Armtrac Security Services

In July 2010 I was shopping in Camborne with my wife. She needed to collect a reserved item from a shop, and next to the shop are approximately 20 parking bays. These bays are not owned by the shop (in fact there are no signs to say who does own them) and there are 3 signs stating that "Vehicles left without authority will be fitted with wheel clamps" but they are not easily spotted as you drive into the area.

Bearing that in mind, and knowing that my wife would only be a couple of minutes I stayed in the car, with the keys in the ignition and the windows down, listening to the radio while she popped into the shop. Within less than a minute an unmarked van pulled up within inches of our car, blocking me in. The driver then jumped out, pulled out a camera and started photographing our car...

...I got out and asked what was going on and he said we were being issued a parking ticket. I said no need I was happy to move the car, but the driver was insistent and when asked refused to move his van. I continued to protest while he wrote out and issued a "Parking place standard charge ticket" for £60, telling me that I was lucky because if I wasn't there I would have to pay the £80 clamp release fee!

Lucky?!?!?!?!

If I had left the car unattended I would have accepted the clamp release fee without protest, but the fact is that I was in the car specifically so I could move if anyone asked me to. I wasn't causing an obstruction, I wasn't using a space that someone else needed (there were at least 15 empty bays) and in fact the Armtrac van WAS causing an obstruction to other vehicles since in order to block me in he had double parked a vehicle on the other side of the road.



(As you can see from the photo, waiting in one of these bays can in no way cause an obstruction or hindrance to anyone. There were plenty of free bays, so we weren't using up a space for someone else, and as you can see there are no signs immediately visible (there are signs further along to the right, and way over on the left, but this is the view you get as you drive up to the bays.)

On getting home I did a little research on the Internet about Armtrac Security Services and found that this is a common practice, that they sit there waiting to pounce and then hide behind telephone redirects and fake office addresses to avoid backlash.

I found many people angry at Armtrac, including a businessman who had at one time looked into purchasing the company before uncovering their "shady dealings" who stated, "I fully understand your anger at the company, ours was similar when we uncovered the shady dealings", and also that, "We have informed the trading standards, local newspapers, security industry association, and they are under investigation by all of these agencies as well as the police."

Well, if their business involves scamming people like this, then I think it's only fair that people are able to find out all about their company and the way they scam people which is why I have written this page. Below is a collection of information about Armtrac, links to other relevant sites, information on what you can do to dispute a claim, and a comments section where you can have your say. I really welcome comments from anyone who has had dealings with Armtrac in the past, maybe together we can shame them into changing their practices...

After chatting with a friend of mine who owns a business in Truro, I discovered that a security company (he can't remember if it was Armtrac but sounds likely) offered to police the parking outside of his shop for free! This "offer" was unsolicited, so basically Armtrac are out there actively trying to find new places they can pounce on people and issue tickets!

It appears that Armtrac's entire business model revolves around issuing these tickets. They are not, as I had previously assumed, trying to protect the interests of the landowners, but simply trying to scam as many people out of £60 as they can.



So, a couple of things to point out:

1: These are NOT parking fines! They are "unenforceable invoices" and the way they are issued is, in my opinion bullying at best and quite likely illegal.

2: Their whole business relies on people "just paying up" - so the more people who know about this, who refuse to pay, the sooner Armtrac will have to either change their business practices to something more ethical, or be forced out of business!



The Citizen's Advice Bureau publish a leaflet on parking fines which you can download here.

This is what they say about parking fines on private land:

If you park on private land without permission (or stay longer than you paid for, for example, in a shop car park), you might get sent a notice telling you to pay a parking fine. This might look like an official fixed penalty but it isn't one.

I'll repeat that - "This might look like an official fixed penalty but it isn't one."

It later states: This isn't a criminal matter. If you get one of these notices, get advice from a Citizens Advice Bureau.

I'll repeat again - "This isn't a criminal matter"

I STRONGLY ADVISE that if you have been issued a ticket by Armtrac Security Services that you take advice from your local Citizens Advice Bureau and/or Consumer Direct. You can find contact details to call or make a free appointment with the CAB at www.citizensadvice.org.uk and you can contact Consumer Direct at www.consumerdirect.gov.uk

A shopping trip to Camborne on Saturday proved to be a costly affair for one couple.

Billy and Cress Deakin were issued with a £60 'parking fine' by a private security firm for parking in a private bay - even though Mr Deakin stayed in the car while his wife popped into a neighbouring shop.

Camborne town clerk Reg Bennett condemned 'clamping' firms as "an absolute blight on the town".

"We must average one complaint a week. They are driving shoppers out of the town".

In a similar situation last week in another part of the town, an American visitor was 'fined' £100.

Mr Bennett added: "Even though we get complaints all the time there is nothing we can do because it's private property."

Mr Deakin said he and his wife, who live at Mount Hawke, parked their car in one of the many empty bays along Trevithick Road, opposite the Argos store.

He stayed in the vehicle, with the keys in the ignition but a white unmarked van drew up behind, blocking his vehicle.

"We had only been parked there a minute or so. It looked as if the van driver was waiting to pounce. He took a photo of our car and said I was getting a ticket. I said I would move and asked him to move his van which he refused to do. He then handed me a charge ticket for £60 and left."

Mr Deakin added: "We have parked there once or twice before. I can't see that we were causing a problem as I stayed in the car. I told the van driver I would move but he was having none of it."

Mr Deakin said he would not be paying the £60 though he was warned that after seven days the charge would be increased. Mr Deakin is so angry by what happenned he has set [up a website] at www.squidoo.com/armtrac-security-services for other victims to have their say.

A spokesman for Armtrac Security Services said they patrolled the area on behalf of the owners of the land.

"It's normally a clamping zone but, obviously, that wasn't done here because there was someone in the vehicle. It's private land and there are signs stating that. Once you park there, you are caught. Argos shoppers are directed to use the nearby pay and display car park."

David Green - Email: dgreen@c-dm.co.uk Phone: 01209 215161

Pepipoo
Pepipoo is a site offering free information and advice to UK motorists about legal issues and how to deal with them.

Consumer Direct
Consumer Direct is a government-funded telephone and online service offering free information and advice on consumer issues. They can help you draft a letter to dispute a claim with Armtrac.

Citizen's Advice Bureau
The Citizen's Advice Bureau is a free service which helps people resolve legal, financial and other issues. They offer free advice and should be your first port of call if you are worried about a parking ticket issued by Armtrac Security Services or any other private parking ticket issuer. They are also influential with councils and government.

Template Letters to Appeal Private Parking Tickets
These are template letters you can use to appeal parking tickets.

The Consumer Action Group
A wealth of information for UK consumers, and quite a lot about parking tickets.

Parking Fines Leaflet from CAB
Leaflet from the Citizen's Advice Bureau about parking fines

Firstly - If you have been issued a ticket by Armtrac DO NOT PAY IT before getting advice. First contact your local Citizen's Advice Bureau and Consumer Direct and get advice on your specific situation and how best to dispute the claim.

The forums at Pepipoo are excellent, and packed with useful information and help from other motorists. Get on there, read some of the posts, and ask for advice on your own situation!

Secondly - Help spread the word about this page. The more people who read this page the fewer people will pay these unwarranted fees forcing Armtrac to change their ways. If you have a website, blog, Facebook or Twitter account or even just plain old email here's how you can help:

1. Leave a comment here on the page to show your support.
2. Click the "Thumbs Up" button at the top of this page to show your support. That increases the ranking of the page and helps more people find it.
3. If you have a Facebook account click the Facebook "SHARE" button at the bottom of this page, which will post a link on your Facebook wall.
4. If you have a Twitter account click the "RETWEET" button at the bottom of this page. That will post a link on Twitter (please add your own wording rather than just leaving it as "Armtrac Security Services".
5. If you have a blog or website please link to this page. If possible use "Armtrac" or "Armtrac Security Services" as the link text.
6. Write to your local newspaper, radio station or councillor letting them know how you feel. It's a quick and easy as sending an email, and if enough people do so we'll raise awareness.
7. Boycott companies using Armtrac, and complain to them about Armtrac's business practices. Since it appears Armtrac approach business and offer their "services" for free, it seems quite likely that many of these businesses are unaware of how they operate. If enough of them are made aware of how Armtrac operate they may stop using them, and if they lose enough carparks to patrol they may be forced to change their ways! (Note - I don't know what business premises are patrolled by Armtrac, so leave a comment if you know of any specific sites and I'll make up a list and post it here!)
7. Any other ideas? If you have any then again, please leave a comment and we can fight this tyrant together!!!

Forum thread about Armtrac and the sneaky way they issue tickets (includes contact details for the company amongst other information):

Here is another thread about Armtrac on the same forums.

Newspaper article about Armtrac issuing a ticket to a disabled woman whose blue badge had slipped from view. She paid the ticket, then asked them to refund since she was legitimately parked and gave proof. Their response... "the charge stands".

Another forum thread, this time on the Consumer Action Group forums.

Do you have any more information or resources that would benefit readers of this page? If you do, please leave a comment!

OK I feel I ought to finish off by saying this...

I am NOT a legal expert, and none of the information on this page should be considered legal advice in any way. I strongly feel that Armtrac are unethical in the way they operate their business, and that people are being issued parking tickets unfairly so I have set this page up to help spread the word and offer links to helpful resources. I offer this information as-is with no guarantees of warranties.

I would love it if every person issued a ticket by Armtrac were to find this page and then refuse to pay, but every individual case is different. If you want to pay a charge because you feel you were ticketed fairly then please do so, but if you decided to dispute the charge please take proper legal advice first. You'll find several links to Consumer Direct and The Citizen's Advice Bureau on this page, please use them!

And finally, if you are disputing a claim - GOOD LUCK!

I've been staying in Redruth for a few days and was interested in the article on Armtrac. I'm one of the regular contributors to the Pepipoo forum (getting justice for the motorist) and Armtrac are a regular source of complaints.

I notice that the ticket reads "Penalty Charge Notice". This is very naughty. If Armtrac claim that they have authority for this it will be an offence under Administration of Justice and possibly Fraud Acts. Whatever they call it, British law does not enable private companies to issue fines or penalties and it would be thrown straight out of court if Armtrac were foolish enough to issue a claim.

Taking drivers to court isn't part of the business plan that relies on people's basic honesty and their confusion with official council tickets. On the rare occasions that a parking company takes the chance they get spanked. This happened very publiclly to Excel and a nuisance company called OBC has recently lost at least twelve cases in a row. Every time this happens, more drivers get the message and ignore the demands.

The Pepipoo website has a huge number of stories and case studies :

• The chairman of the British Parking Association who told the Parliamentary enquiry that the tickets have no legal status



• Major parking companies that issue fraudulent tickets at railway stations, claiming authority under Railway Byelaw 14.



• The employee in a council housing department who sends out letters under the name of a reputable law firm - threatening court action that never follows.

It was disappointing a few weeks ago when a Daily Mail reporter had a similar ticket and persuaded the company to cancel it. If he'd been more patient he would have had a first-hand demonstration of the complete letter chain before they give up and move on to a softer target.

- Paul F.