Parents, who’d have them?

Yesterday mother asked me to sort out a little mess she’d managed to create for herself. Now normally, when Dad’s at home, she asks me to handle the renewal of the road fund tax disc on the van when it comes around each year. This year, with dad in respite, she decided to do it herself by phoning the DVLA number on the renewal notice. Only when she gets a letter stating that the SORN will be effective from 1st November does she realise she has goofed.

So I get asked to sort it out and she wonders why I am more than slightly annoyed. Usually it’s a 2 minute job on the internet to do the renewal, but, not when mother has stuck her oar in. I have to take the original registration document (not the renewal notice) and the MoT certificate, and the Insurance certificate, and Dad’s exemption certificate to a Tax Disc issuing Post Office.

Now that may be a simple task to most mere mortals, but, mother can’t remember where she put the V5 registration document, or the Insurance certificate, or the MoT certificate. We quickly find all the old MoT certificates, but the new one has been hidden in a different “safe place”. Having found that the file with all the insurance renewals is produced, going back for the last 4 years, everything is there EXCEPT for ALL the relevant insurance certificates which turn up 15 minutes later in a different “safe place” Then she turns up TWO registration V5 documents….Doh!

Anyway, suitably furnished with just about every document I head off to the local Post Office, where after much explaining and having to sign in dad’s name, I am provided with the necessary disc. Instead of the usual 2 minutes it’s taken me over ¾ of an hour to perform a simple renewal….

Like I said, parents! Who’d have them?