No NCT for 3 months?

corblimey

So I got a letter in the post last week telling me my NCT is due. Grand, go on today and find that both test centres in Cork are booked solid until late September. This means that I'll be without an NCT cert for 2.5 months. This seems kinda dodgy to me. Is it up to me to find a test centre that can book me in earlier even it means driving around the country? Is there any danger of my car being impounded or taken off the road? Am I supposed to know that the NCT is due in July and have booked a place last March?

dougie-lampkin

corblimey wrote: »

Am I supposed to know that the NCT is due in July and have booked a place last March?

You can do the test 3 months early and get a cert valid for 15/27 months. And yes, you should know when it's due without getting a letter in the post, it's printed in bold font on your windscreen! You can also ring them and you're entitled to a test within 4 weeks at a centre of your choosing. This info is all very clearly available on their website. You can't blame the system, they make it very easy to get your car tested before your cert expires. The problem is leaving it to the last minute.

You're liable for 5 points and a mandatory court appearance if you're stopped without it. They can take the car also. Your best hope is to book a date ASAP and carry the booking with you. Hopefully you meet a sympathetic guard if you're stopped.

biko

You can do the test at any centre so check neighbouring counties too. If you ring them they can check everywhere for you.
You can also ring every morning and look for cancellations.

djimi

Pick up the phone and call them; youll get a date sooner than that.

Remind them of the free test if they cant offer a date within a month; that usually sparks them into life.

bazz26

The NCT can be booked 6 months in advance if it's car's first NCT and 3 months in advance for subsequent NCTs.

We all know that the NCT system is flawed and that the lead time on appointments is well behind but people really need to be a bit more proactive in these matters rather than waiting to book it when the expiry date is almost upon then and then scrambling when a regular slot is a few months off.

Also if you cannot book a slot online within a reasonable time for you then ring them and they will add you to a cancellation list where they nearly always come back with a slot with a week or two.

mothoin

On a lighter note, if the car is ready, and you are confident it will pass, once you get a date you can keep ringing for a cancellation date, you will get one sooner, i got one for tomorrow, and only rang last week!

also once you have a date, the garda will generally let you on!

Moneymaker

You can also try the half 11 trick on the NCT website. Worked a treat for me.

Simply go to the NCT website at around half 11 at night and you will find a ton of times have freed up.

I found a slot within a week at half 11, whereas during the day no spots were free for over 2 months.

corblimey

I called them a little while ago, and was told there was nothing available, but I'd get a text in up to 2 weeks (or more, she was a bit vague). I guess I should call every morning now until I get something, or would that be considered badgering?

Moneymaker, half eleven at night? Is that a prank? How do I know my test centre (Little Island, Cork) is even open that late?

djimi

corblimey wrote: »

Moneymaker, half eleven at night? Is that a prank? How do I know my test centre (Little Island, Cork) is even open that late?

The test centers opening hours has nothing to do with the online booking system. 11.30pm is presumably when they load the cancellations onto the online system and make them available to customers.

corblimey

Ah, I misread MM's post, thought he was going along to his test center at 1130 at night. I'll try the website at that hour, nice tip!

listermint

dougie-lampkin wrote: »

You can do the test 3 months early and get a cert valid for 15/27 months. And yes, you should know when it's due without getting a letter in the post, it's printed in bold font on your windscreen! You can also ring them and you're entitled to a test within 4 weeks at a centre of your choosing. This info is all very clearly available on their website. You can't blame the system, they make it very easy to get your car tested before your cert expires. The problem is leaving it to the last minute.

You're liable for 5 points and a mandatory court appearance if you're stopped without it. They can take the car also. Your best hope is to book a date ASAP and carry the booking with you. Hopefully you meet a sympathetic guard if you're stopped.

To be totally fair, that is no excuse for a 3 month back log. The system is obviously broke.

Why in the hell should someone be liable for penalty points if they are unable to obtain an NCT due to horrendous backlogs at the private operator.

Why are these sort of delays acceptable ? And why are you putting the onus on the owner here for the fact that the NCT centres cannot keep up with demand!? ! ?

djimi

listermint wrote: »

To be totally fair, that is no excuse for a 3 month back log. The system is obviously broke.

Why in the hell should someone be liable for penalty points if they are unable to obtain an NCT due to horrendous backlogs at the private operator.

Why are these sort of delays acceptable ? And why are you putting the onus on the owner here for the fact that the NCT centres cannot keep up with demand!? ! ?

There arent enough centers to cope with the demand; its as simple as that. Opening more centers eats into the profits, so you get the situation that we are in.

Has anyone ever actually been prosecuted and convicted where they have been able to show that they have booked a test but the next available date is months away? I find it really hard to see any judge convicting in this situation, where there system is at fault and not the customer.

Fey!

I was told 3 months when I was booking my fathers car in. He got a text later that week with a date within a fortnight.

Terri26

Print out your date you received and show a guard if you are stopped they may be sympathetic. This won't help if you get fined parking though

dougie-lampkin

listermint wrote: »

To be totally fair, that is no excuse for a 3 month back log. The system is obviously broke.

Why in the hell should someone be liable for penalty points if they are unable to obtain an NCT due to horrendous backlogs at the private operator.

Why are these sort of delays acceptable ? And why are you putting the onus on the owner here for the fact that the NCT centres cannot keep up with demand!? ! ?

There isn't a 3 month backlog. If you call them and explain that they are required to give you a test within 4 weeks or it's free (as detailed in their charter on their website), you will get a test within 4 weeks at any centre of your choosing. Just because the dates aren't on the online system doesn't mean they aren't available.

Having said that, I've never had to call them. Another trick similar to the 11.30 one is to take the nearest date you can find online. If you then go online the next day and try and reschedule the booking, you'll find a plethora of dates. I can only assume it's a bug in their system, but when looking to reschedule there's plenty of dates. I've done this twice in the last few months, both times I got a date within two weeks. It is risky though, as by accepting a booking you waive the 4-week wait rule.

The onus is still on the owner of the car. They give you 3 months to test the car early, with a max wait of 4 weeks. That means you can test the car at least 3 times over (not including retests) before the NCT lapses. There's no excuse for that.

corblimey

dougie-lampkin wrote: »

The onus is still on the owner of the car. They give you 3 months to test the car early, with a max wait of 4 weeks. That means you can test the car at least 3 times over (not including retests) before the NCT lapses. There's no excuse for that.

Except that remembering 3 months in advance will actually only end up giving you a booking date that's right on time if the current situation is the norm.

And I can't remember the last time I looked at my front windshield from the outside - tax and insurance both tell me when they're going to expire, so why would I bother?

I'll try the 1130 thing for a few days, and will call them a few more times. I see their charter talking about a free test, although it doesn't explain the 3-4 week rule - is that 3-4 weeks from when I first contact their call centre? If I had just kept trying online, they'd know nothing about it.

It's all a bit catastrophic really and reminds me why up til now I never kept cars more than 2 years. Damn BMW.

bazz26

corblimey wrote: »

Except that remembering 3 months in advance will actually only end up giving you a booking date that's right on time if the current situation is the norm.

And I can't remember the last time I looked at my front windshield from the outside - tax and insurance both tell me when they're going to expire, so why would I bother?

But do you need or get a reminder every month to pay your rent or mortgage?

The lazy Irish attitude is just as bad if not worse than the NCT system in it's current form. The "why would I bother looking at the expiry date in my windscreen?" approach or I need a reminder letter for everything rather than being a bit proactive and working through it in advance so not to be caught up in it. At the end of the day, the owner of the car should have a fair idea when it's NCT, motor tax and insurance are due.

As has been said, you don't have to wait 3 months for a test, you can call them and be put on a cancellation list and they come back with a date within a few days or weeks. You can also start this process either 6 months or 3 months prior to the due date, depending on the age of the car but alas some people prefer to fight the system, blame everything around them and then complain about it not being right.

geeksauce

Can't you just book it for 3 months or whenever the earliest booking is and print off a copy of the booking then keep it in the car so that if you are ever questioned about the NCT by a Garda you can show them that you have booked the test and are just waiting on your date to come round.

Chris_Heilong

Problem is they want cars over 10 years to be tested every year instead of every 2 years, this is double the amount of cars that need to be tested per year so its no wonder the centers cant cope. If the government had foresight they would build extra centers before bringing in new laws.

corblimey

bazz26 wrote: »

But do you need or get a reminder every month to pay your rent or mortgage?

Have you heard of this new thing they have called direct debits? They're great.

obezyana

As said pick up the phone ask for a cancelation and you will get one pretty quick.

laffindevil

geeksauce wrote: »

Can't you just book it for 3 months or whenever the earliest booking is and print off a copy of the booking then keep it in the car so that if you are ever questioned about the NCT by a Garda you can show them that you have booked the test and are just waiting on your date to come round.

It is technically illegal to drive without an valid NCT cert. It's at the guard's discretion if you get prosecuted for failing to have one (even if you have a test date confirmation).

No Pants

corblimey wrote: »

And I can't remember the last time I looked at my front windshield from the outside - tax and insurance both tell me when they're going to expire, so why would I bother?

Really? I try to walk around mine every day or two, looking at tyres, for damp patches underneath, etc. to make sure that there's nothing wrong. Ten seconds or less. The car is in the driveway facing the house, so I'd have to walk out blindfold to miss the windscreen.

bazz26

corblimey wrote: »

Have you heard of this new thing they have called direct debits? They're great.

And have you heard of something called the NCT which has been around for well over 10 years where your car needs to be tested every 1 or 2 years depending on it's age? There is also a disc in the windscreen to tell you when it's due, plus you can do it up to 3/6 months before it's due date and if you cannot book a sooner date you can ring them and be put on a cancelation list. These are great too. :rolleyes:

No Pants

laffindevil wrote: »

It is technically illegal to drive without an valid NCT cert. It's at the guard's discretion if you get prosecuted for failing to have one (even if you have a test date confirmation).

There was a thread on here before. Chap had a confirmation for a test the very next day if memory serves. Guard said he was doing him for it. Don't know if there was an update or not.

oldyouth

I'm due 19/7. Booked last month for the earliest date available, 3/9

corblimey

Just to follow up, tks to MoneyMaker for the original suggestion of trying around 1130. It was closer to 1145, but I secured a 1045am for 2 weeks time. Booked and paid. Not sure what will happen now if the woman I called this morning finds me a spot too, but I assume I'll just ignore any texts I get. I don't want to risk cancelling this one by mistake.

The_Honeybadger

I booked two cars in by phone in the past few weeks, was told nearest date was three months away but I'd be put on a cancellation list. Within two days I received two texts with appointments for new dates, already have one passed and the second car is going in tomorrow so fingers crossed.

greasepalm

must try and get my old heap into garage and have another look for mishaps to see whats needed for nct.

djimi

No Pants wrote: »

There was a thread on here before. Chap had a confirmation for a test the very next day if memory serves. Guard said he was doing him for it. Don't know if there was an update or not.

A lot is probably down to how out of date the test is. If your test is out by three years for example then the Gardai may be less inclined to show leniency even if you have a test booked...!

sweetsugar

dougie-lampkin wrote: »

There isn't a 3 month backlog. If you call them and explain that they are required to give you a test within 4 weeks or it's free (as detailed in their charter on their website), you will get a test within 4 weeks at any centre of your choosing.

Hi
Where on the website will l find this. l told my parents about this and they don't believe me that this is true. Where can l find this on the website so that l can show it to them

http://www.nct.ie/customer_charter.html

Ensure that the average lead time for an appointment at an individual test centre is less than three weeks and no greater than four weeks. The customer will be provided with a test free of charge where an appointment cannot be offered within a four week period provided that:
• The Customer has not declined a test appointment (either confirmed or provisional) more than twice, at a centre of their choosing, for the test due at this time

• The Customer has not previously accepted a booking outside of the 4 week period.

For your own future reference, I typed the following into google:

"site:nct.ie four weeks free test"

sweetsugar

Thanks Donal

GTE

I don't get the the "leaving until the last minute to book" standpoint.

I booked when I got the letter in the post, could only get a test 9 weeks later at a centre of my choosing and I got my refund confirmed today.

It is not a big deal for me. I just drove around with the booking confirmation which satisfied a checkpoint when I was asked.

It is up to the NCT people to get their system working that they do not have these long lead times, not up to me to use tricks to get a sooner appointment.

Anyway, it is not a big deal for me.

EDIT: That said, I got very irritated at the tester who was working so slowly that two cars started and finished in the lane beside him before mine got onto the inspection ramp.

BionicRasher

bbk wrote: »

I don't get the the "leaving until the last minute to book" standpoint.

I booked when I got the letter in the post, could only get a test 9 weeks later at a centre of my choosing and I got my refund confirmed today.

It is not a big deal for me. I just drove around with the booking confirmation which satisfied a checkpoint when I was asked.

It is up to the NCT people to get their system working that they do not have these long lead times, not up to me to use tricks to get a sooner appointment.

Anyway, it is not a big deal for me.

EDIT: That said, I got very irritated at the tester who was working so slowly that two cars started and finished in the lane beside him before mine got onto the inspection ramp.

When you say that you booked an appointment for 9 weeks out was that via the website? Does that count for the free test? Did you get a refund cheque?
I can't get a test at my preferred location until December according to the website. Phoned them and they don't have a slot so they said they would text me a slot within few weeks.
Am I entitled to a free test if I book the December slot online?

corktina

nope. If you accept an appointment you don't qualify for the free test afaik

BionicRasher

corktina wrote: »

nope. If you accept an appointment you don't qualify for the free test afaik

I haven't accepted any appointments yet. They can't provide a slot for me at the moment so am I entitled to a free test?

mgbgt1978

Only if they cannot provide you with a test within 28 days of you first contacting them by phone.
The problem with their contract is that it only states that they must provide a test within 28 days, it doesn't say when they must provide you with details of this appointment.
In other words you could ring them on the 1st of September, they say they will get back to you, and they can then get back to you on the 27th of September and offer you a test for the following day.....still giving you a test within 28 days.
This wouldn't normally happen, usually after you ring and request a test within 28 days they will get back to you within 2/3 days with a date.
You are also entitled to refuse any appointment offered two times, any more and you forfeit your right to a free test.

greasepalm

free penalty points for cars caught without a current nct,3 points i think.

slimjimmc

greasepalm wrote: »

free penalty points for cars caught without a current nct,3 points i think.

Not yet, it's still a mandatory court summons and 5 points if convicted. The option to accept 3 points will only be available from December.