There is a more sinister side to the car park shake downs. On a few occasions people have reported feeling intimidated by the actions of clampers, and the clamping companies have also claimed their staff have been threatened. What can we do about this ridiculous situation?
Well, it's not like this Government has been entirely sitting on its hands. Simon Bridges ushered in the first voluntary code of conduct in 2012, and the code was updated in 2015, under minister Paul Goldsmith.
The code sets out a range of options for dealing with cars that are unwelcome car park visitors; starting with a breach notice (a ticket), towing, and then clamping as a last resort for repeat offenders. The key bit of it is that it was meant to cap clamp fees so they were never above $200. All the legit/big players who have a reputation to sort-of lose signed up to the code, and have been adhering to it for the most part. Some of the smaller clamping companies signed up too, but it was all done as a sort of polite agreement which has turned out to be virtually worthless, with many businesses operating on a clamp-first-charge-as-much-as-you-can-get-away-with policy.
But we could just ban it. It worked in the UK, and the AA has already called for it here in 2016 after another spate of happy clampers.
It's a bummer, but this is where the rubber hits the road with a hands-off, market-driven approach. It seems fair to argue that these people parked on private property but $760, or $300, or even $100 seems excessive when set against the costs incurred. We've had little interference by government in a number of industries, for a long time because they've been the ones in power and that's their thing, mostly. And yes, Consumer Affairs Minister Jacqui Dean made noises early this year she would tighten the rules around clamping; but excuse me for feeling jaded. It seems like Bashford and their ilk will be able to keep clamping a while yet.