Swansea Extortionists

Write back to them explaining when you sold it. That's worked for me in the past.

If you can prove it you should be OK. I've paid fines for failing to SORN when it was my mistake. When my father-in-law got a notice I wrote and explained that I had personally broken the car some months before, and it was accepted.

What really p***es me off is the people who don't care and don't bother. At New Year, while I was away, a Transit was parked on my garden without my permission, with tax over a year out of date (I was sure it had no MOT either but couldn't prove it). I phoned the local Plod and they just weren't interested in the tax aspect. Even though said van was parked 30 yards up the street for the next three weeks. Makes a mockery of the TV ads doesn't it? The fines seem to be just for those of us who care about our reputation.

If you sent off the correct paperwork stating end of ownership, your liability ends there.

However, if the new owner didn't keep the tax up to date and immediately register the car to him, you might have difficulty proving it.

I had a fine last year for not SORNing a car, despite the fact that I had definitely sent off a SORN declaration. The DVLA said that since they had no record of processing the declaration, it was my fault.

Yes - I can see them saying that since so many will claim the 'lost in the post' syndrome. Some form of proof of posting would seem to be wise.

And that's how it should be. However, I noticed on the back of the incriminate yourself and give lots of cash form they sent, it says whether I state I sold the car or not, I have to pay the fine. Now, I'd like to send them a letter, but what's the chances of them replying one way or the other before the time limit is up and the fine reaches 80 quid plus back tax...?

I've made mistakes before, forgetting to SORN cars I actually own, or stupidly thinking the DVLA could get a duplicate logbook to me before my tax ran out. I just object to paying someone else's fine, which is how the system now seems to be set up.

As I heatedly discussed with an ecilop a while ago when pulled for a spot check, it always seems to be the people who aren't trying to screw the system that get screwed, the ones who the rules are supposed to stop never seem to get caught out...

You'd think so. But it's my name the fine's in, not the new owners.

He must have taxed it for at least some time, as he was using it daily, and I know he'd sorted out his insurance and so on. As for registration, somehow it still appears to be in my name, so I'm guessing either the post or Swansea lost it at some point. In theory you'd think they'd be able to reference his insurance details and so on, and that would be proof, but I doubt it, it's far too much effort when they can just demand cash from me.

Thanks for the advice so far, now I've just got to decide whether to send them a cheque along with the letter and hope they see sense and return it, or just send a letter and hope they reply in time to send a cheque if neccessary. One way I suppose they see me as admitting guilt, the other they can ignore or delay and then demand more money.

I think I'm just most annoyed that there's a system in place that makes you guilty without any option to prove otherwise, and guilty of another's offence FFS!

Bingo. This is what worries me. They send something by post, it's your fault if it doesn't arrive. You send something by post, it's your fault if it doesn't arrive.

And that's before it's even reached the chasm of filing. I remember once a few years ago getting some paperwork or other from them months after I'd sent off for it, my guess is my request reached them easily enough, but got misplaced down the back of a cabinet or something for a while..

Which when I sold the car a couple of days before Christmas that year, didn't happen :(

In the last few months I've had so many problems with post both in and out down here, I now get a postage certificate for *everything* I send off, and anything going to people that might try and get money out of me if the item doesn't turn up goes recorded. My reply on this matter will be going recorded, I see an extra 50p is better than an extra 40 quid.

Hand the SORN in at a Post Office that does VED, they'll give you a receipt.

When dealing with the Swansea licensing authority I always send everything by recorded delivery, it doesn't cost much extra, but as someone at their end has to sign for it, at least they can't argue that they never received it.

The DVLA took me to court last year over a SORN declaration.

I went to court, the DVLA official started spouting off about letters they'd allegedly sent, I replied "First letter I received was this summons, I tried to explain to the DVLA on the phone and they were unhelpful, so I'm here to argue a case relating to letters I didn't receive".

DVLA official withdrew the case there and then.

Judge tore a shred off them as well, something along the lines of "Just because the DVLA sends a letter by normal post doesn't mean it is guaranteed to arrive, DVLA post isn't more important than anyone elses"

Which was nice.

See a solicitor. It sounds like a c*ck up at their end due to bringing in the new database system as the new owner would have needed a V5 or at least a V5/2 (green slip) with their own name and address to be able to tax the car, and as you say, they were able to. The only loophole I can see is if you gave them the complete V5 (assuming it was the newer type with three coloured sections) - they fill in the green bit and present to the PO to get their tax, but they don't bother to send off the blue part notifying of a change of keeper (or it was lost in the post).

Your best chance is if you can contact the new keeper and ask them for a photocopy of the logbook in their name; failing that ring your insurers and have them confirm in writing the date you changed your policy from the old vehicle (including it's reg.) to the new one - this may help prove you no longer own the vehicle.

Darren

In news:DskZd.1492$ snipped-for-privacy@newsfe5-gui.ntli.net, Darren Jarvis decided to enlighten our sheltered souls with a rant as follows

I doubt any of the above would make the slightest bit of difference.

I've got the green bits off the bottom of a few logbooks, and could tax the cars they relate to without actually registering them to me.

It's one of the million loopholes in the system.

Only within three months of the transfer. I know, as I had to shell out for a new V5 when a former keeper failed to send off the V5, and I didn't find out until 18 months later when I had finished the rebuild.