What's wrong with me?!

[crikey]

E65Ross said:

Just replied to your PM. You most certainly are helping! If it wasn't for you I probably wouldn't be chasing things up and getting everything done that I can do myself so eagerly as I'd assume that it wouldn't make much difference. I also wouldn't have considered contacting my MP.

It also gives me further leverage into getting my licence back sooner. I doubt I'll get it befobefore December 1st but it may be possible to get something prior to that date saying "yep, you're good toto drovedrive, but only from December 1st"

Whilst I would absolutely love to be driving before then, I'd be over the moon if I can drive then!

Many thanks again

You're more than welcome. I had an awful lot of people helping me out after my op so now if see an opportunity where I might be of some use to someone then I'll try to do so

[E65Ross]

My letter from the DVLA arrived today, informing me they've written to Mr Grundy. This, in theory, means that the hospital should have the forms too, as they were sent the same day. This means that Vas should certainly get them before he leaves, which means they'll be sent back within a couple of weeks.

Feels like it's all happening now

[crikey]

Ask Vas to let you know when he's completed them and send them back, give it a couple of days then start hassling the DVLA. When they tell you it'll be up to X weeks before they look at them get your MP involved.

Feel free to use me as an example, maybe slip in "Nadine Dorries helped my mate Andy out in a matter of days"

[E65Ross]

Just got a message from Vas saying he's filled in my forms and I won't have a problem in getting my license back. They will have been sent out today.

I will leave it approx a week and start hassling the DVLA and getting the MP involved again

Feels so close now!

Also.....did a 103 mile cycle event in the New Forest Sunday which took 5hrs 53mins riding time, overall time including stops was 6hrs 16mins. Happy with that

[crikey]

The hold up is the length of time the DVLA take to actually look at the forms, they'll take months. This is where my MP helped out, by getting them to bump me to the top of the list. Give them a week so they've got the files, then when they say "we'll look at them in 3 months" let your MP know, and lay it on thick about lack of independence, "after everything I've been through", the stress it's causing, etc.

Well done on the ride, I thought I was doing well being able to ride 20 miles without too much trouble now !

[sparks_E39]

E65Ross said:

Just got a message from Vas saying he's filled in my forms and I won't have a problem in getting my license back. They will have been sent out today.

I will leave it approx a week and start hassling the DVLA and getting the MP involved again

Feels so close now!

Also.....did a 103 mile cycle event in the New Forest Sunday which took 5hrs 53mins riding time, overall time including stops was 6hrs 16mins. Happy with that

I'm involved in the running of these events and saw an E65 with a PH sticker... must of been yours?

[E65Ross]

sparks_E39 said:

E65Ross said:

Just got a message from Vas saying he's filled in my forms and I won't have a problem in getting my license back. They will have been sent out today.

I will leave it approx a week and start hassling the DVLA and getting the MP involved again

Feels so close now!

Also.....did a 103 mile cycle event in the New Forest Sunday which took 5hrs 53mins riding time, overall time including stops was 6hrs 16mins. Happy with that

I'm involved in the running of these events and saw an E65 with a PH sticker... must of been yours?

It was indeed! My friend drove us there as he couldn't use his Mrs car!

[E65Ross]

crikey said:

The hold up is the length of time the DVLA take to actually look at the forms, they'll take months. This is where my MP helped out, by getting them to bump me to the top of the list. Give them a week so they've got the files, then when they say "we'll look at them in 3 months" let your MP know, and lay it on thick about lack of independence, "after everything I've been through", the stress it's causing, etc.

Well done on the ride, I thought I was doing well being able to ride 20 miles without too much trouble now !

Perfect, thanks for this. I will leave it a week, phone DVLA and then get in touch with the MP again.

Cheers

[rolando]

E65Ross said:

It was indeed! My friend drove us there as he couldn't use his Mrs car!

I trust this doesn't belong here

[sparks_E39]

E65Ross said:

sparks_E39 said:

E65Ross said:

Just got a message from Vas saying he's filled in my forms and I won't have a problem in getting my license back. They will have been sent out today.

I will leave it approx a week and start hassling the DVLA and getting the MP involved again

Feels so close now!

Also.....did a 103 mile cycle event in the New Forest Sunday which took 5hrs 53mins riding time, overall time including stops was 6hrs 16mins. Happy with that

I'm involved in the running of these events and saw an E65 with a PH sticker... must of been yours?

It was indeed! My friend drove us there as he couldn't use his Mrs car!

Hope you're back behind the wheel soon mate, the car looked great...well done on the cycle! The New Forest one is a beast!

[E65Ross]

I actually decided to contact my MP today. I told them that the DVLA will be getting my forms from my surgeon today or tomorrow. They got back to me and said they'll contact DVLA Monday and request my application be fast tracked

Even decided to get an insurance quote so I can just call up and activate it immediately when my licence comes through. Bearing in mind I'm 26 I was pleasantly surprised that it was under £600. Not bad considering its a 4.4L V8.

Cant wait to drive the barge again.

[crikey]

E65Ross said:

I actually decided to contact my MP today. I told them that the DVLA will be getting my forms from my surgeon today or tomorrow. They got back to me and said they'll contact DVLA Monday and request my application be fast tracked

Good stuff

ETA: You don't have to wait for your license to physically turn up, as soon as the DVLA say you're good to go, off you go

[E65Ross]

crikey said:

E65Ross said:

I actually decided to contact my MP today. I told them that the DVLA will be getting my forms from my surgeon today or tomorrow. They got back to me and said they'll contact DVLA Monday and request my application be fast tracked

Good stuff

ETA: You don't have to wait for your license to physically turn up, as soon as the DVLA say you're good to go, off you go

This is good to know.

Who knows, could be driving at some point in October trouble is, I am getting a bit excited now, and I know I shouldn't because I could be waiting for 3 months still. But hopefully with the MP involved I will be driving sooner rather than later.

Edit - I do wonder whether the forms sent to my surgeons from the DVLA were done so because of the MP. When they got back in touch they did say they'd spoken to the DVLA and this was a day or so after they'd received my application.

They initially said it would get rejected for being too early, instead, not only was it not rejected, it didn't even sit in a pile waiting for the 8 week period to arrive.... It was sent within a week. Does make you wonder.

Edited by E65Ross on Friday 25th September 09:08

[crikey]

Definitely a case of he who shouts loudest with them.

[E65Ross]

crikey said:

Definitely a case of he who shouts loudest with them.

I'd like to think I'm doing all I can to get things going. I'm even tempted to phone the DVLA Monday morning and ask them, see what they say and mention I've got my MP involved.... Or just leave it for the MP. Not sure. What you reckon?

Cheers Crikey!

[crikey]

I left it for my MP to handle, but called to get updates myself (dropping it into conversation that my MP was chasing them too). I don't think my calls did anything other than give me a sense of doing something rather than leaving it all to my MP.

I did feel a slight pang of guilt that I was jumping the queue, but figured it was ok to be a bit selfish under the circumstance as it wasn't me that it was hitting the hardest. The main one being my wife was having to take the kids to all the out of school activities (of which there are a lot).

[E65Ross]

crikey said:

I left it for my MP to handle, but called to get updates myself (dropping it into conversation that my MP was chasing them too). I don't think my calls did anything other than give me a sense of doing something rather than leaving it all to my MP.

I did feel a slight pang of guilt that I was jumping the queue, but figured it was ok to be a bit selfish under the circumstance as it wasn't me that it was hitting the hardest. The main one being my wife was having to take the kids to all the out of school activities (of which there are a lot).

In that case I think I'll leave it be for the time being, possibly send another email to the MP on Wednesday if I don't hear anything back.

I wonder whether I'll get the licence before December 1st, or whether I'll still have to wait. Still....could still be longer if the MP isn't able to help. Although I know of someone else who was in a sort of similar situation and their MP also got their licence back sooner rather than later so it certainly happens.

[E65Ross]

Minor update

Called the DVLA yesterday just to see if they'd got the forms. They said they hadn't got the forms but can take approx 2 weeks for mail to come in, get scanned and put on their system. The person said "A complaint has been logged by your MP, however, and you are on high priority"

Last night I then got a bit of a cryptic message from Vas. He asked me to call his secretary (whom last week he'd said would be sending off the DVLA forms) and speak to her. He said "she is very good, but please give her a call". Cue me thinking throughout last night that my forms hadn't even been sent in!

I called her this morning and she didn't know why he may have asked me to call her other than potentially to check if my forms had indeed been sent and not been held up. She said that alst week Vas was adament they got sent out ASAP and that she had never seen DVLA forms come in, get filled in, and get sent out so quickly before! She also said that Vas thinks a lot of me and he's very impressed with all I've done and responded to treatment, raising money for charity etc

So now it's just a case of waiting another week or so until my forms are on the DVLA system before the MP and I start hassling them to get their arses in gear again

Certainly got the right people fighting for me

[crikey]

Sounds like things are heading in the right direction

I'd ring every couple of days and when they say "we're still waiting for them to show up on the system" reply with "thanks for that, I'll update my MP"

[E65Ross]

crikey said:

Sounds like things are heading in the right direction

I'd ring every couple of days and when they say "we're still waiting for them to show up on the system" reply with "thanks for that, I'll update my MP"

crikey said:

Sounds like things are heading in the right direction

I'd ring every couple of days and when they say "we're still waiting for them to show up on the system" reply with "thanks for that, I'll update my MP"

Spoke to the DVLA today (as well as Monday ) and as of yesterday the forms from Vas are now on their system. They said I'm on high priority, and I've just sent another message to the MP case worker to let them know that the details are now on their system. Let's see what they can do!

Fingers crossed I get it back sooner rather than later. The frustrating thing is that all it needs is someone to spend literally 5mins looking at the details and say "yes, he's fine, he can now drive"

Still, things are going well so far. Initially I was under the impression that I could have only just sent my application off 8 weeks prior to 1st December, which would have been yesterday. But at that stage my licence application is there, they've written to my consultants, consultant has written back and those details are on their system AND I'm on high priority and have the MP on my side.

Getting too excited for my own good I think!