What is going on with DVLA? (1 Viewer)

[acropolis22]

My licence renewal application has been with those useless idiots since the first week of January. How long are these taking at the moment? Anyone any idea? It's a C1 renewal. I sent them a letter from a consultant with additional information. They gave me an email address to get it there as quickly as possible, then said "it takes 10 days to scan it into our system"....... Could they be any more useless?

 

[LesW]

Probably all cutting the grass at home

 

[Barryh]

6 months so far waiting for HMRC to deal with something, have been told it might be June when they get to it. It makes DVLA seem positively alacritous.

 

[dalspa]

Probably all cutting the grass at home

More likely waiting for the grass to dry (it has been a very wet year so far) before it can be cut, and then being free to get on with some work.

 

[Gerry77]

I had slow progress with my renewal last year. Phoning was nigh on impossible and I was recommended to contact them via twitter(now X) and it works. Usually a reply to my query (which I stated in my message to them) within 24hrs and a telephone call back not long after. They were generally very helpful. Good luck with your renewal. BTW my original reply from them never arrived, strange that!

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[acropolis22]

I had slow progress with my renewal last year. Phoning was nigh on impossible and I was recommended to contact them via twitter(now X) and it works. Usually a reply to my query (which I stated in my message to them) within 24hrs and a telephone call back not long after. They were generally very helpful. Good luck with your renewal. BTW my original reply from them never arrived, strange that!

You're not seriously telling me that the best way to deal with a government service is via Twitter?.......... Unbelievable.

 

[Gerry77]

Yes, I didn’t believe until I tried it!

 

[scotzsue]

You're not seriously telling me that the best way to deal with a government service is via Twitter?.......... Unbelievable.

Not just DVLA 6 months in from an accident my son was still waiting for some response from his insurance company, had initially been given settlement figure, no further contact, phone not answered, didn't respond to the ombudsman. Contacted CEO on twitter, all sorted out in 24 hours.

 

[acropolis22]

I've had a look. How do I actually ask a question? I never use Twitter/X because I pretty much hate it. All I can see is the usual drivel.

 

[DuxDeluxe]

I had slow progress with my renewal last year. Phoning was nigh on impossible and I was recommended to contact them via twitter(now X) and it works. Usually a reply to my query (which I stated in my message to them) within 24hrs and a telephone call back not long after. They were generally very helpful. Good luck with your renewal. BTW my original reply from them never arrived, strange that!

Do you have a twitter handle for them to use? Thanks

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[WESTY66]

Interesting how despite the money it cost to rebrand to “X” everyone still calls it twitter

 

[nicholsong]

Is Twitter/X recognised under English law as a valid legal form of communication?

 

[Old Gibber]

It took DVLA 9 months to give me an all clear letter after they received the information from my consultant telling them I'd made a full recovery and did not need any medication or further treatment.

 

[The Artilleryman]

Had a work colleague aged 65+ with medical problems and it regularly took 9 months to renew his class D license, which meant he would get his license back just in time to renew it again. that went on for at least 6 years.

In the mean time he was still able to drive a bus.

 

[Spriddler]

Several recent threads on license renewal delays.
I'm 79 and have been waiting since applying online on Jan 11th. I heard nothing until April 2nd (the same day my license expired) when I received a medical form by post to fill in but I don't need a D4D inspection which they agreed with last week but still no license.
I've the ferry booked for May 12th and must have a physical license to show when abroad.
See my post #5 here:

C1/D1 application times?

I've had to let my license renew and lose my C1/D1 so that I have a physical license for France this year. I don't need it to drive my motorhome but I do to drive various community minibusses. So I will apply to get back from France in early July. Just for my info, please , how long have...

www.motorhomefun.co.uk

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[the1andonly]

They tried renaming the cock hotel in Northampton. it was a landmark that everyone used including travel reporters. they got so many calls "do you mean the Cock Hotel" that eventually the place was renamed The Cock Hotel

 

[Badknee]

If the useless none medical in any way whatsoever medical team don’t extract their digit soon my darling carer will be my chauffeur for our next trip over the ditch.

 

[acropolis22]

Several recent threads on license renewal delays.
I'm 79 and have been waiting since applying online on Jan 11th. I heard nothing until April 2nd (the same day my license expired) when I received a medical form by post to fill in but I don't need a D4D inspection which they agreed with last week but still no license.
I've the ferry booked for May 12th and must have a physical license to show when abroad.
See my post #5 here:

C1/D1 application times?

I've had to let my license renew and lose my C1/D1 so that I have a physical license for France this year. I don't need it to drive my motorhome but I do to drive various community minibusses. So I will apply to get back from France in early July. Just for my info, please , how long have...

www.motorhomefun.co.uk

Staggering. I applied about the same time as you, and, co-incidentally, I too have a ferry booked for May 12th. I feel like my summer holiday is going down the pan because of these idiots. And of course there will be no comeback or compensation.

 

[Jev88]

Did you use recorded/registered post?

Apparently can add three weeks to turn around as bull signed for in central office and then sits in their internal post to get to the right person.

 

[Gerry77]

Do you have a twitter handle for them to use? Thanks

Try @dvlagovuk
Sorry that’s all I can find at the moment. I would just put details of your application and ask for someone to contact you.
Worked for me. I have just remembered I think I got the info from this forum, worth doing a search as well.

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[Mr David]

6 months so far waiting for HMRC to deal with something, have been told it might be June when they get to it. It makes DVLA seem positively alacritous.

HMRC took 18 months to reply to a letter I sent them. I knew they had received the letter because they banked the cheque that I had enclosed. When they eventually got round to replying they wanted all the information I'd given in my letter, resubmitted on a form, that couldn't be bothered to send me!!

 

[DuxDeluxe]

HMRC took 18 months to reply to a letter I sent them

About right from my own experience………

 

[the darkside]

Workshy lazy militant civil servants, you’ll never win with them, I deal with them on a daily basis in my line of business, Hgv and trailer mots are going paperless at the end of April but mot fails or prohibitions are still on paper, I repair and mot hgvs and trailers, don’t get me started on any modifications or type approval issues

 

[frwjd]

Sent mine in late January and had my licence back within two weeks

 

[JRT]

It took DVLA 9 months to give me an all clear letter after they received the information from my consultant telling them I'd made a full recovery and did not need any medication or further treatment.

Son in law had a similarly long wait after his COVID stint and DVLA subsequent reportable heath issues.

They do seem hopeless when dealing with health related issues.

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[x17ken]

Workshy lazy militant civil servants, you’ll never win with them, I deal with them on a daily basis in my line of business, Hgv and trailer mots are going paperless at the end of April but mot fails or prohibitions are still on paper, I repair and mot hgvs and trailers, don’t get me started on any modifications or type approval issues

You will find that the majority of civil servants at the DVLA are hard working young women and men trying to balance their working lives with the pressures of bringing up their kids and living on incomes that are barely sufficient. Like all of us. They have to operate within the regulations that elected politicians have imposed upon them. They do not have sufficient resources to do the job that the whole country wants them to do and I know that customer care is at the top of their priorities. I have not yet met any lazy or militant ones in all my years of dealing and working with them. Their priority is road safety at all times .... unless of course you know otherwise. Best to be specific on this - names and examples etc to back you assertions.

 

[ChrisL]

If you have a medical condition which requires proof that you are fit enough to drive then it can take several months. Some years ago I had my medical and applied for a provisional class C licence, because I have sleep aponea it took them seven months to issue my licence and I only got it because I was able to print a report from my machine which showed I was compliant with therapy, I got my renewal at 70 in two weeks because as well as the D4 and D2 I included a report from my machine showing I was still compliant with therapy. The main thing is they need to know you're safe to drive so if there is anything you can do to prove it to them then you should send it.

 

[the darkside]

Things like like that’s not my department or that’s not my job then put you back to the start,several departments that do not communicate often sitting/ working alongside each other unless there working from home, I know and speak to DVSA staff daily on Hgv testing lanes, they are mostly decent individuals on the testing lanes that are doing a great job,but DVLA office staff are very much jobsworths that would not be tolerated in the real world.

 

[andyelbac]

Is Twitter/X recognised under English law as a valid legal form of communication?

Anything is recognised as a valid form of communication as long as you can prove you provided the information and it was in a form recognisable and accepted by the receiving party. For example, under EU procurement law, a supplier of every member state could apply for UK government tenders but if we stated their replies had to be in English only, they had to comply or have their tender excluded.

 

[x17ken]

Things like like that’s not my department or that’s not my job then put you back to the start,several departments that do not communicate often sitting/ working alongside each other unless there working from home, I know and speak to DVSA staff daily on Hgv testing lanes, they are mostly decent individuals on the testing lanes that are doing a great job,but DVLA office staff are very much jobsworths that would not be tolerated in the real world.

You clearly have had a bad experience. The best thing to do is send a complaint directly to the DVLA Chief Executive's office. That will get you the attention you need. The DVSA are a very different organisation in terms of their make up and role. The bulk of their staff are middle ranking technical and examining staff. Around 65% of them are male. Comparisons with the low ranking clerical staff in the female dominated DVLA are not that relevant. I know and have met many DVLA employees over my 40 years of living nearby. All of them have been "decent individuals" and hard working with a strong sense of responsibility. Many struggle to balance child rearing with working life, like working women (and men) everywhere. In their "real world' they have had to become significant contributors to the family budget since the demise of our heavy industries, high levels of unemployment and continuing threats to local jobs to this day (eg. in nearby Port Talbot). In our economy inward investment is currently dismal, Welsh GDP is one of the lowest in the UK, and many of our valley towns and villages are in terminal decay. I'm sure that many of the DVLA staff could prove themselves and be "tolerated" elsewhere if they had the chance and/or opportunity. On a positive note, I read recently that the DVLA retained the independently assessed Customer Service Excellence Accreditation for the 15th year running. So I guess they are getting it right for some.