Is there a time limit for DVLA to chase you up?

[Hedders]

I have been a victim of fraud. My car was taxed and Mot'd last year by A Garage in MK. I paid them cash to do this for me as i was at work. Six months later my car got clamped outside my house for an invalid tax disc and i got charged £200 to remove the clamp and had to get another tax disc. Apparently The Garage presented a cheque, which bounced (did they not have a Cheque Guarantee card?). I ended up paying for tax disc twice plus a fine and now i am being persued for the same offence again.

I went to the Garage to confront them at the time but they have now gone out of business and left no forwarding details.

It is over six months since i was clamped and replaced my disc, and over 12 months since the dodgy cheque was presented and they are now trying to fine me a further £227.

Apparently DVLA don't get the clamping fines when they send the DVLA van round so they fine you again.

I have written and explained this to them, but i am curious as to what you guys think. The total bill for six months tax will be £627

Edited by Hedders on Friday 14th September 10:55

[mechsympathy]

Seems a bit odd: Why did the DVLA not write to the registered keeper about the bounced cheque?

[bigdods]

From my experience with the DVLA you are stuffed. They will tell you its your responsibility to correctly tax a car, not their responsibility to tell you when you havent.

[NobleGuy]

Yep. Bastards at the garage I bought my first Noble taxed it for me, only to find the disc started 5 months earlier as they hadn't had it taxed for that long. Idiots didn't realise that they could tax it from the month I bought it. I got 1 months tax for £95. DVLA are useless (aren't all govt depts?) when being asked to investigate it.

Never ever allow the garage to do things like tax your car for you.

[Eliminator]

This is one to take to your MP.

Technically, they are right so there is no point in arguing the technicality.

There is no point in asking for "fair treatment" from the DVLA - they will follow the rules.

Get along to your MP's surgery with any documentation that you can find. Enlist help of MP which might of itself generate a better response from DVLA. You can increase the pressure later (if needed) by getting the local / national press interested in your case.

Also inform trading standards. They can't get your money back (or the DVLA to back-off) but it provides evidence that might stop the same individuals opening another business.

[Vesuvius 996]

I think you're stuffed.

Morally you're in the right, but you are gonna have to pay to stop the rot.


If a job's worth doing..........

[Hedders]

mechsympathy said:

Seems a bit odd: Why did the DVLA not write to the registered keeper about the bounced cheque?

They said they would have wrote to me. Hey they were outside my house they could have knocked on the door and spoke to me.

No money in that though.