Driving licence renewal - the DVLA and GOV.UK online labyrinth, and its pitfalls and options

user1977

br1anst0rm said:

user1977 said:

But what's your concern about using an app, if you apparently have the ability to do so and are content to send the same info via your web browser?

Two reasons, essentially.  One, I don't have the latest high-spec mobile phone handset.  So storage capacity and processor power are modest.  I try not to load the phone up with software that I don't need when I'm out and about.  And there's always the risk that my phone might go missing/get mislaid/be stolen (so I try to limit the sensitive personal data kept on it).  

Then uninstall the app once you've used it?

Grey_Critic

I got a letter a couple of weeks ag re my Medical Licence - Gave a web address - filled it in and got an acknowledement

fluffy_kittens47

Just to add that I recently tried to renew my Driving License, and being faced with the 'new' gov.one system was a pain. I already had a Gov.Gateway login, it's like they just dream up these things for laughs.

Cut a long story short, as OP, it would not verify via financial details, despite me having several long standing bank accounts, & zero debt.

Just another crap convoluted system, & designed to force you to use an app.

sheramber

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81863090#Comment_81863090

Is there a feedback link to use?

JosephK

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81863090#Comment_81863090

Had exactly same problem today as you & OP despite having renewed licence 3 years ago online with no problem, as had Mrs K 16 months ago. Tried different browsers and both driving licence and passport but each time it wanted to chase me off to a Post Office.

Then went to DVLA portal mentioned by OP. Five minutes later all done and dusted, no problem.

Makes me wonder, does the Civil Service know what it's doing or is that a silly question?

fluffy_kittens47

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81863710#Comment_81863710

Apologies, it's a while ago so I can't remember. The old & cynical part of my brain probably filtered it out anyway, as after years of 'feeding back' to numerous organisations, suprise suprise…nothing changed!

adrich

I thought the only problem with the system was finding a slot for a driving test cancellation, but now I see there are other issues.

HUDengineer

If the direct link into the DVLA works, use it! It does appear to be there, as I have checked today.

To address a few comments on this thread, we followed the link from the renewal letter, (noting that the "need" to use GOV.UK One got more firmly thrust into the path in February this year) that forced us down the GOV.UK One avenue. We did have a passport available, but had simply chosen the Driving Licence ID option. Perhaps the passport route is less fraught, but who knows.

I've just spent half the day assisting my other half (who isn't so at home with poorly developed user interfaces on the web, but experienced enough to expect problems, that I was with her from the start of this journey) with her licence renewal as she approaches 70, and I'm afraid it has been an extremely stressful process.

Contrary to some of the soothing voices in the forum vent

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6637504/more-gov-uk-incompetence

I can wholly relate to the person who posted the article. There is no way you can just renew your licence armed with an email address and your National Insurance number. It is now way more complicated, and fraught with pitfalls. The quality of the GOV.UK One service and licence renewal is likely to thwart most people approaching 70, and likely to trigger Strokes in some people trying to grapple with the idiosyncrasies of the clunky system.

The GOV.UK service doesn't tell you that the ID verification isn't supported on anything earlier than Android 10. And that's just a taste of all the things that will frustrate you. We failed to match the Driving Licence details with the one in the database, despite having it in our hand. Was it due to us "correcting" our house Name to a House Number "7A", or was it using 02 for February (per the driving licence) as opposed to the examples given in the guidance showing 17 2 1956 or whatever.? Who knows, so a trip to the Post Office was required, with a printout of the QR code recommended, yet however you print it and scale it to fit, it keeps not printing the full barcode. Epic mess, that just winds you up step by step. This is worse than the CAA General Aviation and Pilot Licencing website for user experiences, and that is something I didn't think I would expect to say, for a government service. In the case of the CAA, only a tiny percentage of the population have to put up with it, but the GOV.UK One service will be far more widespread, and needs to be properly tested and improved before the population turns against it.

This has all the hallmarks of GOV.UK One being forced onto a unwitting user group, where you don't have any Government guide through the process and the pitfalls. It possibly works so long as no parameters in your Digital life are corner cases.