The Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) claims superstitious buyers will choose to postpone the purchase of a new car until 2014 to ensure they do not have ‘unlucky 13’ on their car number plates. It is estimated that as much as 8% of the population of Ireland are uncomfortable with the number 13. That could equate to 5,000 less cars being purchased in 2013 which would have a serious impact on the already depressed Irish motor industry.

Number 13 – Unlucky for Some?

Whilst some motorists have dismissed the idea as laughable, many other industries are conscious of the discomfort associated with number 13. House builders have long been aware of the situation with many choosing to skip the number altogether when allocating house numbers to new build properties. Many hotels also choose not to have a 13^th floor over worries that guests would boycott rooms. Very seldom will you see a button in a lift indicating the 13^th floor. So maybe the concerns voiced by the Irish motor industry are indeed valid.

The Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) along with the Government of the United Kingdom may be watching proceedings in Ireland with interest. Our own system of car registrations would see the introduction of the number 13 on the number plates of vehicles registered from the 1^st of March next year. I would presume we have just as many superstitious British car buyers as our Irish counterparts. Could this also mean fewer cars being registered in Great Britain between 1^st March and the 31^st August 2013?

At Simply Registrations we are keen to hear what you have to say about the number 13 on registration plates. Would you deliberately not buy a car if it had the number 13 as part of the registration mark, or is this a just a load of nonsense and another example of people allowing superstitions to rule their lives?

Please add your comments below stating whether you are for, or against, the issuing of 13 number plates in either the UK or Ireland.

Looking through our stock of personalised registrations for sale, the only plate that we can say has any relevance to the Olympic Games is 97 GB. I promise you it was not bought with any sporting event in mind; it just happens to be a very popular set of two initials.

GB registrations were issued to vehicles in Glasgow, Scotland, during the 1920’s. In over fifteen years of dealing in cherished numbers, the most expensive registration that I have ever had the pleasure of supplying is GB 11. It is available for sale by the current owner for £90,000 for anyone who may be interested.

Our very own 97 GB is admittedly not as prestigious as GB 11, but it just so happens to be the best value two-digit GB personalised registration as far as we are aware. If you can find a cheaper GB personalised registration being offered for sale with only two numbers then please let us know.

The personalised number plate 97 GB is available to purchase direct from Simply Registrations on a first come first served basis. It is priced at £8,000 plus the £80 transfer fee and v.a.t. and is held on a DVLA Document for fast transfer. As you are dealing direct with the owner of 97 GB we guarantee you will not buy this registration at a lower price from anywhere else. Call James on 0113 288 7553 to discus any aspect of the transfer or to find out which vehicle documents we require to get 97 GB displayed on your car.

I have decided to detail the process just in case any other motorists are faced with the same situation and feel they must bow down to the superior knowledge of the main dealer. Just to say; I appreciate that car dealerships specialise in selling cars, but I would like to think that handling a cherished number plate transfer correctly on behalf of a client is part of the service.

Yesterday I received a telephone call from my brother Dan, advising he has found the car he has been searching for; a two-year-old BMW M3 Monte Carlo. Dan asked if I could sort the transfer of his ‘DAN’ private number plate from his current car to his new car. He had just got back from Sidcup in Kent having made the journey to view the car and had signed on the dotted line to secure his new toy.

A cherished transfer involves transferring a registration directly from one vehicle to another for a fee of £80 payable to the Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA). It is not a same day process as the application is usually sent to a regional DVLA Central Processing Unit (CPU). A form called a V317 Application to transfer or retain a vehicle registration number is filled out and submitted at a DVLA Local Office along with both sets of vehicle documents.

I already have the vehicle documents for Dan’s current car, but needed to get hold of the V5C Registration Certificate (logbook) for his new car. Dan made a call to his contact at the dealership who told him they are not allowed to release the V5C. This is fairly standard practice as the dealership is responsible for ensuring the car they are selling is registered correctly to the new keeper with DVLA.

I rang the dealership and explained that I was handling the transfer of Dan’s private number plate and wanted to submit the transfer application at the DVLA Local Office in Leeds. The change of keeper notification can be processed at the same time. Usually this is acceptable to most main dealers and they send the documents direct to Simply Registrations at our registered address.

Speeding up Cherished Number Plate Transfers

Just to explain the reason behind the request; if the main dealer had sent the change of keeper notification to DVLA, Dan would have to wait a couple of weeks or so to get his hands on the new V5C logbook. He is eager to get the registration transfer completed as quickly as possible for two reasons; first, he wants to sell his current car (which needs a replacement registration) and second, he want to get his private number plate displayed on his new car as soon as he can.

Unfortunately the dealership refused to release the V5C. The reason given was that the V5C shows the name and address of their customer (who part-exchanged the BMW M3 for a Range Rover) and it was sensitive information. This is a bit silly really as a V5C states the name and address of the previous registered keeper anyway. To solve the situation the dealership suggested we send them the completed transfer application which they would submit at their DVLA Local Office.

Taxing Situation

The completed application was sent by special delivery to the dealership as requested. Dan then received a call to say the transfer could not be lodged as the car he is buying needs to be taxed first. Again I spoke to the dealership and explained what actually happens when you apply to tax a vehicle whilst transferring a cherished number plate at the same time. Here is the procedure:

The DVLA issue a tax disc at the counter under the current vehicle registration mark, i.e. LL59 JWX. The car is then legally licensed to be driven on the road. When the cherished transfer is processed a replacement tax disc is issued with the same expiry date. This new tax disc should be displayed on the car when the new number plates are fitted.

Personal Service

The lady at the dealership explained she would personally go to the DVLA Local Office (rather than sending a driver) to ensure that everything went to plan. I asked her to call me if there were any difficulties to which she happily agreed. All being well Dan will be collecting his new car from the dealership in the next couple of days.

I wonder how many other motorists have faced the same situation as Dan and simply accepted what they were being told? Okay it is not a disaster to have to wait a few extra weeks to get you number plates on your new car and to have to wait to sell your old car, but it should not have to happen.

Understanding DVLA Procedures

So what is the point I am trying to make here? It is that employees should be correctly educated on how associated processes, such as cherished number plate transfers, should be handled. I am sure as a main agent for Land Rover, this particular dealership must receive lots of cherished transfer requests on behalf of their customers. Surely at least one person within an administration department should have a thorough understanding of DVLA systems and procedures?

Considering that many DVLA Local Office employees will be out of work soon if the plan to close the DVLA regional network goes ahead, many car dealerships would be wise to take on a new member of staff with inside knowledge of DVLA applications. If you get it wrong when submitting paperwork to DVLA Swansea, you may have to wait days, possibly weeks, just to learn that your application has been rejected. That could be very costly for a car retailer if vehicles are sat in showrooms waiting for the correct documentation to be received before they can indeed be sold.

However, you may not realise just how serious the situation can become for victims of number plate theft or car cloning. The latter being even more disruptive as you may not realise you have become a victim until the fixed penalty notices and speeding fines start arriving in the post. Even worse, it could be a knock at the door from a local police officer if you are suspected of driving away from petrol stations without paying for your fuel. In the past twelve months more British motorists than ever before have become victims of car number plate theft.

Car cloning and number plate theft are serious matters which need to be reported to the appropriate authorities. If as a result of having your number plates stolen you start to receive notifications of motoring offences linked to your car’s registration mark, the onus is on you to prove that you are the victim and not the perpetrator. It is a nightmare situation which often leads to unnecessary stress and anxiety as Altaf Sadique found out when his car number plates were cloned.

So with an estimated forty thousand cases of number plate theft or cloning having occurred in the past year, you would expect the DVLA and the police to be on top of the situation. Sadly, some say the opposite is true with a number of motorists claiming there is not enough help and support for victims of this fast-growing crime in their area. Thankfully attitudes are changing and more is being done by certain regional police forces to prevent number plate thefts occurring in the first place.

Why Are So Many Number Plates Being Stolen?

In order to tackle the situation effectively, we have to first understand why number plate related crime is at an all time high. The high price of fuel coupled with the increasing use of automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras; especially around the London congestion charging zone, are two of the main catalysts of the rising trend. The cost to fill the fuel tank of your average family car can be as much as eighty pounds. It is all too easy for a criminal to pinch a set of number plates from a parked car, attach them to their own vehicle (to disguise its true identity) and then fuel up before driving away without paying.

What about Car Cloning?

Thankfully there are far fewer victims of car cloning in comparison to motorists who have their number plates stolen. Car cloning occurs when a criminal steals the identity of a similar vehicle, often the same make and model, by displaying an identical set of number plates on their own car. By doing so the criminal avoids the associated costs of motoring such as; road tax, motor insurance and MOT charges. Knowing that someone else will be picking up the bill, the criminal isn’t concerned with pay and display parking fees, speed camera fines and congestion zone charges. All penalty notices for such offences will be sent to the unsuspecting genuine owner of the vehicle from which the number plates were duplicated.

‘Show Plates’ are Helping Criminals

New laws were introduced in an attempt to clamp down on the number of illegal and false number plates being produced and used on the roads of Great Britain. However buying ‘show plates’ from one of the many internet-based number plate makers, avoids the requirement of having to produce the identity and vehicle documents required by law. This makes it all too easy to get a set of number plates made up and delivered to your door which appear to be road-legal, but in actual fact could be bought purely with criminal intent.

How to Secure Your Number Plates

Whilst there is little you can do to prevent your car being cloned, there are measures you can take to prevent your car having its number plates stolen. Anti-theft screws are now being freely distributed by many police forces to help prevent number plates being stolen and to raise awareness of the problem. The Metropolitan Police issue free anti-tamper security screws to London residents via their Safer Neighbourhood Teams. To discover if your local police authority is running a similar initiative, contact your crime reduction officer or local neighbourhood policing team.

Anti-Theft Number Plates

Some major number plate manufacturers are now producing anti-theft number plates which shatter if an attempt is made to remove them from the vehicle they are attached to. The manufacturers recommend motorists only have anti-theft number plates fitted by specially trained technicians, which may prove to be prohibitively expensive for most car owners. This article by the AA discusses the topic of anti-theft number plates in more detail.

What to do if Your Number Plates Have Already Been Stolen

If you are a victim of number plate related crime the advice is to contact both the police and the DVLA immediately. If you start to receive related parking fines and fixed penalty notices for motoring offences, return them to the issuing authority with a covering letter explaining what has happened. If you have a crime number from your local police force be sure to quote it in your letter. In extreme cases the DVLA may consider issuing your vehicle with a replacement registration mark if it is deemed appropriate.

Thames Valley Police have kindly pointed out that if you report your number plates stolen, a marker will be placed against your car registration on the police national computer (PNC). This effectively means any time you go past an automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) camera, the police will be alerted and may stop your vehicle in an attempt to catch the cloned car.

The advice from Thames Valley Police is to make a note of the crime reference number given to you when you report the theft and keep it with you when you are driving. If you are stopped by the police you can then show the crime reference number which will help to identify you as the victim and not the criminal.

The Solution to the Problem

As always, prevention is better than the cure. Why not consider fitting anti-theft screws or tamper-proof number plates to your car? It is possible that number plate theft and car cloning is at the stage where car crime was in the 1980’s. Thanks to technology, improvements in vehicle security virtually eliminated the problem of easy to steal cars. Most modern cars can now only be stolen if a thief manages to get hold of the actual key.

We predict that eventually it will be the responsibility of all motor manufacturers to ensure anti-theft number plate measures are implemented at the design stage of their cars. This may mean tamper-proof screws are fitted as standard, or anti-theft number plates are supplied with all brand new cars. Until then it is the joint responsibility of the police, the government and car owners to ensure that the problem of number plate theft and car cloning does not spiral out of control.

The simple fact is; one private number plate company cannot always be the lowest on price for every single registration that they are advertising for sale. In a bid to make the situation a little more transparent for any potential number plate buyers out there, I am going to explain how to obtain the private number plates you desire at best possible price.

To start off you need to understand the makeup of the different types of registrations that are generally being offered for sale on most dealer websites, including the Simply Registrations website.

Stock registrations are owned by the dealer or company and are part of their own portfolio. The dealer bought the registration outright and owns the rights to it.

As an example; Simply Registrations owns the rights to the registration mark 9 SLD. If you were to go via another company to buy the private number plate 9 SLD, they would first have to buy it from us. For this reason no other dealer can supply this particular registration mark at a lower price than Simply Registrations.

Registrations belonging to other number plate dealers are circulated in the trade. Every month we receive stock lists from registrations companies that we work alongside for mutual benefit. As an example; the registration mark 8858 AC is currently listed on the Simply Registrations website. 8858 AC is a stock registration belonging to The Private Plate Company. Whilst we would like to be able to transfer 8858 AC to your car and give you the best possible deal, the truth is you could buy it direct from The Private Plate Company and save yourself a bit of money.

Registrations belonging to trade-only suppliers are also circulated amongst selected private number plate dealers. Some trade-only suppliers have hundreds of registrations which they are looking to sell. They are not interested in dealing with the retail client, maintaining a website or answering telephone calls on a daily basis. They prefer to offer their stock exclusively to registered number plate dealers and accept that the selling dealer will earn a sales commission.

As an example; the personalised registration 92 MB is for sale on the Simply Registrations website. It belongs to a trade supplier who sends a list of registrations out to several cherished number plate dealers. You will find 92 MB listed on at least ten other number plate dealers websites and it may even be included in newspaper and motoring magazine advertisements. Even though we do not own the rights to the private number plate 92 MB we can supply and transfer it to your car and we will not be beaten on price.

How can we make such a claim? Simple, we have possibly the lowest overheads in the industry and therefore do not need to put a huge sales commission onto the base price being asked by the trade supplier. Other companies with low overheads may just be able to match our price, but they certainly can’t beat it and we are confident that the service you receive from us will make you glad you chose to deal with Simply Registrations.

Government stock or DVLA Personalised Registrations are re-sold by lots of number plate dealers. When buying a DVLA registration it is not just the purchase price that you need to be aware of, you also should consider future administration fees. As an example; you may find a registration for £300 which is supplied to you on a Certificate of Entitlement by a reseller of DVLA registrations. If you have secured that registration for your son or daughter who is not yet old enough to drive, you may choose to hold it on  a certificate for a number of years.

Every year the certificate needs to be renewed with DVLA at a cost of £25. You have to ask the company who you bought the registration from to renew it with DVLA on your behalf. They are likely to charge you an administration fee for this service which, depending on the dealer you chose to buy from, can vary from as little as £25 or as much as £80 on top on the DVLA £25 fee. A certificate may have to be renewed for ten years which could translate to £500 or £1050 in administration fees depending on who you bought it from.

To summarise, the same company cannot be the cheapest supplier of all registrations. If you are buying a registration which is part of a dealer’s stock portfolio, you need to go direct to that dealer to get the best possible price. At Simply Registrations when you enquire about any of the private number plates we are offering for sale, we will always be open with you and let you know if the registration is our stock, or whether we are selling it on behalf of a client or a third party. We aim to provide you with the lowest price private number plates whenever we can, but we are honest enough to admit that we won’t be the cheapest every time.

Today we feature a personalised number plate which is an almost perfect resemblance of the Chinese name Yangs. Many affluent members of the Chinese community living in Britain are proud of their business achievements. It is not unusual to see top of the range Mercedes Benz and Rolls Royce cars driving around the Chinatown district of London with exclusive private number plates on display. The number 8 is a favourite of Chinese motorists and is considered to be lucky.

Whilst this particular registration does not contain the number 8, I feel certain it would look fantastic on any car belonging to the Yang family. Whilst YAN 6S may not convey luck, it definitely has a prestigious look about it.

The personalised number plate YAN 6S is available to buy direct from Simply Registrations at £2,200 plus vat. We can arrange a fast transfer onto your car as this registration is held on a DVLA Certificate of Entitlement. Call James today on 0113 288 7553 to secure the rights to this exclusive registration.

However, I feel it is only right to give a response following some recent allegations of dodgy dealings within the private number plates industry. A couple of National tabloid newspapers have named and shamed two particular number plate dealers who, it is alleged, have taken money from customers, but failed to supply the personalised registrations paid for. I am not going to defend the companies involved. If what has been written is true then these individual companies deserve to have their reputations tarnished. What I strongly object to is the suggestion that all private number plate dealers are crooks and that this type of bad behaviour is normal amongst cherished number plate companies.

The people who are suggesting that the industry is crooked are readers who have published comments online in response to the original newspaper article. Unless you have dealt with every single company within an industry you are not in a position to make a general accusation. I can think of lots of other professions and industries which have received bad press over the years. It does not mean you should judge the whole industry just because of the actions of one or two individuals or companies.

There are several personalised number plate companies who are striving to promote fairness in the cherished numbers industry. A small group of dealers got together a few years ago and set up an organisation, one of the objectives being to offer consumers confidence, guidance and above all else, a fair deal. Members of this personalised number dealers organisation strive to ensure that every client is 100% satisfied and receives a truly professional service. Please note that the two companies accused of scamming their customers are not members of this organisation and probably never will be.

The purpose of this blog post is not to name the members of this trustworthy organisation, it is to point out that not every company involved in the buying and selling of private number plates chooses to operate in a dishonest way. It is not fair to say all number plate dealers are crooks just as it is not right to say that all accountants are bent, or that all builders are cowboys. Yes there are some rogue traders out there, but let us not forget that there are also some very honest and trustworthy businesspeople providing very high standards of service, some of whom happen to be private number plate dealers.

The fact that this is a suffix-style registration shouldn’t cause problems for anyone who is interested in buying RUB 88N. The DVLA rules state that you cannot use a registration to make a car or vehicle appear newer than it actually is. In other words if your vehicle was manufactured and first registered in June 2005, you are prevnted from being able to transfer the registration JJ11 MMY to it, as you would be giving the impression that your car was registered in 2011.

If the private number plate RUB 88N was going to be used to make your car seem newer, then you would have to own a vehicle which was nearly forty years old. So whilst RUB 88N isn’t a dateless registration, we do not feel we are excluding anyone from displaying these particular personalised number plates on their car.

So what is the story behind this particular registration? A regular client was looking forward to the birth of his son having decided on the name Ruben. The registration RUB 88N was available to buy and he decided to snap it up well in advance of his son being able to drive. He got an unusual surprise when his wife gave birth to a beautiful baby girl a couple of months later (who they decided to call Sadie). As a result the personalised number plate RUB 88N is being offered for sale as it is surplus to requirements. Sadie already has a brother and two sisters which apparently is quite enough.

The personalised registration RUB 88N is available to purchase direct from Simply Registrations on a first come first served basis. It is very sensibly priced at £1,400 plus the £80 transfer fee and is held on a DVLA Certificate of Entitlement for fast transfer. Call James on 0113 288 7553 if there is a Ruben in your family.