him to tow my car away and then tell them where to collect their wheel clamp - some friends of mine did that once;)) he suddenly backed down and took the clamp off.

 

But for God's sake - if I had been able to pay the £117.50 and I didn't know my rights - how many people have been in this situation? It took me a good 20 minutes to find my way out of Whitby as I was so furious.

 

Rant over. But thanks to you guys on here I knew they were in the wrong, in spite of their wheelclamp.

[Bigmac versus]

Oh dear hope you enjoyed the wine.

[Bookworm]

Oh, well done you! I am very impressed with your presence of mind!

[demon_x_slash]

Good on you - it's always great to see a cocky so-'n'-so back down

[mariejader]

I don't know how some people sleep at night!!

 

Well done for standing up to him

[pt2537]

Did he have an sia licence? i bet he didnt and that was why he removed the Clamp

[green_and_mean]

I don't know how some people sleep at night!!

 

 

He let the OP off hardly going to lose sleep over that is he??

Clamping is perfectly legal and the OP was in a Car Park without a ticket he was just doing what he gets paid for.

[davey77]

"Clamping is perfectly legal" ..."just doing what he gets paid for" ? "Im only doing my job said the traffic warden, the lawyer, the police officer.. yes I've heard that before somewhere... let me think.....

 

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[battyboomboom]

FYI Clamping is illegal in Scotland...