DVLA help needed

dilly1

About 6 months ago I informed DVLA that I had scrapped a car, I forgot all about it until I had a letter saying I was to be fined for not declaring sorn on the car.
I wrote to the DVLA and said there must be an error as I had informed them I didn't have the car and it was scrapped.
This morning I had another letter saying that the department had not received notification that the car had been scrapped and that if it had I would have been sent an acknowledgement letter within 4 weeks ,and that if I didn't receive the acknowledgement letter it was up to me to pursue the DVLA for the letter. details of the process can be found on the VC5 whatever that is regarding this.
They say I must pay an 80 pounds penalty unless I pay 40 pounds to them before 03/03/2007. unless I send them the acknowledgement letter that I never received back.
I honestly reported the car as scrapped I cannot afford 40 pounds let alone 80 pounds as I am a full time carer so unable to work,
I suppose it's my fault as I didn't chase up the acknowledgment letter but I thought as I had informed them I had done my part.
Is there anything I can do about this, or am I stuffed.
Thanks in advance Lynn
Hope this is posted in the right place sorry if it's not

Bossyboots

The instructions on what to do are in the booklet that came with the new type registration documents and it does clearly say you should contact them if you don't hear after four weeks.

I can't see you have a way out of this unless you try again to persuade them it was a genuine oversight and inform them of your financial position. I don't hold out much hope to be honest but you won't know unless you try.

peterg1965

I think that you have no option but to pay the £40, sorry.

Missy79

Do you have any proof that the car was scrapped when you said it was? This may help your case as they'd then be pursuing you for not following procedure rather than possibly driving illegally. Don't know if this'd help but you never know. If it was a scrapyard i think they record registrations of scrapped cars maybe they could help you out.

suzzi2704

Unless you have proof you can't protest it really, though its damn annoying as car tax can get complicated - as they have no record of you're SORN their systems assume you're card is still on the road and so still under taxation laws..... you have to tell them otherwise if you don't want to pay!!

dilly1

Thanks to all for the advice, but to Missy 79 most of all as her post hit a note in my often rather dim brain, the chap who took the car away was one that comes around door knocking for scrap but I know he takes his cars to a yard that my best friends son works at, and i'm sure that he will see if he can find the details on the car for me if so I can at least prove that the car was scrapped as I said it was.
Really cannot thank you enough I doubt it would have accured to me, i'm happy to say I am debit free but it's a balancing act and the £40 the DVLA want to fine me has already been put aside ready to tax my car at the end of this month, very important for me to stay on the road as where I live is very rural without any form of public transport at all. will keep everything crossed that DVLA will cancel the fine.

electron007

I just read the last person who is getting done £40 same as me.
I sold my car and sent off the form. I did not register the letter (mistake) I also did not check if DVLA did their job either. It is all to do with me being the registered keeper and responsible for it.
Along comes fine of £80 or £40 if paid early. Fuming, I wrote and explained everything to no avail. Not only that but the garage who had the old car cashed in the tax on it and DVLA gave it to them without question. So they can give a refund to anyone who is not the registered keeper. But I am lumbered with a £40 bill because they said I was the keeper. Is this bending the rules or not.
NOT the end of the story. I was in work today looking and feeling rather grumpy when a friend gave me a story almost mirror image to what happened to me. He sent off the documents etc and still got done £40.
My personal thoughts are that this looks like a scam for someone to make money out of honest people without getting up off their whatsits to catch the real crooks.

Martin, its about time we had a national poll out on the front of your website and see just how many of us have had this problem to contend with. If you look on DVLA site it tells of how many letters have gone missing there already.

Glad

Hi, Martin’s asked me to post this in these circumstances: I’ve asked Board Guides to move threads if they’ll receive a better response elsewhere (please see this rule) so this post/thread has been moved to another board, where it should get more replies. If you have any questions about this policy please email [EMAIL="abuse@moneysavingexpert.com"]abuse@moneysavingexpert.com[/EMAIL].

Woody75_2

I work for a law firm and my job there is debt recovery and amongst other things i deal with DVLA late licence penalties.

dilly and electron im sorry to say there really is not much you can do regarding this. As bossyboots pointed out the instructions are clearly printed on the log and its the registered keepers (sellers) responsibility to make sure the DVLA is notified of any changes of ownership including scrapping of vehicle by sending off the log and then receiving a confirmation of this from the DVLA. If the confirmation letter does not come, they have basically not received the log, and you are still the registered keeper of the vehicle and still liable for it. Its that simple.

So as soon as the tax expires, the vehicle is unlicenced and an automatic late licence penalty is issued to the registered keeper of the vehicle, so when you have sold or scrapped a vehicle and the DVLA have not received the V5 log its all still registered to you and you get the fine even if your not in possession of the car.

In my experience it is extremely rare for these penalties to be quashed and then only under exceptional circumstances. Dilly, had you have chased the matter up with the DVLA when you didnt receive an acknowledge from them after sending the logbook you probably would not have this penalty now.

I have no information that can help you get out of this, but i would strongly suggest you pay the £40 before it becomes £80. Sorry