Integrated Parking Services Ltd (IPS): The mischievous car clamping company in Nigeria.

Without doubt, i know that a lot of Nigerians residing in the Federal Capital have experienced the torture and total humiliation in absent mindedness, by a rogue company popularly known as Integrated Parking Services Limited (IPS). They hire touts like the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB), use them to unleash terror and mayhem on innocent people who move about, doing their daily deals for the betterment of themselves, their families as well as the nation.

Car clamping has become a thriving business and a lot more hooliganious individuals with few cash to spend are taking advantage of the neglect and free flow of the allowed negativity by the government. Do not get me wrong, i am not asking that they don’t press with intent, to bring sanity to car owners whether privately driven or for commercial purpose. But they should do so with some level of respect, honour and discretion. Allow me a moment to share with you, the terrible experience i had with them in the early hours of yesterday.

While heading to work on Friday, i had to stop by the federal secretariat to make an inquiry. On getting to my place of inquiry, three cars in addition to four long sitter buses were lined up with no driver in any one of them. As i looked up, i saw another car in that same park-lane, i drove closer when i noticed a man seated at the drivers corner, asked him the whereabout of the ticket people and he responded in negation. I parked close to him and waited for an approximated time of ten(10) minutes hoping that i might see at least, one of them. After spending such a time without seeing anyone, i asked the young man in the car to look out for me while i hurry to make my inquiry. Politely instructing him to tell them, in case they come to clamp my car, that i have waited for them and couldn’t wait any longer as i have a pressing business to attend to, but most importantly, that they should not clamp my car as i will pay them once i return. I haven’t gone for up to a minute on foot, as i turned back, behold one of them was busy working on my car tyre to aid his clamping.

I hurriedly went to him (two of them) and told them that i have waited for close to ten minutes without finding them and that i even left a message for them. They paid no attention to whatever i was saying, the other one was clamping while his partner was on phone with their towing crew, calling for them to come to our location so they can tow my car to their office. I tapped one of them in the shoulder to gain his attention but was surprise in his reaction, that if my hand touch him again, he will SLAP MY FACE. When he was done with the clamping and booking, he handed me an envelop and asked that i go pay the sum of NGN15,000 for parking violation.
Five minutes later, the towing van arrived and towed my car, with instruction on how i can get to their office if i wish to make payment and recover my car. On getting to their office some minutes later, i was told by their customer care representative that in addition to the NGN15,000, i will make another payment of NGN11,000, the fee for towing my car to their office.

To draw the long story short, they robbed me of my entire day, caused me great discomfort and then crowned it by stealing my money (the money whose budget was upon another purpose) in broad day light.

Time without number a lot of people have parked their car, went for their business only to come back and find the spot empty, without any sign whatsoever to indicate it was towed. Time without number cars of Nigerians have got missing in this manner through these people. If the Integrated Parking Services Limited want to do business, they should do it properly. They should sensitize and culture themselves and their staff. They should stop looking for cheap ways of getting rich, stop having their staff hide themselves so a car owner can’t find them. No one will come to park and stay the entire day waiting for his/her car to be registered before going for his business.

The pain, stress and humiliation they put people through is unbearable and uncalled for in this country. I am using this medium to call on the right authorities, to look into this people otherwise one day, the chaos and revolt it will cause, will be greater than the anger of a rebellious slave.

Share your experience if you have got any!