Yesterday I filled in an on-line application to renew my driving licence (which process now requires mother's maiden name, my place of birth, NI and passport numbers, and how long at my address).

At the end, this request came up:

"Your driving licence application has been submitted for validation checks. The driving licence should arrive in the post within 2 weeks. Please cut your old driving licence into two and return it to: DVLA, Swansea SA99 1ZW."

This request was repeated in the confirmatory email: "If you are still in possession of your old driving licence, cut into two and return it to: DVLA, Swansea SA99 1ZW."

Which I shall ignore for the time being and until I get the new licence. S*d's Law suggests that before it arrives I shall be required to produce physical proof of ID. And there are horror stories, including in yesterday's Telegraph, of long delays at DVLA.

Reflecting on my renewal experience and all those security questions as I walked to buy The Sunday Times, I wondered if I'd accidentally brought up a scam site. When I got home, I checked the site I'd used and examined my confirmatory email, and was reassured to see that they were genuine. 

But a casual Googling of the potential risk produced four hits for those rip-off websites that charge a lot of money (£85 in one case) to "check and process" one's application.

BTW The Sunday Times printed two letters about DVLA, one from someone who'd posted renewal documents 14 months ago and had heard nothing, the other who'd renewed online on a Friday and had received her new licence on the following Wednesday.

 

I've never cut up my old ones and sent them back and presume most people don't.

32 minutes ago, Tizer said:

I've never cut up my old ones and sent them back and presume most people don't.

+1 I have to renew my HGV license every year due to a health issue and have never cut up the old ones, I've got a drawer full of them! 😀

Mind you HGV is slightly different in that you have to carry your license with you wherever you drive. Not sure why when everything is online now but that's what they want. 

1 hour ago, Tizer said:

I've never cut up my old ones and sent them back and presume most people don't.

The post office staff do if you do it in person rather than online...  Was pretty shocked when it happened to mine! 😮 

A 2 week timeframe is a joke, there are thousands been waiting months for service by DVLA, especially those surrendered for health issues, where a specialist says they can have it back some are over 6 months on a sleep apnea site i frequent. Any wonder Boris wants to privatise it. Not fit for purpose.

As an aside there is too much misinformation RE, Sleep Apnea and surrendering your licence. Under current UK law you need only surrender it on the say so of your specialist, NOT your Gp or nurses. As long as your reacting well to treatment and ahi's are under 5, with NO daytime episodes you can keep it. I double checked with DVLA and my insurance company.

I really don't think these organisations understand the real world impact the have on people's lives.  Many left unable to renew a blue badge or order a new Motability car due to PIP delays.  Many left without a licence to drive, despite being medically fit, due to DVLA delays.  

There seems to be a lot of variation in the renewal time. I've just read another letter in the Sunday paper from a lady who said she applied for her over 70 renewal online on April 22 and received it April 27 - three working days.

I did read an explanation of the delays to paper applications from an anonymous DVLA worker who said that during the lockdown they were piled up in rooms in date order, so the earliest applications were at the back, and when they started to deal with things the latest applications were on the outside so were actioned first, so first in, last out! That wouldn't explain delays to online applications, though, unless their system is incapable of sorting data by date.

And I can't understand this "cut up your old licence" business either. When the time comes to do mine  I'll hang on to it until I get a new one! 

 

1 hour ago, Eric Bloodaxe said:

There seems to be a lot of variation in the renewal time. I've just read another letter in the Sunday paper from a lady who said she applied for her over 70 renewal online on April 22 and received it April 27 - three working days.

I did read an explanation of the delays to paper applications from an anonymous DVLA worker who said that during the lockdown they were piled up in rooms in date order, so the earliest applications were at the back, and when they started to deal with things the latest applications were on the outside so were actioned first, so first in, last out! That wouldn't explain delays to online applications, though, unless their system is incapable of sorting data by date.

And I can't understand this "cut up your old licence" business either. When the time comes to do mine  I'll hang on to it until I get a new one! 

 

Which is basically what it says on the site anyway, 

2 hours ago, MarksST said:

Which is basically what it says on the site anyway, 

Well, it does imply that it will take longer to get your licence by post than online (though there's no mention of things being piled up in rooms and first being dealt with last!😀). No help for those renewing a licence category which must be dealt with by post, which I see I would have to do it I wished to retain my C1/D1 entitlement, for instance.

1 minute ago, Eric Bloodaxe said:

Well, it does imply that it will take longer to get your licence by post than online (though there's mention of things being piled up in rooms and first being dealt with last!😀). No help for those renewing a licence category which must be dealt with by post, which I see I would have to do it I wished to retain my C1/D1 entitlement, for instance.

I meant about keeping the old licence till the new one comes along.

10 minutes ago, MarksST said:

I meant about keeping the old licence till the new one comes along.

👍 It does indeed. Terence's original post implied that the message to cut up and return the licence before getting a new one came after finishing the online application and again in the confirmatory email.

I'll see what happens when I do mine. One thing for sure, I won't be cutting up a photocard - it's so long since I changed address I've never had one. Mine's so old it's probably on parchment!😀

My new one turned up after 3 of 4 days, pretty sure it said to wait and send it back, it didn’t say cut it up. Overall a quick and simple process online.

 

I tried to renew my mum's DL online last week on the Northern Ireland .gov web site. Fell at the first hurdle. I took a perfectly valid photo of mum which kept being rejected. No matter how I cropped it, or colour saturated it, or lightened/darkened the exposure - kept being rejected. I'm 100% positive than when I print it out and do an old fashioned postal application there'll be no problem. Sometimes (or many times) I hate technology!!

3 minutes ago, StephenFord said:

I tried to renew my mum's DL online last week on the Northern Ireland .gov web site. Fell at the first hurdle. I took a perfectly valid photo of mum which kept being rejected. No matter how I cropped it, or colour saturated it, or lightened/darkened the exposure - kept being rejected. I'm 100% positive than when I print it out and do an old fashioned postal application there'll be no problem. Sometimes (or many times) I hate technology!!

I had that issue eventually took my photo to Tesco of all places and the woman verified check and printed of a few, couple of quid well spent. They sometimes have offers on.

NO smiling, NO glasses, plain background, damn list was endless. mine was because i'd hit the 10 year wall, yet another money making excersise.

3 minutes ago, Jimpster said:

I had that issue eventually took my photo to Tesco of all places and the woman verified check and printed of a few, couple of quid well spent. They sometimes have offers on.

NO smiling, NO glasses, plain background, damn list was endless. mine was because i'd hit the 10 year wall, yet another money making excersise.

When I did mine I didn’t have to supply any new photo, they use the one they already have, they just want your ID details so they know it goes to the right person.

Photo needs to be updated at the 10 year interval, that's why I had to do mine at a post office with a photo booth back in 2018.

Think they can use your passport photo if you have a passport, but I don't.

40 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

Photo needs to be updated at the 10 year interval, that's why I had to do mine at a post office with a photo booth back in 2018.

Think they can use your passport photo if you have a passport, but I don't.

NI is so tech backward! Mum is in her 80s and I'm not dragging her out to a photo booth for a stupid DL photo. (She only wants the license for ID purposes). There is no option here to use a photo from another source like a passport.

We even have to go to the Dr to pick up that bit pf paper called a prescription, then take it to a chemist - not very 'green' when the Dr is a 30 mile round trip. You guys get it all electronically as you realised that someone invented the internet LOL

My new licence arrived this morning, six days after I'd applied for it online.

On 5/8/2022 at 10:10 AM, Marlburian said:

BTW The Sunday Times printed two letters about DVLA, one from someone who'd posted renewal documents 14 months ago and had heard nothing...

 

I'm sorry, but anyone waiting patiently 14 months for a driving license has bigger issues than not receiving the license! 🤣

On 5/13/2022 at 1:49 PM, Marlburian said:

My new licence arrived this morning, six days after I'd applied for it online.

Ditto! Applied online for my 70+ renewal Monday afternoon and it arrived in this mornings post.

Quite sad to lose my C1/D1 entitlement by using the online process but not really worth going to the trouble of keeping it going, as I haven't needed to use it for years, anyway. 

I think I'll hang on to the paper one as a memento - I can't imagine the heavy mob will be round if I don't cut it up and send it to Swansea and how would they know it wasn't lost in the post anyway?

 I've still got the little red book version I had originally as well!😀 

 

 

 

7 hours ago, Eric Bloodaxe said:

I think I'll hang on to the paper one as a memento

While filing this away I discovered the appointment card from my motorcycle test when I was 16 - forgotten I still had it. It was a school day, but my headmaster very kindly let me have the time off, on condition that I passed, which fortunately I did!😀

On 5/8/2022 at 12:28 PM, Jimpster said:

Any wonder Boris wants to privatise it. Not fit for purpose.

Agreed. Would be far better if it was run by a private firm.....

like Lehman Bros or RBS/NatWest or TUI or EasyJet or VW or Farepak or any of the private firms who have caused injuries/deaths and then covered up their actions. 

There - balance achieved 😉

My cynical view on privatisation.  The contract would be awarded to someone who’s mates with people in govt so govt officials and their mates just use privatisation as a way of lining their own pockets.  And the service won’t be what was promised.  I’m not trying to defend the current position. Anything where there is no choice for the public to chose who they pay has no market pressure to encourage good service. 

On 5/8/2022 at 11:17 AM, Turvey said:

+1 I have to renew my HGV license every year due to a health issue and have never cut up the old ones, I've got a drawer full of them! 😀

Mind you HGV is slightly different in that you have to carry your license with you wherever you drive. Not sure why when everything is online now but that's what they want. 

License ran out middle of March, got new one today 👍