DVLA playing up again

[Mr.F]

Just when we thought that the system for applying for historic tax was sorted and running smoothly (last successful one I know of only a couple of weeks ago), the DVLA have changed the rules.
They claim they haven't. They also claim to have written to all V765 registered clubs to "clarify" (read "change") the rules. They patently haven't - we were accepted on the scheme back in April and this mythical letter purports to have been sent in June...
They are now saying that Club dating letters are no longer acceptable and that each individual must somehow get their own extract from the manufacturer's records or make reference to an extract from an obsolete and out of print publication, the Glass's Check Guide - which is unlikely to have data better than the Club's own records.
I am in discussion with DVLA over this (again), but their particular brand of faceless bureaucracy is hard to get past...

Will keep you informed.

 

[johnymd]

Looks like I should have applied earlier and claimed my tax refund rather then waiting for the tax to run out. Oh well, better rew my tax and pay the duty I am exempt for. Thanks for your help Mike and I'm still crossing my fingers that next year the rolling scheme will continue.

 

[smaurikid]

Surpised they are listening to the club , after what they told me! What was it they said.........we do not accept the dating advice of an owners club?
OR - what they said after sending them a letter from Nissan Japan............"anyone could have sent that letter" I could go on .......but I really do not appreciate their professionalism. I ate 'em! Right I will shut up now.......

 

[mattbibbey]

It's typical. All the bullying victims from school who couldn't get into the police went and worked for the DVLA. Now there's a bunch of c**ts gone power mad! But like my dad always says, " Have you ever tried being mad without power?"

 

[status]

I though all the bully's pumped iron and became doormen and walked like penguins and looked rather silly,some of em are right good bloke's though and never was a bully,getting back to the tax i thought it was cars that were registerd somewhere in 1972,wish i kept me Jenson,would have got something for nothing

 

[johnymd]

I have spoken to them a couple of times now and I still can't believe quite how rude they were. You often get this type of attitude when you p155 people off but they were like it from the word go.

 

[AliK]

If the system is crude and cruel then turn the bureaucracy on itself. My way around it these days is I record calls that I anticipate may be contentious and notify them upfront - the tone does change and they become helpful and less contemptuous.

I have in the past sent recordings to customer services, once to a CEO of a ferry company and the banking ombudsmen; all with great results.

Maybe we should record all our calls to the DVLA on this topic and send in to their customer complaints dept!? Showing divergence of conflicting information and politeness! Someone will care about efficiency of their call centre.





Ali K

 

[mattbibbey]

That's a really good idea mate. I like it. I have always found them to be unhelpful, smug, arrogant and often just plain obstructive. A very poor service from a department that we are often legally obliged to deal with. Bad.

 

[MaximG]

For the best results start sending this stuff and complaints to a local MP. If it's anything like where I work as soon as an MP gets involved and it could affect votes heaven and earth is moved to placate things.

 

[Mr.F]

Despite protests, the DVLA refuse to acknowledge that the rules have changed. However, you might interpret this extract from their reply differently:

"...following a change in legislation in respect of the Historic Vehicle taxation Class, there was an update to the procedures in relation to acceptable evidence to support a request to change a date of manufacture to an earlier date than that already recorded on the DVLA register. This update was introduced to bring the requirements in line with those in place for claiming MoT exemption for vehicles manufactured pre 1960."

Effectively, they decided at an arbitrary point that Club dating letters were insufficient evidence. Not a change in policy but an "update to procedures".
On the basis that they seem to think that the extract from the Glass's Check Guide for the period will be suitable evidence, I have obtained for The Z Club a copy of the 1969 - 1978 edition. I find that this will be fine for the 240Z currently as it shows that production ceased in 1973 with imports recorded up to December 1973. The final chassis number for UK cars is listed as HS30-103672.

However, the same evidential source is not good news for 260Z owners in that no imports are listed until January 1974 starting with chassis RS30-00014. Confidence in the Guide is undermined when the it initially shows a chassis prefix as R530 (a common mistake on V5s from DVLA).
The gap in 260Z 2 seater imports into the UK is, IMO, also incorrectly recorded and may cause problems in two years forward...
Essentially. no more 260Zs will be accepted for historic status on the basis of this document unless they already show a V5 registered date of 7th January 1974 or earlier. This implies that the DVLA believe that a vehicle could be manufactured in Japan, shipped to the UK and be road registered in one week!

I can provide a photocopy or electronic copy of the Glass's Guide extract for paid-up members with 240Zs who have still not registered for historic tax, but 260Z owners will now have to wait until next year's update.

 

[Mr.F]

Final word from DVLA:

"Each application sent to DVLA will need to be accompanied by an extract copy from the Glass's Check Book, and accompanied by a club letter."

We can now do this, but the Glass's Check Guide will not support any more applications from 260Z until next year.

 

[johnymd]

Sent my application back to them yesterday but didn't include the club letter this time as it said it wasn't sufficient!!!!!!! Hope I don't have to wait the 14 days until I can talk to them again!

 

[datty240Z]

I submitted mine about 2 weeks ago to DVA Coleraine with just the club letter. It'll be interesting to see if they handle it any differently here in N Ireland.

 

[datty240Z]

I've been waiting 6 weeks now with no word so I rang this morning. All they would say is that they have my application and would be in contact when they had dealt with it. How long does this process normally take? BTW DVA Coleraine forwarded my application to Swansea as all NI matters are dealt with there now.

 

[johnymd]

Mine has been going on since late July now. Its the time delays and the fact that they will not speak to you that really winds me up. They will not talk to you until 14 days from the date they get the application, not ever to verify they actually have it. Then when you ring them on the 15th day they tell you its been rejected but wont go into detail as its all in the letter you will get in another weeks time. Mine has been rejected twice on grounds of insufficient dating evidence. The second time, despite me providing the evidence they had asked for.

I'm still waiting to hear.

 

[datty240Z]

When I applied for my 180B it only took a couple of weeks and I didn't have to tax the car either. They just sent me a new tax book. Now apparently I have to tax the car car at the same time or they won't consider it.

 

[johnymd]

Just rang them again using a dirrect number and got through to a very helpfull department who said they would check the status of the application and ring me back. Sure enough, they just rang to say its all been processed succesfully and the new v5c and tax disk are in the post. Result at last.

 

[Mr.F]

its all been processed successfully

Hooray!

 

[johnymd]

Thanks Mike for all your assistance. I may well have given up after they rejected the Glass dating book extract.

 

[datty240Z]

Successful at last. What an unbelievably long process. As expected dva wrote back saying the letter from the club wasn't sufficient so I wrote back enclosing the Glasses extract. They then wrote saying that they couldn't change the taxation class unless the car was taxed and mot'd. This done I wrote back again.I got a letter today to say that I'd mistakenly taxed my car as private light goods but their records show it as historic, they will refund my payment and issue a new tax book. Hardly worth the effort tbh!