Going the extra mile and getting burnt.

[jamslug 91]

This post leads on from the recent post regarding the DVLA not being fit for purpose.

 

I was going to comment on the bottom of that but decided to start a new topic. So going the extra mile as got me in the shit twice now. The first one was when I tax cars for new owners...

 

...... I did this once , like I have time and time again, but this time the DVLA decided to send a refund back to the previous keeper. So I believed it was taxed and sent the car out, like you do. A while later the honest man who initially part ex'd this to me phoned to say that he had received a refund. This prompted me to investigate and eventually find out the DVLA had actually messed up. If he cashed that cheque, then no one would be any the wiser and the new owners would be driving around in an un taxed car.

 

Anyway, already said that in the previous topic. But it made me remember why I NEVER send the yellow slip away for people anymore.

 

I always used to "go the extra mile" and send that yellow slip away for the p ex'ers . After all, why would you want to make that customer then go and buy a stamp and envelope just to do your office admin? Well I did this time and time again, one of them was an elderly man. Everything was hunky dory . Until he phones me in an extremely distressed state explaining that he had received a court summons from the DVLA for not declaring his car SORN after not insuring or taxing it. 

 

Well obviously they hadn't received or processed the yellow slip I sent in on his behalf.

 

So from then on, I always explain that it is the current keeper's responsibility to alert the DVLA of a change of keeper and their part exchange is still their responsibility until the DVLA acknowledge the change in ownership.

 

Was I the only one that ever did this, or does everyone do this?

 

It would be interesting to hear what other things do you now not do or refuse to do because of the potential repercussions on yourselves  ?

[It's me 615]

I have never and will never do the in trade postage bit on behalf of customers for this very reason 

Its the same when selling cars,i explain to customers that they must make a note in their diaries that they receive the log book in 6 weeks or phone me or dvla and i stress to them never post off the new keeper slip,you tell em but most dont listen and log books do get lost in the post .

[jamslug 91]

That's a good idea. I will do that too!

[Tom 164]

Yes its my customers who send off the yellow slip not me! 

[Rosemotors 31]

I got burnt about 10 years ago when a customer kicked off about getting a fine. Now I tell them it's their responsibility and their fine if it's not done. I give them a pre-addressed envelope (but no stamp. Tight, huh!).

[James Baggott 227]

Makes sense to place the onus on the buyer. As long as they know it's their responsibility and it's made clear itsounds like good practice to me.

[GreenGiant 287]

3 months into the 'new' system and the cracks are now showing.

Refunds going to the wrong people, cars being 'untaxed' with nobody knowing, customers driving 'untaxed' cars that have actually been taxed, fines for not SORNing a car that didn't need it...

There will be more.

It is obviously flawed. But it will not be fixed as the DVLA are in denial, so we just have to keep stumbling from one cock-up to the the next, putting out the fires as we go.

 

What have we learned?

 

Do not offer to process the yellow slip for a p/x on behalf of the previous keeper.

Ever.

The one time you do, is the one time it will all go Pete Tong. Guaranteed.

If you tax a car online for (or with) a customer, take a screen print of the confirmation. And get an Email too.

If you do it at the Post Office, ask for 2 copies of the receipt for that transaction (session report?) showing reg no, amount paid, date etc. Give one to the customer and keep one.

And don't throw out the unused tax disc holders yet.....