A story of dishonesty, daylight robbery, disgust and deceit.
A story of dishonesty, daylight robbery, disgust and deceit.
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Discussion

anonymous-user

Original Poster:

80 months

Friday 17th July 2009
quotequote all
[redacted]

mmm-five

12,237 posts

310 months

Friday 17th July 2009
quotequote all
Use the small claims procedure and use the argos letter as proof.

If they decide to contest it then they'll have to prove you were in the wrong, which they can't!

Soovy

35,829 posts

297 months

Friday 17th July 2009
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anonymous said:
[redacted]
www.moneyclaim.gov.uk


Pints

18,451 posts

220 months

Friday 17th July 2009
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[note to self]buy that cordless angle-grinder[/note to self]

Carfiend

3,186 posts

235 months

Friday 17th July 2009
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No one ever answered my question of just cutting the clamps off since they are charging you to punish and they are not representing the state and thus are not legally entitled to enforce charges as punishment.

Why do all the people who do this look and act like scum? Because it is a legal loophole that no decent person would exploit.

Milky Joe

3,851 posts

230 months

Friday 17th July 2009
quotequote all
Pints said:
(note to self) buy that cordless angle-grinder (/note to self)
No need Argos sell them too. smile

Edited by Milky Joe on Friday 17th July 10:35

Scraggles

7,619 posts

250 months

Friday 17th July 2009
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never been clamped, but small claims court and angle grinder - pretty sure argos sell them as well ?

Davi

17,153 posts

246 months

Friday 17th July 2009
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Pints said:
note to self buy that cordless angle-grinder /note to self
then use it on the van of the clamping company - through the lights, bonnet, doors, windscreen....

Edited by Davi on Friday 17th July 10:35

Milky Joe

3,851 posts

230 months

Friday 17th July 2009
quotequote all
Davi said:
Pints said:
note to self buy that cordless angle-grinder /note to self
then use it on the van of the clamping company - through the lights, bonnet, doors, windscreen....

Edited by Davi on Friday 17th July 10:35
You forgot kneecaps

HTH

JustinP1

13,358 posts

256 months

Friday 17th July 2009
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Soovy said:
anonymous said:
[redacted]
www.moneyclaim.gov.uk
Easy peezy.

You can complete the claim by the time this thread gets 3 more replies.

I would add to the claim the not just the cost of the clamping, but also your time wasted and cost writing to them and filing the claim (as well as of course the cost of the claim itself).

I'd add another £100 or so for your time.

That way, using game theory YOU are making them chase you rather than the other way around.

I did this to a telecomms company who after 3 months hadn't refunded my money. I added the cost of my own time in chasing them to the claim. They could have come to court, defended the claim and battled me down on it, but considering they would have had to trek half way across the country and spend a day in court to do it, it wasn't worth their while.

Davi

17,153 posts

246 months

Friday 17th July 2009
quotequote all
Milky Joe said:
You forgot kneecaps

HTH
I've never seen a van with kneecaps, but if they've got em, hell why not hehe

plg101

4,106 posts

236 months

Friday 17th July 2009
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Also, I wasn't aware Argos could shrug their shoulders; are they not responsible for the actions of their subcontractors, as you are a valid customer?

Soovy

35,829 posts

297 months

Friday 17th July 2009
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plg101 said:
Also, I wasn't aware Argos could shrug their shoulders; are they not responsible for the actions of their subcontractors, as you are a valid customer?
Nope.

It's between him and the clampers.


www.moneyclaim.gov.uk


Munter

31,331 posts

267 months

Friday 17th July 2009
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Soovy said:
plg101 said:
Also, I wasn't aware Argos could shrug their shoulders; are they not responsible for the actions of their subcontractors, as you are a valid customer?
Nope.

It's between him and the clampers.


www.moneyclaim.gov.uk
scratchchin Could he issue a winding up order.... Just to be a pain in the arse... ?

Odie

4,187 posts

208 months

Friday 17th July 2009
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Why didnt you make a big fuss at the time?

Dont pay the clampers, make a big song and dance about argos scamming you, threaten to get a refund on the TV you bought, make more song and dance. Until either the clamp is removed or argos pay the clampers themselves.

It really is a stty situation that should never have happened.

Edited by Odie on Friday 17th July 11:28

Carfiend

3,186 posts

235 months

Friday 17th July 2009
quotequote all
Now under common law a few sections of Magna Carta also might cover this:

Magna Carta said:
No free man shall be seized or imprisoned, or stripped of his rights and possessions, or outlawed or exiled, or deprived of his standing in any other way, nor will we proceed with force against him, or send others to do so, except by the lawful judgement of his equals or by the law of the land.
It could be argued that the fact that a non official of the crown is stripping you of money (possession) and your rights (fair trial, judged by equals or law of the land). Parking on private property could be classed as trespass but that has to be judged before a penalty has been applied.

There is also

Magna Carta said:
In future no official shall place a man on trial upon his own un-supported statement, without producing credible witnesses to the truth of it.
They are not an official and yet they are effectively putting you on trial using their own unsupported statement and without credible witness.

Finally there is

Magna Carta said:
We will appoint as justices, constables, sheriffs, or other officials, only men that know the law of the realm and are minded to keep it well
So for Clampers to be able to do their jobs they need under nearly 800 year old law be appointed as officials of the Crown, know the law and not apply any penalty until the case has been heard in full with credible evidence and witnesses.

This is how much the whole sorry state of affairs has gotten when people are making "legitimate" business out of actions that break fundamental rights of our country.

aquatix

1,587 posts

216 months

Friday 17th July 2009
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anonymous said:
[redacted]
Jeez rolleyes I hope you do now after reading just a few posts on this thread....

The problem with Britain today is too many people will simply put up with this crap, pay up, grumble a bit but not make too much fuss. Scum like these clamping companies count on that attitude. They would never have got the money from me in the first place so I would not have to grovel for it to be returned.

Take photo's of the signage and get a claim lodged against them asap. Make sure you add some extortionate costs of your own. Inform your local MP or councillor and get the press involved. Raise a massive stink about this crappy company and drive them back under whatever stone they crawled out from.

Keep us posted on progress so more people fight back. wink

Munter

31,331 posts

267 months

Friday 17th July 2009
quotequote all
aquatix said:
anonymous said:
[redacted]
Jeez rolleyes I hope you do now after reading just a few posts on this thread....

The problem with Britain today is too many people will simply put up with this crap, pay up, grumble a bit but not make too much fuss. Scum like these clamping companies count on that attitude. They would never have got the money from me in the first place so I would not have to grovel for it to be returned.

Take photo's of the signage and get a claim lodged against them asap. Make sure you add some extortionate costs of your own. Inform your local MP or councillor and get the press involved. Raise a massive stink about this crappy company and drive them back under whatever stone they crawled out from.

Keep us posted on progress so more people fight back. wink
So you wouldn't need your car for the next few months then.... Because they simply walk away and leave your car clamped. And if you do cut it off they'll have the law on their side (if they prove it was you).

They simply will not take the clamp off without cash being handed over.

eldar

25,037 posts

222 months

Friday 17th July 2009
quotequote all
Sneak round the back of the clamper's van, and provide a 5 sec burst of expanding foam up the exhaust.....

900T-R

20,406 posts

283 months

Friday 17th July 2009
quotequote all
aquatix said:
anonymous said:
[redacted]
Jeez rolleyes I hope you do now after reading just a few posts on this thread....

The problem with Britain today is too many people will simply put up with this crap, pay up, grumble a bit but not make too much fuss. Scum like these clamping companies count on that attitude. They would never have got the money from me in the first place so I would not have to grovel for it to be returned.
The OP got me thinking - aren't there quite a few councils out there nowadays that have been made aware of the practices of cowboy clampers by the local media et al and as such, have vowed to clamp down sorrypaperbag on these outfits? In other words, when faced with a situation as per the OP wouldn't the normal course of action be refusing to pay, call the cops and see what they have to say on the phone? There might be a good chance they'd be willing to attend and take appropriate action with regards to the daylight robbers...

Edited by 900T-R on Friday 17th July 12:09