You might be interested in an article with the heading:LIES OF THE COWBOYS in the Daily Mail 15/9/09 by reporters Ryan Kisiel and Chrisiian Gysin.Car-park gangs who dupe the motorist, doctor the facts, and send a bill for £150.A Daily Mail investigation has exposed the underhand tacticics used by a wheel clamping firm to hammer motorists with fines totalling thousands of pounds each day.It photographed cars parking for less than a minute in restricted bays and later claimed that they were there for much longer before demanding huge charges.The activities of Park Direct. no doubt mirrored by unscrupulous operators on private land throughout England and Wales, provide further ammunition for the Daily Mail's demand for a law to crack down on cowboy clampers.As part of its widespread operation the firm monitors a dozen private parking bays for businesses outside Ealing Broadway Railway Station in West London.As cars enter a side road to drop off friends and relatives, a sign warning that the car park opposite is only for private businesses has been covered with white paper.It is not until they pull into a bay and get out of the car that they see a much smaller sign on the wall in front of their car warning that parking enforcement is in action. By the time they realise their mistake and leave the bay they have been secretly photographed.Wearing a black bomber jacket and trousers, a young female worker stands by the row of shops next to the station from 7am to 7pm and takes pictures on a digital camera.After capturing 'evidence' - and earning what is understood to be a £30 commission fee for each vehicle - she is often seen smiling and even dancing in celebration.Having been warned about Park Direct's activities, a Daily Mail reporter drove into one of the parking bays at 11.47an on July 29. As would an unsuspecting member of the public, he left his car but then saw the small sign, got back in and reversed out of the bay.In all, it took 32 seconds. But his car had already been photographed - even though Park Direct agreed with the local council, following complaints, that it would offer drivers a two-minute 'grace period' to realise their mistake. Ten minutes later - at 11.57am - he returned and went through the same routine, this time taking 31 seconds. Again he was photographed.During the day at no period did the female clamper reveal the Security Industry Association badge identification on her arm as required to by the Private Security Industry Act 2001.A logo - possibly of Park Direct - was printed on the girl's jacket but was hidden by her lapel.Six weeks later Park Diret sent a notice demanding £150 for 'stopping or waiting on private land where stopping or waiting restrictions are in force'.It produced photographs claiming to show that the car had been in the same parking space for ten minutes - although it was in a different position in the two pictures, and parked next to different cars,Dozens of other motorists have been hit with the huge fines - even though some were sent pictures showing their reverse light on, proving that they were merely waiting to let other vehicles pass before leaving the bay.The company received the vehicle owner's home details from DVLA officials after supplying the registration number, It is legally allowed to do this because it i registered with the regulatory body, the Security Industry Authority. The temptation for its victims is to refuse to pay. But the risk is that the clampers will then take the driver to county court to recover the money. They will also seek hefty costs. So what begins as a £150 bill can quickly soar to many thousands.It can swiftly escalate to the point where bailiffs sieze possessions from a home - at a fraction of their true value - the meet the huge outstanding 'debt'.The driver could also find his financial reputation demolished. A county-court judgement lodged with any of the main computerised credit reating companies will severely affect the ability to secure a mortgage, borrow money, or be granted a credit card, as banks will refuse to lend to what they now consider a 'high risk' customer.Consumer experts urge motorists to pay up first and seek redress later - no matter how aggrieved they feel.At Ealing Broadway, a team of three clampers also wait outside the station trapping unwitting drivers who are dropping off friends and family - forcing them to pay a £60 release fee.A minibus dropping off soldiers at the station was clamped only 12 seconds after it parked in one of the bays with most of the servicemen still sitting inside the vehicle.Another man who was picking up a season ticket from the station and left his car for no more than a minute and a half was clamped while his wife and two young children were still inside,.The Mail's evidence has now been handed over to Ealing Trading Standards officers, who have launched an investigation. Their head, Mark Wiltshire, said: 'We would like to thank the Daily Mail for the file of evidence they have handed over to us and we will investigate whether any offences have been committed.'Park Direct is based in Uxbridge Road, West London, and is owned by an Australian, Abraham Saliba.It was set up in 2004 and counts Barclays, Esso and Texaco petrol stations as its biggest clients. It does not charge the landowners for its service, making money from clamp release fees and fines.Yesterday, when Mr Saliba was confronted with the Daily Mail's evidence, he first claimed that the pictures showing our car in two separate bays had been caused by a 'malfunction and misprint on our camera system.'He then said that Park Direct had an 'appeals system' but in the circumstances his company would not pursue the £150 fine.Thirty minutes later he clled the Daily Mail and claimed the ticket had been issued 'by mistake' and should have been sent to the owner of a black Mazda vehicle parked next to the Mail's car.He added: I have got the story straight now.'I am not a driver but I am sure this article would be of great interest to all the people who have been fined for parking at Ealing Broadway Station.
Jean F Fernandez ● 6040d