Discussion
Purchased a new car for my girlfriend a couple of weeks ago - it came without a log book which she applied for and was returned lightning quick. I had a couple of jobs to do on said car including an MOT which required having to trailer it as my 3rd party cover now states that the 'other' car must have insurance in its own right! (girlfriend still has old car insured until its sold). This weekend got a letter stating new car must be sorn or else! Last night old car sold and we delivered it as new owner had still so sort insurance and tax. On the way home insurance swapped via phone in a couple of minutes. Next job the car tax! She started via her mobile then ended using my laptop an hour later home and no tax. I tried in the house - the DVLA site is as slow as 
. Then found ourselves going round in circles. Ended up phoning Swansea to be told that you need to wait 5 days after sorning to un sorn online! Why we ask? because this was the time scale used before the computerisation and they have just stuck with it! gob smacked. This is after the car selling rules over tax stating that you must loose the full month of road tax when you sell cos the computer is unable to divide by 365 but can divide by 12!
ETA
Please don't evade the sites swear filter it's there for a reason!
. Then found ourselves going round in circles. Ended up phoning Swansea to be told that you need to wait 5 days after sorning to un sorn online! Why we ask? because this was the time scale used before the computerisation and they have just stuck with it! gob smacked. This is after the car selling rules over tax stating that you must loose the full month of road tax when you sell cos the computer is unable to divide by 365 but can divide by 12! ETA
Please don't evade the sites swear filter it's there for a reason!
Edited by Big Al. on Tuesday 4th October 20:29
sheepdip said:
Ended up phoning Swansea to be told that you need to wait 5 days after sorning to un sorn online! Why we ask? because this was the time scale used before the computerisation and they have just stuck with it! gob smacked.
There is no point in having improved technology if the back office processes are still stuck in the mid to late 20th Century. gob smacked.I'm afraid it will be a trip to the Post Office to re-tax. I have thrice had to put up with this ridiculous state of affairs.
It really is such a piece of st system!
I have just been on the phone to them because i cancelled a direct debit with the bank last year. they renewed the tax automatically (Would prefer a letter), couldn't take payment and have sent me all kinds of threatening letters.
Thankfully the phone process was reasonably pain free, but still annoying to have to untangle there mess.
t system!I have just been on the phone to them because i cancelled a direct debit with the bank last year. they renewed the tax automatically (Would prefer a letter), couldn't take payment and have sent me all kinds of threatening letters.
Thankfully the phone process was reasonably pain free, but still annoying to have to untangle there mess.
Prizam said:
It really is such a piece of st system!
I have just been on the phone to them because i cancelled a direct debit with the bank last year. they renewed the tax automatically (Would prefer a letter), couldn't take payment and have sent me all kinds of threatening letters.
Thankfully the phone process was reasonably pain free, but still annoying to have to untangle there mess.
If you cancelled the DD why does it become their mess?t system!I have just been on the phone to them because i cancelled a direct debit with the bank last year. they renewed the tax automatically (Would prefer a letter), couldn't take payment and have sent me all kinds of threatening letters.
Thankfully the phone process was reasonably pain free, but still annoying to have to untangle there mess.
Prizam said:
It really is such a piece of st system!
It's not perfect and occasionally something like this can frustrate, but by and large, given the huge number of transactions going thru daily, I think in the vast majority of cases it's a bloody great system. Miles better than it used to be, waiting for discs and Christ knows what.t system!Combine it with the counterpart being scrapped, and I'd say DVLA have done a great job over the last few years.
TwigtheWonderkid said:
It's not perfect and occasionally something like this can frustrate, but by and large, given the huge number of transactions going thru daily, I think in the vast majority of cases it's a bloody great system. Miles better than it used to be, waiting for discs and Christ knows what.
Combine it with the counterpart being scrapped, and I'd say DVLA have done a great job over the last few years.
Agreed. Combine it with the counterpart being scrapped, and I'd say DVLA have done a great job over the last few years.
Red Devil said:
sheepdip said:
Ended up phoning Swansea to be told that you need to wait 5 days after sorning to un sorn online! Why we ask? because this was the time scale used before the computerisation and they have just stuck with it! gob smacked.
There is no point in having improved technology if the back office processes are still stuck in the mid to late 20th Century. gob smacked.I'm afraid it will be a trip to the Post Office to re-tax. I have thrice had to put up with this ridiculous state of affairs.
They made redundant the experienced staff and now the post office is run by a spotty 16 year old who was only trained to lick stamps.
Clueless when it comes to sending anything recorded delivery so imagine the look of terror when I attempted to tax my car for the first time.
sheepdip said:
Purchased a new car for my girlfriend a couple of weeks ago - it came without a log book which she applied for and was returned lightning quick. I had a couple of jobs to do on said car including an MOT which required having to trailer it as my 3rd party cover now states that the 'other' car must have insurance in its own right! (girlfriend still has old car insured until its sold). This weekend got a letter stating new car must be sorn or else! Last night old car sold and we delivered it as new owner had still so sort insurance and tax. On the way home insurance swapped via phone in a couple of minutes. Next job the car tax! She started via her mobile then ended using my laptop an hour later home and no tax. I tried in the house - the DVLA site is as slow as . Then found ourselves going round in circles. Ended up phoning Swansea to be told that you need to wait 5 days after sorning to un sorn online! Why we ask? because this was the time scale used before the computerisation and they have just stuck with it! gob smacked. This is after the car selling rules over tax stating that you must loose the full month of road tax when you sell cos the computer is unable to divide by 365 but can divide by 12!
Nothing's changed there since 1998, when SORN was introduced - except for the ability to tax online.. Then found ourselves going round in circles. Ended up phoning Swansea to be told that you need to wait 5 days after sorning to un sorn online! Why we ask? because this was the time scale used before the computerisation and they have just stuck with it! gob smacked. This is after the car selling rules over tax stating that you must loose the full month of road tax when you sell cos the computer is unable to divide by 365 but can divide by 12! TooMany2cvs said:
Nothing's changed there since 1998, when SORN was introduced - except for the ability to tax online.
Actually, a bit has changed. Last month I sorned my van, decided to save paying for something I wasn't using, my Merc is a summer only car and as they were both tucked up nice and dry I decided to sorn them a couple of days before the end of the month. Did it online, which is immediate, not the end of the month, been caught out before with that one. But, didn't matter as I wasn't going to use either of them.But,
Turns out immediately after doing this I got a job on the Saturday morning I needed the van for.
And I had arranged to be 40 miles away for 10am.
Found out about the five day s
te, told I needed to go to the PO to tax it.So nips into town, to find out one important thing HAS changed. No more taxing 2 days early
at the PO. I needed to wait till Sat morning or pay for f
king September again. And as the PO doesn't open till 9am no way could I do it and guarantee being where I needed to be, an extra month tax for fk all. (and yes, I could've been late, but I don't work that way)
Humper said:
Actually, a bit has changed. Last month I sorned my van, decided to save paying for something I wasn't using, my Merc is a summer only car and as they were both tucked up nice and dry I decided to sorn them a couple of days before the end of the month. Did it online, which is immediate, not the end of the month, been caught out before with that one. But, didn't matter as I wasn't going to use either of them.
But,
Turns out immediately after doing this I got a job on the Saturday morning I needed the van for.
And I had arranged to be 40 miles away for 10am.
Found out about the five day ste, told I needed to go to the PO to tax it.
So nips into town, to find out one important thing HAS changed. No more taxing 2 days early
at the PO. I needed to wait till Sat morning or pay for fking September again. And as the PO doesn't open till 9am no way could I do it and guarantee being where I needed to be, an extra month tax for fk all.
(and yes, I could've been late, but I don't work that way)
How is it DVLA's fault that you chose to do something that then inconvenienced you down the line?But,
Turns out immediately after doing this I got a job on the Saturday morning I needed the van for.
And I had arranged to be 40 miles away for 10am.
Found out about the five day s
te, told I needed to go to the PO to tax it.So nips into town, to find out one important thing HAS changed. No more taxing 2 days early
at the PO. I needed to wait till Sat morning or pay for f
king September again. And as the PO doesn't open till 9am no way could I do it and guarantee being where I needed to be, an extra month tax for fk all. (and yes, I could've been late, but I don't work that way)
Gavia said:
Humper said:
Actually, a bit has changed. Last month I sorned my van, decided to save paying for something I wasn't using, my Merc is a summer only car and as they were both tucked up nice and dry I decided to sorn them a couple of days before the end of the month. Did it online, which is immediate, not the end of the month, been caught out before with that one. But, didn't matter as I wasn't going to use either of them.
But,
Turns out immediately after doing this I got a job on the Saturday morning I needed the van for.
And I had arranged to be 40 miles away for 10am.
Found out about the five day ste, told I needed to go to the PO to tax it.
So nips into town, to find out one important thing HAS changed. No more taxing 2 days early
at the PO. I needed to wait till Sat morning or pay for fking September again. And as the PO doesn't open till 9am no way could I do it and guarantee being where I needed to be, an extra month tax for fk all.
(and yes, I could've been late, but I don't work that way)
How is it DVLA's fault that you chose to do something that then inconvenienced you down the line?But,
Turns out immediately after doing this I got a job on the Saturday morning I needed the van for.
And I had arranged to be 40 miles away for 10am.
Found out about the five day s
te, told I needed to go to the PO to tax it.So nips into town, to find out one important thing HAS changed. No more taxing 2 days early
at the PO. I needed to wait till Sat morning or pay for f
king September again. And as the PO doesn't open till 9am no way could I do it and guarantee being where I needed to be, an extra month tax for fk all. (and yes, I could've been late, but I don't work that way)
ked up there IMO. 
Gavia said:
How is it DVLA's fault that you chose to do something that then inconvenienced you down the line?
Wouldn't know that, as I'm fked if I can see where I blame the DVLA for what I did .I blame the dvla for the stupidity of the system.
Point was the 2day thing HAS changed, yes, you can tax it early at the PO, but not if you sorn it as stated( which I did with the reminder and was immediate) cos the girl( who i wouldn't describe as a numpty) tried but the system wouldn't let her.
Normally using the online system has been a quick and painless operation - apart from parting with the readies at the end!
But lets face the facts over car tax
Fact 1 At least once a year you needed to prove your car had insurance and MOT. This ia now computised so thats only a good thing. Except that you can now tax a car without insurance! And still you do not get a reminder about your MOT unless you oganise a pre paid text!
Fact 2 If the Gov could have sorted a pay as you drive system they would have scrapped the road tax several years ago when they started the band system reducing the cost for new cars but they are not capable hence reason you pay so much for the first year etc now and it going back up again.
Fact 3 The best system is pay it on the fuel - the more you use the more you pay. I would not mind getting ripped for using my V8 for the 1000 miles a year I use it then leave me alone for using my eco car for the daily grind the rest of the year.
But lets face the facts over car tax
Fact 1 At least once a year you needed to prove your car had insurance and MOT. This ia now computised so thats only a good thing. Except that you can now tax a car without insurance! And still you do not get a reminder about your MOT unless you oganise a pre paid text!
Fact 2 If the Gov could have sorted a pay as you drive system they would have scrapped the road tax several years ago when they started the band system reducing the cost for new cars but they are not capable hence reason you pay so much for the first year etc now and it going back up again.
Fact 3 The best system is pay it on the fuel - the more you use the more you pay. I would not mind getting ripped for using my V8 for the 1000 miles a year I use it then leave me alone for using my eco car for the daily grind the rest of the year.
sheepdip said:
But lets face the facts over car tax
Fact 1 At least once a year you needed to prove your car had insurance and MOT. This ia now computised so thats only a good thing. Except that you can now tax a car without insurance!
You forget WHY it's not checked on buying tax any more. Instead of insurance being checked once a year, it's now checked ALL year...Fact 1 At least once a year you needed to prove your car had insurance and MOT. This ia now computised so thats only a good thing. Except that you can now tax a car without insurance!
Humper said:
Gavia said:
How is it DVLA's fault that you chose to do something that then inconvenienced you down the line?
Wouldn't know that, as I'm fked if I can see where I blame the DVLA for what I did .I blame the dvla for the stupidity of the system.
Point was the 2day thing HAS changed, yes, you can tax it early at the PO, but not if you sorn it as stated( which I did with the reminder and was immediate) cos the girl( who i wouldn't describe as a numpty) tried but the system wouldn't let her.
BlueHave said:
My local post office closed a few months ago and it was moved into a garage shop about half mile away.
Lots like that now. One I know of in a town of more than 70,000 people is tucked into the nether regions of a branch of WHSmith.The resulting scrum is utterly chaotic, especially when all the Mabels and Dorises turn up mob handed to take out their pension money.
All busily nattering away and blocking the aisles/product displays in the shop.
BlueHave said:
They made redundant the experienced staff and now the post office is run by a spotty 16 year old who was only trained to lick stamps.
Do such stamps still exist? All those I have used for the last 10 years have been self adhesive.BlueHave said:
Clueless when it comes to sending anything recorded delivery so imagine the look of terror when I attempted to tax my car for the first time.
sheepdip said:
Fact 3 The best system is pay it on the fuel - the more you use the more you pay. I would not mind getting ripped for using my V8 for the 1000 miles a year I use it then leave me alone for using my eco car for the daily grind the rest of the year.
You would, because artics that put in 1200 litres every other day would cost tens of thousands of pounds a year more to run, and that huge increase would have to be paid for in their haulage rates, so the cost of everything you buy would go thru the roof.People who don't even have a car would be paying for others to drive.
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