Swift insurance and road tax??

B

Breaker

Elite
I am in the process of getting a new Z4 and I have continued to get insurance through Swift insurance as they offer the best deal.

Swift only do on-line documents, so you log into your web space on the Swift website and open the .pdf of your insurance cert and print it off, along with a covering letter to validate the cert.

My dealer just phoned me up to say he is at the local tax office and they told him they do not except insurance certs from Swift as they know they are downloaded from the internet and printed at home!! So how the f**k are you supposed to tax the car if your with Swift if you have to do it at a tax office and not on-line?? :x
I have got over this by taking out the BMW free 7 day insurance for new cars, but what ar***s they are at the tax office!!! :|
 
It is a bit confusing, since all the official document is, is a digital database copy of the same thing, that THEY print for you instead.

It probably has a small mark in one corner saying who printed it, and that is the only real difference. Another area where UK policy is kinda in the stone age with respect to the digital age we now live.

Why we even need to display tax or have a disc any more is beyond me. ANPR can snoop the database with ALL the data on there that is used to double check MOT/Tax/Insurance anyway, for each others purposes.

Imagine all that paper, time and effort that would be saved... but nooooooo.

Joke of a system subsidised, probably, 50%, by the cost of the tax itself.


Rant over :D

Dave
 
I always buy my tax online - saves time queuing at the post office and the need to fish out those pesky documents.

Displaying the tax disk IMO is a good thing - if a car is left on your street without tax you get it moved quick smart. If you didn't have to display the disc how would you go about reporting it :?
 
Was going to suggest taking the free 7 day insurance but you've already done that .

Its a real pain because some insurance companys are fully electronic now and the post office wont even accept a fax. I nearly had delays when picking my car up because when i rang the morning of collection to get the free 7 day insurance i was told i needed 2 years NCD which i didnt have, the Z4 was the only car you needed this?!?

It would of taken a week to get insurance docs from elephant so i insured the car with them anyway so i was covered and my dad took the 7 dad free insurance so bmw could tax it, it meant putting the car in my dads name but luckily my middle name is the same so when the log book came through i sent it back saying there was a mistake on the name :D
 
Seeing that I haven't done the whole process yet, I'm unsure if I think doing it through the base will be better or not.
 
There's no wonder people drive around with no tax.
When i first got my Z4 i had to leave it on the drive for 2 days because it had no tax. I usually do it online but i couldn't this time, so i went to the post office with a printout of my covernote that Diamond sent me via email after i'd insured the car. But they wouldn't accept it even though it had all the details on it! Someone told me that they might be able to tax it with a faxed covernote from Diamond themselves, so i spoke to Diamond who said yes they would fax one over. So i went back, and they wouldn't accept that either!! So i had to wait 2 days for all my insurance documents to come through. It was the longest 2 days of my life.

We are actually trying to tax our cars, not avoid it or do anything wrong. So what is their bloody problem?! :headbang:
 
i went to one post office recently with the same thing and they asked me if id printed them, and i didnt realise and said yes.. so they refused.

an hour later i was in a bigger post office, picked the oldest lady i could, charmed her for a bit before i handed over the insurance right at the end, moaned about paying 405 pa, etc... and hey presto !
 
I couldnt wait because i got my Z4 over christmas and went back work the next week so was trying everything to get it taxed. Why they wont accept a fax or email i have no idea, its just as easy to fake a sent letter.
 
Lucy said:
So i had to wait 2 days for all my insurance documents to come through. It was the longest 2 days of my life.
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Yeah wait two days without being able to drive, and then still have to pay for that time anyway because it has to start at the beginning of the month. :slaphead:

I hate waiting in the postoffice - they are so slow :headbang:

un1eash said:
...just as easy to fake a sent letter.
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Absolutely. As someone else said, no wonder so many people don't bother.
 
Taxed mine last Thursday with the Swift cover doc and had no problems at all, did you print in colour as that may be the reason they didn't think it was right.
 
I have not taxed a car in the post office for years now, but don't they just type in the reg number to check to see if it is insured? That is what happens when I do it online so why would a post office be different in a way.
 
hughmungus said:
Taxed mine last Thursday with the Swift cover doc and had no problems at all, did you print in colour as that may be the reason they didn't think it was right.
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Yep. Printed in best quality colour on a laser printer, including the covering letter!! :?
 
The gov's own website states that downloaded documents printed at home are not acceptable.

If the clerk on the counter wants to refuse your inkjet printout, then there's little you can do, after all it's them who could be in trouble if you used fake documents (but then why would you bother buying tax either).

Read at your pleasure.

Direct.gov website said:
Insurance certificates and cover notes
These are usually a printed or laser-printed document, or a plastic credit card style document.

The following documents aren't acceptable:
  • policy schedule
  • renewal notice
  • receipt for payment
  • amended certificate or cover note - unless stamped or initialled by the insurer
  • ‘legal protection’ policy certificates
  • foreign certificates
  • photocopies or faxes
  • insurance certificates downloaded directly from the internet by the policy holder
  • Green Card (International Motor Insurance Card)

Lost, stolen or damaged insurance certificate
Get a duplicate insurance certificate or cover note from your insurance company.

Waiting for your insurance certificate to arrive in the post or update online
You can't tax your vehicle until your insurance certificate arrives or your insurance cover for your vehicle has been updated on the Motor Insurance Database. You must keep your vehicle off the road in the meantime.

If you are taxing your vehicle using the DVLA’s vehicle online service, then you’ll need to wait until MID has updated before applying. You can check online to see if your insurance has updated.
Click to expand...
 
Foreign certificates, hmm - what about European Market. I think I can insure a UK car on a European insurance if I wanted to.
 
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