CART Threatening Letter.

[mayalld]

If I were a barrack room lawyer I'm sure I would look into the justification for the late renewal charge of £150 and how it is calculated.

 

However, as they haven't charged you £150, your looking would be rather pointless.

[OptedOut]

This is quite true, however if you wish to avoid receiving irritating reminder letters you will have to tell them your boat is no longer on CRT waters. If you want to play the "I KNOW MY RIGHTS" card that is your prerogative, but for nearly everyone else, CRT's licence renewal reminders are a welcome thing and realistically they are not going to stop issuing them just because of a strop by you. It's entirely up to you but I suggest that you tell them next autumn and then you won't have to put up with another "bullying and harassing" gentle reminder that your licence has expired.

 

Take a breath, observe the balance of impartial opinion on here, and act accordingly.

Agree, the reminder is of great benefit to many people who might need reminding, does not apply in my (possibly) unusual case though.

Your sound advice is noted

[Paul G2]

 

I have only ever 'phoned CaRT to complain about their recent letter and I now await their written reply, hopefully the matter will then be finally resolved to our mutual satisfaction.

 

I will not 'phone CaRT again until I require our next licence in May or I have a safety problem I wish to report.

 

I will comply with all licence conditions until the end of the licence, I also believe that there is no requirement to inform CaRT where the boat is when not licenced as I am then not bound by their terms and conditions once I'm off their water?

 

I can understand how you feel about authority, I've often felt the same way. But you need to choose your battles wisely. In this particular instance, it's you that have created the problem simply as your own little one-fingered salute to an agency you very much dislike. Considering all the effort you are putting into it, one might even get the impression that you brought this all on yourself, just to have something to complain about.

 

If all of this could have been avoided by simply advising CRT your boat is off their waters, you should have just advised the. It is very immature to not have done so.

[OptedOut]

So, it is OK for you to phone C&RT but they must write to you :-) . It looks to me as if your failure to tell them you were taking your boat off C&RT waters is resulting in them issuing you with two letters reminding you about your licence and now you are expecting a written reply to your phone call. All this costs them money which comes out of the licence fees (usually for 12 months) which the rest of us pay. Please give in gracefully and let C&RT spend its money on the upkeep of the canals.

 

haggis

My 'phone call was after their letter and I wished to speak to a manager to ensure that this issue was finally sorted out, I was assured it would be and I then requested that they put that in writing so there would be no further misunderstanding.

[Guest]

Proposed sample licence renewal (fluffy bunny version) - just for starters to be going on with.

 

Dear licence payer,

 

It is with some regret that we at the Canal and River Trust find ourselves in the very regrettable positon of having to write to you in order to mention a very minor matter in regard to your licence. We trust you are sitting down at present but if you ae not we respectfully request that you do so. The issue is that your licence is due for renewal, now we appreciate this may come as a dreadful shock to you but regrettably we find ourselves having to ask boaters to pay to use the system, as tough and as hard as it seems we do have to er well you know at least ask.

 

The amount you need to pay is £750. In order to assist you with this we are proposing you can pay in instalments if you wish, the amount you wish to pay is entirely at your discretion as is the period over which you wish to pay it. It doesn't matter a jot to us how long you take to pay this amount, in fact it doesn't really matter to us if you feel you don't wish to pay anything at all. Payment is in fact entirely voluntary.

 

In fact to go further if you would like us to pay you for the use of the system please just contact us and we will make the necessary arrangements.

 

Yours ever so,

 

The Fearns wharf fluffy bunnies. (AKA CRT licencing team)

Agree, the reminder is of great benefit to many people who might need reminding, does not apply in my (possibly) unusual case though.

Your sound advice is noted

 

Yet we get people coming on here complaining they were not reminded and as a result they lost their PPD. You see with folk like you the Trust just cannot win whatever they do.

[Loafer]

If I were a barrack room lawyer I'm sure I would look into the justification for the late renewal charge of £150 and how it is calculated.

 

It isn't a 'late renewal' charge is it? Isn't it a discount if paid in advance, or early? Sorry if I go this wrong- I've only just come in from walking the dog!

Edited November 27, 2015 by Loafer

[Guest]

 

It isn't a 'late renewal' charge is it? Isn't it a discount if paid in advance, or early? Sorry if I go this wrong- I've only just come in from walking the dog!

 

Correct, its a Prompt payment discount.

 

Of course some complain that actually it's an early payment discount, but them some people just well you know .. complain.

[OptedOut]

 

I can understand how you feel about authority, I've often felt the same way. But you need to choose your battles wisely. In this particular instance, it's you that have created the problem simply as your own little one-fingered salute to an agency you very much dislike. Considering all the effort you are putting into it, one might even get the impression that you brought this all on yourself, just to have something to complain about.

 

If all of this could have been avoided by simply advising CRT your boat is off their waters, you should have just advised the. It is very immature to not have done so.

I do not dislike CaRT but I sometimes find their efforts irritating. Your assumptions about me and my motives are incorrect but thanks anyway.

[bassplayer]

If I were a barrack room lawyer I'm sure I would look into the justification for the late renewal charge of £150 and how it is calculated.

I think CRT treat it more like an early payment bonus

 

I was pretty shocked when they took my licence fee out of my account 6 weeks before it was due (1st Jan). Any normal company/trust waits until it's actually due.

[Guest]

I do not dislike CaRT but I sometimes find their efforts irritating. Your assumptions about me and my motives are incorrect but thanks anyway.

How much would you like to bet the feeling is mutual?

[mayalld]

 

It isn't a 'late renewal' charge is it? Isn't it a discount if paid in advance, or early? Sorry if I go this wrong- I've only just come in from walking the dog!

 

They have both.

 

If you renew before the old licence expires, you get a 10% discount,

If you renew within 1 month of expiry, you pay full price

If you renew more than a month after expiry, you pay full price plus £150

[Guest]

I think CRT treat it more like an early payment bonus

 

I was pretty shocked when they took my licence fee out of my account 6 weeks before it was due (1st Jan). Any normal company/trust waits until it's actually due.

Wasn't that an error talked about on here??

 

Have you checked when your licence expires, you might find you've only got 11 months.

[jenlyn]

 

It isn't a 'late renewal' charge is it? Isn't it a discount if paid in advance, or early? Sorry if I go this wrong- I've only just come in from walking the dog!

This is an issue that had an attempt made to clear up. The question was asked if Richard parry. Late payment charge, or early payment discount.

In many of CRT's letters written in the past, and sent to boat owners, it is clearly written as a "late payment charge". Richard parry stated that he saw it as an early payment discount when asked to justify the costing of a late payment.

I am still not sure which it is, the goal posts frequently move.

[Arthur Marshall]

 

They have both.

 

If you renew before the old licence expires, you get a 10% discount,

If you renew within 1 month of expiry, you pay full price

If you renew more than a month after expiry, you pay full price plus £150

That's quite a recent change, i think. Used to be just the early discount.

[matty40s]

That's quite a recent change, i think. Used to be just the early discount.

A fair few years now.

[bassplayer]

Wasn't that an error talked about on here??Have you checked when your licence expires, you might find you've only got 11 months.

Just checked on line and my new Gold licence does start on 1st Jan 2016. Well it says this :

 

Gold Canal & River (12 Months)

Start Date 01/2016

End Date 12/2016

 

Still...a bit cheeky taking the money out so quickly. Last year the paper licence came through within 2-3 days. Nothing seen in the post yet!

[Loafer]

 

They have both.

 

If you renew before the old licence expires, you get a 10% discount,

If you renew within 1 month of expiry, you pay full price

If you renew more than a month after expiry, you pay full price plus £150

 

I loaf corrected!

[Guest]

Just checked on line and my new Gold licence does start on 1st Jan 2016. Well it says this :

 

Gold Canal & River (12 Months)

Start Date 01/2016

End Date 12/2016

 

Still...a bit cheeky taking the money out so quickly. Last year the paper licence came through within 2-3 days. Nothing seen in the post yet!

Fair enough I seem to recall some discussion about an error when not only did CRT take the money early but they also dated the licence 12 months from when the monies were taken meaning in effect the new licence overlapped by a month and the 'new' portion was only 11 months long as a result.

[Phil Ambrose]

New term I think, Angst Addict

Phil

[madcat]

The results of contact with CRT licensing department and BW before them can vary from interesting to infuriating via downright bizarre.

I suspect the IT system is inflexible and the poor souls who have to use are often exasperated by its shortcomings .

 

I've had some odd experiences , gender change being one . It took a bit of effort to get back to being a Mrs not a Mr . Their real boob was sending out a licence that expired before posting .

 

As I moor on private water I don't need a licence until I go out boating. I'm sure I will have some fun when I need another licence .

[gazza]

Cutting thru all the nonsense,

 

It's no effort to inform the navigation authority that you are no longer on their waters and do not need a licence until you return - why you wouldn't give them that small courtesy is beyond me.

 

My experience with a similar matter was to inform the EA our Mayland was going to be kept on the Broads for the foreseeable future, the lovely lady I spoke to said no problem, we will put a marker on your reg number so you are reissued with it upon your return to our waters.

The same was done 12 years ago with the BA - Upon returning to the Broads she was given her original BA reg number.

 

Courtesy costs nowt but pays dividends

[Graham Davis]

Well said ^^^

 

It appears that the OP expects CaRT to treat him with courtesy but can't or won't do the same himself.

[OptedOut]

Well said ^^^

 

It appears that the OP expects CaRT to treat him with courtesy but can't or won't do the same himself.

It is apparent you do not know the full circumstances surrounding the issue.

[madcat]

My latest head scratching moment has been over change of owner details without needing to buy a licence . I filled out a form and sent it off . There doesn't seem to be any reply to let me know the details have been changed. I wouldn't be at all surprised to have some fun when needing to re licence , things get sorted in the end but often by a tortuous path.

[Jerra]

My latest head scratching moment has been over change of owner details without needing to buy a licence .

Have I got things wrong I thought that now you couldn't transfer a licence so every change of ownership needed a new licence.