Richard Has To Pay £205, to use Hoover in Total Garage!

Around 10:30am, Tuesday the 27 July, I pulled in to the Total petrol station on Stanley park road Carshalton. I put my cab next to the Hoover as I usual like to Hoover it out before I start work. I popped next door to the chemist to order my prescription and then went in to the petrol station shop to get a token for the Hoover and some cold drinks. As I was going in, a man approached me and said;

“Is that your cab?”

“Yes” I replied.

At this point I look across at my Taxi.

“I've been clamped” I said in horror.

“Yes, by me!” he said.

“But I'm a customer and use this place all the time "not anymore I might add

“You left your cab” he went on “so you got clamped”.

He then wrote a ticket out and stuck it on my clamped Taxi. He then demanded I should pay the fine immediately, with card or cash and his manner was quite intimidating. He was abusive and very menacing so I called the police and then my wife, who has a credit card.

By now he had become very animated, waving his arms about he said;

“If you don't pay soon, the fine will increase from £205 to £350 pounds, as I will call for a tow truck”.

My wife turned up first, as we live local and then to my surprise he started filming us with a camera. My wife asked him to stop filming as we were not even in the petrol station, but he became abusive and said (with the camera off of course) “I do what t I like”.

At this point the police turned up.

The officers seemed to be on my side but explained they were powerless to stop this protection racket. They managed to calm the clamper down and then told me that this was the third time that morning, they had to do this with this very same guy and it was only eleven o’clock!

We then were given the choice again to pay cash or credit card so we decided to pay by card. The clampers card machine failed to work and after four attempts, he advised us to "Go and find an ATM and pay cash".

The police said “No you have given them a choice, so card it must be”. It went through in the end (surprise surprise) but I was £205 pounds lighter.

Let this be a warning never park, even if you are a regular customer, at Total petrol stations, because they will clamp you. I for one will never use TOTAL PETROL STATIONS again.

I have phoned Total customer services who as yet, have not had the decency to return my call.

By the way the clamping company was London parking control .BE LUCKY ALL Richard