V.o.s.a new m.o.t computer system down

woody2234

Same thing across the U.K not just Nottinghamshire

Garages are struggling to cope with a new system for processing MOTs, leaving drivers with cancelled services.

Mechanics who have transferred to the new Vehicle & Operator Services Agency (VOSA) system say customers are either having to wait longer while they fill out paper forms by hand or come back another day.

It is leading to a backlog at MOT centres across Nottinghamshire, with cars queued on garage forecourts waiting for the computer system to load.



Read more: http://www.nottinghampost.com/MOTs-hold-Nottinghamshire-garages-hit-technical/story-27629909-detail/story.html#ixzz3jNFRQNkQ
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AdrianC

Umm, VOSA don't exist any more. It's now the DVSA, since VOSA and the DSA (Driving Standards Agency) were merged last April.

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/driver-and-vehicle-standards-agency

And quite why the test centres affected can't use the contingency procedures, I'm not sure.
https://www.gov.uk/mot-testing-service-contingency-testing

With those minor details in mind, I wonder how well the rest of the article reflects reality...?

boom

I had my car MOT'd in Leeds yesterday. The car done before mine left without a paper certificate because the new system was borked.

Mine passed and got a paper certificate so I thought I was one of the lucky ones until I studied it a bit more closely and found out that the expiry date was 1 year from yesterday when it should actually have been 1 September 2016 (because my old MOT runs out on 1 September 2015). The garage told me the new system was a complete nightmare / debacle / etc and that there was absolutely nothing they could do about it.

It's showing up online today with the wrong date as well, I've agreed with the garage to wait a week and see if it gets corrected.

Could be worse I suppose...

facade

Mine MOT'd at 1:00 pm yesterday, no problem, and the paper copy has the correct (September) expiry.

However, they were still using the Siemens system with the smartcard, not the "new" one that works "better"

My next MOT is in March, surely they will have it working by then

WobblyDog

According to this MOT testers' forum:
http://mtaeta.info/thread/2166/comp-issues-user-related-problems?page=34
The system is working much better today. Maybe the developers have tracked down and fixed a log level="verbose" setting on the server or something.

calleyw

WobblyDog wrote: »

According to this MOT testers' forum:
http://mtaeta.info/thread/2166/comp-issues-user-related-problems?page=34
The system is working much better today. Maybe the developers have tracked down and fixed a log level="verbose" setting on the server or something.

Really. Thats why my MOT nearly did not get done today. Because they could not print anything out.

I was lucky and got my car with the fix that needed to pass by 6pm after being booked in for 2.30 today. I was told some cars would not get done today.

But then I do normally get it done a few weeks in advance. Not due until 12th september.

Yours

Calley

colino

I think this story came, obviously originally initiated by the teething troubles of the switchover to the new system, from poor testing centres who forgot the basics, introduced literally decades ago, on how to progress when the DVSA system occasionally goes down. Absolutely no reason to cancel MOTs or turn customers away. Absolutely good reason to find a new garage if they turn you away, the MOT pass has nothing to do with the tester, just its recording.

LandyAndy

I had a car MOT'd yesterday and the tester told me there were problems with the new system.

ToBeFrank

I'm working for a garage implementing the I.T. requirements for the new DVSA system.
Garages are moving over to the new system in phases and my clients moved over on the 10th August.

As of Mon, Tues, Wed this week, the new MOT system has worked for one 8 hour day, the other days it was unusable. There is a contingency MOT system for when the system is down, however, because the system is down so often, it means there is a huge backlog of contingency tests to re-enter into the system... if it ever works long enough to do so.

Garages still on the old smart-card system are working fine afaik. Like the saying goes, if it ain't broke...

Of course, DVSA had to modernise the system so that someone in the GOV office could make a nice tidy sum from a dirty deal with some so-called I.T. professionals. How many times have we seen new systems installed in government organisations and how many times have we seen large failures of these systems?

An independent investigation is needed in every case to root out the corruption.

peter_the_piper

My MOT went through alright as I I was able to tax yesterday.

anotherbaldrick

in our local Audi VW dealership today they have about 60 new vehicles for delivery next Tuesday which they can't get taxed.