I had fun renewing my car tax last year.
This year I had hoped it would be a much more straight forward experience, and so I went to the Post Office armed with all of the required evidence that I was the true owner of a non-lethal vehicle, and if I did happen to prang something, then someone other than me was going to pay for the damage.
The only concern I had was that I had lost my cash card the weekend previously whilst out drinking, and had yet to receive a replacement. This is not a high issue though, as I had a enough cash to last me a few more days and three perfectly usable credit cards.
“Hello, I’d like to renew my Car Tax please!” I said to the nice old man whose window I had approached when called to do so by the hidden window-allocating robot.
He perused the documents I passed under the window, and asked if it was 6 months or 12 that I wanted. I felt it would be a little cruel to say I wanted to limit my visits to this soul-sapping venue of wall-to-wall human misery, so merely said, “12 months please”.
“That’ll be £180 please.”
“Sure, do I put my card in here or do you want it under the window” I said pointing at my card and then the chip and PIN machine.
“Oh, we don’t take credit cards for Car Tax”
“Excuse me?”
“Cash, cheque or debit cards only”
“But I lost my card two days ago and only have £40 on me!”
“What about your cheque book?”
“It’s at home, where it always is.”
“Well if you go and get it, I’ll hold on to your documents here and we’ll finish this when you get back?”
So, thirty minutes later, and after a 20 mile round trip, I returned with my cheque book, and do you know what the next thing he asked for was?
My cheque guarantee card.
Fortunately he decided to take a cheque without it, clearly something in my face suggested that would be an acceptable risk for the Post Office to take.
One of these years I am going to have an entirely hassle free car tax renewal. Probably.
No tags
Sam Cullum · May 18, 2007 at 7:45 am
Do it on-line – totally hassle free and dead easy! But then you’d have nothing to write about!
Billyboy & MrsF · May 18, 2007 at 8:09 am
Move to France we don’t have car tax at all!
No hassle, no cost, good roads.
M.C. Glammer · May 18, 2007 at 8:56 am
Yep, online. So much easier. The post office is losing 400 million quid a week, or something. There’s a reason for that.
Mo · May 18, 2007 at 9:07 am
Are you moaning for the sake of moaning on this one Angry?
Seems to me the post office chap gave you the benefit of doubt!
Have you consider buying a low cc diesel? Its cheaper than the 180 nicker your paying for the tank your driving at the moment!
Dave · May 18, 2007 at 9:12 am
Yeah, this seems like a moan for the sake of it. The form clearly says that they don’t take credit cards, or rather, it states what they do take. It’s not just the post office with this policy.
Do it online next year and give us a post about an annoying local pet or spotty youth or something instead.
AFC 30K · May 18, 2007 at 9:20 am
I really don’t belive you don’t tax it online Angry…..
Web 2.0, you working in IT and all that and you’re still queing up with the old bids to send a postal order to Peterborough.
Oh dear.
Admin comment by Mr Angry · May 18, 2007 at 9:21 am
Sam Cullum – I do not trust the Internet. It is full of weirdos.
BillyBoy & Mrs F – I have seen French cars, so this makes perfect sense…
Mc Glammer – Really? That much? Close them all!!!
Mo – Not at all! What sort of a place doesn’t take credit cards?
Dave – As above, I do not check to see how I can pay with every transaction I make, credit card payments are supposedly ubiquitous in our society. Not so…
Admin comment by Mr Angry · May 18, 2007 at 9:22 am
AFC – Yes yes, 20 20 hindsight and all that.
Thank you all for your sympathetic, “What a terrible experience Angry, I hope you are OK”’s
Mo · May 18, 2007 at 9:28 am
The Post Office obviously!
PS. Sympathy…? It was your own fault for loosing your debit card after a night of drunken debauchery!!!
AFC 30K · May 18, 2007 at 10:19 am
The last time I taxed a car in a post office was that time in Windsor I think.
Tell me you didn’t go in to the one in the High street where all the tourists go to tax their car ‘like wot the queen does’
Dominic · May 18, 2007 at 10:22 am
I tax mine online the day before it runs out. It gives me all the entertainment of worrying that I’ve left my car on the road with an out-of-date disc for a day.
I’ve driven most of the length of France, and it’s sickening to admit that they do indeed have better roads than us. And their motorways, tollboothed though they are, are so superior they shouldn’t even be labelled with the same name.
They still drive on the wrong side, of course.
Anna · May 18, 2007 at 10:33 am
Alternatively you could get a classic car and not pay any road tax at all. Like me.
Four Dinners · May 18, 2007 at 11:14 am
send the wife instead. Works for me.
BoyOnTop · May 18, 2007 at 12:03 pm
What a terrible experience Angry, I hope you’re OK.
I presume its a good thing you didn’t have a gun on you, can’t have you going all postal on us. Don’t think you can blog from prison.
greavsie · May 18, 2007 at 12:30 pm
Have enough people said ‘Do it online’ yet?
Just use your t’Internet debit card.
It’ll make a boring blog post though…..
Sheppitsgal · May 18, 2007 at 12:46 pm
Alternatively, do it over the phone.
Works for me
Will · May 18, 2007 at 2:09 pm
Prang is the best word ever.
gnarlyswine · May 18, 2007 at 3:21 pm
You should have bought 180 quids worth of stamps somewhere with your credit card and insisted he accepts them as payment, as they are legal tender, I think I read somewhere. Or something.
Ldbug · May 18, 2007 at 4:24 pm
I can’t believe there are places that still accept checks!!
S · May 19, 2007 at 5:49 pm
Hang on a minute??? We have an IT guy who doesnt trust the internet??
*slips off to check her antivirus, antispam and any other anti’s there may be handy*