I haven’t yet received a new V5C form, so I decided to ring the DVLA up and ask them about it. Easier said than done - they have so many different numbers you can phone for all sorts of different-but-similar things.  I rang one in the back of the V5C notes booklet (which probably has a number), and was told by the nice recorded man that they were very busy, then told I could look on the Internet for stuff, which was useful only for running up the phone bill, because at the end of the spiel, I was rather abruptly cut off.  No putting me on hold or anything like that.

I rang the number on the road tax form instead, just to see.  It rang, then the same nice recorded man as before told me about the Internet again, then said I had four options to choose from.  The third one was to continue the call in Welsh, which amused me.

I rang the first number again, twice, finally getting through, to be greeted by the nice recorded man telling me the same sort of thing and that I had heard before, and gave me another menu to choose from.  I decided that no.2 was the ideal choice - to check up on an application already made, although no.1 was about taxing/SORNing your car, so at first, I wasn’t sure if no.2 was only to do with tax or if it was any application in general.  Anyway, I was put on hold, with the nice recorded man telling me how busy they were and I’d be on hold for 2 to 5 minutes.  Eventually, after listening to Erasure for 2 to 5 minutes, the nice recorded man said he appreciated the fact that I was waiting ever so patiently, when he was interrupted by a nice lady who told me that my form had been posted yesterday and that I should get it in the next couple of days.

If it doesn’t get lost in the post.

The DVLA doesn’t seem to know one end of its arse from the other. How can one organisation have so little clue about what it itself is doing?

I sent off my V5C (the log book) to tell the DVLA my name has changed. I haven’t heard from them yet.

The car tax is due soon. I received a reminder yesterday, in the post. From the DVLA. To Miss C. Taylor. You can’t use that form (V11) if the name on the form is wrong. You have to fill in form V10 instead. “The V10 is…available ffrom all Post Office Branches” sayeth the V11. I went to the Post Office.

“We don’t have those forms anymore,” said the nice lady in the Post Office.

“But it said on the form…” I said.

They don’t do those forms anymore, she said. The only place that does them is the aptly-named local DVLA office. In Peterborough.

She also said I should be able to use the V5C form in conjunction with the V11 the DVLA sent me.

“I sent it to the DVLA,” I said.

She told me I should have kept half of it. I didn’t. I sent the whole thing off. I didn’t see any instruction that told me to keep any of it. So I sent the whole thing off.
I thanked her for her help and left the Post Office.

Luckily, you can also download form V10 from the Internet. It has notes. The notes say I need to produce a valid V5C form. I haven’t got one.

My MOT is due soon as well. Guess what you need to take along with you for an MOT. Yes, your V5C form.