Post office has given me the wrong tax disc

[t1grm]

I asked for a disc starting 1st August and they have given me a disc end dated 28th February (i.e. starting 1st September). I didn't notice till I got home. So now I have a gap in my tax with no SORN which I will probably get fined for. I phoned the DVLA and I have to write them a letter explaining what happened with a photo copy of the tax disc. Apparently then they will issue a new one within 4 weeks. All this because the DVLA won't let me tax the car online because I just bought it. Sometimes it's better to let a computer to do the thinking. Humans too often get it wrong. What a hassle!

Apart from all this the disc looks to be filled out incorrectly. The vehicle category is PC; I've never heard of that. Normally it's PLG - private light goods - and two other boxes on the disc were left blank. It was a sub post office at a W H Smiths and the guy on the counter looked stoned and not a day over 17.

[SteveSteveson]

fking hell. Relax a little. Someone made an error and gave you the wrong date and the DVLA are sorting it.

Calm down. You'll live longer. It's a such a minor thing.

[t1grm]

Quite a lot of hassle really. Can’t tax my car online so one lunch our gone to drive into town, pay to park car, queue at PO, get tax disc etc. Then find out tax disc is wrong so 20 mins on the phone to DVLA. Then have to draft a letter. Then another lunch hour gone to go back into town to send letter registered post. So over 2 hours of my time or a quarter of a working day just to get my car taxed (not to mention the cost of the tax itself).

And the DVLA aren’t sorting it yet. I’ve been told to send them a letter but, my experience of these things is, the person that gets the letter has a completely different idea of how things should be done to the person you spoke to on the phone. So you usually end up going through the process at least twice.

Then there is the issue of automated fines issued by their computer system for cars not taxed or SORN. You can bet your life I will be getting one of those for August. That will be another phone call, another letter drafted and another lunch hour gone to sort that out. It all adds up.

[Engineer1]

I always thought that after the middle of the month they only have next months disc available because in most cases the person is re-taxing their car and will be pissed off at getting 11 months tax rather than 12.

[kiethton]

Hmmm....

I only bought my 540i last week friday, taxed it Monday and my tax disc (just asked for tax at post office in Moorgate) runs out on 31 Aug 2014.

Am I going to get a fine too? - I have been using the car from when it was taxed....

How easy it it to put the DVLA fine cretins onto the post office so they can sort the fine?

[t1grm]

No idea. I just bought the car and didn't get the new V5 until 8th August. Then I found out I couldn't tax it online because it had just changed owners so, by the time I got to the post office it was the 20th. I asked for 1st August and he didn't mention it being a problem but then he didn't appear to know what time of day it was.

I do know he had about three books of tax discs behind the counter - presumably with different end dates. He must have added the months up wrong and chose the wrong book. Next time I will double check myself.

[SteveSteveson]

Why not just go back to the post office and say "Um, you seem to have given me the wrong dated tax"...

And you won't get a fine. At worst you will get a warning letter.

[t1grm]

kiethton said:

Hmmm....

I only bought my 540i last week friday, taxed it Monday and my tax disc (just asked for tax at post office in Moorgate) runs out on 31 Aug 2014.

Am I going to get a fine too? - I have been using the car from when it was taxed....

How easy it it to put the DVLA fine cretins onto the post office so they can sort the fine?

Depends when the last tax disc expired. 31st July or 31st August?

[t1grm]

SteveSteveson said:

Why not just go back to the post office and say "Um, you seem to have given me the wrong dated tax"... Seriously. And you won't get a fine. At worst you will get a warning letter.

I'm abroad with the car now so it all has to be done by post. Hope you are right about the fine.

[kiethton]

t1grm said:

kiethton said:

Hmmm....

I only bought my 540i last week friday, taxed it Monday and my tax disc (just asked for tax at post office in Moorgate) runs out on 31 Aug 2014.

Am I going to get a fine too? - I have been using the car from when it was taxed....

How easy it it to put the DVLA fine cretins onto the post office so they can sort the fine?

Depends when the last tax disc expired. 31st July or 31st August?

No idea, got it from auction un-taxed.

[t1grm]

kiethton said:

No idea, got it from auction un-taxed.

Hmm... I would check with the DVLA if it was SORN or not and until when. You might have a problem if the previous owner didn't tax it and didn't have it on SORN. Have you sent off the change of keeper slip on the V5 and what date did you put as the change of ownership?

[kiethton]

t1grm said:

kiethton said:

No idea, got it from auction un-taxed.

Hmm... I would check with the DVLA if it was SORN or not and until when. You might have a problem if the previous owner didn't tax it and didn't have it on SORN. Have you sent off the change of keeper slip on the V5 and what date did you put as the change of ownership?

I will take a look at that when I get a chance.

Change of keeper was done on Friday 16th and it was taxed on Monday 19th (when insurance cert arrived) although I insured it from when I got it on the 16th so I could drive to a pre-booked MOT near my house, which I then cancelled when I realised it wasn't due to November.

[Squishey]

Unsure now

Edited by Squishey on Tuesday 27th August 15:34

[kiethton]

Squishey said:

kiethton said:

Hmmm....

I only bought my 540i last week friday, taxed it Monday and my tax disc (just asked for tax at post office in Moorgate) runs out on 31 Aug 2014.

Am I going to get a fine too? - I have been using the car from when it was taxed....

How easy it it to put the DVLA fine cretins onto the post office so they can sort the fine?

You're fine:

1st month : 1st August 2013 - 31st August 2013
12th month: 1st August 2014 - 31st August 2014

So by buying it mid-month you're essentially getting 11.5 months tax for the price of 12

Its 12.5 months isn't it?

Sept
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
June
July
Aug

=12 plus the 2 weeks i'm in now?

I've just checked online and it says taxed to 1 September 2014 inline with my new disc.

[t1grm]

kiethton said:

t1grm said:

kiethton said:

No idea, got it from auction un-taxed.

Hmm... I would check with the DVLA if it was SORN or not and until when. You might have a problem if the previous owner didn't tax it and didn't have it on SORN. Have you sent off the change of keeper slip on the V5 and what date did you put as the change of ownership?

I will take a look at that when I get a chance.

Change of keeper was done on Friday 16th and it was taxed on Monday 19th (when insurance cert arrived) although I insured it from when I got it on the 16th so I could drive to a pre-booked MOT near my house, which I then cancelled when I realised it wasn't due to November.

In that case you might have a problem. Tax disc ending 31st August 2014 starts 1st September 2013 (not 1st August 2013). So if you put 16th August on the change of keeper then you potentially have 16th to 31st August with no tax or SORN. If the previous owner did not SORN the car you may get a fine. Strictly speaking you should have asked for a tax disc starting 1st August.

Edit: From DVLA form V10:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploa...

"If your vehicle is not taxed or has a SORN If you apply in the last two working days of a month, the tax disc can start on the first day of the next month. If you apply before then, your tax disc will be backdated to the start of the current month. (Saturday is classed as a working day at Post Office® branches.)"

So you have the same problem as me. The PO gave you the wrong tax disc. You should have a tax disc starting 1st August 2013 and ending 31st July 2014. Seems to be a common problem.

Edited by t1grm on Tuesday 27th August 15:46

[Squishey]

kiethton said:

Its 12.5 months isn't it?

Sept
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
June
July
Aug

=12 plus the 2 weeks i'm in now?

I've just checked online and it says taxed to 1 September 2014 inline with my new disc.

I realised that after I posted, so my mongo moment is there for eternity

I'd just display the disc I was given and plead ignorant if pulled by the BiB. "...but it hasn't expired officer."

[Toaster Pilot]

Auction car likely to just have had the tax cashed in by the previous keeper, no? Check the expiry date on the Vehicle Enquiry tool and see what it says, likely not to have updated yet. My shed showed April 2014 for the week I had it sitting on the drive untaxed/uninsured after purchase.

I'd imagine the new keeper won't be processed quickly enough for it to matter in any case.

Edit - I see you've already checked, never mind

[JM]

t1grm said:

No idea. I just bought the car and didn't get the new V5 until 8th August. Then I found out I couldn't tax it online because it had just changed owners so, by the time I got to the post office it was the 20th.

12 days to get to the post office!

How far away from it do you live?

[t1grm]

Toaster Pilot said:

Auction car likely to just have had the tax cashed in by the previous keeper, no? Check the expiry date on the Vehicle Enquiry tool and see what it says, likely not to have updated yet. My shed showed April 2014 for the week I had it sitting on the drive untaxed/uninsured after purchase.

I'd imagine the new keeper won't be processed quickly enough for it to matter in any case.

Yes but V5 will have date written on change of keeper form which is 16th August. Tax runs from 1st September. Therefore new keeper has 14 days no tax and no SORN. Think this is all computerised and fine will be automatically issued?

[t1grm]

JM said:

12 days to get to the post office!

How far away from it do you live?

About 1500 miles - in Malta I was back visiting for a couple of days.