A grieving mother has been left to fight a parking enforcement company after her car was clamped while she was giving a statement to police about her son's death.
Her friend Louise Allen went to the station for moral support and was left furious at the clamper's lack of sympathy, Stuff reports.
The pair parked outside 20 Sel Peacock Dr in West Auckland on June 12 due to a lack of parks at the Henderson police station.
When they returned to the car they discovered the clamp and begged the police to talk to the clampers, but the manager would not consider a refund.
Instead she had to pay $200 to get her car released.
"We pleaded with them to have some empathy for us under the circumstances of my friend's grief at such an awful time but the slug and manager on the phone line refused to even consider letting us off," she told Stuff.
"They said they'd just tow the cars right now."
Elite Parking Services owner Gordon Ward said his clampers were just doing their job and the car park the women parked in was clearly signposted as for customers only.
He said clampers had been told not to remove clamps on site even if somebody protests due to concerns people would be able to lie to get out of fines.
However he would probably refund the grieving mother.
"If she appeals in writing, I will make sure she gets her money back because I will be involved," Mr Ward told Stuff.
"She is under immense stress and we don't want to add to that anymore. But I'm not too sure about her friend."
Newshub.
