DVLA Question

Well defiantly not driven it, its got no engine in it right now since it's being re-built for a trip to pod :D

I took it off the road about a month before the tax ran out and have still got it insured.

Just where did you get that figure from? It's total rubbish. And many of the confirmed cases are by individual postmen dumping mail. Can't see an individual postman delivering to the DVLA, somehow. He'd need a pretty big bag...

Given the posties seem to lose about one in ten letters these days, I must admit I emailed DVLA and explained I was sorning a car. They emailed back to say "no problem" and they'd put the record on the computer for me.

I think this would be a legal loophole if I was trying to escape the more serious crime of driving while sorned, rather than untaxed, but my email does trace back to me, I guess. Or maybe they just add a note on the computer record so that if the sorn notice doesn't turn up they can check.

Apparently >Hello ppl ,

How about the Postwatch campaign that wrote a letter to each individual MP to get them to lobby for reforms in the postal services to improve the falling levels correctly delivered (if at all).

When they recieved no replies, they phoned each individual MP. None of their Parlimentary offices had recieved the letter.

That is a fantastic result. 100% loss of letters between one sender, and one recipient address (The houses of parliment post room).

it's officially official they lose upwards of 14,000,000 letters a year it doesn't take a simpleton* to work out that that's a lot of letters even if it IS down to one postie throwing them away, most end up at the wrong address or just aren't accountable for in the great scheme of things

(not that I'm calling you a simpleton, just that it doesn't need a genius to work out that 14 million letters is one f*ck load of shit going missing every year, and that's just the official ones that have been reported as not having turned up)

tell them you sent it back they haven't received it you did you r part they haven't done there's personally, I go down to the post office and get a receipt for £0.00p to prove that I did get it because it says on it "payment for sorn" and the date ;)

One in ten is a huge amount. I dunno what proportion 14 million is. I use the post *a lot* - much more than the average private individual, I'd guess, and I've never had a properly addressed letter or parcel go adrift. If it were 1 in 10, this really doesn't seem likely.

In news:cctpls$321$ snipped-for-privacy@sparta.btinternet.com, Glenn decided to enlighten our sheltered souls with a rant as follows

I had one of these letters for my old Alfa arrive on the doorstep on Saturday. This morning I had a letter from a seemingly unrelated branch of the DVLA saying "Thank you for informing us of the change of ownership". I rang the DVLA who'd sent the threatening one, explained that in my left hand I had a fine for not telling them, and in my right hand a letter thanking me for informing them... Girl on the phone giggled, and said "Ok, I'll send you a letter to confirm it's not your problem anymore, thanks for calling"..

I suspect I should SORN the Mercedes...

Happened to me with a fine. sent of my £30 fine and they never got it. they sent me a letter saying you now owe us £45. I rang and explained but they just said they never got it. I had to pay £45

Right. So very roughly one in a thousand goes astray. Slightly different from one in ten.

And I wonder how many of those reported are of the 'cheque's in the post' variety?

as long as you have proof that you sent it, the onus is on them to prove that they didn't get it not that the post office lost it

I get roughly 5 - 10 letters a month delivered through my door that not only aren't to do with me, but are nothing to do with this postcode either! In fact, a couple of times they've not even been this part of town.

I imagine it's somewhat harder for the postie to f*ck up delivering to the DVLA, but I wouldn't trust them not to any more. Come to think of it, the new owner of the Mini hasn't got the logbook back yet, and I don't remember ever getting any paperwork for my Triumph that's been off the road since the day I got it. Better sort out the Triumph really.

Of course, I don't trust the DVLA not to c*ck up now and again either, so that's 2 lots of idiots who couldn't care less about the average punter to deal with every time some car paperwork needs doing.

I sent my SORN fine recorded, as they'd not only managed to bring it about largely by their own actions, but also sent the demand a couple of days before Xmas, payable by the 27th December. I figured I'd have full details of when it was sent, and make the buggers have to sign for it as well to be doubly sure. I never got a receipt or any reply to the letter I enclosed with teh cheque (in which I called them a bunch of incompetant money grabbing fuckwits who wouldn't understand good customer relations if their governmentally supported lives depended on it), but they eventually cashed the cheque according to my bank statement, and I haven't heard any more from them.

But how much easier is it to trust the big red cylinder at the end of your road, rather than try to get to the PO on time and queue behind a sea of blue hair? I try to always get a cert when posting anything, but sometimes it's just not practical.

Well, yes, I've had one or two like that - but nothing like as many as you. But I simply re-post them so they'd presumably just be late - rather than lost?

I do get a fair few wrongly addressed - ie correct street and house number, but that's not the fault of the PO.

Ditto.

Finally managed to get them on the phone yesterday after about 10 mins of holding. The woman was quite pleasant at the other end and just said I need to send them the SORN back dated and sign the declaration.

All seems a bit ridiculous, why have the fine part stamped all over the letter (note : it was in a significantly larger font then the rest of the letter) when all you have to do is ring up, have a go and they back-date it.

Road tax really should be on fuel, would make the whole process much simpler.

Agreed 110%. There is no justification whatsoever for the current loonatic system !