I went to the Post Office this lunch time to renew the SORN declaration on a vehicle. As I don't have the reminder letter I took my V5c document along with me to identify the vehicle that needed the declaration. I know from past experience that this is enough if you wish to purchase a tax disk.
I could not believe it when I was informed that I could only declare my vehicle SORN if I had the reminder letter. The letter that they send out to remind you to tax your car. Fortunately I managed to complete the process online only using the information on the V5c document.
So if you want to go to the Post Office in person and declare a vehicle offroad then the reminder is not a reminder at all - it's a critical part of the required paperwork.
Which is utterly fucking insane.
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And this is why the PO will go down the pan, and the Internet will eat their lunch...
Is it possible that the person that you dealt with at the post office was mistaken?
Hi Stonyground. It's possible that she was utterly mistaken but she was entirely sure that she was right. When I suggested that I could purchase a disc with cash had I wanted to put the vehicle on the road without the reminder she said yes I could but, and I quote, "those are the rules".
It's nucking futs
If you purchase a disc they get a commission. Presumably they are not interested in doing paperwork for a free sorn.
Think of it this way. Bureaucrats have to justify their jobs. If they made it easy, than at some point someone might say "what the fuxk do we need these people for?" Sounds very Soviet in fact.
Apart from the lovely dresses aforementioned...
The SORN scheme is just another extortion racket (copyright HM Gov), I got stung £40, and threatened by a doubling of the fine because I SORN'd online and their piss-poor server went down.
Glad to be of service to add 40 quid to the DVLA server rescue fund...
Hi Anonymous - have removed the previous spammy comments .....
The whole continual licensing thing fails when computers glitch. Which is utterly ridiculous.
One of the things that always pisses me off when visiting the UK is each new extra layer of bureaucracy that has appeared since my last trip. The continual "No. We can't accept that." From the clerks when trying to say, pay a bill to the DVLA via the post office counter. Positively Kafkaesque.
It will eventually, as JuliaM points out, kill the Post Office.
Anything more complex than selling stamps and envelopes seems to be beyond them.
Hi Bill,
The assistant who served (?) me spent ages with her previous customer trying to persuade them to have a Post Office credit card....... maybe they're trying to become a bank?
:o)
Certainly rhymes with merchant bankers. As noted, SORN is yet another way to tax the unwary while the lawless continue on their merry untaxed uninsured MOT-free way.
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