If you approached your car tomorrow morning and discovered that your number plates were missing, you could be forgiven for not taking it so seriously. After all, it is hardly the crime of the century and the thought of notifying the police probably wouldn’t cross your mind. You, like many other car owners may simply replace your number plates and consider the incident nothing more than a prank, possibly carried out by someone on their way home from the pub.
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 your vehicle’s number plates are stolen contact the police using the non-emergency 101 service. You should only ring 999 if a crime is in progress. If you subsequently receive parking fines and fixed penalty notices for motoring offences you have no knowledge of, return them to the issuing authority with a covering letter explaining what has happened. You should also write to DVLA to make them aware your vehicle may have been cloned. 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. You do not need to report number plate theft to DVLA unless you subsequently receive driving fines and letters in the post.
Thames Valley Police kindly informed us that if you report your number plates stolen a marker will be placed against your vehicle 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.
https://www.simplyregistrations.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/JS-Logo.png00James Saperiahttps://www.simplyregistrations.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/JS-Logo.pngJames Saperia2012-03-08 17:44:262018-10-09 19:53:03Number Plate Theft & Car Cloning – Don’t Be a Victim
If you have a quick look at several of our competitors’ websites right now you will see a handful of cherished registration dealers claiming to sell the lowest price private number plates in the industry. Statements such as; ‘we will not be beaten on price’, or ‘we offer a price promise guarantee’ and even ‘we are cheaper than the DVLA’ are there to encourage you to stop searching and to make your purchase there and then.
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 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 has the rights to the registration mark 9 MSC. If you were to go via another company to buy the private number plate 9 MSC, 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 trade-only suppliers are also circulated amongst certain number plate dealers. Some trade-only suppliers have hundreds of registrations for sale. 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 number plate dealers who deal with the general public. The selling dealer earns a commission on any completed sales.
To demonstrate this point; the personalised registration 58 T is for sale on the Simply Registrations website. It belongs to a trade supplier who distributes a list of their stock registrations among the more prominent plate dealers. You will find 58 T listed on at least ten other dealer websites and it may even be included in newspaper and motoring magazine advertisements. While we do not own the rights to the private number plate 58 T we are confident we can supply and transfer it to your car at the lowest possible 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 on top of the 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 the service you receive will justify your decision to buy from 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 and associated products you are forced to buy as part of the transaction. If you have the option of buying a registration direct from the DVLA website it is usually the best way to go about it.
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 the dealer who owns the rights to that plate to get the best possible price. At Simply Registrations when you enquire about any of the number plates we are offering for sale, we will always be open with you and let you know if the registration is our own 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.
https://www.simplyregistrations.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/JS-Logo.png00James Saperiahttps://www.simplyregistrations.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/JS-Logo.pngJames Saperia2012-02-22 15:46:142018-10-09 19:57:04Which Registrations Dealer Sells Private Number Plates at the Lowest Price?
I have thought very carefully before publishing this latest blog post. It is not necessarily a good idea to draw attention to the bad practices which sometimes take place within the industry that you are involved in. The thinking is that by highlighting the wrongdoings, you make people apprehensive towards buying your product or service. Consumers tend to become suspicious of an industry, just because of the actions of one or two ‘bad apples’.
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.
https://www.simplyregistrations.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/JS-Logo.png00James Saperiahttps://www.simplyregistrations.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/JS-Logo.pngJames Saperia2012-01-25 17:38:532013-06-18 21:40:37Is it Fair to Say All Number Plate Dealers are Crooks?
It is often said we give gifts that we would (subconsciously) like to receive. While this statement may be true, it does not necessarily mean that our loved ones are going to enjoy receiving the gifts that we secretly desire.
Many years of buying and selling private number plates has taught me the majority of female car owners in Great Britain do not hope for a shiny set of personalised number plates to unwrap. Experience suggests shoes, handbags and perfume are the gifts most ladies would prefer to receive.
You may think I am shooting myself in the foot by making such a statement, but I do not feel I have anything to lose by letting you in on this industry secret. Most of the excited husbands and boyfriends that I speak to will go ahead and buy personalised number plates for their respective wives and girlfriends anyway. They confidently reassure me, saying something along the lines of “My wife is different, she will be really pleased, I promise you”.
I first became aware of the fact that most ladies do not get excited about car number plates when I went along to a local Chamber of Commerce networking event and got chatting to a local businesswoman. After I introduced myself this particular lady told me her husband had bought her a personalised registration for a ‘special’ birthday. She said it was possibly the worst present she has ever received. Lots of other ladies have shared similar stories with me over the years.
This knowledge is also backed up by my own experiences of dealing with gentlemen who are on the verge of buying private number plates for themselves. The transaction is discussed in great detail and all the finer points are agreed. The potential client then states he is just going to discuss it with his wife before paying the deposit. At this point my heart sinks, as I know (if he bothers to ring back) he will tell me his wife would rather spend the money on a new fitted kitchen, a new bathroom or even a boob job. Unfortunately most ladies do not get excited about personalised number plates.
So to answer the question; do private number plates make good gifts? I suppose it depends who you are buying for. If you choose wisely and buy at the right price you may end up with a great investment. If you are buying for the special lady in your life then all the logical reasons in the world are not going to convince her that it is a fantastic gift to receive. My advice would be to forget the number plates and go with the shoes, handbag or perfume option.
If the reason you are thinking about buying private number plates is because you secretly want them for your own car, then please go ahead and treat yourself. We have a fantastic selection of quality personalised registrations for sale at Simply Registrations. My only request is that you don’t ask your wife what she thinks, before making your purchase.
https://www.simplyregistrations.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/JS-Logo.png00James Saperiahttps://www.simplyregistrations.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/JS-Logo.pngJames Saperia2011-12-04 23:36:042018-10-09 21:16:11Do Private Number Plates Make Good Gifts?
Some owners of private number plates have been known to alter the legal display of their registrations. It used to be seen as a cheeky change which could result in a telling off if you got caught. The law relating to the correct display of registrations on number plates has become much tighter and is now actively enforced. As a result you risk having your registration confiscated if you fail to play by the rules.
What exactly are we talking about when we refer to altering your private number plates?
It could be the use of a different character font, placing a screw or bolt in a place where it should not be or making the letters and numbers smaller. Reputable cherished number plate dealers will always depict a registration in their adverts exactly as it should be displayed on a car to stay on the correct side of the law. In our opinion it is unfair to trick a customer into buying a personalised registration if it has to be altered in order to achieve the desired look.
As well as cracking down on motorists who flout the law by displaying illegal number plates, the rules have become much stricter for the manufacturers and retailers of the actual plastic plates. There is now a Register of Number Plate Suppliers which is managed by the Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA). If you buy your number plates from someone who is not included on the DVLA Register, you run the risk of being fined as your number plates may not be legal.
The DVLA is taking the subject very seriously and is carefully monitoring all companies who are included on the Register of Number Plate Suppliers. Retailers are required to check vehicle documents and personal identification before issuing number plates to their clients. Accurate records have to be kept up to date or the retailer faces losing their authority to make up registration plates which would result in loss of revenue.
You may think one way to get around the rules is to not bother applying to be on the Register at all?
Even that will not stop you being prosecuted; in fact it is likely to land you in even more trouble. One company selling illegal number plates online received a huge fine recently after being successfully prosecuted following an investigation by Trading Standards officials. This particular company was selling private number plates with mis-spaced characters whilst also committing several other offences. It resulted in the company being fined more than sixty thousand pounds.
So what exactly is the problem with private number plates that are displayed illegally?
There are several issues, the first being in relation to the increased number of safety cameras in use on the roads of Great Britain. These cameras use a system called automatic number plate recognition technology (ANPR) which means the cameras can effectively ‘read’ a vehicle number plate. If the number plate has been adjusted in any way it may stop the camera correctly reading the registration mark.
Another issue related to number plates concerns the rising trend of motorists taking fuel and not paying for it. Fuel thieves are sometimes buying false number plates from non-registered online suppliers, or stealing number plates from cars and then fitting them to their own cars before driving onto a petrol forecourt and making off without paying. The cameras are able to read the number plates but that does not necessarily mean that the registration caught on camera is the correct one to be associated with the offending vehicle.
If you were tempted to change the display of your private number plates before reading this article, hopefully you are now less inclined having understood the implications. Expect a fixed-penalty fine of £60 if you are caught. If you continue to ignore the rules and don’t correctly display your private number plates you may have your registration confiscated. It is no longer a case of a slap on the wrist for the naughty motorist. The matter is being taken very seriously by the police, the DVLA and even MOT testing stations. Always make sure your private number plates are legal and try to stay on the correct side of the law.
https://www.simplyregistrations.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/JS-Logo.png00James Saperiahttps://www.simplyregistrations.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/JS-Logo.pngJames Saperia2011-10-30 13:45:152014-03-07 12:09:24Private Number Plates – Are Yours Legal?
Number Plate Theft & Car Cloning – Don’t Be a Victim
If you approached your car tomorrow morning and discovered that your number plates were missing, you could be forgiven for not taking it so seriously. After all, it is hardly the crime of the century and the thought of notifying the police probably wouldn’t cross your mind. You, like many other car owners may simply replace your number plates and consider the incident nothing more than a prank, possibly carried out by someone on their way home from the pub.
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 your vehicle’s number plates are stolen contact the police using the non-emergency 101 service. You should only ring 999 if a crime is in progress. If you subsequently receive parking fines and fixed penalty notices for motoring offences you have no knowledge of, return them to the issuing authority with a covering letter explaining what has happened. You should also write to DVLA to make them aware your vehicle may have been cloned. 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. You do not need to report number plate theft to DVLA unless you subsequently receive driving fines and letters in the post.
Thames Valley Police kindly informed us that if you report your number plates stolen a marker will be placed against your vehicle 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.
Which Registrations Dealer Sells Private Number Plates at the Lowest Price?
If you have a quick look at several of our competitors’ websites right now you will see a handful of cherished registration dealers claiming to sell the lowest price private number plates in the industry. Statements such as; ‘we will not be beaten on price’, or ‘we offer a price promise guarantee’ and even ‘we are cheaper than the DVLA’ are there to encourage you to stop searching and to make your purchase there and then.
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 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 has the rights to the registration mark 9 MSC. If you were to go via another company to buy the private number plate 9 MSC, 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 trade-only suppliers are also circulated amongst certain number plate dealers. Some trade-only suppliers have hundreds of registrations for sale. 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 number plate dealers who deal with the general public. The selling dealer earns a commission on any completed sales.
To demonstrate this point; the personalised registration 58 T is for sale on the Simply Registrations website. It belongs to a trade supplier who distributes a list of their stock registrations among the more prominent plate dealers. You will find 58 T listed on at least ten other dealer websites and it may even be included in newspaper and motoring magazine advertisements. While we do not own the rights to the private number plate 58 T we are confident we can supply and transfer it to your car at the lowest possible 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 on top of the 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 the service you receive will justify your decision to buy from 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 and associated products you are forced to buy as part of the transaction. If you have the option of buying a registration direct from the DVLA website it is usually the best way to go about it.
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 the dealer who owns the rights to that plate to get the best possible price. At Simply Registrations when you enquire about any of the number plates we are offering for sale, we will always be open with you and let you know if the registration is our own 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.
Is it Fair to Say All Number Plate Dealers are Crooks?
I have thought very carefully before publishing this latest blog post. It is not necessarily a good idea to draw attention to the bad practices which sometimes take place within the industry that you are involved in. The thinking is that by highlighting the wrongdoings, you make people apprehensive towards buying your product or service. Consumers tend to become suspicious of an industry, just because of the actions of one or two ‘bad apples’.
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.
Do Private Number Plates Make Good Gifts?
It is often said we give gifts that we would (subconsciously) like to receive. While this statement may be true, it does not necessarily mean that our loved ones are going to enjoy receiving the gifts that we secretly desire.
Many years of buying and selling private number plates has taught me the majority of female car owners in Great Britain do not hope for a shiny set of personalised number plates to unwrap. Experience suggests shoes, handbags and perfume are the gifts most ladies would prefer to receive.
You may think I am shooting myself in the foot by making such a statement, but I do not feel I have anything to lose by letting you in on this industry secret. Most of the excited husbands and boyfriends that I speak to will go ahead and buy personalised number plates for their respective wives and girlfriends anyway. They confidently reassure me, saying something along the lines of “My wife is different, she will be really pleased, I promise you”.
I first became aware of the fact that most ladies do not get excited about car number plates when I went along to a local Chamber of Commerce networking event and got chatting to a local businesswoman. After I introduced myself this particular lady told me her husband had bought her a personalised registration for a ‘special’ birthday. She said it was possibly the worst present she has ever received. Lots of other ladies have shared similar stories with me over the years.
This knowledge is also backed up by my own experiences of dealing with gentlemen who are on the verge of buying private number plates for themselves. The transaction is discussed in great detail and all the finer points are agreed. The potential client then states he is just going to discuss it with his wife before paying the deposit. At this point my heart sinks, as I know (if he bothers to ring back) he will tell me his wife would rather spend the money on a new fitted kitchen, a new bathroom or even a boob job. Unfortunately most ladies do not get excited about personalised number plates.
So to answer the question; do private number plates make good gifts? I suppose it depends who you are buying for. If you choose wisely and buy at the right price you may end up with a great investment. If you are buying for the special lady in your life then all the logical reasons in the world are not going to convince her that it is a fantastic gift to receive. My advice would be to forget the number plates and go with the shoes, handbag or perfume option.
If the reason you are thinking about buying private number plates is because you secretly want them for your own car, then please go ahead and treat yourself. We have a fantastic selection of quality personalised registrations for sale at Simply Registrations. My only request is that you don’t ask your wife what she thinks, before making your purchase.
Private Number Plates – Are Yours Legal?
Some owners of private number plates have been known to alter the legal display of their registrations. It used to be seen as a cheeky change which could result in a telling off if you got caught. The law relating to the correct display of registrations on number plates has become much tighter and is now actively enforced. As a result you risk having your registration confiscated if you fail to play by the rules.
What exactly are we talking about when we refer to altering your private number plates?
It could be the use of a different character font, placing a screw or bolt in a place where it should not be or making the letters and numbers smaller. Reputable cherished number plate dealers will always depict a registration in their adverts exactly as it should be displayed on a car to stay on the correct side of the law. In our opinion it is unfair to trick a customer into buying a personalised registration if it has to be altered in order to achieve the desired look.
As well as cracking down on motorists who flout the law by displaying illegal number plates, the rules have become much stricter for the manufacturers and retailers of the actual plastic plates. There is now a Register of Number Plate Suppliers which is managed by the Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA). If you buy your number plates from someone who is not included on the DVLA Register, you run the risk of being fined as your number plates may not be legal.
The DVLA is taking the subject very seriously and is carefully monitoring all companies who are included on the Register of Number Plate Suppliers. Retailers are required to check vehicle documents and personal identification before issuing number plates to their clients. Accurate records have to be kept up to date or the retailer faces losing their authority to make up registration plates which would result in loss of revenue.
You may think one way to get around the rules is to not bother applying to be on the Register at all?
Even that will not stop you being prosecuted; in fact it is likely to land you in even more trouble. One company selling illegal number plates online received a huge fine recently after being successfully prosecuted following an investigation by Trading Standards officials. This particular company was selling private number plates with mis-spaced characters whilst also committing several other offences. It resulted in the company being fined more than sixty thousand pounds.
So what exactly is the problem with private number plates that are displayed illegally?
There are several issues, the first being in relation to the increased number of safety cameras in use on the roads of Great Britain. These cameras use a system called automatic number plate recognition technology (ANPR) which means the cameras can effectively ‘read’ a vehicle number plate. If the number plate has been adjusted in any way it may stop the camera correctly reading the registration mark.
Another issue related to number plates concerns the rising trend of motorists taking fuel and not paying for it. Fuel thieves are sometimes buying false number plates from non-registered online suppliers, or stealing number plates from cars and then fitting them to their own cars before driving onto a petrol forecourt and making off without paying. The cameras are able to read the number plates but that does not necessarily mean that the registration caught on camera is the correct one to be associated with the offending vehicle.
If you were tempted to change the display of your private number plates before reading this article, hopefully you are now less inclined having understood the implications. Expect a fixed-penalty fine of £60 if you are caught. If you continue to ignore the rules and don’t correctly display your private number plates you may have your registration confiscated. It is no longer a case of a slap on the wrist for the naughty motorist. The matter is being taken very seriously by the police, the DVLA and even MOT testing stations. Always make sure your private number plates are legal and try to stay on the correct side of the law.