Driving licence renewal not easy

[PaulC5]

My photo driving licence is due for renewal at 10 years so followed the letter sent to renew on-line. However, it needs my identity to be proved on the newish gov one site and an option is to use the photo licence. It then failed to prove so I had to print out a letter to take to a post office along with the licence where they take a photo and I then get an email later saying proved and can continue applying. It links to post offices locally who do this - went to the first one and it has been closed for half a year, the next one their tablet they have to use has been broken since November, next one they do not have a tablet and only a few are given them, same with next one.

Back home tried to apply again hoping to try using my passport to prove identity but it went straight to I need to go to a post office. It can also be done using a recent i phone and downloading an app needing an apple cloud account so not an option for me. At one post office they mentioned if using a phone it can not then be used for another person which she found when trying to do it for a parent - in the end they had to do a postal application. Pity they have not come up with a system that takes into account the failings of the post office. I will have to try more of them further from home - next one is about 12 miles away. There are contact details for the gov site with on-line chat and a phone number but only work Mon to Fri 8 to 8 pm.

Last year I tried to register on the NHS app and I failed trying to use my passport to prove identity since it said I did not look like the photo. The gov seem to want us to have on-line identity checks but their systems to do this are not working for me.

[mickthemaverick]

That sounds like another cockup like the introduction of electronic passport vetting at airports was! Do they not have a list of equipped Post Offices by postcode on the Website?

[myglaren]

I renewed mine quite easily last year, despite it having expired (£100 fine and 3 points for that) took a week and they sent my cheque back to me. Couldn't be done online as - the licence had expired. I don't have a passport.
But more recently, my daughter was told not to drive due to a change in medication.
She then needed a form for her doctor to fill in to say that she was OK to drive again. They have to send the form to the doctor and have failed miserably to do that for the past nine months. She has phoned them many times without any progress, has written to them then phoned and they have had to go searching for her registered letter then told that it hasn't been processed.
She voluntarily surrendered her licence and sent it in to them as she was told that this would make renewal quicker and easier but it definitely has made it even more difficult.
Then of course she has been unable to renew her insurance, so no-one can use her car.
And it had to be SORNed. She phoned to do that but had to give them the V5 number. She didn't have that as my son had taken the car in for the airbag recall and still had it, but was in Greece (not in her car). They said she had to give it within 24 hours or there was a £1.000 fine. So she had to request a replacement V5, for which they charged her £25 and although they gave her the number over the phone, the V5 took three weeks to be delivered. The latter may have been the RM though, they seem to be plagued with delivery problems and prioritise parcels now, to the disgust of a couple over the road, who were our local posties, came back from holiday to find a fortnights pile of letters to sort and deliver.
They left and work on the rattlers now.
There is still no indication that she will get her licence back. Her doctor is frustrated with it too. He can see the forms online but has to receive paper copies in the post to complete, just two pages of tick boxes.

[bobins]

Not driving licence related, but tax disc related. I've been trying to buy the tax disc for my Merc online for the last week. I want the tax disc to start April 1st as the car has been SORNd over winter, but there's no option for that online. Last year it was no problem, I could buy the tax disc in advance - this year it's not an option. The ensh1ttification marches steadily onwards

[myglaren]

What's a tax disk?

[Paul-R]

. I want the tax disc to start April 1st as the car has been SORNd over winter, but there's no option for that online. Last year it was no problem, I could buy the tax disc in advance - this year it's not an option. The ensh1ttification marches steadily onwards

I'm surprised that you could buy in advance after SORNing in the past as I haven't been able to. Been like that for quite some time I think. Are you sure that it wasn't just a simple renewal, which can be done in advance as there's no gap in validity?

[bobins]

Last year it was definitely bought a few days / week in advance and bought at the price in force at the time, not the new price due on 1st April - I commented soewhere on the forum at the time that I'd managed to do that as it'd surprised me that I'd managed to get it at the cheaper rate. Ever since I've owned the Merc it's been SORNd every winter so it wasn't a renewal.

[PaulC5]

The Post Office site has most of them saying they do ID checks but it was only when I visited them and they looked at the letter I had to take they then said they could not do that check. Some of them say they do driving licences so it looks as if it can only be one of those.

Mrs P's driving licence also needs to be renewed, the renewal dates are the same as it is from when we last moved house. This time we tried using her passport for the id check but it again came back as failed and she has to visit a post office. Just as well we tried it today so we can then go together and save a second outing. Our local Tesco ran out of diesel on Friday so we do not want to waste it if not needed in case shortages continue. Managed to get some at a Shell Waitrose garage but was 12 p a litre dearer at £1.859. We need to keep the tank full as I will be having 5 weeks of daily radiotherapy soon (third time for prostate cancer) so at least 25 trips to the hospital.

[myglaren]

It could be only 'main' post offices can do it. Used to be any here but now only main ones, one of which is only five miles away.

Sorry to hear of the need for the hospital visits, hope that turns out for the best.

Got my car back from the MOT and not much left in. Went to my local Sainsburys and only one pump had diesel, reserved for Sainsburys delivery vans. Most of the petrol pumps were locked off too.

Had to go to a small Shell station, no restrictions but £1.80 L. Asda station was dry too.

[bobins]

Not driving licence related, but tax disc related. I've been trying to buy the tax disc for my Merc online for the last week. I want the tax disc to start April 1st as the car has been SORNd over winter......

Further to the above, I've just managed to tax it online today with the tax coming into effect on 1st April. It's £15 cheaper to tax it today with it starting on 1st April rather than tax it on 1st April (in 2 days time) with it starting on the 1st April !

[myglaren]

I should have thought of that, mine due on the 17th.
Hoping it is still £20 like last year.

[Paul-R]

Going back to the original title, I helped my brother to do his licence application online. Well, actually, I attempted to do the application. Even though he has a current driving licence (for another two months) and a current passport the process fell over as they expect him to have a smart mobile phone. I printed out a letter for him to take to a post office so they could validate the renewal.

It's a pretty poor affair that people who don't have a smart phone are disadvantaged in this manner.

[mickthemaverick]

Picking up on that point Paul, it is quite ridiculous to require a smart phone to renew the licence. Considering the group most likely to renew are the over 70s with 3 yearly renewal requirements and that is more than likely the same group with the lowest density of smart phones. Or is it simply part of the plan to get the over 70s to give up driving?

[Paul-R]

Ha! It was indeed my Brother's 70th birthday renewal. And he can't get on with a smart phone. His phone isn't a complete brick as it will also take photos but that's all.

Having said that I don't remember what hoops I had to go through for my 70th birthday renewal. I most certainly haven't put an app on my phone so I suppose I must have gone down the Post Office route but I really can't remember.

[mickthemaverick]

I renewed mine last summer and I think it was just a 10 minutes on the laptop job and the licence arrived by post before the old one expired.