DickMorbey
United Kingdom
3683 Posts |
Posted - 25/07/2017 : 15:27:34
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Current experience with the DVLA suggest that care should be exercised when applying to recover an original registration mark for a car.
In a case that has been mentioned on the Forum over the past few days, the applicant submitted a regular and complete application to the DVLA to recover the original registration mark that had been on his car. The application was supported with all necessary evidence, confirmations from the MG Car Club, etc. and checked carefully before the Club submitted it to the DVLA on behalf of the owner.
What people may not realise is that the DVLA will only ever correspond with an applicant - i.e. the owner and not the Club. (Indeed the Club almost never hears any more once an applicaytion has gone into the DVLA!)
As it happens, in this case the DVLA had misinterpreted the application, which they believed was a request for the allocation of an age-related registration mark. When DVLA responded to the owner they requested further information consistent with their misinterpretation of his application.
The owner naturally enough responded in good faith in accordance with their requirements and the result was that an age-related registration mark was allocated to the car rather than the original mark he had applied for.
At no point was the Club aware of this inconsistency - it was never 'in the loop'at this stage of the process.
So the purpose of this cautionary note is to urge all owners to ensure when you hear back from the DVLA about an application you have submitted, check and recheck that they haven't got it wrong! If there is any glimmer of doubt, please contact the MG Car Club at Kimber House (assuming your application was steered into the DVLA system via the Club) for guidance before you take unnecessary or inappropriate steps.
Equally, if you have "gone solo" in your dealings with the DVLA and you get an inconsistent or unacceptable response from the DVLA, please contact the Club and I'm sure we/they will do what we can to assist - of course we are even happier to do so if you are a Club member!
In the worst case a 'proper' Triple-M car might find itself saddled with a Q-plate registration and we don't want THAT!!
Dick Morbey PA/PB 0743 Frieth, Oxon, UK |
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John James
United Kingdom
965 Posts |
Posted - 25/07/2017 : 21:57:35
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When I send applications to the DVLA I always state in the title of my covering letter whether the application is for a reclaimed registration mark or an age-related registration mark. Here's a couple of examples:
Vehicle Identification Number TD3331 – Application to reclaim registration mark LLO 352.
Vehicle Identification Number TC2628 - Application for an age-related registration mark.
If the letter from the Club had been similarly titled I fail to see how there could have been any confusion.
The DVLA may well be bureaucratic but from my experience they carry out their clerical procedures 'within the box' and don't stray 'outside of the box'.
In the case that has been mentioned on the forum, it seems that the Club did not submit evidence of address, otherwise the DVLA would not have returned the papers to the applicant.
At the end of my covering letter I always include my postal address, e-mail address and telephone number. Contrary to what has been said I have been contacted by DVLA on past occasions.
Going "solo" has been mentioned but this is not really possible because applications need a 'dating letter' from the Club. If this is not included with an application the papers are sent straight back.
JOHN JAMES DVLA Representative for The MG Octagon Car Club.
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