DVLA... a warning for us in the UK!!!!!!

Hi all, a wee note to warn any others who may have bought a bike recently and it is on SORN, (off road notification). ( Which is used if a vehicle is off the declared road here in the UK.)
I got a letter this morning from these nice people at DVLA to tell me I was being fined £80, or £40 if I paid right away, or up to £5000 if I ignored it!, as my bike had not been registered "off road" since Jan'09. When I bought the bike in Oct'08 it was on SORN so I dug out the papers and yes, there is the confirmation letter I got from the previous owner from the DVLA saying it is registered "off road" until 09/09.
I decided to call them, and a very nice lady who was helpful, told me that although it was registered SORN I had to do it as well when I aquired the bike :shock: to which I replied" if it was taxed would I still have had to tax it" the reply was "erm um eh! no! that's different!
The upshot is I have decided to appeal it, as I was in possession of their letter confirming it off road 'til Sept 09,and have sent them a copy, although the name is the previous owner I assumed the notification was transferred, and was either taxed by me later on or renewed on a SORN.
My A65 Clubman is on SORN so I thought I knew how the system works, obviously not!!!
I certainly didn't know you HAD to re -sorn it when you took ownership, and I'm pretty sure a lot of us in the UK don't either!, So if you have just bought a bike that's on SORN make sure you let them know yourself!
ROBERT

rbt11548 said:

I certainly didn't know you HAD to re -sorn it when you took ownership, and I'm pretty sure a lot of us in the UK don't either!, So if you have just bought a bike that's on SORN make sure you let them know yourself!
ROBERT

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It's annoying, and maybe a little unfair, but that has always been the rule concerning buying a SORN-ed vehicle, as far as I know?

Quoted from the Directgov SORN website page:

"Buying a vehicle that has SORN on it
If you buy a vehicle that has a SORN on it, the SORN will come to an end on the date you buy the vehicle. You must make a new SORN if you are keeping the vehicle untaxed off the public road."

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/Ow ... /DG_069727

I must say, I never knew that!

Is it me, or is life getting more and more complicated? Oh yes I just remembered........I'm getting old. :?

Reggie said:

I must say, I never knew that!

Is it me, or is life getting more and more complicated? Oh yes I just remembered........I'm getting old. :?

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No life IS getting more complicated!
I just didn't want anybody else to fall into the trap, I did believe it was on sorn as I had the letter, as L.A.B. states it is down deep within the DVLA dungeons that you need to sorn it when you buy your bike.... lesson learned but hopefully they may reconsider, it's not as if I'd tried to pull a fast one!, we'll see!
The other one that is a bit stealth is the new photo licences they only now last 10 years, not forever as the paper ones did, a lot of people are getting caught with that one as they assumed it was the same, it of course tells you on the licence in very small print!!!!! It is still not wildy known and carries a rather hefty fine!!!
Good old UK Gvt., hammer the motoring fraternity they are any easy target :x

Same Bullsh-t in New Zealand life time licence ha pull the other one not only that our passports only last 5 years now as well !!! its all bollocks ! sorry i had to get that off my shoulders! cheers blaise

blaisestation said:

Same Bullsh-t in New Zealand life time licence ha pull the other one not only that our passports only last 5 years now as well !!! its all bollocks ! sorry i had to get that off my shoulders! cheers blaise

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Feel free, have a rant it does you good!

Rant on, what really pisses me off is the explanation for all these new rules is allegeadly to catch all the feckless buggers who run around with no insurance or tax. Well despite the new rules they still run around with no insurance or tax and as they never own the car or bike the DVLA can never catch them, if the police pick them up they get a warning or a small fine which they ignore. The normal law abiding person is now the main source of revenue because the rules are so complex you will always get caught out, and as you are law abiding they have your address so you get fined, try not paying that and as you have a job you get a bigger fine.

Rant off

I took my 11 year old car for MOT last week and it passed.
But there were some advisories, and I quote;
"Fuel filler cap sticking shut." That is the external flap, not the filler cap itself. The spring doesn't flick it open because it's broken.
"Battery flat."............meaning battery a bit tired.

What do these two items have to do with the cars and indirectly other peoples safety!!!!!!!!

Trouble is, it wont end here, it's going to get worse. Hopefully alzheimers will dull the pain.

Here is an update on my fine issue. I informed the DVLA that I had the sorn note from the previous owner and that I honestly believed it was sorned and my other bike was also on sorn, so it's not something that I would try and avoid.
As I was going away for 2 weeks I asked my wife to look out for a letter from the DVLA. I managed to get onto the internet one night and my wife informed me that they had written telling me that it WAS my responsiblilty to sorn it as the new owner, (which , L.A.B. did correctly state), and that a sorn is NOT transferrable betwen keepers, also I was still liable for an £80 fine or £40 if I paid before the 9th of May. They didn't even extend the fine date although I appealed it, it must be the only place that doesn't extend the fine period to allow your appeal to be heard! I decided to pay the £40, so my wife sent off a cheque. I am quite annoyed about it all and I am thinking of speaking to my local councillor, whever he/she may be, if they are available and not trying to work out expenses, :shock:. I KNOW the DVLA site says it is the new owners responsiblity, but how many people would accept that the bike is registered on sorn if they got the DVLA letter from the previous owner to say that it was?, most of them I would think as it is not wildly known that you have to do it yourself. The issue needs to highlighted to make more people aware that this is the procedure! Or am I being cynical in thinking that this is a small gold seam for the government?
Yours in the Ranting Club
Robert

Don't feel like the Lone Ranger over there. I have two bikes I still have to sort out with California DMV. You wouldn't think a clerical error calling a Norton a Triumph would be a big deal would you?
I also have a bike that I want to do a planned non operation on and in spite of a letter sent to them they are trying to refuse.

This is an interesting thread, and it took me a few minutes to find it, but I went to this site: http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/OwningAVehicle/UntaxedVehicle/DG_4022058, and it clearly states, about halfway down the page:


Buying a vehicle that has SORN on it

If you buy a vehicle that has a SORN on it, the SORN will come to an end on the date you buy the vehicle. You must make a new SORN if you are keeping the vehicle untaxed off the public road.

In my state, one can simply let the registration lapse on a vehicle if its being taken off the road.
Rather than tax discs, autos here have renewal decals that are placed on the corner of the license tag. When the vehicle is sold, the seller keeps the tag, and the new owner purchases a new tag from the DMV or transfers one he already has.

(If, for example you're trading in a vehicle, the dealer takes the tag off your old one, attaches it to the new vehicle, and submits the transfer paperwork to the state)