Renewing (Card) Driving Licence

[ChandlersFord]

Just before new year, I received a notice from the Driving & Vehicle Licensing Agency that my card licence had to be renewed before February.

It stated that rental online cost £14.00 and £21.00 at the Post Office. On Tuesday, I renewed online and thought not more about it.

On Friday, I received a text from my credit card company, asking if I had authorised a payment of £89.00 to something called the 'Driving Licence Agency.'


I told them I hadn't and they agreed to put a 'temporary block' on the payment.

My replacement driving licence (complete with horrible 'british' flag fouling its top right corner) arrived on Saturday morning.


I contacted the 'Driving Licence Agency' and they assured they would not be taking any more payments from me, but they could not refund me the (unauthorised) £89, because I had passed the 'cooling off period' (didn't know there was one, but then I didn't know I'd paid) but I was 'free to use their services for the next three months.'

I've no use for their services (whatever they are) and consider this a scam.

The thing is - the scam seems to authorised by the DVLA (their letterhead on the notification) and I made the payment on a gov.uk site.


Anyone else had anything like this happen to them? I'm wondering what my next move should be before doing battle (and calling Citizens' Advice, whom I've generally found to be useless).

[Nick Armstrong]

That sounds outrageous and unlawful.

Mine was due to expire next week… I happened to notice, I haven’t received any reminder. I renewed it earlier this month, online and for 14 quid no problem.

I did it 2+ weeks early fearing delays due to this, that or the other strike in this poor old country of ours… but in fact it arrived in 3 or 4 days.

(Btw I agree about the tacky “Little Britain” look of it compared with the previous one )

[ChandlersFord]

That sounds outrageous and unlawful.

Mine was due to expire next week… I happened to notice, I haven’t received any reminder. I renewed it earlier this month, online and for 14 quid no problem.

I did it 2+ weeks early fearing delays due to this, that or the other strike in this poor old country of ours… but in fact it arrived in 3 or 4 days.

(Btw I agree about the tacky “Little Britain” look of it compared with the previous one )

The so-called Driving Licence Agency are refusing to refund me as they claim I cancelled after the 'three day trial' period (I wasn't aware there was one, and there was no mention of such in any of the emails they previously sent me). They claim that as my licence has arrived (yesterday) I have 'used' their service. Yet I wasn't aware I'd signed up for their service.

I'll speak to my credit card company in the week.

[Nick Armstrong]

The so-called Driving Licence Agency are refusing to refund me as they claim I cancelled after the 'three day trial' period (I wasn't aware there was one, and there was no mention of such in any of the emails they previously sent me). They claim that as my licence has arrived (yesterday) I have 'used' their service. Yet I wasn't aware I'd signed up for their service.

I'll speak to my credit card company in the week.

It’s very strange.

My dealings were with the DVLA in Swansea, as ever was, via the .gov.uk site:

[ChandlersFord]

It’s very strange.

My dealings were with the DVLA in Swansea, as ever was, via the .gov.uk site:

Just checked my credit card online: there is no record of the £89.00, which I queried with them on Friday. They said they'd put a temporary block on it, but I wonder how temporary should a thing would be?

It's not unusual for the DVLA to contact drivers by post, so I thought nothing of it and the letter does specifically direct you to a government site.

[jayne lee wilson]

Just checked my credit card online: there is no record of the £89.00, which I queried with them on Friday. They said they'd put a temporary block on it, but I wonder how temporary should a thing would be?

It's not unusual for the DVLA to contact drivers by post, so I thought nothing of it and the letter does specifically direct you to a government site.

If any payment has been taken, you can get it back with Section 75 or Chargeback...ask your CC people about it.

https://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/regulation/section-75-of-the-consumer-credit-act-aZCUb9i8Kwfa

[ChandlersFord]

If any payment has been taken, you can get it back with Section 75 or Chargeback...ask your CC people about it.

https://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rig...t-aZCUb9i8Kwfa

Thanks, Jayne!

The name to beware of is the 'Drivers Licence Support Agency'. I've just checked them out on Trust Pilot. It seems they are a scam organisation that diverts people from the DLVA site. They must've obtained/bought information about when licences are due for renewal, as mine was indeed due to expire next month.

[oddoneout]

This from Money Saving Expert

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2021/06/dvla/

https://twitter.com/dvlagovuk for those who engae in such things

I would have been suspicious seeing the inclusion of "motoring" in the URL, as it looks to me like a made-up one but it seems that's how they style themselves these days.
My card expires in 2025 but I don't have a valid passport so can't renew online anyway. If I'm going to have to pay a fee I'll do it through the Post Office and get them to take responsibility! In theory I won't have to renew the photo as the 10 year card expiry comes a couple of months before the photo expiry, but I'll get it done at the same time as it's convenient ID.
That's assuming of course that the Post Office is still providing such a service in a couple of years time - not a given these days. "Everybody does things online so we are no longer providing this option" is the mantra.

[Dave2002]

I'll speak to my credit card company in the week.

It's possible they'll be as helpful as the chocolate teapot on your mantelpiece.

Exactly what services your "DVLA" was offering to let you use for three months I can't imagine - unless you have a car and use the £89 or part of it to offset road tax.

However you should be able to challenge this with luck. You have only just received your driving licence card. It is now Monday, and you only received it on Saturday. By my reckoning this is 3 days max, so should be within the rather dubious 3 days cooling off period.

Although some MPs these days are also as useful as your over the fire shelf ornaments, I would suggest writing to yours immediately, giving the details provided here. Let DVLA know you have done this too.

Is there also a scam DVLA "organisation" operating in parallel with the real one?

[Old Grumpy]

This from Money Saving Expert

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2021/06/dvla/

https://twitter.com/dvlagovuk for those who engae in such things

I would have been suspicious seeing the inclusion of "motoring" in the URL, as it looks to me like a made-up one but it seems that's how they style themselves these days.
My card expires in 2025 but I don't have a valid passport so can't renew online anyway. If I'm going to have to pay a fee I'll do it through the Post Office and get them to take responsibility! In theory I won't have to renew the photo as the 10 year card expiry comes a couple of months before the photo expiry, but I'll get it done at the same time as it's convenient ID.
That's assuming of course that the Post Office is still providing such a service in a couple of years time - not a given these days. "Everybody does things online so we are no longer providing this option" is the mantra.

It's also an assumption that there is a Post Office!

[RichardB]

I've almost been had a few times by things like this, most recently when I needed to apply for an Emergency Travel Permit because I have to travel while waiting for my new passport to arrive. Very often if you do a search for something like this (the other recent one I was nearly taken in by was for US visas), the top sites that turn up on Google, which are in fact paid advertisements, look like some kind of official site but in fact they're just companies that take money for organising whatever application it is for you, even though usually it's quite possible to do the application oneself.

Always scroll down until you find the real official site!

[Bryn]

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6300977/driving-licence-renewal-scam

[ahinton]

It's also an assumption that there is a Post Office!

Not only that but also a Post Office prepared and set up to deal with such issues, which by no means all of them are.

[Dave2002]

It's also an assumption that there is a Post Office!

I can't predict for 2025, but the PO service recently for one of our passports was very quick, and didn't cost very much more than trying to do it in other ways. Seems that they can do the photographs for the passports now, rather than expecting you to take along your own, and get them signed on the back etc., though maybe that only works for renewals.

I suspect you don't actually want a passport - so you wouldn't need all the countersigning by a GP, JP etc. Maybe they'll be able to do you a new photo for your driving licence too - providing they are sure it's really you - but as you say - if Post Offices and PO and Royal Mail workers still exist in 2025.

[oddoneout]

Not only that but also a Post Office prepared and set up to deal with such issues, which by no means all of them are.

The one in the town centre is a Crown Post Office so can do all the fancy stuff, fortunately. There is a sub post office in a coop branch in what I suppose counts as a suburb, which is handy when the main one is too busy.