Post Office / Road Tax

[daver]

My patience has just been sorely tested.

My road tax will expire 2 days after I return from a holiday. I haven't yet had the reminder from DVLA and have made the fatal mistake of trying to do something proactive to sort the matter before I go away to avoid the panic and risk of fine when I get back.

Colleagues warned against Post Office W because it doesn't do road tax. I already know that Post Office X will be shut for lunch so I travel to the recommended Post Office Y which, I discover, has half-day closing on a Wednesday (whaaattt??). I eventually arrive at Post Office Z which cannot provide what I'm after "as they don't have the March 1 discs from DVLA yet".

Incredulous, I point out that my current disc expires Feb 28 06 and that I would be perfectly happy (it being Feb now) with one that expires Feb 28 07.

"No, we can't do that, it has to say March 1."
"So does my renewal move by one day each year? Will my next one in say March 2, 2008?"
"No"

At this point I decided that there was clearly an inconsistency in the story and that persevering with an operative for whom English was clearly a second language was only going to result in no happy ending and me becoming increasingly irate.

It never ceases to amaze me that we can put a man on the moon and split the atom. At this point in our evolution there ought to be nothing in the organisation of our day to day lives that should remain the slightest challenge to us....

And yet our capacity to invent processes and create obstacles to needlessly and ceaselessly piss ourselves off remains unequalled by any living creature.

[staceyb]

do it online sooooooooooo much easier

[daver]

I would sooooooo love to do it on line. How do I do that, thought, when the car is over 3 years old and therefore has a paper hand-written MoT certificate?

[eccles]

i thought you could only tax your car up to 2 weeks in advance of the old one running out.

[viper_larry]

If you don't have a new computerised MoT certificate, then you can't do it online. I think it's by March next year when all MoT's will be computerised.

[staceyb]

daver said:

I would sooooooo love to do it on line. How do I do that, thought, when the car is over 3 years old and therefore has a paper hand-written MoT certificate?

I got constructions with my v11 on how to do it.

[srebbe64]

Don't get me going about tax disks and post offices, last year nightmare:

Arrive at post office, queue up, give paperwork to lady
Last year's MOT, need to go home
Arrive at post office, queue up, give paperwork and credit card.
Don't take credit cards sir, it needs to be cash.
I don't have cashpoint card so I go home and get it.
Drive to cashpoint, withdraw £150.
Arrive at post office, queue up, and give paperwork and cash.
Sorry sir it's £180 not £150.
Drive to back to cahspoint withdraw £30.
Drive back to post office, but closed for lunch.
Drive home.
An hour later drive back to post office, queue up, forgot paperwork!
go home, pick up paperwork, arrive at post office, queue up and buy tax tisk.

I was like a bear with a sore head - what with the wife and kids laughing every time I returned home!

[Mr Whippy]

£180 now?

Mine was £170 odd last year? Has it gone up again?

Oh joy

Dave

[tinman0]

srebbe64 said:

Don't get me going about tax disks and post offices, last year nightmare: Arrive at post office, queue up, give paperwork to lady Last year's MOT, need to go home Arrive at post office, queue up, give paperwork and credit card. Don't take credit cards sir, it needs to be cash. I don't have cashpoint card so I go home and get it. Drive to cashpoint, withdraw £150. Arrive at post office, queue up, and give paperwork and cash. Sorry sir it's £180 not £150. Drive to back to cahspoint withdraw £30. Drive back to post office, but closed for lunch. Drive home. An hour later drive back to post office, queue up, forgot paperwork! go home, pick up paperwork, arrive at post office, queue up and buy tax tisk. I was like a bear with a sore head - what with the wife and kids laughing every time I returned home!

why dont you use the postal service? much easier. tax disc back in 48 hours.

[eccles]

you can apply for it up to two months in advance if you are going to be abroad when it runs out....

www.direct.gov.uk/Motoring/OwningAVehicle/HowToTaxYourVehicle/HowToTaxYourVehicleArticles/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=4022052&chk=pjtyzX

otherwise you have to wait for the 15th of the month the tax runs out.

www.direct.gov.uk/Motoring/OwningAVehicle/HowToTaxYourVehicle/HowToTaxYourVehicleArticles/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=4022051&chk=Q8loLj

[grass widow]

I had this problem with the Chrysler, tried taxing it online, but if your car insurance runs out at the same time you can't, the computer says no cos according to it your not insured, although it does state somewhere on the screen that it may be just that your insurance is due for renewal. So it said I had to go to the post office and produce my documents.

The Cerb on the other hand is insured till Sept, but the tax runs out the end of this month, and I have a computerised MOT so I should be able to do it online.

[Fallon]

what I REALLY object to is that the DVLA will happily refund an unexpired tax disc - but ONLY the fully un-expired months.

So, I've paid for 6 months, but because my car conked out on the first of the month and I want to swap the disc to another vehicle, I LOSE a whole month?

Bah! Thieving buggers!