Noting Sadbutmadlad’s comment over at Anna Racoon’s about the DVLA, I have to relate a positive experience today. Yes, really.
We are bringing back three vehicles to the UK. All of these were previously registered in the UK before exporting them to France. On bringing them back, surely all it needs is a change in the database field that shows them as exported and a new V5 issued. You’d think so. The insurers were a pain and one MOT tester didn’t understand that he could test the vehicle while it was still on French plates. I contacted the DVLA and was told that I would need to complete a V55/5 form – even though I am not importing as such, merely repatriating vehicles that are already on the database. I asked if we would keep the original numbers and was told “probably”. Yet nothing has changed. Why should the numbers change? All we really needed was a new V5 document.
Still, I filled in the V55/5 for my Megane and went along to the local DVLA office to test the system. The experience was pleasingly simple. I was told that as the vehicle was previously UK registered, the V55/5, MOT certificate and Insurance certificate – along with driving licence and evidence of residence was all that I needed. Oh, yes, and the fee for the tax. The other positive note was that when I telephoned, I was told that I would have to wait for seven to ten days for everything to be sorted. The reality was pleasantly different. “oh, no,” said the woman dealing with my application. “I can do it now.” And she did. I walked out with my tax disk and fitted my UK plates back on arriving home.
Apart from the queuing, I was in and out in about fifteen minutes, my original assessment being correct – it was as straightforward as it should have been. It was nice to deal with someone who knew her stuff. I just wish they all did and gave out consistent advice…
At least you had a pleasent experience. Our personal experience in getting DVLA to fix our address was not the same – four attempts it took before they got the address right.
DVLA does handle millions of transactions a year. The majority are going to be simple, straightforward, and without problem. It’s how they cope with the mistakes that shows the DVLA to be crap. It shows that staff at DVLA are trained to do just their task and nothing else and either they are stupid and can’t think or they are forced to follow the procedure come what may, but if something is ever so slightly off norm they can’t cope and everything breaks down.
Frankly, I was pleasantly surprised, given that what I was doing was slightly different from the norm and that I had received conflicting information when telephoning them.
I always make a point of taking down a particularly-helpful individual’s name & putting in a compliment – esp. now email is ubiquitous.
It balances out all the complaints I make! 🙂
I’ve already made a note of her name as we are going back to do the Clio and the bike tomorrow.
The “probably” with regard to your old numbers is perhaps while they check to see that they have not sold your old numbers as private plates.
I’d already checked before making the call. They hadn’t. 😉
The “probably” with regard to your old numbers is perhaps while they check to see that they have not sold your old numbers as private plates.
I’m sure everyone knows this but you can’t buy reg. numbers, only the use of them. They can be recalled at any time – so if you paid £20k for one……….
It’s only a matter of time before some bright spark hits on the idea of selling them all again.
Aaaaaaah! But had THEY checked?
Good point by smellingas though. Perhaps this is what SORN is for? Forget to SORN that old car at the side of the house that you keep meaning to restore – all of a sudden you see the same registration on a new Range Rover. KER-CHING!
Amended to add: Then you have to either go through the hassle of getting an age related number (probably for sale from DVLA – KER-CHING!) or have to have a “Q”-plate, thereby upping your insurance premiums and lowering the cars resale value.
IIRC this has happened. I think it may have been reported in Classic Bike a few years back when folk decided to renovate a box of bits only to find that the registration number was no longer available. One of the guys at my bike dealers has a Q plate on an old BMW because of just that.