Trader conned me out of my private plate

missile

You have been done up like a kipper, I think you have zero chance of getting your cherished number back and very little chance of any compensation. However, I would not rest until I had exploed all options. I would suggest more time passed the less chance you have.

Do not waste your time with CAB, go and see a GOOD solicitor asap.

kazmeister

spiro wrote: »

That is one of the reasons that if you have a private plate that you need to advise your insurance that you want to retain the car in a total right off situation otherwise the plate becomes theirs with the remainder of your car.

We just had a similar situation with our plate. Parked car hit by drunk driver, advised to transfer plate immediately to retention, paperwork sent offto dvla recorded delivery next day, paperwork returned by them as day after they received it they received paperwork confirming write off and processed that first. Insurance company had to send us engineers report and letter confirming they had no interest in the plate to send to dvla. 3 weeks later retention certificate received. Now we are trying to claim back the tax on a vehicle we dont own any more but couldnt do as you cant claim back while trying to transfer a number plate!

Good luck with getting yours back.

eddddy

There seem to be a lot of red herrings in this thread!

Form what you say you made a verbal contract with the trader along the lines of "I will px my car as long as you transfer its reg number back to me". Your invoice says "that my number plate is to be removed before the sale" which is a bit vague, but it generally supports your version of events.

If the trader fails to transfer the reg number back to you, he is in breach of contract and you can sue him for damages (probably the £1000 that the plate is worth).

The problem is that the trader may deny that he agreed to transfer the reg back to you - but you have the note on the invoice "that my number plate is to be removed before the sale". Courts aren't stupid - they won't say "you obviously agreed with the trader that you just wanted the white and yellow bits of plastic from the front and back of the car, that are worth £10". They will take a fairly dim view of the trader if he tries to suggest that.

The next problem is that even if the court says the trader owes you the money - getting him to pay up may still be difficult.

wealdroam

kazmeister wrote: »

Now we are trying to claim back the tax on a vehicle we dont own any more but couldnt do as you cant claim back while trying to transfer a number plate!

That shouldn't be a problem.

The first sentence on this DirectGov webpage tells us...

You can apply for a refund of vehicle tax if you are the current registered keeper or were the last registered keeper of your vehicle.

Happytohelp

eddddy wrote: »

There seem to be a lot of red herrings in this thread!

Form what you say you made a verbal contract with the trader along the lines of "I will px my car as long as you transfer its reg number back to me". Your invoice says "that my number plate is to be removed before the sale" which is a bit vague, but it generally supports your version of events.

If the trader fails to transfer the reg number back to you, he is in breach of contract and you can sue him for damages (probably the £1000 that the plate is worth).

The problem is that the trader may deny that he agreed to transfer the reg back to you - but you have the note on the invoice "that my number plate is to be removed before the sale". Courts aren't stupid - they won't say "you obviously agreed with the trader that you just wanted the white and yellow bits of plastic from the front and back of the car, that are worth £10". They will take a fairly dim view of the trader if he tries to suggest that.

The next problem is that even if the court says the trader owes you the money - getting him to pay up may still be difficult.

Good to see someone actually providing a sensible response. The OP doesn't need to be told he's 'been done' he wants helpful advice.

You say you left the keys and V5C logbook with the motor trader. Did you sign the V5C anywhere as the outgoing keeper? If someone else has signed the V5C on your behalf it is fraud.

You definitely need to get some advice urgently from a good solicitor. Also contact DVLA to find out the current status of your old car. Is it still registered to you? Has it been exported? Is it in trade? You may get more help by going along in person to your nearest DVLA Local Office.

"I asked him for the contact details but he said he doesn't have them."
The motor trader must keep a record of who he has sold the vehicle to.

There could be a couple of reasons why this has turned out the way it has. The majority of motor traders I know dislike number plate transfers. They can be time-consuming and rely on the former keeper of the vehicle returning the V5C logbook to the dealer after the transfer has taken place.

The trader may think you are a pushover and has fed you the 'sold for export' story in the hope that you will let it go and that will be the end of it. Alternatively he may see the value in the personalised registration and be acting completely dishonestly in a bid to keep your prized number plates.

To summarise; get the real version of events from DVLA and also contact a good solicitor for advice.

s_b

Happytohelp wrote: »

Good to see someone actually providing a sensible response.

hes had plenty of good advice if you read all the thread
thank you very much