Finally over

[Jools]

Hi all - I finally got my license back today (actually bang on the date it was due - so my process took exactly 90 days) and just wanted to thank all of the lovely people on this forum, especially @Missbee for all the advice and encouragement.

If it helps anyone here is my timeline

October 6 - reapplied for license
October 11th - application received
October 18th - forms scanned in
November 1st - chased up with call
November 4th - chased again
November 10th - letter sent out to book medical
November 14th - phoned as letter not received
November 18th - phoned again as letter not received - DVLA emailed the doctor and gave me the phone number to book an appointment
December 12 - had DVLA medical. Very quick - questionnaire, blood test (haven’t had the letter yet so don’t know what CDT was but I obviously passed.)
December 14 - bloods received by DVLA
December 23 - phoned - no paperwork received from doctor
December 28 - paperwork received
January 3 - chased up
January 6 - chased up and an hour later got a call back saying I could drive from midnight

I hope this gives optimism to some of you about to start the process of reapplying for your license. This was my first and only offence and am not classed as misusing or dependent so realise it was a little less complicated, but I worried a lot and so thought it would help others to see the timeline (which ran on time to the day but I would say to chase up politely as in my case I think it definitely helped).

Another tip for you all (again thanks to Missbee) - use a normal website for insurance quotes! I tried the Drink Drive Forum and the IANDRA (alcohol awareness course) brokers and in both cases was quoted over double what I ended up paying on Confused.com - which was only in fact £250 more than I paid before my conviction and with my previous provider. I could have had it even cheaper if I could have been bothered with a black box.

Once again thank you all for your help and support and good luck to those of you still on the journey. I will stick around for a couple of weeks to answer any questions you may have (though there are definitely wiser folk on this thread!).

 

[Missbee]

Hi all - I finally got my license back today (actually bang on the date it was due - so my process took exactly 90 days) and just wanted to thank all of the lovely people on this forum, especially @Missbee for all the advice and encouragement.

If it helps anyone here is my timeline

October 6 - reapplied for license
October 11th - application received
October 18th - forms scanned in
November 1st - chased up with call
November 4th - chased again
November 10th - letter sent out to book medical
November 14th - phoned as letter not received
November 18th - phoned again as letter not received - DVLA emailed the doctor and gave me the phone number to book an appointment
December 12 - had DVLA medical. Very quick - questionnaire, blood test (haven’t had the letter yet so don’t know what CDT was but I obviously passed.)
December 14 - bloods received by DVLA
December 23 - phoned - no paperwork received from doctor
December 28 - paperwork received
January 3 - chased up
January 6 - chased up and an hour later got a call back saying I could drive from midnight

I hope this gives optimism to some of you about to start the process of reapplying for your license. This was my first and only offence and am not classed as misusing or dependent so realise it was a little less complicated, but I worried a lot and so thought it would help others to see the timeline (which ran on time to the day but I would say to chase up politely as in my case I think it definitely helped).

Another tip for you all (again thanks to Missbee) - use a normal website for insurance quotes! I tried the Drink Drive Forum and the IANDRA (alcohol awareness course) brokers and in both cases was quoted over double what I ended up paying on Confused.com - which was only in fact £250 more than I paid before my conviction and with my previous provider. I could have had it even cheaper if I could have been bothered with a black box.

Once again thank you all for your help and support and good luck to those of you still on the journey. I will stick around for a couple of weeks to answer any questions you may have (though there are definitely wiser folk on this thread!).

Thanks for all your help. We finally got there jools! 🙌 happy driving 🚗

 

[C J 1980]

Good news at last.

I will posting my own timeline on here in due course and it will be eye watering how long I've been waiting.

Regards

CJ

 

[Luna2000]

Hi all - I finally got my license back today (actually bang on the date it was due - so my process took exactly 90 days) and just wanted to thank all of the lovely people on this forum, especially @Missbee for all the advice and encouragement.

If it helps anyone here is my timeline

October 6 - reapplied for license
October 11th - application received
October 18th - forms scanned in
November 1st - chased up with call
November 4th - chased again
November 10th - letter sent out to book medical
November 14th - phoned as letter not received
November 18th - phoned again as letter not received - DVLA emailed the doctor and gave me the phone number to book an appointment
December 12 - had DVLA medical. Very quick - questionnaire, blood test (haven’t had the letter yet so don’t know what CDT was but I obviously passed.)
December 14 - bloods received by DVLA
December 23 - phoned - no paperwork received from doctor
December 28 - paperwork received
January 3 - chased up
January 6 - chased up and an hour later got a call back saying I could drive from midnight

I hope this gives optimism to some of you about to start the process of reapplying for your license. This was my first and only offence and am not classed as misusing or dependent so realise it was a little less complicated, but I worried a lot and so thought it would help others to see the timeline (which ran on time to the day but I would say to chase up politely as in my case I think it definitely helped).

Another tip for you all (again thanks to Missbee) - use a normal website for insurance quotes! I tried the Drink Drive Forum and the IANDRA (alcohol awareness course) brokers and in both cases was quoted over double what I ended up paying on Confused.com - which was only in fact £250 more than I paid before my conviction and with my previous provider. I could have had it even cheaper if I could have been bothered with a black box.

Once again thank you all for your help and support and good luck to those of you still on the journey. I will stick around for a couple of weeks to answer any questions you may have (though there are definitely wiser folk on this thread!).

Well done. Took me 7 months from July 2020 to Feb 2022.

I would also agree with you regarding the insurance.

I have a Jag XF 2.0 litre and had 2 extant DUI convictions on my record. The 'specialist' providers wanted anything from £3,200 to over £5,000 for all inclusive.

I eventually found a company called RCIB who insured me fully comp with zero NCD for only £550 a year, and it is an Aviva policy.

 

[Jools]

yes @Luna2000 it’s awful really. When I did the drink drive course the guy who led it must have mentioned their service to help us get “cheaper” insurance 10 times and so I saved the details for when I got my license back, yet when I rang them the cost was eye-watering! Even the guy I spoke to sounded embarrassed when he gave me the quote. I think they hope to make money based on us all feeling guilty and nervous about premiums and if @Missbee hadnt shared her experiences with me I may have fallen for it, hence wanting to pass the advice on.

 

[RB1984]

yes @Luna2000 it’s awful really. When I did the drink drive course the guy who led it must have mentioned their service to help us get “cheaper” insurance 10 times and so I saved the details for when I got my license back, yet when I rang them the cost was eye-watering! Even the guy I spoke to sounded embarrassed when he gave me the quote. I think they hope to make money based on us all feeling guilty and nervous about premiums and if @Missbee hadnt shared her experiences with me I may have fallen for it, hence wanting to pass the advice on.

The cheapest insurance quote I got was 3200 and that was only 3rd party. Maybe because I’ve had an accident when I got done for DUI but I can’t seem to find a cheaper quote. I got my license back in September but as of yet haven’t had the privilege of driving as my insurance quotes are far too high to be affordable

 

[C J 1980]

yes @Luna2000 it’s awful really. When I did the drink drive course the guy who led it must have mentioned their service to help us get “cheaper” insurance 10 times and so I saved the details for when I got my license back, yet when I rang them the cost was eye-watering! Even the guy I spoke to sounded embarrassed when he gave me the quote. I think they hope to make money based on us all feeling guilty and nervous about premiums and if @Missbee hadnt shared her experiences with me I may have fallen for it, hence wanting to pass the advice on.

I suspect TTC who ran my DD course are operating on some commission with a certain insurance broker. When the time came to insure my car post my ban, I rang the company they feature in their booklet and I was both shocked and disappointed that the quote was in the four figure bracket. I said on your bike!

The cheapest insurance quote I got was 3200 and that was only 3rd party. Maybe because I’ve had an accident when I got done for DUI but I can’t seem to find a cheaper quote. I got my license back in September but as of yet haven’t had the privilege of driving as my insurance quotes are far too high to be affordable

Have you tried finding a quote via Go Compare or Money Supermarket?

CJ

 

[Missbee]

The cheapest insurance quote I got was 3200 and that was only 3rd party. Maybe because I’ve had an accident when I got done for DUI but I can’t seem to find a cheaper quote. I got my license back in September but as of yet haven’t had the privilege of driving as my insurance quotes are far too high to be affordable

I got mine at go compare. I got it for 1.5k.. it might be slightly higher for me as I've only been a named driver before never a policy holder so I'm having to start my no claims etc. But with the drink drive insurance brokers they were coming out at 3/4k

 

[danty_20]

The cheapest insurance quote I got was 3200 and that was only 3rd party. Maybe because I’ve had an accident when I got done for DUI but I can’t seem to find a cheaper quote. I got my license back in September but as of yet haven’t had the privilege of driving as my insurance quotes are far too high to be affordable

I got a 10 year licence back in October 2021. I had an accident when i got done for DUI so lost all no claims and my first years insurance was just under £700. My renewal came through from them a year later and it was £980. I went on go compare etc and the cheapest was £1800!! I don't understand the rise in a year but obviously i had to pay the £980 with my original insurer because i couldn't get it cheaper anywhere else..

 

[Dovi88]

I went with Adrian Flux who was the cheapest, was £700 fully comp on a new 72 plate car which I didn’t think was too bad - You can do a quote online but then when you call up they saved me a further 10-15% on the online quote.

 

[jamesbrown1]

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I went with Adrian Flux who was the cheapest, was £700 fully comp on a new 72 plate car which I didn’t think was too bad - You can do a quote online but then when you call up they saved me a further 10-15% on the online quote.

Also used them (for 2 years now) wasn't a spectacular quote the first year and was not impressed when 2nd year was higher - i cancelled and went to Tescos only to receive and very apologetic call from them and an offer to cut the quote by over half - went with them when they added drive any car fully comp with owners permission.. Overall a good company I think.

 

[Jools]

I got a 10 year licence back in October 2021. I had an accident when i got done for DUI so lost all no claims and my first years insurance was just under £700. My renewal came through from them a year later and it was £980. I went on go compare etc and the cheapest was £1800!! I don't understand the rise in a year but obviously i had to pay the £980 with my original insurer because i couldn't get it cheaper anywhere else..

That is really odd - you would think it would be more straight after your license is returned and go down a year after driving with no incidents? Did you speak to anyone to ask them why?

 

[C J 1980]

I got a 10 year licence back in October 2021. I had an accident when i got done for DUI so lost all no claims and my first years insurance was just under £700. My renewal came through from them a year later and it was £980.

Did you not asked the question as to why the insurance company raised the premium by £280 in the second year? Seems really odd for this to happen.

CJ

 

[Oscar1974]

Hi all - I finally got my license back today (actually bang on the date it was due - so my process took exactly 90 days) and just wanted to thank all of the lovely people on this forum, especially @Missbee for all the advice and encouragement.

If it helps anyone here is my timeline

October 6 - reapplied for license
October 11th - application received
October 18th - forms scanned in
November 1st - chased up with call
November 4th - chased again
November 10th - letter sent out to book medical
November 14th - phoned as letter not received
November 18th - phoned again as letter not received - DVLA emailed the doctor and gave me the phone number to book an appointment
December 12 - had DVLA medical. Very quick - questionnaire, blood test (haven’t had the letter yet so don’t know what CDT was but I obviously passed.)
December 14 - bloods received by DVLA
December 23 - phoned - no paperwork received from doctor
December 28 - paperwork received
January 3 - chased up
January 6 - chased up and an hour later got a call back saying I could drive from midnight

I hope this gives optimism to some of you about to start the process of reapplying for your license. This was my first and only offence and am not classed as misusing or dependent so realise it was a little less complicated, but I worried a lot and so thought it would help others to see the timeline (which ran on time to the day but I would say to chase up politely as in my case I think it definitely helped).

Another tip for you all (again thanks to Missbee) - use a normal website for insurance quotes! I tried the Drink Drive Forum and the IANDRA (alcohol awareness course) brokers and in both cases was quoted over double what I ended up paying on Confused.com - which was only in fact £250 more than I paid before my conviction and with my previous provider. I could have had it even cheaper if I could have been bothered with a black box.

Once again thank you all for your help and support and good luck to those of you still on the journey. I will stick around for a couple of weeks to answer any questions you may have (though there are definitely wiser folk on this thread!).

Brilliant news , did they write to your gp and what did you say to the questions in the medical interview

 

[Luna2000]

I got a 10 year licence back in October 2021. I had an accident when i got done for DUI so lost all no claims and my first years insurance was just under £700. My renewal came through from them a year later and it was £980. I went on go compare etc and the cheapest was £1800!! I don't understand the rise in a year but obviously i had to pay the £980 with my original insurer because i couldn't get it cheaper anywhere else..

The same thing happened to me. With two extant DUI's I received a quote of £700 last year.

This year, with only one DUI I needed to declare, my renewal quotation dropped through the post at ONLY a modest £3,700.

After I stopped laughing, I called up the company, told them not to be so stupid (literally,) and to go and get reasonable quote nearer to my expectation.

They came back to me a day later saying the lowest they could get on the market was £870, still £170 higher than my last quote. I checked around on the comparison websites and it did seem in the ballpark.

The strange thing is it is underwritten by Aviva, who will not insure drivers with live DR10's on their licence.

 

[marcfabiovrs]

Hi all - I finally got my license back today (actually bang on the date it was due - so my process took exactly 90 days) and just wanted to thank all of the lovely people on this forum, especially @Missbee for all the advice and encouragement.

If it helps anyone here is my timeline

October 6 - reapplied for license
October 11th - application received
October 18th - forms scanned in
November 1st - chased up with call
November 4th - chased again
November 10th - letter sent out to book medical
November 14th - phoned as letter not received
November 18th - phoned again as letter not received - DVLA emailed the doctor and gave me the phone number to book an appointment
December 12 - had DVLA medical. Very quick - questionnaire, blood test (haven’t had the letter yet so don’t know what CDT was but I obviously passed.)
December 14 - bloods received by DVLA
December 23 - phoned - no paperwork received from doctor
December 28 - paperwork received
January 3 - chased up
January 6 - chased up and an hour later got a call back saying I could drive from midnight

I hope this gives optimism to some of you about to start the process of reapplying for your license. This was my first and only offence and am not classed as misusing or dependent so realise it was a little less complicated, but I worried a lot and so thought it would help others to see the timeline (which ran on time to the day but I would say to chase up politely as in my case I think it definitely helped).

Another tip for you all (again thanks to Missbee) - use a normal website for insurance quotes! I tried the Drink Drive Forum and the IANDRA (alcohol awareness course) brokers and in both cases was quoted over double what I ended up paying on Confused.com - which was only in fact £250 more than I paid before my conviction and with my previous provider. I could have had it even cheaper if I could have been bothered with a black box.

Once again thank you all for your help and support and good luck to those of you still on the journey. I will stick around for a couple of weeks to answer any questions you may have (though there are definitely wiser folk on this thread!).

As this was first time did you have too give a urine test as well?

 

[Luna2000]

As this was first time did you have too give a urine test as well?

If you are 'simply' HRO with no drug use noted, then you do not need to provide a urine sample, only a blood sample for a CDT test.

 

[marcfabiovrs]

If you are 'simply' HRO with no drug use noted, then you do not need to provide a urine sample, only a blood sample for a CDT test.

Yea mate first time hro as well and it was just a drink driving disqualification on the arrest

 

[Luna2000]

Yea mate first time hro as well and it was just a drink driving disqualification on the arrest

So no Urine test then, but if they even get a whiff of Whaccy Baccy smoke from you, then you'll be in soapy bubble. Just stop everything. If nothing else it will make you a safer driver.

 

[Jools]

Brilliant news , did they write to your gp and what did you say to the questions in the medical interview

Hi - no they didn’t go to my GP and I admitted to having been on treatment for anxiety last year but the DVLA doctor said she wasn’t concerned. As to the drinking question I said I’d last had a drink 7 weeks ago which was a couple of beers at a concert - as I’d abstained for 3 months apart from this occasion and the weekend before when I had been in London and had some wine with meals my CDT came in at 0.7. Said no to all the other questions. I think I was lucky to have an easy going DVLA doctor. The fact I’d been on sertraline didn’t seem to bother her at all. Am glad I was honest though.