lennyhb Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 Does anyone have experience of going to the office in person to register a vehicle? I'm asking as members on other forums have had postal registrations rejected for silly reasons. Soon I will be registering mine also I have a personal registration number I've just brought now DVLA postal addresses for Registering a vehicle & Personal registration is different OK only a postcode but probably means they go to different department and I have a feeling it will cause me grief. Question is, is it worth the 450 mile round trip or are they just going to take my application and say "we will let know goodby" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
candapack Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 lennyhb - 2014-04-18 8:43 PM Question is, is it worth the 450 mile round trip or are they just going to take my application and say "we will let know goodby" No personal experience, but it's a Government Department, so my money would be on a big YES, that's exactly what they will say. :-D Assume you have PM'd Eddie, I seem to remember he's a big fan of DVLA. :D PS, I was SORNing a vehicle yesterday, wanted to ask a question but even on the telephone I couldn't get to talk to a real person. (!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robinhood Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 ....whilst someone who has visited may know otherwise, the government websites are covered with dire warnings that there is no "counter" service at the DVLA Swansea. I might chance it if I were nearby, but not a round-trip of the nature you envisage. :'( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 I was only half listening to a story of woe, so I'm not fully up to speed on details, but basically some one I know sent a form and chegue to the wrong part of DVLA (i.e. wrong post code), on inquiring what was happening he asked that form and chegue be passed on to correct dept answer was no, it would be returned so he could send again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted April 18, 2014 Author Share Posted April 18, 2014 Robinhood - 2014-04-18 10:13 PM ....whilst someone who has visited may know otherwise, the government websites are covered with dire warnings that there is no "counter" service at the DVLA Swansea. I might chance it if I were nearby, but not a round-trip of the nature you envisage. :'( I think you are right found a website that gave opening hours I think it must have been an old site, now found Swansea office closed in October. So looks like post & fingers crossed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliveH Posted April 19, 2014 Share Posted April 19, 2014 Keep copies af everything you send - scan the form. scan the cheque with the form, scan the envelope with stamp on before you send it. Government departments excel at "losing" items and telling you that they never received it. It then becomes your responsibility to "prove" that you did send it. I would also sent it via "signed for" post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will86 Posted April 19, 2014 Share Posted April 19, 2014 Its a government department doing a 9-5 job, not a private helpful company who may bend to assist anyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted April 19, 2014 Share Posted April 19, 2014 I would be crossing everything you've got to be honest! :D Follow Clive's advice and copy everything. Yours SHOULD be easier as new. But you have to send all the paperwork of twice, to VCA then when you get that lot back with certificate of compliance, then to the dreaded truly Orwellian DVLA. Have you found a local non rip of MOT garage to do the compliance letter? It needs to be written EXACTLY as in VCA Paperwork. Who is doing the changes? VAT can be done online if your registered for gateway, that the easy bit. Will need dealers VAT number for that . They can't be any worse then when I dealt with them, I have the bosses secretary's details if necessary, and she is a proper apologist and facilitator, and boy do they need one! They are absolutely clueless and in no way prepared for the shutting down of local offices. But theres no way you will get it done in 2 weeks.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted April 19, 2014 Author Share Posted April 19, 2014 Don't worry Eddie everything will be copied in triplicate paper & digital and sent by special delivery. I registered for the VAT gateway months ago. Local Commercial Service company going to do the letter for VCA, nice family run firm where I took the last van for service & MOT, they will do what ever I ask and very cheap. Only thing that needs doing is speedo dial, dealer will do it for me but a bit of confusion over which dial so may leave it until I've got the van and do it myself, headlamps just a case of moving a lever on the back of the unit (Hella projector lamps). If it really goes tits up I did a bit of contract work at DVLA a few years ago I may be able to pull some strings. (lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted April 19, 2014 Share Posted April 19, 2014 Get dealer to take photo of speedo with ignition on, lights on. Send this to Lockwood and they will send correct dial directly to dealer if you wish ..that's the easy bit :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted April 19, 2014 Share Posted April 19, 2014 lennyhb - 2014-04-19 9:37 AM ... and sent by special delivery. Sorry but, IIRC, that's a bit of a waste of time as they don't sign for each individual item of post but the whole delivery in one with no way of telling what was in the delivery. Makes a bit of a mockery of 'signed for' delivery if you ask me. I may be wrong but that's what I've heard. Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Archiesgrandad Posted April 19, 2014 Share Posted April 19, 2014 I have had a private plate on my car for the past 15 years,, and on each occasion I took the papers to the local office of DVLA, sometimes Reading, sometimes Wimbledon, and the whole thing was done whilst I waited . Always helpful and efficient, and willing to help me. AGD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted April 19, 2014 Share Posted April 19, 2014 AGD they closed all the local offices in the cuts.....you now have no choice but to do everything by post via Swansea ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted April 19, 2014 Author Share Posted April 19, 2014 JudgeMental - 2014-04-19 9:43 AM Get dealer to take photo of speedo with ignition on, lights on. Send this to Lockwood and they will send correct dial directly to dealer if you wish ..that's the easy bit :-D Already asked for that, dealer a bit slow in responding, time wise a too tight to send to dealer if he sends photos I'll take dial with me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 Keithl - 2014-04-19 10:48 AM lennyhb - 2014-04-19 9:37 AM ... and sent by special delivery. Sorry but, IIRC, that's a bit of a waste of time as they don't sign for each individual item of post but the whole delivery in one with no way of telling what was in the delivery. Makes a bit of a mockery of 'signed for' delivery if you ask me. I may be wrong but that's what I've heard. Keith. Not sure this is correct. "Signed for" gets one a tracking code and if you track the letter you can get a copy of the signature on the delivery receipt, and can also print this. It provides the proof that Royal Mail delivered the letter to the address on the day, and at the time, stated, and that someone at that address signed for it. It clearly doesn't guarantee any more than that, but it places the onus on the recipient to find it if it appears to have been lost, and denies them the use of the "it wasn't delivered" excuse. It just has to be recognised that thousands of items of post are likely to be delivered each day, to a large mail room, in which it will be re-sorted to be farmed out to internal departments dealing with different activities - which is where those differing pots codes for the Swansea office come in. Best chance of success is to make absolutely sure you get that post code right, that it is clearly legible, that every item requested is included, and that all information requested is given. It will simply be checked against a list of requirements by a junior clerk, and if it fails on any count it will be returned with a sheet stipulating what was missing/wrong, and you just have to start the process over again. It is a system, not a consultancy, so there is no flexibility, and the staff have no remit to do anyone favours - because everyone would then want favours, leading to actual, or allegations of, backhanders buying favours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 Brian Kirby - 2014-04-20 9:40 PM "Signed for" gets one a tracking code and if you track the letter you can get a copy of the signature on the delivery receipt, and can also print this. But this is where the problem lies with the likes of DVLA, they do not sign for every item of post in any delivery so you will not get a signature if you try to track your letter. They merely sign for the entire delivery with no record being kept of what tracked or signed-for letters are in it. Think about it, if you had a delivery of several hundred, or maybe even thousands of letters, requiring signatures would you stop and sign for every single one, I doubt not! Can anyone who has used the system recently confirm or deny otherwise please? Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulletguy Posted April 21, 2014 Share Posted April 21, 2014 lennyhb - 2014-04-18 8:43 PM Does anyone have experience of going to the office in person to register a vehicle? Question is, is it worth the 450 mile round trip or are they just going to take my application and say "we will let know goodby" I had to go to DVLA Chester once over a V5 issue (it couldn't be done via post). Not too bad apart from a very lengthy wait to be seen. All the assistants work behind armoured glass and i was amazed at the security level, but they do get some very irate customers and the Police are regular visitors! Why do you want to go to Swansea DVLA? You must surely have one much closer than that and all DVLA branches carry out exactly the same as what Swansea does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billggski Posted April 21, 2014 Share Posted April 21, 2014 There are no DVLA branches any more, they all closed last year. The question is whether there is a desk at Swansea where you can actually talk to someone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted April 21, 2014 Share Posted April 21, 2014 They ask for a self addressed returns envelope to be sent with documentation , you buy these grey plastic envelopes from post office, my documents were eventually returned by normal post! *-) Sorry but the depth of incompetence is mind boggling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rubberrat Posted April 21, 2014 Share Posted April 21, 2014 . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rubberrat Posted April 21, 2014 Share Posted April 21, 2014 I don't think it is mere incompetence, to be honest, they just don't care. It's not as if you can take your business elsewhere. It doesn't affect the clerks day one jot wether they process your application or not so long as their daily workload target is met. This is why they make use of the bin if they look like they might not tick a box... "Look, it's all finished - magic!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted April 21, 2014 Share Posted April 21, 2014 Keithl - 2014-04-20 9:51 PM Brian Kirby - 2014-04-20 9:40 PM "Signed for" gets one a tracking code and if you track the letter you can get a copy of the signature on the delivery receipt, and can also print this. But this is where the problem lies with the likes of DVLA, they do not sign for every item of post in any delivery so you will not get a signature if you try to track your letter. They merely sign for the entire delivery with no record being kept of what tracked or signed-for letters are in it. Think about it, if you had a delivery of several hundred, or maybe even thousands of letters, requiring signatures would you stop and sign for every single one, I doubt not! Can anyone who has used the system recently confirm or deny otherwise please? Keith. It was from relatively recent experience that I wrote Keith, when I had to renew my licence last September. I used "signed for" to send the application, inc medical form, and was able to see the receipt signature on Royal Mail's system. Had there been a problem, I should have expected DVLA to have to concede that they got the item on the strength of that signature. Otherwise, they'd have to explain why they had signed for an item they did not receive. Whether it was a batch delivery, or a single item, seems irrelevant to me. It is their idea to use registered or signed for, so they must answer initially for any shortcoming. If they want to claim Royal Mail falsified the record, they would still need to explain why they signed for the item. Proof of delivery is proof of delivery. If delivery denied, Chief Exec next in line. :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldi Posted April 22, 2014 Share Posted April 22, 2014 Afternoon all, Have you thought about doing it in 2 stages. Get the van registered first and then get the reg transferred over later. You may also get information from the post office but not sure about that. norm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted April 22, 2014 Share Posted April 22, 2014 goldi - 2014-04-22 2:42 PM Afternoon all, Have you thought about doing it in 2 stages. Get the van registered first and then get the reg transferred over later. You may also get information from the post office but not sure about that. norm for sure! that's what I would be doing 8-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliveH Posted April 22, 2014 Share Posted April 22, 2014 JudgeMental - 2014-04-21 8:25 AM They ask for a self addressed returns envelope to be sent with documentation , you buy these grey plastic envelopes from post office, my documents were eventually returned by normal post! *-) Sorry but the depth of incompetence is mind boggling. Indeed the incompetence is mind boggling - not just the DVLA either! - HMRC routinely return data discs to Pension Administrator Offices in the normal mail. This breaks the specific rules as set out in the Data Protection Act. There was a huge hoo-haa when some went missing a year or too ago - but despite the rules saying, and the Data Protection Laws saying that such data MUST be sent by secure post, Government Agencies are immune from any such legalities and so do what the he11 they like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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