Got to love the DVLA - I was Diabetic for 30 years but had a kidney/pancreas transplant back in 2005 - DVLA still send me for medical checks and restrict my licence to 3 years because I had laser treatment on my eyes whilst diabetic and along with the Eye test I have to fill in all the Diabetic questionnaires because DVLA inform me that their computers will not allow the diabetic tag to be removed.
WooHoo, my licence dropped through the letter box yesterday. After my frustrating exchange explained a few posts back, I put in a complaint to the DVLA online and decided to stop chasing them, let them get in touch with me. I got a phone call from them last Tuesday to say they had identified me as a priority case and were organising an appointemnt with Specsavers for a Visual Accuity Test. I then get a phone call from Specsavers 10 mins later asking me to go in that day. They can do it when they want. Anyway, I went in last Friday and took the test, seeing 116 dots of 120 in the test and I did it 3 times, each result being the same. I thought that would be good enough as people with one eye drive, but you never know. Less than one week later, I open the door to see a DVLA letter on the door mat. Praying that there was a licence in it when I pick it up, there is the unmistakenable feel of a credit card sized piece of plastic inside. A nervous look on the rear of the licence shows my motorcycle entitlement intact too. Phew ! Very relieved and totally unnecessary bureaucracy.
Good news. I'm not getting my hopes up though. There's something strange going on as they still haven't asked me to go to Specsavers - all they have done is makeme fill in a form for a driving licence (as though I am a 16 year-old applying for a first licence). They sent the last one back because I didn't include a photograph, al though I know that they have it on file With vision, they just asked me if I can read a number plate at 20 metres (which I can). I know, for a fact, that the Specsavers test is much, much more thorough than looking a number plates. So I wait with interest to see what the next hurdle is. So, you put in a complaint to the DVLA on-line? I may well need to do that. is it straightforward? I am almost 100% confident that if they do send me a license, there will be categories missed off. They are f....ing annoying and seem quite proud of it.
Yep, complained and told them that I was losing a biking holiday to Italy which was paid for (£2k). It took them 2 weeks to call me up, but then they moved things along very quickly.
They were pissing me off too, but that was the truth of it. As it happens, COVID has put paid to it anyway.
