In yesterday's Telegraph, Honest John gave us a mention and then got it all wrong.

Voyage of disc recovery

Unlike G.H. of Sale's experience, I applied to DVLA on-line, late one Saturday night in August, to re-tax my car. The transaction went smoothly and was very user friendly. The new tax disc arrived well within the fiveworking-day deadline and I will certainly use this service again.



H.F., Borehamwood


At least 20 other readers have sent e-mails to similar effect, which means the DVLA must have got the bugs out and we may assume that the system now works properly, even though it didn't when the reader from Sale wrote. Go to www.direct.gov.uk/ taxdisc.
For those who resent paying to dial national'-rate 0870 numbers, many other readers have recommended www.saynoto0870.com. This "site gives alternative  numbers, in this case 01792 782341, which gets you to the DVLA switchboard, but bear in mind that the call cost depends on how far away Swansea is.

Here is my reply:
Hi,

In your reply to H.F. of Borehamwood you mentioned www.saynoto0870.com for which we are gratetful.

However your reply contained two glaring errors, sorry but thay are most important.

You said "For those who resent ringing the national rate 0870."  It is not, 0870 is a premium rate costing 2.5 times the "National Rate".

You also said that "It depands how far away Swansea is". It does not, a normal call by geagraphical rates from Land's End to John O Groats costs the same as it does for you to ring your neighbour.

At weekends it is an entirely different matter, you can ring John O Groats for 5.5 pence and hour. 0870 costs £1.80 per hour!

Regards

juby

But at least the 01792 782341 number was published!