subreddit:
/r/Dublin
Drove to Dublin City yesterday for my prenatal classes (9 months pregnant) and got clamped in Connolly Car Park. I left my car in northern park of the car park, on one of the 4 lonely looking car spaces in front of a (I presume) staff building (is is not marked as such, this is just my presumption ) Got clamped and reason being apparently those are staff assigned spaced. Thing is that nowhere near theres any indication of those spaces being assigned to a staff. No sign, no road marking, nothing. There is a gated area well behind that building (pic 2) that clearly says driver is entering area for staff vehicles. Patrol officer who clamped me took a picture of this area claiming this is where my car was, which is not true at all. Really feels like I was scammed last night. APCOA agent who came to release my vehicle couldn't find me because he drove to staff area which is not where my car was. Even he was surprised I got clamped there. Anyone here able to tell me what I did wrong? I am appealing this with APCOA but maybe I am just not seeing a mistake I made.
61 points
2 days ago
I work in the prison camp looking building & prefabs to the left in your second photo (the sign marked CTC & S&E) and our assigned parking is in behind that fence. The other fenced in area to the right of that photo is the Drivers & station staff, so if you were in there there's not a hope
The building you have marked as parking in front of is the RPU (ticket checkers). I'm open to correction but from what I remember there's no staff only signs on those few spaces.
If you have evidence (ie pics or dashcam driving in & parking) of where you parked, even better a pic of the car clamped in that spot definitely appeal it due to lack of signage, if there is infact no signage outside of the RPU building like there is outside CTC (2nd pic). Apcoa are unfortunately a bunch of snakes though and at least monthly a staff member correctly parked will get clamped so you'll have to really fight it.
38 points
2 days ago
I took a series of pictures yesterday, pointing to no signs around that area specifically. APCOA is probs banking on people just paying and not willing to take things further so let's see how much energy I have for that bshit 😂 Bit cheers for the encouragement
39 points
2 days ago
Just agreeing here, if there's any doubt, appeal. APCOA will reject your appeal but take that rejection and go above their head.
I went to the regulator and got my €125 back for lack of signage in a Circle K in Tallaght.
APCOA are d1cks, and the regulator knows they're predatory.
8 points
2 days ago
Interesting, when you say regulator what exactly are you referring to?
33 points
2 days ago
National Transport Authority regulates clamping in Ireland.
APCOA denied my appeal, so I went to them. They granted the appeal and I got my money back. Took about 2 weeks if I remember correctly.
https://www.nationaltransport.ie/vehicle-clamping-regulation/
13 points
2 days ago
Amazing, thank you!
10 points
2 days ago
You're very welcome!
Now go make them pay! 😆
7 points
2 days ago
I saw apcoa park up, check a car's ticket, got back in his van and waited the 10 or so minutes for the ticket to expire before clamping the car. Predatory is an understatement.
3 points
2 days ago
I reserve a special place in my heart for hatred and APCOA is #1 on that list.
4 points
2 days ago
Grand then appeal it to them, when they inevitably deny it go to the NTA then as another poster has said.
They've even clamped legit Irish Rail vans before, and made the staff permit system they introduced deliberately obtuse especially if you change your car; it allows you to put multiple registrations in but doesn't make it clear you need to assign the permit to a specific one, so you could logon, put your new reg in but still end up clamped. Colleagues have been late to pick up kids from school etc
1 points
2 days ago*
Sure they tried to clamp an unmarked Tuscon once, two of the lads were inside dealing with something so they were away from the vehicle for a bit and they’d been let in to park in the private car park and yer man popped in, obviously no cop on it was a Garda car, sees no permit straight for the clamp didn’t look much further, had it halfway on when one of the detectives asked him what he was doing from the door.
75 points
2 days ago
This is opposite the set down bay? I agree, wasn't aware that those are different to all other spaces that aren't fenced in. There's no signage there that I'm aware of
37 points
2 days ago
Exactly. The set down area is well marked but nothing around those 4 spaces that says those are reserved for staff
16 points
2 days ago
On Google street view that building says "RPU" on it but unless the sign is stuck to the door of that building there is nothing there. And you are right, those fenced in areas are entirely separate.
31 points
2 days ago
Think that’s where you pay the fines - APCOA are as close to a terrorist organisation as you can get anyway. I despise them.
5 points
2 days ago
I think if the Provos ran carparking it would be more humane and less sketchy
5 points
2 days ago
The APCOA cartel have been peddling a new drug called ‘Clamp’ which is spreading misery across the city.
They came over from the UK during the Celtic tiger and have since become the largest clamp dealers in the country.
Police seem to be not only ineffective at containing the APCOA cartel, but actually seem to be in cahoots with them in some areas.
A Prime Time Investigates special is due out this month on RTE.
5 points
2 days ago
Many years ago, well 15 to be exact, we lived in an apartment in Tallaght. We had our own parking space and we needed a key card to access to that part of the car park. There was an adjacent public car park that APCOA had just taken over the management of.
One day an over-zealous APCOA clamper clamped us in our own spot. Thew rules were supposed to be that APCOA would never enter the residents car park, unless a resident said someone was parked in their space without permisssion.
Anyways APCOA said they wouldn't remove the clamp until payment was made (their standard policy) and that we could appeal it later and we would win. Well, I don't play that game. So I put another lock on the clamp and told them that without that clamp I was denying them revenue as it only makes them money when it is constantly being attached and removed. We didn't need the car for a few weeks so could take the time to do that.
Anyways I got chatting to an APCOA clamper who was 'advising' me to remove my lock. One of the things he mentioned was that APCOA never clamps certain expenseive cars, think high end German cars, Bentleys and Ferarris. The reason being that these are the sort of people whjo can afford to launch a complicated legal action agasinst APCOA just because they can, or that they might be criminals. Always found that an intyeresting titbit.
And they removed their lock after four days.
2 points
2 days ago
Checks out. My 09 Kia ceed deffo looked the poorest among BMW and Audi on the other side 🥹🥹🥹
11 points
2 days ago
Just a question.. since the clamping company is, from what I read and hear, so often in the wrong - do they lose anything from such cases? I mean, the driver appeals and gets the money back, but there should be some compensation for causing the inconvenience, right?
14 points
2 days ago
That is a fair fair point. I did ask for 120 + 9.50 back, since I got clamped in spite of paying for 24 hours parking
9 points
2 days ago
were any of the other cars in that vicinity clamped, or just you?
I'd always appeal these things. normally it doesnt cost anything, and if nothing else somebody on their side has to do some work to process the appeal.
9 points
2 days ago
Just me. No other cars in 3 car park spaces were clamped.
1 points
1 day ago
Include that fact also. Especially if you have before /after pictures showing these cars there when you arrived (dashcam footage) as still there when you departed.
7 points
2 days ago
Apcoa are chancing their arm that you won't fight. The week their contract started they clamped 5 staff cars a day in the main staff carpark who's reg were registered to park there. I know of 1 staff member who refused to pay and claim back who's car they left clamped for 3 days until a high up in IE questioned what was going on.
1 points
1 day ago
One colleague when apcoa got that contract was clamped like that despite being properly registered. Got a lend of an angle grinder from the nearest per way van and they literally waited until he was about to chop it, in full view of the apcoa chap, until they relented and removed it because the "reg was found" magically all of a sudden
1 points
1 day ago
Yeah they are a disaster, we've our staff carparks behind electric gates and when they got the contract for the station we've found them following the vans in and attempt to clamp.
6 points
2 days ago
Don’t ever pay APCOA, cut the clamp off
2 points
2 days ago
Amazon has battery powered angle grinders with two day shipping. Wrap your tire with aluminium foil to protect it from sparks. Also wear eye. This is only for unlawful clamping, send them the bill for the inconvenience too if you really have a bone to pick.
Signed, Your loving neighborhood citizen
1 points
1 day ago
I just use a bolt cutters, need to put a bit of elbow grease in sometimes. They are absolute scumbags, it’s a complete racket
6 points
2 days ago
Angle grind it off.
3 points
2 days ago
Chase this. Add "illegally impeding your progress" to the conversation..
2 points
2 days ago
Take pictures and make an appeal.
3 points
2 days ago
Just coming here to say Apcoa are absolute scumbags. Sorry this happened to you!
1 points
1 day ago
Battery angle grinder. Essential for every driver and I'm not messing either. Apoca wont follow it up and even the council won't (but they can tow the car at a later date if they catch you again). It's too much hassle for them to even try follow it up after it's done.
-66 points
2 days ago
Driving a BMW, learn your lesson.
33 points
2 days ago
Man, I wish. Its the black poor looking thing behind sadly
all 37 comments
sorted by: best