| DVLA 11:26 - Mar 1 with 11524 views | BarrySwan |
So had one of those amazing conversations with a government body Friday which I find hard to get my head round.
Now I have to say that my experiences with the DVLA over the years have been pretty good with the odd minor exception but Fridays conversation with D*** surname can't be given ( despite them asking for my full name) from team 35 sums up for me why so many of the public have lost faith with the authorities.
The scenario is that I have been contacted by a number of local residents who have reported a dumped car in their close, the car is shown as being been declared SORN on the .GOV website. The car has been on the public road since October and has been reported both in December and January on the DVLA's anonymous reporting facility on their website with nothing happening in regards the removal of the car.
I suppose like most people including those who had reported the car previously it was imagined that one of those roving DVLA clamping vans.would be provided with the details and either fairly immediately or when next in the area would drive to the location and clamp the car.
So after checking the facts I called up the DVLA to see what was going on, or not as the case is at present.
I won't relay all the almost bizarre conversation with D*** from team 35 but the crux of the conversation went something like this after I enquired as to why the car had not been clamped or removed
DVALA....Sir the car or any other vehicle in a sorned category on the public road will be clamped if one of our vans come across it when in the area.
Me...Yes but that's unlikely as the car is in a small close well into an estate, and surely given that you have the details of the cars location then those details are passed onto the operative of one of your vans for checking out?
DVLA.....Sir when we receive reports from our tip off website facility the current registered keeper of the vehicle of the car is sent a letter telling them to take the car off the public highway.
Me...I see so presumably then the keeper / owner of this car must have ignored two previous letters from the previous two reportings to you? So why haven't you sent a van round to clamp the car?
DVLA....Our vans only clamp cars that they come across whilst patrolling the streets.
Me....What are you talking about? So you clamp cars that the vans stumble across but just send letters to those that are reported by the public despite the DVLA being in full possession of the cars location and despite the public being urged report such vehicles by the DVLA?
DVLA... That's right sir.
Me.... Buts that's nonsensical, those who aren't reported but are caught on the road are clamped but those whose locations are known to you just get a letter to remove the vehicle from the roads despite the fact that it might not be taxed and is shown as having no MOT which I also understand invalidates any insurance policy?
DVLA... Sir the car is Sorned which means it is licensed.
Me....What does that even mean? Presumably its licenced to be on someones drive not the public highway.
DVLA...Sir a Sorned car is licensed vehicle.
Me.... Well can you tell if the car is even taxed or not or if letters actually have gone out on the two previous occasions that the car was reported to you?
DVLA....We're just a call centre we don't hold that information.
ME...Well can you pass me over to someone who can provide more information as to why a reported sorned vehicle owner is just sent a letter whilst a vehicle stumbled across by chance gets clamped and possibly towed away.
I'd have thought it preferable and more time productive to go straight to those vehicles whose location has already been provided by the public and what do you suggest that we do to get the car either made legal for road use or taken away?
DVLA...No you'll have to contact your MP if you wish to to take this any further.
Phone put down in disbelief by myself.
[Post edited 1 Mar 2020 12:27]
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| DVLA on 11:39 - Mar 1 with 5112 views | Catullus |
Right, so it's an offence to have an untaxed vehicle on the road but if you live in a quiet cul-de-sac you'll get away with it even if the vehicle is reported.
AND, a sorned car is a licensed car even if it has no tax, no insurance and no MOT?
Is that about it?
And people wonder why us ordinary mortals despair.
Maybe we need someone who knows the rules inside out to come and help us understand? | |
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| DVLA on 11:56 - Mar 1 with 5076 views | Neath_Jack |
Couple of questions:
Are you a local counsellor?
Have you contacted your local constabulary? They came and sorted one out on the same day they were called in my street. |  |
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| DVLA on 12:06 - Mar 1 with 5056 views | union_jack |
| DVLA on 11:39 - Mar 1 by Catullus |
Right, so it's an offence to have an untaxed vehicle on the road but if you live in a quiet cul-de-sac you'll get away with it even if the vehicle is reported.
AND, a sorned car is a licensed car even if it has no tax, no insurance and no MOT?
Is that about it?
And people wonder why us ordinary mortals despair.
Maybe we need someone who knows the rules inside out to come and help us understand? |
Does such a person actually exist?  |  |
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| DVLA on 12:23 - Mar 1 with 5033 views | BarrySwan |
| DVLA on 11:56 - Mar 1 by Neath_Jack |
Couple of questions:
Are you a local counsellor?
Have you contacted your local constabulary? They came and sorted one out on the same day they were called in my street. |
The police that's a laugh in itself
I am a local councillor which is why I was contacted by frustrated residents, I personally gave up on the police years ago after many dealings with them.
Its just taken us 5 weeks and a direct approach from the local authority after much insistence by myself to get the police to speak to another resident of the same estate to remove a car left half on and off a pavement and road on the junction of two roads that is missing its entire front and has no MOT.
This after numerous requests by the public over quite some weeks for the police to do something about it. That car is shown on the Gov website as having no MOT which I stand to be corrected would also invalidate the insurance.
The local authority when contacted due to the police failing to do anything refused to start the 7 day sticker or removal procedure because the car was taxed despite the lack of MOT or presumably valid car insurance.
So basically the council will affix a sticker giving the owner of a seemingly abandoned unroadworthy car 7 days to contact them or the car will be removed if there is no tax on the motor but will not if the car has no MOT, no front end presumably no valid insurance because of the front end and no MOT but will not remove if the car actually has a current Road tax classification.
The other astounding thing I have found out during my enquiries this week is that if the council do fix a, contact us or we will remove your car sticker then they take no further action if the owner/keeper does contact them within 7 days even if the car remains on the road.
You couldn't make it up,
That car by the way ended up on the driveway of the neighbouring house which demonstrates that some people are quiet happy not only only flout road laws but drag down the look of their own estate which I find quite bizarre.
The estate I should add is quite nice and why a handful of residents would wish to start making it look a mess I've no idea.
The residents have been pulling their hair out for some weeks before contacting me . The whole 'nothing to do with me guv' approach from all the authorities has astounded ( though not surprised ) me to be honest.
The rest of us who fork out small fortunes for road tax ( Ok vehicle excise tax for the pedantic who presumably call their Alsatian a German Shepard dog also) insurance and repairs to keep our MOT valid and cars roadworthy must be seen as mugs by those who the authorities find it a bit of a nuisance to actually respond to complaints and call for action by the general public. [Post edited 1 Mar 2020 12:30]
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| DVLA on 12:25 - Mar 1 with 5029 views | BarrySwan |
The area concerned is in the Vale of Glamorgan. | | | |
| DVLA on 12:32 - Mar 1 with 5001 views | jack2jack |
| DVLA on 12:25 - Mar 1 by BarrySwan |
The area concerned is in the Vale of Glamorgan. |
They also provide the same service, however, reading your post, it would appear you have already been down this route.ðŸ‘
Hope you get it sorted sooner rather than later. |  | | |
| DVLA on 12:36 - Mar 1 with 4984 views | Neath_Jack |
| DVLA on 12:23 - Mar 1 by BarrySwan |
The police that's a laugh in itself
I am a local councillor which is why I was contacted by frustrated residents, I personally gave up on the police years ago after many dealings with them.
Its just taken us 5 weeks and a direct approach from the local authority after much insistence by myself to get the police to speak to another resident of the same estate to remove a car left half on and off a pavement and road on the junction of two roads that is missing its entire front and has no MOT.
This after numerous requests by the public over quite some weeks for the police to do something about it. That car is shown on the Gov website as having no MOT which I stand to be corrected would also invalidate the insurance.
The local authority when contacted due to the police failing to do anything refused to start the 7 day sticker or removal procedure because the car was taxed despite the lack of MOT or presumably valid car insurance.
So basically the council will affix a sticker giving the owner of a seemingly abandoned unroadworthy car 7 days to contact them or the car will be removed if there is no tax on the motor but will not if the car has no MOT, no front end presumably no valid insurance because of the front end and no MOT but will not remove if the car actually has a current Road tax classification.
The other astounding thing I have found out during my enquiries this week is that if the council do fix a, contact us or we will remove your car sticker then they take no further action if the owner/keeper does contact them within 7 days even if the car remains on the road.
You couldn't make it up,
That car by the way ended up on the driveway of the neighbouring house which demonstrates that some people are quiet happy not only only flout road laws but drag down the look of their own estate which I find quite bizarre.
The estate I should add is quite nice and why a handful of residents would wish to start making it look a mess I've no idea.
The residents have been pulling their hair out for some weeks before contacting me . The whole 'nothing to do with me guv' approach from all the authorities has astounded ( though not surprised ) me to be honest.
The rest of us who fork out small fortunes for road tax ( Ok vehicle excise tax for the pedantic who presumably call their Alsatian a German Shepard dog also) insurance and repairs to keep our MOT valid and cars roadworthy must be seen as mugs by those who the authorities find it a bit of a nuisance to actually respond to complaints and call for action by the general public. [Post edited 1 Mar 2020 12:30]
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Heavy that. | |
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| DVLA on 12:48 - Mar 1 with 4965 views | BarrySwan |
I think that it can all be condensed into. I would imagine that most of us fondly imagine that authorities would take action when receiving reports from the public such as this.
And yet the opposite response from all the various authorities appears to be true. | | | |
| DVLA on 12:52 - Mar 1 with 4950 views | Neath_Jack |
| DVLA on 12:48 - Mar 1 by BarrySwan |
I think that it can all be condensed into. I would imagine that most of us fondly imagine that authorities would take action when receiving reports from the public such as this.
And yet the opposite response from all the various authorities appears to be true. |
I had the opposite experience to you, whereas the old bill came once, and it was gone by the end of the same day. Maybe we just got lucky. | |
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| DVLA on 13:02 - Mar 1 with 4926 views | Highjack |
On a vaguely related note, has anybody ever at any time in history actually managed to get a response from the non emergency police line? Every time I’ve tried it’s just rung and rung until I finally lose the will to live and just hang up. |  |
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| DVLA on 13:15 - Mar 1 with 4903 views | controversial_jack |
| DVLA on 13:02 - Mar 1 by Highjack |
On a vaguely related note, has anybody ever at any time in history actually managed to get a response from the non emergency police line? Every time I’ve tried it’s just rung and rung until I finally lose the will to live and just hang up. |
That's why it's a non emergency line. | | | |
| DVLA on 13:28 - Mar 1 with 4883 views | Catullus |
| DVLA on 12:48 - Mar 1 by BarrySwan |
I think that it can all be condensed into. I would imagine that most of us fondly imagine that authorities would take action when receiving reports from the public such as this.
And yet the opposite response from all the various authorities appears to be true. |
With the police and local councils it's going to be different from area to area, shift to shift. With the DVLA, who knows. What I do know is the "authorities" tell us it's an obligation for us to report such things, that we should help them out yet when people do we find that far too often nothing happens. | |
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| DVLA on 13:30 - Mar 1 with 4881 views | JACKMANANDBOY |
I quite like the process for dealing with dissatisfied service users at the DVLA......not happy then contact your MP!
This sums up the poor thinking that in my experience characterises much of the public sector.
In this scenario there are potential opportunities to improve how we deal with cars dumped or left on the highway with a SORN, improve the situation for residents and generate a bit of income. |  |
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| DVLA on 13:44 - Mar 1 with 4859 views | BarrySwan |
| DVLA on 13:02 - Mar 1 by Highjack |
On a vaguely related note, has anybody ever at any time in history actually managed to get a response from the non emergency police line? Every time I’ve tried it’s just rung and rung until I finally lose the will to live and just hang up. |
The answer to that would probably be a big fat no in most cases.
I always tell anybody to never waste your time ringing 101, neither myself nor anyone I know has ever had a response to a 101 call before putting the phone down after 20 -30 minutes or so.
I attended a meeting arranged by a local community minded resident attended by a local police inspector in Rhoose two to three years ago and I mentioned then that ringing 101 was a complete waste of time and the police inspector bristling with indignation said that may have been the case in the past but all the problems and been sorted out and he knew because he had personally been involved with the 101 line answering service and knew first hand the everything was now working as it should be.
The very next week in the Wales on Line there was a large report on the shambles that was the 101 line and that it was still as much as a shambles as it had been since its introduction.
So much for taking the word of a police inspector delivered to a public meeting. [Post edited 1 Mar 2020 13:46]
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| DVLA on 14:03 - Mar 1 with 4822 views | Witneyjack |
| DVLA on 13:44 - Mar 1 by BarrySwan |
The answer to that would probably be a big fat no in most cases.
I always tell anybody to never waste your time ringing 101, neither myself nor anyone I know has ever had a response to a 101 call before putting the phone down after 20 -30 minutes or so.
I attended a meeting arranged by a local community minded resident attended by a local police inspector in Rhoose two to three years ago and I mentioned then that ringing 101 was a complete waste of time and the police inspector bristling with indignation said that may have been the case in the past but all the problems and been sorted out and he knew because he had personally been involved with the 101 line answering service and knew first hand the everything was now working as it should be.
The very next week in the Wales on Line there was a large report on the shambles that was the 101 line and that it was still as much as a shambles as it had been since its introduction.
So much for taking the word of a police inspector delivered to a public meeting. [Post edited 1 Mar 2020 13:46]
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Perhaps the local Police team (which are very probably under resourced) have more urgent jobs to be attending. "Haven't you got any rapists to catch?" is quite often said to officers dealing with minor offences.
Btw, why don't the concerned residents knock on some doors and ask if it can be moved by the person responsible? Speaking to neighbours was always how we sorted things on the street I grew up on. [Post edited 1 Mar 2020 14:03]
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| DVLA on 14:09 - Mar 1 with 4804 views | Neath_Jack |
| DVLA on 13:44 - Mar 1 by BarrySwan |
The answer to that would probably be a big fat no in most cases.
I always tell anybody to never waste your time ringing 101, neither myself nor anyone I know has ever had a response to a 101 call before putting the phone down after 20 -30 minutes or so.
I attended a meeting arranged by a local community minded resident attended by a local police inspector in Rhoose two to three years ago and I mentioned then that ringing 101 was a complete waste of time and the police inspector bristling with indignation said that may have been the case in the past but all the problems and been sorted out and he knew because he had personally been involved with the 101 line answering service and knew first hand the everything was now working as it should be.
The very next week in the Wales on Line there was a large report on the shambles that was the 101 line and that it was still as much as a shambles as it had been since its introduction.
So much for taking the word of a police inspector delivered to a public meeting. [Post edited 1 Mar 2020 13:46]
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Are you retired? | |
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| DVLA on 15:00 - Mar 1 with 4743 views | BarrySwan |
| DVLA on 14:03 - Mar 1 by Witneyjack |
Perhaps the local Police team (which are very probably under resourced) have more urgent jobs to be attending. "Haven't you got any rapists to catch?" is quite often said to officers dealing with minor offences.
Btw, why don't the concerned residents knock on some doors and ask if it can be moved by the person responsible? Speaking to neighbours was always how we sorted things on the street I grew up on. [Post edited 1 Mar 2020 14:03]
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Because they get a mouthful as expected from the sort of person who couldn't care less about their neighbours or local area.
Why should the public have to run the gauntlet of confronting people not knowing who they might come across and what their (sometimes violent) reaction might be?
One would have thought that reacting to reports by the public as they are urged to do would be a money raising exercise anyway for the authorities apart from presumably upholding the law and removing nuisances for other people who are respecting the law. | | | |
| DVLA on 15:01 - Mar 1 with 4742 views | BarrySwan |
AHA
Have we flushed out the team leader of team 35? | | | |
| DVLA on 15:02 - Mar 1 with 4738 views | dickythorpe |
Victor Meldrew is BarrySwan [Post edited 1 Mar 2020 15:02]
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| DVLA on 15:05 - Mar 1 with 4719 views | exiledclaseboy |
| DVLA on 15:01 - Mar 1 by BarrySwan |
AHA
Have we flushed out the team leader of team 35? |
Aha!
Nope. |  |
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| DVLA on 15:08 - Mar 1 with 4709 views | monmouth |
Stop fannying about on here and get your arse over there and shift that car ffs. |  |
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| DVLA on 15:10 - Mar 1 with 4702 views | Witneyjack |
| DVLA on 15:00 - Mar 1 by BarrySwan |
Because they get a mouthful as expected from the sort of person who couldn't care less about their neighbours or local area.
Why should the public have to run the gauntlet of confronting people not knowing who they might come across and what their (sometimes violent) reaction might be?
One would have thought that reacting to reports by the public as they are urged to do would be a money raising exercise anyway for the authorities apart from presumably upholding the law and removing nuisances for other people who are respecting the law. |
How do you know they'll get a mouthful ? Social stereotyping at it's best there! Perhaps as a local councillor, you could approach the person responsible and appeal to his better nature.
I think you'll find that the local Constabulary are overstretched and under resourced, just like all public services. Everyone has a social responsibility not just public services. | | | |
| DVLA on 15:29 - Mar 1 with 4663 views | BarrySwan |
| DVLA on 15:10 - Mar 1 by Witneyjack |
How do you know they'll get a mouthful ? Social stereotyping at it's best there! Perhaps as a local councillor, you could approach the person responsible and appeal to his better nature.
I think you'll find that the local Constabulary are overstretched and under resourced, just like all public services. Everyone has a social responsibility not just public services. |
From experience plus the fact that the neighbours did approach the miscreant and got exactly the mouthful I would have predicted was quite a possibility in such circumstances which is why they put their misjudged faith in the hands of the DVLA on this occasion. | | | |
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