You couldn’t make it up!

On Thursday we received a letter from the DVLA confirming that we were no longer the owners of our X-Trail from 27th August. Now, this came as a bit of a shock as I had just got out of it and had definitely sold it. Within the letter it stated that I would get a refund on the road tax in due course. Because the car did not have road tax on it, my insurance would not be valid, and had not been valid for a week. Basically, I had been driving illegally and if I had an accident my insurance would not cover me, I could lose my driving licence, my car could be taken from me and crushed, and if in an accident possibly go to prison.

I made lots and lots of calls to find out what had happened, who was responsible for this and to get it all corrected. The top and tail of it was that no one wanted to take responsibility for the mistakes. The car dealer was blamed at first as we are getting a new car and should have had it delivered on 1st September, but due to COVID and Nissan factory shutdown it was running late in production. I was told that because we were trading the car in and the new car was late the dealer should have updated the dates and it would not have happened. I was not happy with this and argued that if that was the case then date from DVLA would have been the 1st and not 27/8.

In the end, I was told that something has gone wrong and that it would be fixed within the next week. WHAT? So how were we supposed to get about, and me go to work etc? I wanted a car and that was that. This was nothing to do with me, so whoever it is needed to sort out a car immediately. I was told that a car would be with me within 4 hours and the car hire people would call me to make sure they send a suitable vehicle. 3 hours passed and no call, so on the phone I went only to be told that they don’t have a car for me as the place up north is closed. In the meantime whilst a hire car was being found I was given a taxi account to use until it was sorted. But as with everything else in this, it was not that easy.

There are two places that do the car hire, one 30 miles south and another 35 miles north, and wouldn’t you know, neither had a car available. The place north of here is under COVID restrictions and is under lockdown. Understandably I did not want a vehicle that is sat in the middle of a rising city pandemic and made my feelings known. I was promised that my request would be adhered to, but promises are never kept. The southern branch I was told would call me and get it sorted, and again, this never happened.

Friday comes and I get a taxi to work. After 4 hours in work (11am) I call again to find out what’s going on and am told that it would be sorted out today and not to worry. Finally at 1:15pm I get a gall to say they have a car and it will be not he way soon, but it was coming from the branch in lockdown. I did not want to take it, but at this point in time I had not choice as I needed a car. 4pm it was delivered, a Vauxhall Crossland X, which is not big at all, and I think I could fit it into the glove compartment of my X-Trail. A quick spray with the disinfectant spray and crossed fingers that all would be well.

I spoke to the dealer after and told him what had gone on and he filled me in with what he had been told, almost sounding sceptical about it all, especially that he was blamed initially and that I was not blaming him. We have bought 4 cars from him over the past 10 years and never had a problem. I now have this car until it is all sorted out with DVLA, and my car is sitting on the drive doing nothing.

I told you, you could not make it up.

Calm Achieved…

Yesterday’s chaos finally came to an end at 6pm when my hire car was delivered.  Not my first choice but I needed a large car, and this is what I got.  A Vauxhall Zafira Tourer SRI Turbo 7 Seater.  Enough room for us and the dogs and everything else we have with us when out and about, usually dog stuff as they can be high maintenance LOL.  Not the worst car, but it’s not my lovely X-Trail.  Drives well, and is very nippy, but that could be due to it being petrol and having a turbo.  My X-Trail is black and inside is all black and chrome and privacy glass and tinted front screen, so inside it is quite calm and low light, but the hire car has standard glass, and there’s bloody tones of the stuff.  My car has a double privacy glass retractable roof, and the hire one does not, and it still streams in more light than the sun can pump out.  One thing I cant get used to is the missing items I have use of every day like rain detection windscreen wipers, automatic light, touch button parking brake which disables when I go to pull away, the hire car is manual lights (when I eventually found them) manual windscreen wipers whos controls are backwards to all other cars, and a handbrake that I keep forgetting is there when I get in and go to pull away and the car does not move.  I am nitpicking really as it will get us all from A to B and I should only have it for a week or two.  I just miss the comfort and lazy modern man’s tech and gadgets I have in my car.

However, above all, yesterday is now in the distant past and all the car troubles can now stay there, in the past.

Itchy feet, the world is calling…

Flying over the Alps heading to Rome & Vatican City

I have itchy feet. I feel the need to travel again.  I think it is the summer that is starting to get me in the mood, not that it takes much.  I was in Rome in November, then in Amsterdam in February, and am going to be in Ireland in September.  So between my last holiday and my next, I feel I need to go away again.  It’s not going to happen, I know that, so maybe get a weekend away if I can, but restlessness is really taking hold.

I booked this evening my trip to Ireland, and first booked flights, car hire etc., then after reading all the BS with the car hire and having to pay an extra £60 for insurance to cover the excess.  After reading the very small print, the hire company would take a deposit from my card of £1,000.00, and would not pay it back for some time till they were happy that the car was in perfect condition.  This did make we wonder why I paid for excess insurance in the first place, so, I read their terms and any part of the £1,000 to £3,000 excess that the hire company took they would pay back to me within 28 days. The chance of me being charged would be near zero, but I did not like the idea of this chance of being taken for a ride and losing money by something going wrong, or a small print that excludes something. You know that little voice in the back of your head that starts talking to you, telling you that this sounds wrong. I tried to ignore it, and it persisted and went on and on, eventually, the alarm bells rang in my head.

With this, I hit the cancellation buttons on the flights, car hire, and insurance.  Needless to say, I lost money, only £40, which I can live with, and booked the ferry.  It is a bloody long journey of 8 hours sailing time, but in the end, it worked out close to £150 cheaper, taking into account airport parking £60, flights £110, baggage £25, seat costs £8, car hire £160, excess insurance £60.  I get to use my own car, which is a big-ass SUV.  If I wanted to hire the same car as mine for the week I was there it would cost me in the region of £600, so that was never going to happen.

I only have to wait 95 days now (and counting).  I will miss my dogs like mad, but the kennels we use are great, the people are lovely, and my girls seem to enjoy being there, almost like home from home.

I will have to start looking at a weekend or two away, for now, although we do have house guests in August, so that shortens the time frame, but I am sure I will manage something.