View Full Version : The Multiple Red Van + Man Mystery
teuchter
23-03-2007, 11:31
So, that / those red van(s) that is / are parked around Brixton.
Darkish red, battered looking, with "van + man £15 per hour" painted by hand on the side in white paint.
I had always assumed it was the same van that was parked in various different locations. But according to posts on another thread (http://www.urban75.net/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=201025), it would appear that some believe there is more than one van.
How many of these vans are there? Are they multiplying?
Has anyone ever seen more than one at the same time?
Sightings so far:
Brixton Hill near the White Horse
Brixton Road near Jamm
Walworth Road near Camberwell Green
Gypsy Hill station
Croxted Road
We need to get to the bottom of this.
I've been wanderig about this. Have seen one on Camberwell New Road near Camberwell Green a few times.
Why not phone the number on the side of the van and ask him?
teuchter
23-03-2007, 11:48
Because I suspect they are secretly trying to take over the world - well, south london, anyway - and he/she/they would not be giving me a straight answer.
They are obviously trying to pretend that there is not more than one van. Otherwise why bother to make them all look the same?
It's clearly a conspiracy.
If you talk to them they kidnap you and make you run your own van parked up on a Brixton side street.
dogmatique
23-03-2007, 12:05
It's been parked up on Milkwood Rd this week...
They are obviously trying to pretend that there is not more than one van. Otherwise why bother to make them all look the same?
Does this mean there is only one Post Office Van? One Black Cab? One Sainsburys delivery lorry? etc etc ;)
quimcunx
23-03-2007, 12:26
conspiracy call out thread!
He used to be regularly parked near the White Horse, outside what is now Bizaar. since that opened I haven't seen him there. I have since then seen him parked near Jamm. I suspect outside Bazaar (I'm going to see how many different ways I can wrongly spell it) is no longer suitable so he's been looking for a new home. Perhaps on other occasions he's been on jobs....
They, I mean he, is not trying to take over the world.
Though, the mystery deepens (or not) my ex saw him in Kilburn. It made him smile.
I have no connection with red van man. there is only one.
teuchter
23-03-2007, 12:30
Does this mean there is only one Post Office Van? One Black Cab? One Sainsburys delivery lorry? etc etc ;)
I've always suspected as much. Or, conversely that there are many more of each than we are led to believe. One just can't be sure.
Certainly I'm a bit sceptical about the claim that there is only one Santa Claus.
teuchter
23-03-2007, 12:33
Though, the mystery deepens (or not) my ex saw him in Kilburn.
Crikey! The size of this operation is even greater than I thought!
corporate whore
23-03-2007, 12:56
there's one on camberwell new road.
The one on Half Moon Lane has 'TWAT' painted on the windscreen. Dunno if you get a discount on this one..
I shall endevour to write MINGE on the one by Jamm. Or perhaps MUFF.
zenazena
23-03-2007, 13:10
It's been parked up on Milkwood Rd this week...
ah, but have you noticed that is has morphed into a bigger van (equally shitty paint job) and is now a cupla hundred metres further up?
The guy who runs it is a skinny chain smoking Liverpudlian geezer who treats shit marked "Fragile" in much the same way as kids kick empty cans
Foolishly we used him to move some stuff last year
A lot of ended up a battered as his fucking vans
AVOID
London_Calling
23-03-2007, 14:51
Oh there's def more than one - my guess is a minimum 3.
Same journey seen them on Loughborough Rd (not to be confused with the one by Jamm) and just down from Goose Green (East Dulwich).
Strategically, they're placed really well, imo.
London_Calling
23-03-2007, 14:56
I wonder if they all have the same number plate ? :)
There are definately 5 of them - the fucking geezer who owns them told me!!!!!!
They move em about regularly - he claims to be locked in a virtual war with a number of councils over them, eyesore problems.
quimcunx
23-03-2007, 15:55
right next time you see one. get the reg number. then we'll see, yes siree bob.
Brixton Hill near the White Horse
Brixton Road near Jamm
Walworth Road near Camberwell Green
Gypsy Hill station
Croxted Road
Milkwood Road, Herne Hill
there's frigging loads of the things. Cheap advertising i guess!
Given that you can buy an old and knackered van for peanuts, they are probably good adverts.
I would have thought it would be pretty hard to get away with leaving them parked around the place in inner London these days, given the prevalence of residents parking schemes and clamping / towaway penalties. And the ability of the powers that be to easily check if a given vehicle is taxed / MoTd / insured etc.
Giles..
LOL!!
i have been wondering about this one a million times.
there is one more in east dulwich.
i can't wait to move one day and call them for their services (of course to find out more about the mysterious business). i have their no stored in my mobi..
i can't wait to move one day and call them for their services (of course to find out more about the mysterious business). i have their no stored in my mobi..
Read Hipipols posts
i don't want to believe it :( (it is only one mans opinion anyway isn't it?)
how can the guy get 5-? identical ramshackle looking vans with identical writing???
i don't want to believe it :( (it is only one mans opinion anyway isn't it?)
how can the guy get 5-? identical ramshackle looking vans with identical writing???
bought a job lot off the post office?
okay okay!
but what about the ramshackle handwriting?
Looks like it's done with tippex.
Errol's son
24-03-2007, 18:21
He doesn't use those red vans if you hire him.
He just uses them as cheap adverts.
He is an Irish man and his price is much higher than £15 an hour with a £10 booking fee. If you try and complain about the misleading ads he gets quite shirty.
I started a thread a while back about him.
He had (I don't live in London anymore so am not up to date) one on Commercial Way, Lordship Lane, on the road from Herne Hill to Tulse Hill, the road from Camberwell to Oval, one of the streets near West Dulwich train station, the road from Lordhip Lane mini roundabout to Peckham Rye and I can't remember where else at present.
Errol's son
24-03-2007, 18:25
The guy who runs it is a skinny chain smoking Liverpudlian geezer who treats shit marked "Fragile" in much the same way as kids kick empty cans
Foolishly we used him to move some stuff last year
A lot of ended up a battered as his fucking vans
AVOID
My mate said he was Irish not scouse.
When my mate called him the price was more like £30 an hour. he said he would call back if he wanted to confirm. The guy became a nuisance caller and kept phoning him up asking when the job would start. My mate never employed him.
Piers Gibbon
24-03-2007, 22:22
ahh..
thanks for letting me know not to write his number down next time I saw the van in dulwich
although to be honest as a serial house mover I have had a couple of bad experiences with van/man combos..some great ones too but I guess my main gripe is the fact that the advertised price is never connected to reality....oh and the van/man who quoted on the basis of the full postcode I was shifting some stuff to (ME1 XXX ie Rochester in Kent) but got shirty/kidnappy on the day because his office had assumed that meant somewhere in North London
Errol's son
24-03-2007, 22:25
http://www.manandvan.biz/
These men with vans are meant to be good. Obviously they are a professional firm with insurance etc, so some posters may prefer the one man band man with van who takes cash payments and pays no tax.
Errol's son
24-03-2007, 22:29
Actually I remember seeing that man in one of those red vans driving around the one way system in Vauxhall last year. I tried to catch up with himn so I could see what he looked like but he was driving like an absolute nutter and there was no way I could keep up. I couldn't believe he could get such speed out of an LDV. My van has a 2.8 litre turbo diesel engine, was empty at the time and is much younger but I just couldn't get near to him.
suzee blue cheese
24-03-2007, 22:44
He's from an irish family but he grew up in Liverpool, hence a Liverpudlian accent. Although a brother or brothers were brought up in Ireland. Maybe they give him a hand from time to time.
DO NOT be tempted to use him, no matter how desperate you may be. He'll fuck your kit up.
Funny enough he was up in Crystal Palace today moving people out of the neighbouring block and he was in one of those red vans.
The price seems to have gone up..it's £15 an hour, £10 admin fee and "two hours minimim" (sic)
So that's £40 minimum, quite a bit more than the initial eyecatching £15.
There was one in Camberwell today :cool:
If Stobbart lived down this way she'd probaly end up changing her name!
suzee blue cheese
25-03-2007, 09:57
So that's £40 minimum, quite a bit more than the initial eyecatching £15.
Don't offer a cup of tea if you do use him. If you go a minute over your alloted hour, he'll do you for the second. No messing..
miss minnie
25-03-2007, 10:04
how can the guy get 5-? identical ramshackle looking vans with identical writing???
its called *branding*. prolly paid a fortune to some Strategy Boutique for the idea. ;)
RubyToogood
25-03-2007, 11:28
I have the phone number of a good South London man and van, genuinely £15 an hour, if anyone wants it. Very nice he was.
PacificOcean
25-03-2007, 13:58
Would an ad in the South London Press not be cheaper than buying tatty vans which don't give a good impression as to the safe carraige of any entrusted goods?
Would an ad in the South London Press not be cheaper than buying tatty vans which don't give a good impression as to the safe carraige of any entrusted goods?
No I don't think so. For a start when has there been a thread on here about a classfied as ib the SLP??
I also think it's a good marketing idea. The whole way he has done the vans makes you feel "ah i'd like to help this enterprising individual out rather than go to some corporate van hiore company".
one in east dulwich....f*cked if I'd ever be desperate enough to use a sh*t box like that....
one in east dulwich....f*cked if I'd ever be desperate enough to use a sh*t box like that....
yeah that's a point: if they look so bad on the outside, then......
OpalFruit
26-03-2007, 17:30
Sightings on Loughborough Rd
Shakespeare Rd
I am always amazed that the freestyle handpainting on each van is always identical.
How can that be?
Errol's son
26-03-2007, 17:45
Sightings on Loughborough Rd
Shakespeare Rd
I am always amazed that the freestyle handpainting on each van is always identical.
How can that be?
I think he may be a former painter and decorator or graffiti artist.
zenazena
27-03-2007, 10:34
Sightings on Loughborough Rd
Shakespeare Rd
I am always amazed that the freestyle handpainting on each van is always identical.
How can that be?
they're not exactly the same - some say 'per hour' others 'p.h.', some say 'm/bikes' and others 'motorbikes' - they're all amazingly shit looking tho.
teuchter
27-03-2007, 16:07
they're not exactly the same - some say 'per hour' others 'p.h.', some say 'm/bikes' and others 'motorbikes' - they're all amazingly shit looking tho.
motorbikes???
zenazena
27-03-2007, 17:25
motorbikes???
yes, apparently he also transports m/bikes AND motorbikes - you'd probably be safer driving it yourself .. backwards
waverunner
27-03-2007, 20:34
yes, apparently he also transports m/bikes AND motorbikes - you'd probably be safer driving it yourself .. backwards
:D :D :D
corporate whore
28-03-2007, 13:38
Spotted this morning, from the train, two of the fuckers lurking in Knatchbull Road, Camberwell.
Answers the 'is there more than one' question, then :)
PacificOcean
28-03-2007, 14:55
I feel really sorry for the poor fucker if he ever reads this.
There he is trying to make a living and the piss is taken out of him by Brixton's finest.
Shame on you all.
Spotted this morning, from the train, two of the fuckers lurking in Knatchbull Road, Camberwell.
Answers the 'is there more than one' question, then :)
Big Ten Four. We got ourselves a convoy Bubba
London_Calling
28-03-2007, 22:17
I think he may be a former painter and decorator or graffiti artist.
well he's almost certainly not a panel beater.
Spotted this morning, from the train, two of the fuckers lurking in Knatchbull Road, Camberwell.
Answers the 'is there more than one' question, then :)
Yeah there are several usually parked around the Knatchbull Road, Denmark Road, Camberwell New Road area
Apparently there are 13 vans in Brixton/Camberwell and surrounding area - see discussion and photo of van on Denmark Road, SE5 at http://www.flickr.com/photos/markdodds/405232967/in/pool-camberwell_se5/
(photo originally posted by Mark Dodds, landlord of the Sun and Doves)
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