DVLA is giving you an extra 5 days?

Unread post by **Old-Guy** » 01 Mar 2009, 14:12

Knowing what an active forum this is, may I conduct a 'straw poll' even though it isn't specifically Citroen related?

If you re-taxed a vehicle at the end of January: -

1. Did you receive a reminder post card in the last week (or so) of January?

2. Did you re-tax it a post office?

3. Have you received a second reminder in the last few days?

A simple trio of Yes/No answers would do very nicely, thank you.

The reason I ask is that a few days before re-taxing our Xantia at the local post office (on Friday 30th January), I had received a postcard from the DVLA giving me "an extra 5 days". In early February, I checked on-line that it did come up as being taxed to 01 02 2010.

Yesterday (Saturday 28th February), the postman delivered a second card from the DVLA!

These cards don't bear a date or registration, so I've no idea what vehicle the second card is for, or when the card was issued.

DVLA enquiries were completely unhelpful. A flat refusal to tell me how many vehicles are registered in my name. All enquiries have to be for a specific vehicle. I was told that a second card was sent out owing to a delay in receiving my renewal data from the Post Office.

That doesn't add-up; I'm trying to confirm my suspicion that instead of sending out cards for renewals due at the end of February, the DVLA has sent out duplicate cards for January.

Xaccers · Unread post by **Xaccers** » 01 Mar 2009, 20:12

If I remember correctly, it's when you tax online.
They give you 5 days to cover the postage of your new tax disc.
So you could have renewed yesterday, your car is taxed, but you can't display it because you've not recieved your disc yet, and they're saying it's legal to drive anyway for 5 days while your disc arrives.

Homer · Unread post by **Homer** » 01 Mar 2009, 23:58

Nope, sounds like a DVLA cock-up.

If the online system said you were taxed to 2010 then your details had gone through at that time.

Just wait for the speeding and parking fines coming through.

citronut · Unread post by **citronut** » 02 Mar 2009, 08:33

Xac is corect, as a freind of mine (yer i know i am allowed one arn't i) recived one of these cards, no reg or other referance, it just stated IF YOU BUY ON LINE you will be entitled to five day's without a curent displayed tax disc, not if you buy at a post office,

it is because once you have bought your tax online they have got your dosh,
so legaly your car is taxed from that time/date,

since we have had the method of buying tax online i have always said/thought the above, and now they have accepted this

regards malcolm

XantiaMan · Unread post by **XantiaMan** » 02 Mar 2009, 09:38

I had to tax R583 on Saturday after its MOT, i checked online and it does appear that if you tax it online they give you 5 working days, so i'm good till the end of the week, just in case, its unlikely to be a problem anyway as the police would run the plate and see on their system its taxed, moted and insured.

Unread post by **Old-Guy** » 02 Mar 2009, 12:26

Thanks for the comments but the point is that the car was taxed, when due, a whole month before the second reminder card arrived. I'm trying to discover if it's a wholesale cock-up or there's another vehicle registered in my name. If it looks like the latter, I want to have my concerns on record before the fines and penalties start arriving.

It was unreasonable to not give 5 days for the disc to arrive by post if you tax on-line, but there are risks attached:
What if the disc goes astray in the post?
As recently announced by the relevant Minister, a variety of non-police 'agencies' are being recruited into the campaign against untaxed cars. These 'agencies' have targets to meet and include parking enforcement companies employed by local authorities who are empowered to issue fixed penalty notices. Ever tried getting a parking ticket over-turned?

Not only do local post offices need all the business they can get to justify their existence, but when I taxed my car I walked out with the new disc in my hand. DVLA want us to tax on-line to save paying commission to the Post Office.

If anyone else has had a similar experience, I be glad to know.

Guy

citronut · Unread post by **citronut** » 02 Mar 2009, 13:13

XantiaMan583 wrote:I had to tax R583 on Saturday after its MOT, i checked online and it does appear that if you tax it online they give you 5 working days, so i'm good till the end of the week, just in case, its unlikely to be a problem anyway as the police would run the plate and see on their system its taxed, moted and insured.

citronut · Unread post by **citronut** » 02 Mar 2009, 13:15

XantiaMan583 wrote:I had to tax R583 on Saturday after its MOT, i checked online and it does appear that if you tax it online they give you 5 working days, so i'm good till the end of the week, just in case, its unlikely to be a problem anyway as the police would run the plate and see on their system its taxed, moted and insured.

you will only get the 5 days from the fist of the month, this will not mean you can apply online at or after the 5 days

regards malcolm

citroen7 · Unread post by **citroen7** » 02 Mar 2009, 13:50

This is the way it works "over here "
about ten days before the end of the month you recieve a reminder which you can either take to the post office and walk out with a tax disc,go to a local tax office and again walk out with a disc or post it off to dvlni and they will send you a disc. you can also send this form off to declare the car sorn.
at no point do you get a second reminder and certainly not one with no registration number on it.If for some reason you delay taxing the car till the middle of the month you can still use the post office or the tax office, but if you go over the first month you have to go to the tax office and they will tax you for six or twelve months plus the month you have just missed which i think is a very fair system because there can be the odd "im skint" moment in anyones life.
The biggest problem i have had is fines for not declaring sorn when the car was but each time i have proved them wrong sometimes i just think they take a chance as some people would just panick and pay

Xaccers · Unread post by **Xaccers** » 02 Mar 2009, 17:32

In all likelihood it's a DVLA marketting mixup sending two information cards rather than one.
Maybe they've taken on NTL's old marketting team? (mmm fluffy bunnies)

andydykes · Unread post by **andydykes** » 03 Mar 2009, 17:24

It's a marketing ploy. We received a reminder and then a few days later a postcard. Even though we had sold the car (not a Citroen) and received notification that we had informed the DVLA.

Maybe if they stopped advertising so much on tv, giving away free cars (does nobody buys Seats) and wasting money on postage - Our Money!

They could reduce the tax.

How about free tax for all Citroen Drivers