Renewing my driving licence

[trophywench]

Just done this on-line for the first time. The actual process was perfectly straightforward. However, getting my ID verified by the Post Office was anything but. First important Q it asked was do you hold a current UK photocard licence, Yes or No. I obviously answered yes and off we went. However when you've entered all the info they send you an SMS message with an ID number to enter on the website.

However since our phones (apparently) don't warble at you to tell you that you have one, about 5 of them had expired before we realised but it eventually accepted one - then refused to acknowledge that I have a licence ......

Rang the help number and the girl said she could see it had been rejected but unfortunately didn't give a reason so suggested I went back, said No, and entered something else eg Passport number. I said What - you mean me to lie? and she replied Yes. So I did - and it was fine.

What a B stupid system - making the User tell an out and out lie - in order to complete a process that relies on people telling the truth.

Not fit for purpose it seems to me.

 

[Northerner]

Clearly a poorly designed system, it wouldn't have got past me! 😱 🙂

 

[trophywench]

Well I didn't want to sort-of get involved with using eg Experian, otherwise I might easily get a million junk emails telling me what to do to improve my credit rating or whatever, I thought. Hence why I chose the Post Office.

I already had a Gov Gateway ID and now I see I have another one according to the email telling me I'd registered from the PO - but the DVLA site never asked if I had one.

Don't care as long as they renew the footling thing! Next renewal will presumably be in 2 years though cos of my age.

 

[mikeyB]

Gosh, Jenny, if you get irritated by little computer hiccups, how do you deal with your road rage?

 

[trophywench]

I have always commented to the windscreen " I'll be s%%%$*ed if you are going to make me have a stroke from stress - go forth and multiply, 'my man/woman/person' " Believe it or not.

If I happen to be a passenger where the driver isn't road raging but merely having an apoplectic fit at some other vehicles entirely stupid movements on the road (eg cutting them up and other such normal things) I wait till they've calmed down and successfully avoided being taken out by said other vehicle and then ask them who they think is more likely to keep their licence and an undamaged car, and be satisfied that it's them. And laugh, cos it's just part of driving these days, sadly.

Taking my driving test, me and the examiner, waiting at a red traffic light to turn right into a narrower road, had a boy racer immediately behind, revving like that was going to change anything. (As we know, absolutely the best thing ever anyone can ever do smack up the rear bumper of a car with L plates. Bound to instil confidence in the learner. Not)

So the light changed and we both negotiated the right turn successfully and the minute it was half possible to accelerate past me (though not advisable on a bend and the brow of a hill one would have thought) off he went and I couldn't help it, I said out loud 'Thank God for that!' (which wasn't exactly what was going through my mind just then)
and the examiner agreed with me. I passed.

I conserve energy, it just does NBG to expend it on that sort of thing cos doing that doesn't change a thing!

 

[Alister]

indeed the best thing to do when you see someone driving like an accident looking for somewhere to happen is to make sure you are nowhere near them when it does.