As the family are aware I am exchanging my old Zafira for a Vauxhall Meriva. This was due to take place on Thursday of this week (Thursday 1st April) those of a superstitious nature might well have been aghast at the thought of picking up another vehicle on this date! However, suffice it to say that I am not superstitious. (I even commenced one of my jobs on April 1st!)
When the Phillips family arrived on Saturday evening to drop off Moliie and Tom, Gary greeted me with the news “Did you know that is is scheduled to snow heavily on Tuesday and Wednesday?” Was this the dreaded April 1st effect I asked myself.Supposing it was so snowy I couldn’t get to Pateley Bridge? What then?
I needn’t have worried, because about 11.00 am a brown envelope dropped through the letter box, and when I opened it I discovered it was from the DVLA, explaining that a current insurance certificate for the new Meriva had not been sent. In its place an insurance schedule had been sent! This meant that they had not been able to proceed with the issue of a tax disc for the Meriva, nor transfer the number plates from my Zafira on to the Meriva.
I had fixed the insurance change over from the Zafira to the Meriva for 1st April, so this meant that from 1st April onwards the Zafira would not be insured. I eventually got in touch with the DVLA, after about 20 minutes of waiting, and then an automated press 1 for, 2 for, 3 for 4, for etc. Eventaully I managed to speak to a real person. I explained to him what had happened and said did they need another insurance certificate with a date later than 1st April, as it was now very unlikely that I would be driving the car on 1st April!
The gentleman I was speaking to said he didn’t see what my problem was, in his lilting Welsh accent. I had already explained that under the current situation the insurance would run out on the Zafira (and be transferred to the Meriva on 1st April) – an NO It wasn’t an April Fools Joke. I didn’t want to be driving an uninsured Zafira around until the DVLA had sorted out the paper work for the Meriva. Eventually he came up with the helpful suggestion that I should maybe ring the insurance company! I told him that was my intention, but that I needed to know when to arrange a transfer of insurance. In other words, how long would it take for the necessary paperwork to be completed and back in my hands?
His not too helpful answer was typical “somehwere between a week and ten days.” I told him that would be no good for insurance purposes that I needed a precise answer, as I didn’t want to be driving round in an uninsured Zafira. Supposing I informed the insurance company to continue the insurance on it for another ten days and it took eleven days for the paperwork to come through, then what? I could see I would not get a straight answer from him so I thanked him for his (unhelpful) advice and eventually rang off.
I phoned my car insurance company and explained the situation. “No problem,” said the lady I spoke to, “We will issue you with a temporary insurance certicate for the Zafira, which will run until midnight on Sunday 11th April, at no extra cost, and if you need to extend the date and time of the change over just give us a ring!” Hurrah for the Prudential!
When the Phillips family arrived on Saturday evening to drop off Moliie and Tom, Gary greeted me with the news “Did you know that is is scheduled to snow heavily on Tuesday and Wednesday?” Was this the dreaded April 1st effect I asked myself.Supposing it was so snowy I couldn’t get to Pateley Bridge? What then?
I needn’t have worried, because about 11.00 am a brown envelope dropped through the letter box, and when I opened it I discovered it was from the DVLA, explaining that a current insurance certificate for the new Meriva had not been sent. In its place an insurance schedule had been sent! This meant that they had not been able to proceed with the issue of a tax disc for the Meriva, nor transfer the number plates from my Zafira on to the Meriva.
I had fixed the insurance change over from the Zafira to the Meriva for 1st April, so this meant that from 1st April onwards the Zafira would not be insured. I eventually got in touch with the DVLA, after about 20 minutes of waiting, and then an automated press 1 for, 2 for, 3 for 4, for etc. Eventaully I managed to speak to a real person. I explained to him what had happened and said did they need another insurance certificate with a date later than 1st April, as it was now very unlikely that I would be driving the car on 1st April!
The gentleman I was speaking to said he didn’t see what my problem was, in his lilting Welsh accent. I had already explained that under the current situation the insurance would run out on the Zafira (and be transferred to the Meriva on 1st April) – an NO It wasn’t an April Fools Joke. I didn’t want to be driving an uninsured Zafira around until the DVLA had sorted out the paper work for the Meriva. Eventually he came up with the helpful suggestion that I should maybe ring the insurance company! I told him that was my intention, but that I needed to know when to arrange a transfer of insurance. In other words, how long would it take for the necessary paperwork to be completed and back in my hands?
His not too helpful answer was typical “somehwere between a week and ten days.” I told him that would be no good for insurance purposes that I needed a precise answer, as I didn’t want to be driving round in an uninsured Zafira. Supposing I informed the insurance company to continue the insurance on it for another ten days and it took eleven days for the paperwork to come through, then what? I could see I would not get a straight answer from him so I thanked him for his (unhelpful) advice and eventually rang off.
I phoned my car insurance company and explained the situation. “No problem,” said the lady I spoke to, “We will issue you with a temporary insurance certicate for the Zafira, which will run until midnight on Sunday 11th April, at no extra cost, and if you need to extend the date and time of the change over just give us a ring!” Hurrah for the Prudential!
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