Since the abolition of the paper car tax disc for the windscreen, it is impossible to tell at a glance if a driver has car tax or not. In July last year, I was suspicious when I saw a car visiting the pub opposite me. I used DVLA's website and entered the details of the Mondeo to see if it was taxed.
https://www.vehicleenquiry.service.gov.uk/
The Mondeo's tax expired on the 31st May 2015 so thought it might be a mistake or the driver had forgotten to renew. A month later I rechecked and the car was still without tax. So I used DVLA's website to report an untaxed vehicle.
https://forms.dft.gov.uk/report-an-untaxed-vehicle/
I thought that would be the end of it. But no. During 2015 I saw the car almost every day as I passed the owner's house, he went shopping in the town, he went to the pub nearly every evening or he went to work. So I continued to report this via the DVLA website throughout the year. Yet nothing was ever done.
I raised a complaint within the DVLA process and received a copy and paste reply stating that DVLA do not operate a call out system, do not clamp all untaxed vehicles and use 'other means' to recover the unpaid tax. As the months passed by I escalated the complaint to the executive level - whatever that may be - and received the exact same letter by the exact same person. Searching the DVLA website I finally found the chief executive's email address and fired off a strongly worded email about 'incompetence', 'disgrace', 'hopeless' etc. Yes, you have guessed, the same letter in reply.
So now it was a battle of wills with this government department and I sent my MP the details. Currently waiting for the response as she has written to the chief executive. However, in the meantime, DVLA wrote to say the driver/owner of the Mondeo has been fined before for no tax and they would be tasking the wheel clamping team to stop this. I got that letter 3 months ago and the Mondeo is still being driven around every day with no tax. Last night it parked on the main road outside the pub so it has not been taxed since the 1st June 2015 despite me reporting it more than 40 times now!!! And to make matters worse, this driver is friendly with another pub customer who started coming to the pub just after Christmas and his car has not been taxed since 1st January this year. Maybe a coincidence, maybe not but very annoying as I have to tax 3 vehicles.
DVLA will sell your details to any private car parking company but they will not catch untaxed cars. What is going on???
https://www.vehicleenquiry.service.gov.uk/
The Mondeo's tax expired on the 31st May 2015 so thought it might be a mistake or the driver had forgotten to renew. A month later I rechecked and the car was still without tax. So I used DVLA's website to report an untaxed vehicle.
https://forms.dft.gov.uk/report-an-untaxed-vehicle/
I thought that would be the end of it. But no. During 2015 I saw the car almost every day as I passed the owner's house, he went shopping in the town, he went to the pub nearly every evening or he went to work. So I continued to report this via the DVLA website throughout the year. Yet nothing was ever done.
I raised a complaint within the DVLA process and received a copy and paste reply stating that DVLA do not operate a call out system, do not clamp all untaxed vehicles and use 'other means' to recover the unpaid tax. As the months passed by I escalated the complaint to the executive level - whatever that may be - and received the exact same letter by the exact same person. Searching the DVLA website I finally found the chief executive's email address and fired off a strongly worded email about 'incompetence', 'disgrace', 'hopeless' etc. Yes, you have guessed, the same letter in reply.
So now it was a battle of wills with this government department and I sent my MP the details. Currently waiting for the response as she has written to the chief executive. However, in the meantime, DVLA wrote to say the driver/owner of the Mondeo has been fined before for no tax and they would be tasking the wheel clamping team to stop this. I got that letter 3 months ago and the Mondeo is still being driven around every day with no tax. Last night it parked on the main road outside the pub so it has not been taxed since the 1st June 2015 despite me reporting it more than 40 times now!!! And to make matters worse, this driver is friendly with another pub customer who started coming to the pub just after Christmas and his car has not been taxed since 1st January this year. Maybe a coincidence, maybe not but very annoying as I have to tax 3 vehicles.
DVLA will sell your details to any private car parking company but they will not catch untaxed cars. What is going on???