DVLA Trying it on. Don't fall for this one.

DVLA Trying it on. Don't fall for this one.

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Discussion

3528

Original Poster:

40 posts

190 months

Thursday 21st December 2017
quotequote all
This might save you £90.

My friend received a letter from the DVLA recently fining him £90 for using one of his vehicles on the road untaxed. He was sure he hadn't been seen using this vehicle (which was indeed untaxed at the time) so he phoned them up to question it.

They were evasive and wouldn't tell him where it was seen, but after persisting they told him the name of a local A road. He questioned it further and they said they had photographic evidence (he was sure they hadn't and were trying it on). He requested a photograph but they refused and said he would have to request it in writing, so he did that.

Their response to him requesting a photograph was to write back saying that based on the information received (in this case, asking for the photograph) they have decided not to pursue the matter.

God knows what's behind all that, but you could be forgiven for assuming that they are chancing it in the hope that they con people into paying £90. Has anyone else had anything similar?

He has had a lot of trouble with the DVLA and their administrative incompetence recently, so was in just the right mood to tackle them on this particular subject.

By the way, please spare me any lectures about using untaxed vehicles on the road. I'm just the messenger.

3528

Original Poster:

40 posts

190 months

Friday 22nd December 2017
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Sorry, I thought I was posting this in General Gassing. It appears to have ended up in Motoring News.

mmm-five

11,436 posts

291 months

Friday 22nd December 2017
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The less conspiracy-minded would possibly have thought that the DVLA might have a photo/report of a car with the same (or very similar) plates, and have got the details wrong.

Then when you've asked them for proof, they've gone back to check the photo/report and seen it doesn't match the car registered to that number?

Obviously, being the DVLA, they won't admit that they've made a mistake, and will try to make out that they're doing you a favour and you'd better watch out sonny!

Edited by mmm-five on Friday 22 December 10:45

3528

Original Poster:

40 posts

190 months

Saturday 23rd December 2017
quotequote all

I've got a number of tales involving the DVLA getting details wrong. I really don't know where to start on that subject!

Atomic12C

5,180 posts

224 months

Sunday 24th December 2017
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Your OP doesn't pin down if the car was indeed being used on public roads or not in a status of being un-taxed.


snapdragon69

207 posts

190 months

Sunday 24th December 2017
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Why don't you do a FOI request for all the information they hold regarding this alleged incident and a Subject Access Request for all the information they hold about you? That would be interesting (for you).

Monkeylegend

27,196 posts

238 months

Sunday 24th December 2017
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Atomic12C said:
Your OP doesn't pin down if the car was indeed being used on public roads or not in a status of being un-taxed.
It reads like he was using it but didn't think he had been seen using it.

WaferThinHam

1,680 posts

137 months

Sunday 24th December 2017
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Atomic12C said:
Your OP doesn't pin down if the car was indeed being used on public roads or not in a status of being un-taxed.
Sort of irrelevant, even when you report it as untaxed to the rozzers they don't do anything, so it's a flat meh from me.

Also perfectly legal to drive to a pre-booked MOT sans road tax, so "your mate" could have just said that.

Yes, I know it's VED and road tax doesn't exist etc. etc.

lyonspride

2,978 posts

162 months

Wednesday 10th January 2018
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Sometimes you get people in the street reporting untaxed vehicles because they deem them to be an "eyesore", especially if it's more than a few years old and sitting on the drive untaxed. Spoils the look of the street don't you know..............

xjay1337

15,966 posts

125 months

Wednesday 10th January 2018
quotequote all
lyonspride said:
Sometimes you get people in the street reporting untaxed vehicles because they deem them to be an "eyesore", especially if it's more than a few years old and sitting on the drive untaxed. Spoils the look of the street don't you know..............
Wouldn't surprise me at all if people did this.

Nought as odd as folk.

sgtBerbatov

2,597 posts

88 months

Wednesday 10th January 2018
quotequote all
lyonspride said:
Sometimes you get people in the street reporting untaxed vehicles because they deem them to be an "eyesore", especially if it's more than a few years old and sitting on the drive untaxed. Spoils the look of the street don't you know..............
Mine's been sat on the drive, half up in the air for about 6 months with 1 tyre on it and no brakes, in a neighbourhood where everyone has gates and the houses are worth £400,000+ (mine isn't).

This hasn't happened to me. Yet.

Pica-Pica

14,450 posts

91 months

Wednesday 10th January 2018
quotequote all
lyonspride said:
Sometimes you get people in the street reporting untaxed vehicles because they deem them to be an "eyesore", especially if it's more than a few years old and sitting on the drive untaxed. Spoils the look of the street don't you know..............
Well I have reported an untaxed vehicle on my street. However, it was not on a drive, and was not an eyesore (it was a Renault Trafic though). It was moved a few days later, not sure by whom.

The Mad Monk

10,612 posts

124 months

Wednesday 10th January 2018
quotequote all
3528 said:
This might save you £90.

My friend received a letter from the DVLA recently fining him £90 for using one of his vehicles on the road untaxed. He was sure he hadn't been seen using this vehicle (which was indeed untaxed at the time) so he phoned them up to question it.

They were evasive and wouldn't tell him where it was seen, but after persisting they told him the name of a local A road. He questioned it further and they said they had photographic evidence (he was sure they hadn't and were trying it on). He requested a photograph but they refused and said he would have to request it in writing, so he did that.

Their response to him requesting a photograph was to write back saying that based on the information received (in this case, asking for the photograph) they have decided not to pursue the matter.

God knows what's behind all that, but you could be forgiven for assuming that they are chancing it in the hope that they con people into paying £90. Has anyone else had anything similar?

He has had a lot of trouble with the DVLA and their administrative incompetence recently, so was in just the right mood to tackle them on this particular subject.

By the way, please spare me any lectures about using untaxed vehicles on the road. I'm just the messenger.
Shouldn't this be in the "My Friend Has..... thread?

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

lyonspride

2,978 posts

162 months

Wednesday 10th January 2018
quotequote all
sgtBerbatov said:
Mine's been sat on the drive, half up in the air for about 6 months with 1 tyre on it and no brakes, in a neighbourhood where everyone has gates and the houses are worth £400,000+ (mine isn't).

This hasn't happened to me. Yet.
For as hateful as those sorts of people are (I utterly hate pretentious idiots), they aren't the type who complain about older unused cars. It's the type that feel aggrieved that you have multiple cars and that your breaking the law somehow by keeping one off the road.

sgtBerbatov

2,597 posts

88 months

Friday 12th January 2018
quotequote all
lyonspride said:
sgtBerbatov said:
Mine's been sat on the drive, half up in the air for about 6 months with 1 tyre on it and no brakes, in a neighbourhood where everyone has gates and the houses are worth £400,000+ (mine isn't).

This hasn't happened to me. Yet.
For as hateful as those sorts of people are (I utterly hate pretentious idiots), they aren't the type who complain about older unused cars. It's the type that feel aggrieved that you have multiple cars and that your breaking the law somehow by keeping one off the road.
It's a crappy old Toyota (as the wife keeps calling it) on a drive way with 3 other cars.

Part of me wants to get a Transit van to park next to it to just see how far I can push the neighbours.

3528

Original Poster:

40 posts

190 months

Tuesday 16th January 2018
quotequote all
Monkeylegend said:
It reads like he was using it but didn't think he had been seen using it.
Spot-on! Sorry, I should have clarified that.

3528

Original Poster:

40 posts

190 months

Tuesday 16th January 2018
quotequote all
WaferThinHam said:
"your mate"
It is actually one of my friends, rather than the common usage of "my friend" in such posts.



3528

Original Poster:

40 posts

190 months

Tuesday 16th January 2018
quotequote all
lyonspride said:
Sometimes you get people in the street reporting untaxed vehicles because they deem them to be an "eyesore", especially if it's more than a few years old and sitting on the drive untaxed. Spoils the look of the street don't you know..............
They can't tell now due to tax discs no longer being displayed. He's adamant that he hadn't been spotted by any camera vans or anything. I think they had some information but no evidence, so chanced it and caved in when the evidence was requested.

3528

Original Poster:

40 posts

190 months

Tuesday 16th January 2018
quotequote all
The Mad Monk said:
Shouldn't this be in the "My Friend Has..... thread?

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
No, it's not me. It is actually one of my friends. If it was me I'd have said so. There's no cause for embarrassment in a completely anonymous forum post as far as I'm concerned.

Richard-390a0

2,572 posts

98 months

Tuesday 16th January 2018
quotequote all
3528 said:
They can't tell now due to tax discs no longer being displayed. He's adamant that he hadn't been spotted by any camera vans or anything. I think they had some information but no evidence, so chanced it and caved in when the evidence was requested.
There's a part of the gov website where you can check if a car is taxed or mot'ed so it's perfectly possible one of his neighbours has dobbed him in.