Moped Theft. wat does the charge pay for?

Question

my moped was recently stolen and recovered by the police. upon ringing them i was informed that i would have to pay £105 and £12 extra per day for everday i couldn't pick it up. i'm also told that i can't say keep it as it's not worth that much.

i was not asked by the police if i would like to pick it up myself, nor phoned by anyone untill i reported the theft 12 hours after it was recovered.

i live in lecester and recover company used was COCKerills recovery

i was also wondering if i had any legal rights in relation to having to pay out of my own pocket this amount and also if anyone else has had any simular experinces

Answer 1

Sadly, the practice you describe is legal in England but was banned in Scotland some consioderable time ago. The High Court decided it was extortion.

I agree that this is worth an insurance claim. It may also be worth a call to the local paper...

Answer 2

The police will in every case recover the vehicle for scenes of crime evidence and to stop any further damage to your moped, they have not got to say to you do you want to pick it up yourself. You will have to pay the money first of all to get the Moped back, Was the initial report done by yourself by telephone? If so the police have to record every telephone call and if you were not told that you would be charged for recovery then you will not have to pay the recovery charge. (storage is different though) However if they recovered your Moped before you reported it stolen tough, they are not mind readers and do not have the time to try and contact you if you are ex-directory or not in or do not have your correct address listed on the DVLA database! If you have anything more than third party you should be covered by your insurance company for this anyway.

Oh and the prices are capped by the Home office, if you pay for normal recovery prices it would probably be more if you weren't with RAC/AA? Green flag etc depending where it was found.

Answer 3

When a vehicle is recovered it is recovered for either;
forensic purposes
prevent it being stolen again once it's been dumped.

The charge is nothing to do with the police, the recovery company acts as an authorised agent of the police. Once you've paid the charge you then claim the cost back from your insurance company.
As for legal rights, the police have wide ranging powers for removing abandoned and stolen vehicles from the highways. This can be to prevent accidents on trunk roads or to stop pool cars being set on fire. A car removal will have been authorised by an inspector who knows and understands the legal process, and won't just authorise it for the hell of it. As such it'll normally be watertight.

Answer 4

Pay the money and collect the moped as soon as possible to stop incurring further charges. Contact your insurance company and explain that the moped was stolen and recovered, and if you have got third party,fire and theft insurance, the insurance company should reimburse you the payment for the recovery, less any excess stated on your insurance policy..

Answer 5

You need to go ahead and pay the storage bill and get the moped. Did the police arrest make an arrest if so then you can get your money back from the courts. He will be required to pay for any expense in towing and inpound fees and any repairs that need to be done due to the theft.

Answer 6

Theres a place in my town that impounds the vehicles for the police also. Their business practices are rather shady really. They'll impound the vehicle, charge you an astronomical amount to store it on their "secured" lot, and, before you know it, you owe more than the car is worth and they keep it.

But, in your case, they don't want it.

What they are doing is perfectly legal here in the states, but, as far as England I presume, I really can't say. Just offering a little bit of insight.