DVLA tax refund

Flynn248

Hello everyone,

I was hoping for some advice from anyone who has been in a similar position.
I sold my old car back in January and the V5C was sent off. I assumed the DVLA would then automatically cancel the direct debit that had been set up for my road tax. However, they have continued to charge me monthly for it (now nearing a year which has totalled over £550).
Apparently I was never shown as the registered keeper previously which is why it hasn't cancelled (a mistake their end as I filled out the form when I bought it and received a V5 certificate in the post with my name on it). I have contacted them time and again to issue a refund and it took numerous attempts to get them to even send me the correct form to issue a refund.

I was concerned that cancelling the direct debit might affect my credit score hence why I didn't do it initially but it has now been cancelled. However, they still owe me my refund and whenever I ask for an update I get the standard reply "it's being processed and will take 6 weeks". Months later and I'm still yet to get a proper update or any kind of refund.

My question is, has anyone been in a similar position and have any advice on how to actually get my money back? Secondly, do I have any standing to seek additional compensation for the stress it's caused me and the fact I've lost out on any additional financial gain from having that money? (like interest etc?)

Thanks in advance!

prettyandfluffy

How much money do they owe you?

Bigwheels1111

I’ve got to be honest this makes no sense to me.
I have 9 bank accounts, 19 savings, 6 regular savings accounts and 6 credit card accounts.
I spend 5 minutes every day checking them.
I would know if a penny was missing let alone for eg £10 a month for months and a months.
I have a list of every direct debit and standing order and its amount.
How can this happen.

Mildly_Miffed

Sounds like your change of V5C was never processed by DVLA - which is why they never refunded the tax and never stopped the DD. They thought you were still keeper, and still wanted your car taxed.

They've sent out confirmations of keeper changes for years now - you didn't get one?

For the future, the easy way is to do it online - takes seconds, no need to pay for a stamp, and instant confirmation.

Compensation? From the post office for not delivering your post? That'd be limited to 6x the value of the stamp, if you have proof of postage.

From DVLA? For what? For not being psychic? All the costs arising are down to you not doing basic life admin in a timely manner.

badmemory

Your big mistake is to assume that any government body will always (ever) do joined up thinking.  In all cases you need to ensure that you dot every single i and cross every single t yourself.