Am I thick? DVLA rant!!

I've just taxed my bike online only to find out for the last 4 weeks since I bought it it's been unlicensed which is an offence and that the DVLA people may be in touch.

I bought the bike from a dealer a month ago with no tax which wasn't a problem for me as I knew I wouldn't be able to ride it until July. I did a vehicle enquiry on the licensing website to check how much the tax would cost and because it said that the SORN on the bike was not due to expire I thought nothing more of it.

I guess that when a vehicle changes owners the SORN expires and the new owner then has to either tax it or declare it SORN again? if this is the case then why can't the DVLA notify you as they do when your tax is about to run out? Am I just a bit thick? I've never bought a vehicle without tax before so never had to think about it!

Rant over!!

[Wideboy]

well when i bought my bike tax had been out for 2 weeks when i went to tax it they asked has it got tax i said no so they started the tax from the date the bike was 1st but in this year i got no rollocking from the DVLA

Ta for that...I'll keep my fingers crossed. My tax disc will be dated 01/06 so I will only have been without tax for about 2 weeks...I don't want to have to shell out £80!

[MrMessy]

Hi
Had same problem with a car we bought for our daughter.Dealer told me he would notify DVLA when he sent tax in for a refund, but he did not. I think the computer is set up to do a search at the end of the month the tax as expired? It then sends out a penalty notice. I talked to a guy at Swansea and he was not helpfull, is attitude was that I should have declared SORN anyway spoke to a guy at our local DVLA Office and he sorted it for me!

DVLA and their computer systems again automatically spewing out fines without knowing the real situation give them a ring i'm sure they will put it right for you as its not your problem.

[Wideboy]

or send them another bomb

allegedly

Well, Ive had to send my V5 back to them.. just by chance I decided to check its details up against my bike.... well, the chassis numbers were wrong... checked the paper work from the dealer, and all that is correct, so 99% certain someone at DVLA must have put the wrong numbers down! so thats gone back with a covering letter.. which means for now I am unable to get a new plate made for the tail tidy I bought for it... do'h!

Cheers people...will let you know what happens! I checked to see whether my other half's car was unlicensed too as he bought it at the end of last year and it's been off the road since. It was SORNed when he bought it and we assumed it still was as there's been nothing thru the post. It's been unlicensed since November '06 and he hasn't had a fine yet...it's SORNed again now so fingers crossed!

If I remember correctly, in the old days before computers you declared SORN and it stayed that way until it was either taxed or DVLA notified it had beeen scrapped.
Then they changed all the v5 docs to these new ones and you have to update a SORN declaration each year (for which you get a reminder and can do at Post Office or online).

My MG was in my garage about 5 years ago (in the days of the old v5's) and was declared sornSORN. I never received a new v5 until I finally got her back on the road last month.
Obviously I couldn't tax it online as there was no reference number on the old v5's to do this, but I checked the reg out anyway (idle curiosity) and it came back that my car was 'Unlicenced'.
Phoned the DVLA and they told me that I would have to tax it at the Post Office and they would retain the old v5, send it to DVLA and I would get a new one within a couple of months. Regarding the 'Unlicenced' bit, they simply told me that it had obviously fallen through the cracks so to speak when the records had been computerised and I shouldn't worry about it.

I picked my bike up 6 days before the end of May, my insurance document eventually turned up on the 1st June, went to tax the bike and they didn't say anything - just gave me the tax starting from the 1st June.