Steve King Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 I needed to renew the tax on my newly acquired TD5 Defender and as I hadn't received a reminder I was unable to renew the tax online like I have done for the past few years - a pity as it is really quick and easy. So I queued at the local post office (well when I say local it is a bit of a trek at lunchtime!) and eventually got served, there were no tax renewal forms around to complete and so when I got to the counter I was half expecting to be given a form to go away and complete! Instead the guy was happy with the tear off bit of the V5, my MOT and insurance certificate. He asked me if I wanted to renew for 6 or 12 months and I said 12. A few minutes of him f@rting around with a bar code scanner that had a faulty lead that needed wiggling before it would work and he said "Are you sure that you don't want 6 months?" "No!" I replied firmly "that works out more expensive!!" It turned out the silly bugger had scanned a 6 month disc rather than a 12 month disc and didn't know how to cancel it!! I had a quick rant at him and he roped in a colleague to assist. After a long discussion in the Queens finest Urdu the transaction was cancelled. I paid the £200 by card and dashed back to work sharpish as I was a bit late. It was only when I got back to work that I really looked at the disc! Instead of expiring 29 February 2012 it showed an expiry of 31 January 2012!!! B*ll**ks! So I rang the DVLA to see if there was anything they could do to sort out this mess, but alas I had to return to the Post Office! I explained the problem and was asked if I had given the guy who served me a renewal document - I explained that as I had only just bought the car I didn't have one and the guy who served me should have either asked or looked it up - as he scanned a bar code on the tear off bit of V5 I assumed he knew the expiry as he didn't ask me! They initially claimed they couldn't do anything, but after I had a good rant and rage (which attracted much attention from my fellow customers) they agreed to change it. I pointed out that they had a duty of care to me as a customer and to the DVLA to get the expiry date right and that they should not assume expiry dates and must ask! So next they refunded the £200 and said it would take up to 5 working days for it to show up in my account. So then I had to pay £200 again for the correct tax disc. Just imagine if I was skint and didn't have another £200 spare until the £200 they first took was refunded??!!! Utter f*****g useless w*****s!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronnie_rotten Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 Irriots. Mind you,i'm on holiday in Ireland for another 2 weeks with my reminder and insurance doc locked away at home and my mot here, and my tax runs out at the end of the month. that's a bit daft innit? how am i gonna wriggle outta this one?!? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niamh Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 Renew online? Niamh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronnie_rotten Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 don't i need a reference number from the renewal paperwork? i'm sure they'll be awkward if i can't jump through their carefully set up hoops, cos that way they can fine me? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rawsondsr Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 a number off the v5 is enough to do it online. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
will4x4 Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 Yeah ...that would f*** me off to lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dads Toy Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 Try the one that happened to me a couple of years ago then. Paid for 12 months but when we got home found they'd only given us a disk for 6. Straight back to be confronted with "prove it". Well how about the form that had 12 months ticked then? No, what's written on the tax disc is what you asked for and the forms not relevant. Getting annoyed now when they said they would have to wait for DVLA to send a statement of all their transactions for the day then tally that with the takings and if there's a difference they mightconsider it. Luckily my missus used to work part time in a local little Post Office and pointed out the woman who'd served us and also the cheque we'd written. Here comes the saving grace, my wife had written the form reference plus the registration and 12 months applied for on the back (as they are supposed to)so they had no options left and cancelled the old disc and issued the correct one. Had it been cash, not sure how we'd have proved anything and it struck me as a possible scam, take for 12 months, issue 6, pocket the difference, especially as the assistant wasn't there again. Moral - use a cheque (as long as they're still around) and write all your info on the back. Oh and don't leave the counter until you've checked you got what you wanted and paid for. Malcolm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJB Serenity Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 what a mare! Sign o' the times though I'm affraid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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