DVLA Failure to relicense

ollym_3

hellofreebies wrote: »

im sure if you could afford a new car, you should beable to afford the £40 fine, basically you deliberately forgot to tax your car as you thought you could get away using the renewal notice as an excuse to delay paying and even avoid the fine. only a few years ago they didnt send renewal notices, now i can see why they offer this free service as they mustve got fed up with people like yourself who deliberately forget when its due! i think you got off quite likely as if your car was parked on a public road without tax you wouldve had it towed to the compound and charged a storage fee per day as well as the hundreds to release the car ( and still have to pay the fine ) not to mention the inconvenience and taxi cost to the compound. your the sucker for giving them an excuse to fine you!!!

I wish people wouldn't tell ME what I did. I think I know what happened and am honest enough to describe the situation as it occured. It was an honest mistake. Totally shocked by the harsh and uncalled for opinions of a few nasty people in this thread.

scbk

About 2 month ago I bought another vehicle, it had no V5 and I wasn't wanting it on the road for a while so when applying for the V5 I also stuck in a letter asking if they could SORN it. About a month later the logbook arrived and was it SORN? No! So when I delclared online got the usual message "our centre may be in contact with you regarding this period of the vehicle being unlicenced" :rolleyes:

Not the first time I've heard that, and touch wood, never had a fine:p


Infact this thread's reminded me that with the start of a new month I've got another sorn to declare....

tripled

Dear me ollym, how stupid of you to make a mistake and post on here for advice.

I made a similar mistake last year - I never got the renewal notice and for some reason thought there was more tax my car than there actually was. I posted a tounge-in-cheek thread about reclaiming the 'unfair charge' (like a bank charge), some people took it as the joke it was but others stormed in with their head up their ars e. I just hope someone no one ever knocks them off their pedestal as they'll have a long way to fall

I too was given the advice about 'looking in the corner of the windscreen when I'm in the car'. As I pointed out, unfortunately the tax disc faces forwards (out the front), and I don't sit on the bonnet facing backwards, so following the advice wouldn't do me much good at all. No one replied to that point for some reason!:rotfl:

manda1205

tripled wrote: »

Dear me ollym, how stupid of you to make a mistake and post on here for advice.

I made a similar mistake last year - I never got the renewal notice and for some reason thought there was more tax my car than there actually was. I posted a tounge-in-cheek thread about reclaiming the 'unfair charge' (like a bank charge), some people took it as the joke it was but others stormed in with their head up their ars e. I just hope someone no one ever knocks them off their pedestal as they'll have a long way to fall

I too was given the advice about 'looking in the corner of the windscreen when I'm in the car'. As I pointed out, unfortunately the tax disc faces forwards (out the front), and I don't sit on the bonnet facing backwards, so following the advice wouldn't do me much good at all. No one replied to that point for some reason!:rotfl:

:rotfl: :T :rotfl:
Good Im glad Im not the only person with these views on here, I was quite shocked that more than half who answered on this thread think its quite unreasonable to "forget" anything and try and get something back from the system for forgetting. And also to hellofreebies who said that up till recently you didnt get reminders, when was this? Ive been driving 10 years and always got one?????

LandyAndy

tripled wrote: »

Dear me ollym, how stupid of you to make a mistake and post on here for advice.

When you make a mistake and post on here for advice sometimes the advice is take responsibility for your own actions.

I still don't understand why someone who can afford to keep a car that they use 'once a month' can't face the fine.

manda1205

LandyAndy wrote: »

When you make a mistake and post on here for advice sometimes the advice is take responsibility for your own actions.

I still don't understand why someone who can afford to keep a car that they use 'once a month' can't face the fine.

Its not the point of facing the fine, its the point that dvla's reminder (reminder being so you dont forget) did not get to the OP. In which case dvla should cut some slack. Like the bank charges, does that mean someone with loads of money sitting in the bank shouldnt try and get their bank charges back, just cos theyve got money now? I know dvla is slightly different but theyre still charging over the top and as ollym said their should be room for descrepency.

LandyAndy

manda1205 wrote: »

Its not the point of facing the fine, its the point that dvla's reminder (reminder being so you dont forget) did not get to the OP. In which case dvla should cut some slack. Like the bank charges, does that mean someone with loads of money sitting in the bank shouldnt try and get their bank charges back, just cos theyve got money now? I know dvla is slightly different but theyre still charging over the top and as ollym said their should be room for descrepency.

I presume you mean room for discretion, and perhaps there should. However with rights (that to drive a car) come responsibilities (keep it MOT'd, taxed and insured). The OP neglected their responsibilities and face a fine.

tripled

Now I've finished laughing into my cornflakes - especially at hellofreebies' phsychic power - I thought I would try to provide some useful advice, as in all fairness one or two others have done, as opposed to giving you a patronising lecture like some others.

Unfortunately the DVLA aren't likely to give you any money back as they aren't renowned for their generosity, however I see no harm in perhaps writing a short letter to them explaining and asking if there is any room for discretion. The worst they can say is no, and although it is unlikely you will get a refund, you will never know unless you try.

In future, try to mark when your car tax is due in some way that will remind you, such as in your diary or calander. Personally as I don't use calanders or diaries, I have put a reminder on my phone - two weeks before it is due, it will beep at me at some point in the day and display "Renew car tax". Or perhaps you could put a sticker in your car where you will see it (without sitting on the bonnet when driving down the road ), whatever works for you.

Good luck getting your money back, and I hope you get your holiday!

nb: Also if you have a self-assessment tax return, don't forget to return it on time. By choosing to be born, you have certain rights and responsibilities, and forgetfullness will not be tolerated under any circumstances.

waster_2

Surely the bottom line here is that if you want to own and run a motor car you take on the responsibilities associated with it. That not only means ensuring that the Road Fund Licence is kept current but that the insurance is valid, any MOT is current, the vehicle is roadworthy and you know the rules, etc of the road.

You do not get a “reminder” when the MOT is due (yes, I know some garages may send one out just to get the business) and there is no obligation on insurers to send out reminders either. Again insurers only do so in order to retain business. The responsibility is with the owner and/or driver of the vehicle. Have you checked your tyres are legal? Or are you waiting for a reminder? Is there any petrol in the tank or is a reminder awaited first. I'm not trying to be sarcy or funny but just showing that owning a car is taking responsibility for a number of matters not just the tax. How do you ensure your car is roadworthy? No reminders will be given for servicing, daily/weekly checks and the like.

And, assuming you are already the registered keeper and have the V5 (log book) you can either renew your tax or SORN on line - see here. And in any case you only need to go to a Post Office if that's easier. In either case you do not need to have received any “reminder”. So not rocket science.

We all make mistakes at some time. But we must all take responsibility and the consequences.

C_Ronaldo

Personally its easy to remember my tax date, A its runs out at the same time my insurance does and B id bought the car a few weeks after