DVLA rant!

pug_owner2002 · Unread post by **pug_owner2002** » 25 Jan 2011, 23:11

I had trouble taxing the car a good few years back.
The woman in the post office refused to sell me a tax disc as my car wouldn't have valid insurance (The insurance was due to expire on the 2nd of the month). I did try and argue that the insurance was valid at the time of taxing and on the date that the tax disc would start to be valid. I also pointed out that the policy renewal had been accepted and I was still waiting for the new certificate.
She wouldn't back down and I ended up leaving empty handed. Another postoffice issued the new disk with no questions asked. I tend to tax the cars on-line now and thus far have had no problems.

R9UKE · Unread post by **R9UKE** » 26 Jan 2011, 00:26

It's worse when you live in NI!!

Despite being part of the UK they are two separate departments. My cherished plate (R9 UKE) is classed as an English plate, so first had to be assigned to a car on the mainland. Which meant my aunt's Nissan Micra getting a totally new identity (including changing of all documents) only to be changed back straight away!!

Such a ridiculous process that ends up giving the incompetent idiots twice the work.

3 months, 1 forest of paper and numerous trips to two DVLA offices later and it was done. NEVER again.

HDI · Unread post by **HDI** » 26 Jan 2011, 11:12

Awwww, poor ickle DVLA staff, all they have in their ickle lives is the rule book and the authority to enforce it, and all we do is try to spoil it for them !!!

Come the revolution there is an RPG round for every one of those regional offices and a salvo for Swansea

I have a nice little situation coming up, returned the tax disc from my Evo for a refund as it's off road during winter, declared it sorn at the same time. The sorn confirmation arrived a few days after the refund.
Then a few weeks later I received a reminder notifying that the tax was about to expire and it was illegal to use the car without tax or not sorned !!!
Please, please let them try to fine me for not declaring sorn, just so I can wave the sorn confirmation letter in their humourless, grey, soulless faces !!

DickieG · Unread post by **DickieG** » 28 Jan 2011, 18:24

The story gets better, I popped back to Borehamwood this afternoon to have another go at the registration transfer, new forms with the old/present BMW tax disc written on as requested (it expires on Monday) and yes you can guess the rest, the lady behind the counter said;

"The tax runs out on Monday and as it will take a few days before this is even looked at you need to have the details of the new disc on this form otherwise I cannot put it through for processing"

Knowing full well that this might happen I took the new disc with me and the application was accepted, however I feel a letter of complaint is about to be written.

It must be great working for the DVLA, make up new rules whenever you feel like it and should anyone complain tell them to go away!

Xaccers · Unread post by **Xaccers** » 27 Jul 2011, 22:04

When I moved house, I sent off my 3 log books (V5s) to be updated. Apparently not one of them arrived, so I had to pay for replacements, which arrived at my new property due to the mail redirection I had set up.
Filled them out and sent them off again.
Three went out, two came back, although I'd put the three in a single envelope.
By now the mail redirection had expired, so I headed to my local DVLA office, filled out the replacement and change of address form, paid my £25 again and sent it off.
That was nearly 2 months ago.
Couple of days ago I recieved a letter from them asking the name and address of who I'd bought the car from (it was 5 years ago, from a garage so I have no idea what the V5 had on it), when I bought it, the registration front and back, and the VIN number.
Sensible moves to try and stop Abu Hamza's son stealing any more cars.
Now, the thing is, my tax runs out at the end of the month, and without a V5/reminder letter, I can't renew it or declare the car SORN.
So, I phoned the DVLA to see what could be done.
"Well, you'll have to go to your local DVLA office, fill out the lost V5/change of address form again, pay the £25 again, and take your MoT and insurance certificates, and they'll sell you a tax disc"
But I've already done that, can't you just give me the online reference number so I can buy some tax?
"No, we can't do that" (probably too sensible you see)
"What you could do is keep the car physically off the road at the end of the month and hope the new V5 arrives before the 14th as we'll start proceedings against you from then"
Oh great.
So I'm going to take my MoT and insurance to the DVLA office on Friday and hope they let me give them £215 in exchange for a paper disc.
Otherwise I'll wait until the 14th and go back and pay the extra £25 which will really confuse everything and declare Cassy SORN from the 1st.

DickieG · Unread post by **DickieG** » 27 Jul 2011, 22:10

From personal experience if you can bear to do it ring them again tomorrow and you'll speak to another person who will give you very different advice as incredibly many of their workers make up the rules as they go along, good luck and make sure that if you do visit a DVLA centre you take everything including RFL's + the kitchen sink with you

Xaccers · Unread post by **Xaccers** » 09 Aug 2011, 18:16

Well, I managed to get taxed, and told them about the letter I received.
They seemed confused as to how I got the letter as they don't have my address on record, only the old address.
Apparently that letter had nothing to do with proving ownership, it was because there is a discrepancy between the VIN number they have on record and what is on the car (ie what I wrote on the original request for a new V5).
So they asked me to fill out the form again as the address hadn't been updated.
Strange thing was the photo of the VIN I took and originally copied down for the first form matches the VIN on my MoT certificate which matches what they have on record, so I bet someone's not entered the information from my first form correctly.
On Friday I received a letter saying they hadn't had a response from me so could I fill out the "ownership" form again and send it off. The letter was dated 29th July!
Got home today and found a letter saying Swansea are investigating a discrepancy with the records and need to inspect the car next Tuesday in Northampton.
I'll phone them in the morning and see if I can do the inspection tomorrow and hopefully finally be sent my V5!
I'm just grateful I'm not called Buttle...

Unread post by **Paul-R** » 09 Aug 2011, 19:08

A Brazil reference?

Classy!!!

Xaccers · Unread post by **Xaccers** » 09 Aug 2011, 19:25

Paul-R wrote:A Brazil reference?

Classy!!!

One of my favourite films, and unfortunately gives a good impression of what dealing with the DVLA is like...

trooper30 · Unread post by **trooper30** » 09 Aug 2011, 23:16

Brazil, great movie, De Niro/ stealth plumber!

Well speaking of the DVLA I sent my licence of for renewal about 8 weeks ago and they were prompt as it came back 8 days later.
With a class1 hgv, full bike licence, road roller, tracked vehicle and full bus on it!

I passed me test in 87 so all I had on it was 7,5 ton, car and 125 bike. Turns out now im a lorry driver a bus driver and a tank driver.