Noticed a white van looking for bikes this morning. I didn’t have the chance to take a photo and forget to take a note of the number plate, but attached are google-imaged pictures of an identical-looking van and here is a good description from my gf:
“Two occupants – one middle eastern looking, one afro Caribbean
Red lettering Redcorn Ltd
Black lettering Authorised Motorcycle Removal
8 am, 4th May Shepherds Bush
Black guy was getting out and looking at/checking out the scooters and bikes on our street. They may have been looking for a particular bike, but this is speculative. They drove off as we approached my bike.”
Told the police but they didn’t sound very interested. Now the van looked very official and there is a website where they say they remove bikes without tax/dumped bikes:
My concern is that criminals may masquerade as legit companies such as these. These guys acted very suspiciously and moved on soon after seeing us. I know I’m probably being paranoid but I prefer to be that way.
Keep bikes chained and taxed if on the public roads.
Shepherds Bush is in the borough of Hammersmith & Fulham (I think), have a look on Redcorn’s website and that borough is not listed as a client. If in doubt you can ring them on 020 8365 9591 and ask if it is one of their vans, if it isn’t then the police might be more interested (though you’d think they’d do the checking themselves:doze:).
Someone on here had their bike stolen last year by a van pretending to be official bike removals for Camden Council
They are most likely working for the DVLA and probably left quickly to avoid any possibility of confrontation, us bikers can be quite possessive of our pride and joys…lol
The description matches the 2 guys my gf and I had a run in with last year went they set of my 110 decibel bike alarm whilst lifting the bike cover to check the number plate at 7am in the morning.
I’ve also seen them picking up a couple of abandoned (out of tax) scooters from a nearby motorcycle bay and they didn’t touch any of the legal bikes.
But it is still best to vigilant, mate had his Aprilia Touno stolen only the other week.
Sorry to drag up this thread bit I saw a Redcorn van this morning around the Farringdon area which didn’t look anything like the one in the picture posted above. It had Recorn’s name and address on the door (small lettering) and ‘Authorised Motorcyle Removal’ on the side as well as orange lights up top but it just didn’t look right, no red and yellow stripes, no mention of the council, no Redcorn Logo and most important no lift on the back. It was a white Mercedes van and the driver was standing outside the van and was not wearing anything that would identify him as a Redcorn employee. It reversed the wrong way up a one way street (Saffron Hill) then headed off down Kirby Street where there are 3 bike bays.
I emailed Redcorn to see if it is one of theirs and will update if I get a reply.
Just phoned Redcorn and they have said that they do have a Mercedes van and that not all of their vans have lifts on the outside. He wouldn’t/couldn’t give a definite answer as to whether it was one of their vans and said the driver should have been wearing a flourescent Redcorn vest (which he wasn’t). I got the impression that he did think it was one of theirs even though he didn’t say for sure.
If it is one of theirs they need to sort out their vans because it looked like an amateur attempt to make a van look official.
I found out that a neighbour’s vespa and some other scooters on the street had been stolen the day before (at 7 am on the 3rd) - fortunately for us, our bikes weren’t there at the time. Now it may just be a coincidence (I hope) that we saw a redcorn marked van the next day.
I have a feeling thieves like lifting during bank holiday mornings when everyone is asleep.
I have just seen the same van in Lincoln’s Inn. Two very dodgy looking guys, one of whom wandered up and down the bays looking at the expensive bikes mobile glued to his ear. When I ostentatiously checked out the registration (KM55UYT) the guy in the van got really arsey. Since my scooter got lifted in broad daylight from that very same bay a few months ago, I was immediately pretty suspicious. Once they saw that I was a) watching them and b) had their plate, they just drove off.
I don’t give a monkeys whether Redcorn claims to be (or is) legit or not, in my opinion those two were definitely up to no good.
Contact the council. I know someone already has, but call and speak to a manager. Its also a wise idea to call DVLA and ask them for a list of the pounds they use in your area. You can then call those pounds and ask them to confirm the recovery companies that they contract and a public number for each company so that you can verify the vans they use. Its a long way around, but at least you know its more reliable and genuine than a website which could be a very good cover.
The MET only uses main recovery companies that everyone has heard of, mainly because they’re capable of the work load. These smaller ones are normally contracted indirectly by a main authority through various other contractors so chances are they may not be regulated.
I’ve been and collected my impounded car from RedCorn in White Hart Lane, Tottenham. They are a legit company and linked to the DVLA at least in terms of their computers…
I’d complain to RedCorn as well as the others, esp if their operatives and Vans are dodgy. Between the 3 we should be able to get something done to at least get the crooks to have to spend some money to make themselves look official, cos at the moment any scruff with a white van looks official from these pics! :crazy:
