A little DVLA story for you!

[DDWales]

Hi all!

 

I think we all know by know what this very poor organisation are all about so let me tell you about another classic tale. This however ended very well!

About a year ago my sister recieved a letter from a DCA regarding an unpaid parking ticket issued by a police officer from approx 6 months previously. The letter stated that my sister had been approached by the police and was issued with a parking ticket for for a minor traffic offence. As she had not paid the DVLA the accompanying fine it had now been passed onto them. She was a little bemused to say the least as the offence had taken place some way away from where she lives (and has never visited) and secondly she doesnt have car, has never driven and doesnt even have a licence!!!! She then phoned the DCA to explain this who, as expected,- did not care in the slightest and threatened the usual court action etc.

My sister then went to the DVLA to remedy the situation and was spoken to by a jobsworth who told her to get lost (to put it lightly)

This is where i entered the frame! I went up to the DVLA only to be greeted by the same person(with the same attitude!). I asked for her line manager immediately and before discussing the issue at hand complained about this ladies' poor attitude. After threatening to take the matter to the local press surprisingly enough the situation more favourable(anything to avoid negative press eh!!) The line manager said that he would look into the situation but was taken back when he said that the DCA in question wasnt used by the DVLA for recovery anyway!!! Brilliant.

2 days later my sister recieved a letter stating that although they were satisfied that my sisiter had never owned a car/licence that fine still stood:evil:!!?? To rub it in the following day she had a letter from the same DCA to say that they had added further costs !!! Suitably annoyed i then went to the police station from where the ticket was issued to see if they could do anything. I was told that the police station had recently suffered a fire and the evidence of the ticket had been lost:shock: Starting to get a little bit furious i then went back to the DVLA and let them know in no uncertain terms that this needed to be sorted NOW!! After much anger they said that they would send a document ( cant rember the official name/title) that would exhonourate my sister from the alledged offence. That duly came a week later along with another letter from the DCA staing that they had set a date to take her to court!!!!! I then rang the DCA on her behalf to explain the DVLA document to them and that the DVLA didnt even use them for recovery. They stated that they werent interested and see you in court. I then rang the DVLA and explained about the situation whom to my amazement stated that they had no record of sending my sister the exhonourating document!!!! I had by know had a temper ala Michael Douglas in the film Falling Down and thought stuff it see you in court. The date duly arrived and went in with my sister. The judge took one look at the document, shook his head and stated that the DVLA had' once again failed in its duties as an organisation, had let my sister down, caused her uneccesary worry and caused yet another waste of public money'!! No one from the DCA had turned up (no surprise there then!). The judge then lamabasted the DCA whom the judge described as 'petty minded and unscrupulous'. The whole charade lasted for approx 15 minutes. My sister was awarded costs (quite a bit too!!) and was sent a letter of apology from the DVLA a week later. The story made front page news of our local and even better the DCA (i found out later) had been wound up as its managing director had been imprisioned for extorting money! My sister ended up taking herself and her children on holiday out of the money for the first time in years.

Sometimes justice does prevail!!!

Edited January 2, 2009 by DDWales
dodgy spelling!

[Bookworm]

What a lovely story of the ages.

[Mr lex]

Wonderful story DD, glad your sister had some reward for her trouble

[DDWales]

Thanks. Thought it would put a smile back on some faces! Happy new year all!

[patdavies]

About a year ago my sister recieved a letter from a DCA regarding an unpaid parking ticket issued by a police officer from approx 6 months previously. The letter stated that my sister had been approached by the police and was issued with a parking ticket for for a minor traffic offence. As she had not paid the DVLA the accompanying fine it had now been passed onto them.

 

I am sorry, but this is utter nonsense.

 

1) A parking fine issued by a Police Officer can only be a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN).

2) Whilst an FPN is quite normal for a minor traffic offence, it is certainly not a parking ticket

3) DVLA has no involvement in enforcing FPN's. They are enforced in the same way as Magistrates' Court fines.

4) An FPN would have to have been paid to the relevant Court, not the DVLA

 

If she wasn't the registered keeper of a car and didn't have a driving licence, how was she issued an FPN for a 'minor traffic offence'?

 

Lastly, unless you are a solicitor and therefore able to charge for your time in this matter, how she she arrive at considerable costs. Costs exist only to reimburse for outgoings made in defending the claim. If this was brought to Court by the DCA, then it would presumably be small claim track in the County Court (rather than the criminal court) and costs are effectively not allowed - unless she counter-claimed - which would not be court costs.

[Conniff]

DD, can you give us a link to the newspaper article, or name the paper so we can have a look.

[DDWales]

I can see your point and i was as utterly confused as you but thats what happened. Something somewhere had gone very wrong...trust me i shared the journey, spent alot of money on phone calls and it wasnt pleasant until the end! I will see if she has the letters still and post them on here.

If i have got any information wrong i do apologise but i am going from memory and do not share the legal knowledge that people like yourselves have at present-but i am learning fast- I was just helping her out with what i could

[DDWales]

Sure -The Llanelli Star Paper.

[Raykay]

If the DVLA were involved, it can only be in respect of a vehicle excise licence (or lack of) or a SORN problem. They have nothing to do with FPNs or PCNs, parking problems or traffic offences.

[Wig]

If an officer sees a unlicensed vehicle on the road, apart from whatever they do to the driver or stick to the windscreen of the car, they also notify the DVLA as a matter of course. The DVLA then try to recover the supplement which they are entitled to in VERA 7A. It is also entirely possible that as part of the FPN there may now be an attached section/invoice which has to be sent off and paid to the DVLA to cover the supplement that is now payable.

 

Scans of the letters and court docs would be much appreciated DDWales, what was the court date? And there's no need to apologise for having a few blurred memories of an event a long time ago, which did not even involve you directly.

Edited January 3, 2009 by Wig

[Spunkymonkey]

then it would presumably be small claim track in the County Court (rather than the criminal court) and costs are effectively not allowed - unless she counter-claimed - which would not be court costs.

 

On the small claims track, it's open to the judge to award a defendant's costs (including, where appropriate, their time in preparing their defence) as part of a counter-claim if he feels the claimant's conduct has been unreasonable (either before or during the case).

 

That's purely a matter for the judge to decide and it's quite conceivable that a judge who's seen a number of people in his courtroom because of DVLA failings might judge their actions in creating yet another case for him to settle as "unreasonable".

[DDWales]

Hi back! I never thought that this thread would envoke such debate! I was actually discussing the thread with my sister yesterday..if only i had found this site earlier. The word has now been spread though! I will see her tonight to see if she has any of the docs-i do hope she has! From the knowledge gained on here ( thank you all!) obviously something had gone wrong here and was worrying for her as a single mum with little income. As for SORN or excise licence issues again im not too sure. I think the court date was March 07- again i will ask. What id really like to know is how her details came about in the first place due to the fact of never having/being able to drive a car. The only thing that we could think of is that someone we know had given it? If that was the case then the person must have been female and for the life of us cannot think of anyone who would fit the bill

[crem]

The only thing that we could think of is that someone we know had given it? If that was the case then the person must have been female and for the life of us cannot think of anyone who would fit the bill

 

So I guess from that last line DDWales you don't know ANY women at all as you say they must be female and you don't know anyone who fits that bill!!

[DDWales]

:DFair point:)!!