Galaxy Part Five.

Last year my beloved car was written off when another driver came out of a side road and ran into me, the damage wasn’t great but my Insurance Company said, “It’s a write off.” My Husband Paul was devastated as the car had full leather seats throughout, he wanted me to have it repaired and kept. But once it’s damaged it’s no good to me, I like a car at the time, I’m just pleased if my car can get me from A to Z, in time I bought a new and better car and was happy.

March first, I helped my Brother with mental health move, everything went like clockwork, the small removal van came in the morning and as arranged by his Social Worker the ambulance also came to take him down the stairs and to his new care home. But soon after I’d arrived, in the complex, I noticed I was given a parking ticket! It was just like they were watching me, and wanted to make a stressful day more so, it seems these people don’t have anything else better to do. My brother has always payed the parking permit for me to park there, it had run out the day before, for what would be the point of paying for another year when he or I wouldn’t be there? I was of course livid! And as I had to go for the final time to the local laundrette, I decided to leave the ticket where they had placed it!!! Off I went up the hill, and as I drove, the ticket blew away. I didn’t think that would happen. On my return from dropping off Eric’s clothes I did scan the road on my way down the hill, but couldn’t see it anywhere.

In June I had a letter from the DVLA to say, “You need to tax your vehicle,” I wrote them another letter Registered Post as I always send everything I post registered so I have 100% proof that I have sent it and 100% proof that they have signed to say they have received it and it was not lost in the post or undelivered, and in between it can be tracked as to exactly where it is in the system, it’s worth the extra pennies for peace of mind. I said to the DVLA, “My car was in an accident last year and it was written off, a Company from my Insurance Company came and took the car away, I gave them the papers they asked for and the other part I sent to you, Registered Post.” Unfazed I sent DVLA another letter to tell them all about the accident and that the vehicle was no longer mine, it had been scrapped it was SORN off the road.

It seemed my letters were ignored, and I got another letter from the DVLA saying the same thing. I replied with another letter to them, again sent signed for. The third letter from the DVLA said, “You have to pay a fine of £80 for the offence that happened on March first,” Now I remember that date well, that was the day I’d taken the day off work to help my brother move home, it was the day of the parking ticket. So, I rang the Housing Association and spoke to a lovely gentleman called David Frost, I told him everything. His reply was, “I will phone the parking ticket company that we use and explain about the day, the ambulance, the removal van, that you were there going backwards and forwards taking your brothers’ items to his new care home, when I have explained to the head of their department, you won’t have to pay the fine, they will understand.” I thanked him.

In July, I had a text from someone called Arc, saying “You need to ring us urgently with your on-going case,” And there was a number for standard rate, for me to phone them. I didn’t phone them I Googled them to see who had texted me but all I could see was Npower electricity that was attached to their name, so I was none the wiser. I ignored it, for there are lots of scams and crooks and companies who have bought our details for a few pennies. I didn’t delete it, but left the details on my mobile.

In August, I had another letter from the DVLA, saying, “You need to tax your car, and pay the fine, that the debt recovery company Arc would be taking it to the next level, you need to do this by the 7th of August,” I told them, “I can’t tax a car that I do not have, the car was scrapped and destroyed.” I’d forgot to mentioned that David Frost had given Arc my works email address and they had bombarded me there, it was horrific. I was SO stressed out. I did ring the number that they also bombarded me on my phone, but no one ever answered the phone, I just raked up more money on my bill, listening to their stupid messages. I didn’t want to have a bad credit score, but it looked like, that was exactly what had happened, for it dragged on and on and on. I wasted so much time at work trying to email my story again to different Arc Staff and the Parking Ticket Company and to the Housing Association. I gave them all my brother’s details his old address and new. I even rang up my Insurance Company again and asked them for the name of the Company that had collected my scrapped car, they were lovely and gave me all the details I needed, I post it again to the DVLA, signed for of course.

Yesterday Jool from Arc finally rang me like I’d asked them to from my email to them, so it could finally be sorted once and for all, for it suddenly had occurred to me, that in March I didn’t have the old car but my new car, so that was puzzling, I thought it was some sort of elaborate scam, from a company pretending to be from the DVLA, and they were bullying me for an £80 fine, I didn’t seem to have a leg to stand on, for I can’t fight the DVLA fake or not. I said to Jool, like I’d said to Arc in my last email, “It’s not my bill, it’s my brothers, he can pay it, I was helping him move on my day off, that I’d booked off for him, just give me the postal order details, so I can post it to you and get it over and done with.” Jools replied, “You can’t send a postal order, you can pay by cheque or at a pay point or post office.” I didn’t want them to have my bank details so I said, “I will pay at a pay point.”

I put the phone down relieved that I was minutes from it been all over, then I had a brainwave, I would ring my Insurance Company again and tell them all about the scam or possible fraud, I wanted them to contact DVLA on my behalf as they were just not listening to me, they were just ignoring all my letters. Claire listened then she said, “Can you hold the line?” She returned a short time later and said, I will give you the Company who came and took your car away, here is their email address they should be able to contact the DVLA on your behalf, by email or by phone. I thanked Claire and I emailed the Company.

I told them my story all over again, in an email to the Company who took my car away and this morning, this is what I read, “In December …… we took your car from you, we put it up for auction, and in December ….. it was sold as seen, because of Data Protection we can not tell you the new owners name or address, they collected the car January ……. You need to contact the DVLA as soon as possible…….. Oh my goodness!!!!!! Now it all made sense. Some idiot was driving around in my wrote off car without tax and they had done something coincidentally on the same day I had my parking ticket! Which had been cancelled, thanks to David Frost. It wasn’t a scam, but to me this was fraud. So, I rang my Insurance Company back and told them. I also told them, “I am angry with the Company who took my car away and sold it, I’m going to put then all over Social Media,” She said, “They are not to blame, for that is their job to make money out of written off cars,” I said, “OK, I won’t do that.”  She went on to say, “You need to ring DVLA and tell them, that the car now belongs to someone else, and possibly make a complaint against them.”

I rang the DVLA and spoke to Shay, I told her my story and added I have sent letters many times and none have been acknowledged, all have been sent Registered Post,” Shay asked, “Have you got one of the receipts with you now?” I told her, “I have,” She asked me to, “Read out the tracking number,” I did and she replied, “You indeed did send it here to the post office, it was signed for, but it was not then sent on to us here at the DVLA, that is strange, I’m going to open a case, so it can be investigated, as to why we didn’t receive your post.”

I feel a bit better, knowing I wasn’t going batty! I’m SO glad I didn’t pay their bill, or my brother didn’t pay it. Hypothetically speaking, I wonder if someone there is not posting their post, but taking them home with them, it does happen, maybe that’s why my letters never arrived to the DVLA.