 Poster: A snowHead
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| Quote: |
Motorists going abroad after 8 June are being warned they will need to take a special code with them if they want to hire a car.
From that date the paper counterpart of UK driving licences - which records endorsements and fines - is being computerised.
Anyone wanting to hire a car abroad will officially need a code to show convictions for offences like speeding.
To obtain it, motorists will have to log on to the DVLA website beforehand.
But the code is only valid for 72 hours, so anyone wanting to hire a car more than three days into their trip will need to generate a new code while they are abroad.
For those who do not have internet access, a phone number will also be made available. |
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-32481382
Nightmare!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Interesting, thanks @altis, I certainly had no idea this was coming........
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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I've hired a fair few motors abroad and never been asked for the paper licence part.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Also had a bunch of hire cars abroad and never been asked for the paper counter part, they have even given me cars with my photo licence out of date 
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I only have a paper licence 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Interesting,although I am not sure what interest any car hire company would have in previous offenses, as long as the licence is valid?
I presume my Swiss licence is computerised as there are no silly bits of paper with it... 
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@Frosty the Snowman, +1
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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might be something new for UK, but endorsements stored in a computer somewhere rather than on paper is nothing new.
what do German licence holders do when they rent a car? never noticed my boss have to hand over some code demonstrating endorsements on the many times we've rented a car in Rome.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Well the bureaucrats had to come up with something to employ themselves when we joined the rest of Europe on a single plastic licence.
PS Thanks for the heads up!
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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The only place I've ever had a problem hiring a car because of the paper bit is in the UK - I was refused the car I had hired because I did not have the paper part of my license. But my friend, a German national with an original grey Geramn paer license dating from her 18th birthday (photo included) was able to drive the car. Over here all I have to produce is a valid license, photo or otherwise. Same in France, Italy and Switzerland so far.
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@Samerberg Sue, If HMG can find a way to make life more awkward then they surely will 
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You know it makes sense.
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I've been charged a fee, in the UK, for the rental company to call the DVLA and check my driving record because I didn't have the paper bit. You can now do the check online yourself here
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Some stuff on the radio yesterday about it - apparently they are talking about doing away with the paper bit entirely.
Heaven knows how they propose to deal with drivers without photo card licences and this nonsense about getting the info on line seems a mess too - seems the hire co may want to check it out themselves with a code you generate rather than a printout too.
More ways to leg you up and add charges somewhere I suspect.
Most times I haven't been asked for my paper part either but more fun and games at the hands of the box-tickers I suspect.
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Poster: A snowHead
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I've given up taking the paper section to Europe as nobody has ever wanted to see it.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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We hire a lot of cars and minibuses from various hire companies over the winter.
I'm not sure about other people but when I turn up to collect I always offer them both the plastic card and the paper section. None of them ever even look at the paper section, but some of them take a photocopy of the plastic card.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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you can get it free when you change address. go online, change address, get new card, change address back..
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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HAs anyone hired a car abroad recently and been asked for the code?
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yes, and no.
even for those licences where points have already been "in the cloud" for years, I don't know anyone that's needed more than the licence card
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| Quote: |
HAs anyone hired a car abroad recently and been asked for the code?
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Have hired 4 times since the new scheme came into force, in 2 different countries. I've yet to be asked for the new code, just as I'd never been asked for the paper section in the last 10 years. I don't think that anyone at a rental desk in Europe even knows that these things exist, and as everyone else in the EU just uses the pink photo-card, that's what they are used to seeing from UK drivers too.
At airport rental desks, they get mega-busy when a flight comes in and usually have a queue of renters eager to get on with their journeys. The desk guys and girls are probably not going to start faffing around with internet searches and codes when a valid photo-card will suffice.
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| Hells Bells wrote: |
| HAs anyone hired a car abroad recently and been asked for the code? |
Picked up a hire car in Crete on 13th June. We weren't asked for a code.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Likewise for Bordeaux on 17 June.
No idea what we were talking about.
What was a bigger hastle - with eurocar.co.uk - was you need a credit card not a debit card for the insurance.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Ditto to no code asked for at Faro or Vilamoura. I also rent every week at Stansted and I've not been asked there either; although that is probably due to knowing all the Europcar staff. 
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Almost every car I've rented has required a credit card, except those on business account. They need it to authorise any costs they may have to add on.
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You know it makes sense.
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I rented two cars in Kefalonia Greece a few weeks ago & the rental desk at the airport only takes cash!
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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I had a hire car in Salzburg from 18th-25th June. No mention of a code or paper bits of driving licence.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Only the Brits could make this this complicated. As far as I recall working in Europe none of my European colleagues had nothing but a plastic licence. Still I suppose it keeps a small army in work.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I ask because in many years of rentals we have only ever been asked for the paper part in the UK. just wondered if that has changed
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Slightly related, I've just booked a rental van for next month. The rental company have asked me to have my insurance number when I collect the van so they can check my licence endorsements.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| halfhand wrote: |
| Slightly related, I've just booked a rental van for next month. The rental company have asked me to have my insurance number when I collect the van so they can check my licence endorsements. |
Is that a rental in the UK? If it is then that is not entirely unexpected as endorsements are more of a concern to UK rental agencies for insurance purposes. You need your NI number to access the driving record - https://www.viewdrivingrecord.service.gov.uk/driving-record/licence-number . While some rental agencies ask you to come prepared others are being a little more pragmatic and doing it when you rent.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@Gaza, Yes, sorry should have been clearer. Renting from Enterprise in St. Helens.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I thought I'd check the system out to see how it works.
I found that if you don't have your driving licence number you can still get a Check Code by using personal information (name, post code/DOB etc), but you always need to have your National Insurance number to get a Check Code.
Using the Check Code (and it can only be used once) also requires your driving licence number but NOT your N.I. number.
It seems to me that if you have your driving licence AND N.I. number with you when hiring a car, you should be O.K., even if you haven't pre-obtained a Check Code.
This new system seems to be a bit silly to me. I can't see why your driving record etc. shouldn't be available to anyone entering your driving licence number only into the system. If we are not licensed to drive certain vehicles or have points/endorsements, why should this be made difficult for someone to find out?
Anyway, as others have pointed out, why does every other country in the EU only require sight of the driving licence and not have to play a game of code words etc!
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As mentioned by @Gaza the check code will be predominantly used in the UK for insurance reasons. There are roughly around 3000 independent rental companies in the UK with varying insurance terms however typically most will only be able to rent vehicles to drivers who have 6 points or less on their licence and also not having any of the major ones (DR10 etc). If they rent to someone who is in breach of their standard hiring criteria set out by the insurer then the rental company can then become liable in the event of an accident. Some major companies (national companies) self insure and absorb the risk themselves however most smaller companies do not have the capital to do this.
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| spyderjon wrote: |
| I rented two cars in Kefalonia Greece a few weeks ago & the rental desk at the airport only takes cash! |
 How much of that do you think is declared?
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FAQ
and the article goes on to quote other sources as saying it may not be much of a problem after all. So just a bad dream rather than a nightmare 
