Threatening letter from DVLA

[franey]

Personally, I would totally ignore the letter, if they want to progress matters then let them. Ultimately if it goes to court they will look like the biggest idiots ever.
Why should you have to waste your time due to somebody elses incompetence?

 

[mr. shr]

Personally, I would totally ignore the letter, if they want to progress matters then let them. Ultimately if it goes to court they will look like the biggest idiots ever.
Why should you have to waste your time due to somebody elses incompetence?

Yea, maybe I should wait until a second letter comes through and then say,

"Sorry I didn't receive your original letter. Please be advised that any items sent to mr. shr can sometimes be lost in the post and therefore if you have not had a response from mr. shr within four weeks, it is 'YOUR' responsibility to chase acknowledgement"

 

[johnsco]

My wife suffered at their hands a couple of years ago.
It appears that the offence is to be unable to produce their acknowledgement letter !!!
We had a photocopy of the notification and a proof of posting.
Not good enough.
The regs state that you have to chase up the acknowledgement and if you can't produce it, then you are at fault and get fined.

The true criminals must be laughing their hats off !!

As usual - It's the innocent who get stuffed.

I'm afraid I find it just typical of the dysfunctional society that we have become.

RANT OVER ...

 

[219]

Don't phone, they can deny talking to you, your word against theirs,

Not if you record the call , which you are perfectly entitled to do .

 

[Spin_bowler]

I got exactly the same letter (threat) when the insurance company dealt with the disposal of my old W220.

There was some confusion over exactly which registration was assigned to the car when it was taken off the road. I called them and they sorted it out in one call. Fine waived and a confirmation letter in the post within the week.

I hope your experience goes as smoothly.

 

[Hi-Ho Silver]

This is their own failure, not your's. Handle them in the same unemotional and merciless manner by which they would treat you and stop making excuses for their inability to do what they are there to do.

Send a COPY of all letters they have sent you by recorded delivery and request written confirmation of receipt by a certain date. Usually 3 working days is adequate.

Treat like with like - In your letter, state your intention to charge them an administration fee equivalent to the fine they would impose on you. State a date at which time the handling fee will be increased and by how much and what will happen if they fail to communicate with you. Again, match their own system. Also request that they provide you with the exact details of the appropriate department to which further details of your intended procedure can be addressed.

You can settle petty 'legal' matters like this for free and online. State your intention to settle this matter via a free, online, small claims procedure.

We are not here to be bullied by inept organisations for their failures. Praise where it's due and appropriate action when it's not.

That's what i'd do in your position. The choice is your's.

 

[gkerr4]

don't ignore it - you WILL get fined - error or otherwise, you will struggle to get out of this - not what you wanted to hear I know but DVLA are remarkably efficient at imposing fines.

I would call them first - it may easily get resolved and you can follow this up with a letter clarifiying your understanding of the conversation.

Do get proof of postage, in english law proof of postage implies proof of receipt - just ask the speed camera partnerships their in depth knowledge of this law!

 

[mr. shr]

This is their own failure, not your's. Handle them in the same unemotional and merciless manner by which they would treat you and stop making excuses for their inability to do what they are there to do.

Send a COPY of all letters they have sent you by recorded delivery and request written confirmation of receipt by a certain date. Usually 3 working days is adequate.

Treat like with like - In your letter, state your intention to charge them an administration fee equivalent to the fine they would impose on you. State a date at which time the handling fee will be increased and by how much and what will happen if they fail to communicate with you. Again, match their own system. Also request that they provide you with the exact details of the appropriate department to which further details of your intended procedure can be addressed.

You can settle petty 'legal' matters like this for free and online. State your intention to settle this matter via a free, online, small claims procedure.

We are not here to be bullied by inept organisations for their failures. Praise where it's due and appropriate action when it's not.

That's what i'd do in your position. The choice is your's.

I agree this is what I should do, but will they take me seriously? And who really has time to continually chase these idiots for progress?

Just had another look at their threatening letter and it's from their Nottingham office with a Nottingham phone number.
I though these kind of things would come straight from Swansea?

 

[Noodle-Pulp]

I'm sure they are nice on the phone but how much would that cost me? (Or do they have a freephone number?)

Customer Services:
First Floor
Contact Centre
Sandringham Park
Swansea
SA7 0EE

01792 766201

Carole Evans is one of their Customer Service Managers.

 

[andy_k]

don't waste your time sending recorded letters to the DVLA - illegible scrawl on the receipt from any one of hundreds of members of staff means they count for nothing

 

[mr. shr]

Customer Services:
First Floor
Contact Centre
Sandringham Park
Swansea
SA7 0EE

01792 766201

Carole Evans is one of their Customer Service Managers.

Rang the number on the letter (Nottingham) and was just stuck in an endless queue.
so just rang the number above and got through to someone instantly. They say they are unable to help but have arranged for someone who can help, to call me back later today.

 

[Stratman]

Rang the number on the letter (Nottingham) and was just stuck in an endless queue.
so just rang the number above and got through to someone instantly. They say they are unable to help but have arranged for someone who can help, to call me back later today.

10p in the poor box says they don't call you.

 

[mr. shr]

10p in the poor box says they don't call you.

Probably right (although the guy I spoke to sounded quite certain that someone will defo call today).

Tempted to do what Franey said and just ignore everything. Let them take me to court, at which point I will produce my acknowledgement letter confirming I had notified DVLA of the 'disposal' (don't like using that term for my S Class) of my car.

But I'm sure that would back fire on me some how.

 

[nick.ged]

the disposal letter is your sword and your shield. if the ins company scraped it, they would have taken ownership from you first.

do what is suggested above, outline the charges you are going to impose on them for your administration fees for answering there stupidity.

dvla are proper t0$$ers, i had a motorbike stolen a few years ago. then got a fine for not taxing it or declaring it sorn.

when i told them it was stolen, they declined to 'believe' me, because they have a data base of such happenings, and mine was not in there.

had to go to the cops, and get the crime number the theft was from nottingham over two years previously, that city has a massive crime rate, it took ages for the desk cleark to locate the crime, using a computer.

they backed down when presented with the 'truth'.

 

[mr. shr]

10p in the poor box says they don't call you.

Get your money out Stratman.

Merchant Bankers didn't call.

 

[gIzzE]

I have got exactly the same thing at the moment, sold our A6 and got a letter to confirm it had changed hands, then 3 weeks later get a letter saying I have not informed them of disposal of my car, reg 10 SD.
Now the guy I sold it to had the initials SD so I presume it is simply a plate transfer, he probably went into a local DVLA office the day he got the car and transfered the plate before they had updated the transfer from me to him, or something like that.

I have called them and told them that I had already received the letter from them saying they had acknowledged the transfer, even kept a copy of the reference on the letter.
However.....they have said I have to prove that it was not my car!!

WTF??!!!

How can I prove it, it wasn't my car any longer and so I have no way of proving anything, they have fecked up and that is it as far as I am concerned.
If it gets to court I will get a solicitor to go on my behalf and the solicitor of the guy who bought my car, we will both explain what happened, they will also explain this was explained to the DVLA and that the reference numbers (that they gave out) were given to them which proved it was their mistake. It will get thrown out and they will have to pay costs.

 

[mr. shr]

Ah, the penny drops (for me!!)

I wonder if the same has happened to me. The guy that bought my car has probably put his own plate on it and the dosey idiots at DVLA have assumed I sold it with that plate on it (even though they've already sent me an acknowledment with the actual plate a few weeks ago).

And why do WE have to prove to THEM that we don't own the car anymore?
Why don't THEY have to prove to US that we do still own it!!??

Maybe if I send them a picture of the big empty space in my garage where my S Class once lived?? That's my proof I don't have it any more.

 

[st13phil]

You may find this article illuminating. The DVLA will use bluff and bluster and claim powers they simply do not have, but the courts have found against them on more than one occasion. It may be useful to remind them about that if they continue to chase you.

 

[crockers]

It will get thrown out and they will have to pay costs.

Trouble is WE all have to pay the costs for this incompetence as it comes from our taxes.

 

[mr. shr]

Rang the number on the letter (Nottingham) and was just stuck in an endless queue.
so just rang the number above and got through to someone instantly. They say they are unable to help but have arranged for someone who can help, to call me back later today.

Update:
OK so they didn't call, so I tried the Nottingham number again. Got through to someone that didn't want to talk to me because I wasn't making a payment. "This line is for payments only. If you want to contest anying send proof in the post..................... blah blah blah"

So rang the number Noodle-Pulp suggested. Got same guy as I spoke to last week. Was appologetic that no one had called me back last week, but anyway his boss did eventually call me back:

So I explain the situation and he agrees that I'm innocent. He then says that they have no influence over the enforcement offices (Nottingham).
After a bit more conversation he offers to call Nottingham on my behalf and see what he can do.

After speaking to them, he calls me back and tells me that they say I *might* not have to pay the fine as long as I can send proof of the documentation to them.
The Swansea guy explained to Nottingham that mr. shr is not prepared to send docs out due to time/expenses etc.
So Nottingham say as an exception to their rule, they will accept correspondance via fax.

I explained to Swansea guy that I don't have a fax machine so that doesn't help me.
I then asked Swansea guy to send the necessary docs to Nottingham for me.
No-can-do, he doesn't have access to them on his system.

So I told Swansea guy that I'll just leave it and let them take me to court.

But how unbelieveable is this!?!?!?
If DVLA Swansea can't convicnce DVLA Nottingham that I'm innocent, what hope have I got?!?!?