Commendable performance by the DVLA (predominantly).

[TypoQueen]

A little observation on the accelerated pace of operations at the DVLA lately.

On Tuesday, September 30th, we exchanged our two vehicles at a Mercedes Main Dealer and acquired a replacement on the same day. Notification of the sale of both vehicles to the trade was conducted online at the dealership, along with the registration of the new vehicle in my name and the payment of Vehicle Excise Duty (VED).


I was slightly astonished to get the replacement car's V5C (logbook) in our mailbox on the morning of Friday, October 3rd, and even more astonished to receive the confirmation of disposal and reimbursement of VED for both swapped vehicles on the morning of Monday, October 6th. Excellent work, DVLA!

Now about the "predominantly" aspect.

Why is it not possible to request that any Vehicle Excise Duty return be paid straight to the bank account from whence it was withdrawn by Direct Debit when reporting them online of the disposal, along with receiving confirmation of disposal via email? Individuals who want a check and a paper confirmation may still get both if desired; nevertheless, it would be far more convenient for those of us who prefer not to visit the bank to deposit a cheque.

[Lemmand]

Who visits the bank to deposit a cheque?Is it still the 1990s in your location?; Access your banking application, capture images of both sides of the cheque, verify the amount, await clearance, and then trash the cheque. Task completed. Simple!!!👍

[VodScanner]

This

However, it is a waste of ink, energy, and a little twig to generate a cheque that 98% of the driving population does not want.

[TypoQueen]

Should the Nationwide app let me, I would proceed accordingly.

[Lemmand]

Concurred.I am unable to access my Nationwide account or my wife's Yorkshire Building Society account. Simple with Barclays, however. It seems to be one of the distinctions between a bank and a building society.

[Automan]

Do not provide them with a justification to cease issuing refunds. They must be seething with anger at the thought of all that returned money.

[TypoQueen]

My wife used Halifax for banking, and their application facilitates check deposits. If only the DVLA would not endorse their checks as "A/C Payee Only," I would have deposited it into her account!

[TypoQueen]

That is the least of my concerns.

The genuine deception is in the need to pay Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) from the first day of the month in which vehicle ownership commences, whereas refunds for VED are only issued from the first day of the month subsequent to disposal. There is no justification, given the prevalence of electronic transactions, to accept (and return) pro-rata amounts depending on the transaction date.

[Lemmand]

It has consistently been that way, even throughout the era of paper discs.

Previously, when I was selling, it was permissible to tax a vehicle during the last two days of the month, with payment commencing from the first of the following month. This practice is no longer allowed; even if one taxes a vehicle on the 31st, payment is required for the whole of the concluding month.


Previously, we could pay a little fee to extend the tax on new automobiles by one or two weeks, which was beneficial for meeting our monthly or quarterly targets. Otherwise, buyers may decline to accept the vehicle until the following month, resulting in the automobile being attributed to next month's sales numbers, which is suboptimal. It is unclear if new vehicle dealers are still permitted to do that; clearly, we could not do such action on the day of the plate change.

[TypoQueen]

Indeed, in the past, the paper disc was inscribed with the expiration year and month; however, we have not used paper discs for many years. The only motivation for their continued actions is to generate further revenue.

[TypoQueen]

Affirmative, they are permitted, but just for new registrations.

[Istairde]

They likely do so in the expectation that no one would take the initiative to cash the check.

Upon my departure from Virgin Media, they owed me money rather than the reverse. They said they will remit payment by check. I said that I do not take cheques and that they should use the same payment method I employed. They adhered to their choice, therefore I informed them that they would pay a 10% administrative cost, and I remained resolute.


They deposited funds into my bank account.

[FreexPatty]

Recently, I found a VED return check that was more than six months old; my lack of bank visits over the last year likely caused me to set it aside.

Utilising cheques for reimbursements may well be a prudent decision by the DVLA.

[Carishme]

There is always the concern of the perpetual accumulation of unutilised funds in the accounts (i.e., DVLA's bank accounts) until they are disbursed. Provides them with more days to retain your funds.

A payment card that was valid at the time of usage may no longer be effective. There are evidently methods to circumvent this issue; nonetheless, they can easily bear the expenses associated with printing and sending a check, given that they retain a substantial portion of surrendered Vehicle Excise Duty, and the procedure is plainly mechanised in contemporary times.

[tr4s]

Visiting a financial institution?

What is this mythological task you refer to?

[PopeyeR]

The DVLA remains outdated; transferring a number plate from your vehicle may be done online, but only between 7 AM and 7 PM.
If you want a new V5 for which you must pay, the transaction cannot be conducted online, and payment must be made by check or postal order. Earlier this year, I had to search through cabinets to locate an old cheque book.