No NCT appointments

daymobrew

What's up with NCT appointments at the moment?
I tried all 4 Dublin centres (Fonthill, Deansgrange, Ballymun x 2) and there are no free slots for the next 5 weeks. I tried another few outside Dublin and same thing there.

I didn't get an appointment letter either. My NCT was due 3 weeks ago.

Jakey

If your driving the car keep a letter with your appointment on it may help you out if you encouter the Guards, bit unfair to expect everyone to have their car NCT'd when there so far behind.

If you were unlucky enough to have an accident your insurance company may not pay out if the car isnt NCT'd so its worth being aware of that too.

2rs

I wouldn't worry about it. Mine was due in March of this year and I have had no appointment letter sent out yet.

daedalus2097

Maybe they're trying to cut down on the waiting list by not issuing appointments? If I were you I'd just book it for whatever day in August you can and have the appointment confirmation with you in the car... Just in case you get hassle at a checkpoint. Once you do that though it's no problem, just a bit of a headscratcher. It's been like that for a few weeks now, if you could be flexible about getting it there you could ring every morning and check for a cancellation...

celt262

They don't send out letter's for test's anymore it's up to the owner to book the car in.

2rs

celt262 wrote:

They don't send out letter's for test's anymore it's up to the owner to book the car in.

I guess I better get on the phone then!

celt262

It might be no harm .

MercMad

celt262 wrote:

They don't send out letter's for test's anymore it's up to the owner to book the car in.

.............are you serious ??

WTF ??

Are they trying to REDUCE the amount of safe NCT'd cars out there !

This is insane, when did it start !!

machiavellianme

Are you sure? According to their website they still are notifying people

If you have recently received notification that your car is due for the NCT, you can now use our secure online services area to review your test details, where can you can confirm, cancel or change your NCT booking at your convenience.

www.ncts.ie

MercMad

I just tried to book online but cant !

I tried various different dates, about 10 of them, and it kept saying nothing available. Then I went for a date in September and it says "Book a date before or equal to 14/08/2007"...................but ther are none !!

WTF is going on ??

I'm gonna leave it !!

DublinDilbert

Hi Guys,

Keep trying, it seems like the release all of the canceled appointments at a particular time of the day, back into the system....

I tried and tried for an appointment a few weeks ago, and nothing in any dublin / kildare test centre... then went back on that afternoon after 4pm and there was lots of free appointments, got something a week away from the day i was booking...

daymobrew

DublinDilbert wrote:

Keep trying, it seems like the release all of the canceled appointments at a particular time of the day, back into the system....

I rang the booking number and got an appointment for just over 6 weeks time - just outside the 5 week limit of the online system.
I emailed NCTS to ask about the lack of appointments and notification letters yesterday. The reply ignored my questions because they saw that I got an appointment. I've emailed again to try to get some answers before I write to the Department of Transport.

Zagorkagirl

I was stopped by the Gardai a few weeks ago for not having an NCT. I told him that I hadn't received any notification about a test and he told me that they don't send out notifications any more - you have to contact them to make an appointment. (Cut-backs, as if the b***ards don't make enough money from us).

As a previous poster pointed out, if you try at different times of the day you may get a cancellation. Apparently, dozens of people cancel every day.

Za.

MercMad

But it seems that thios change of policy is not widely known. Clearly folk are waiting for their appointment to arrive via post, AND their website does not contain anything that states they have changed their policy re notification !

Are the Gardai then going to jump on everyone ??

FuzzyWuzzyWazza

Thats stupid!!! I don't think they should be able to get away without notifying people that they are not going to notify them of their test appointments!!!

UsedtobePC

I never got a letter for mine and when I tried to book online I had the same as the OP. However, when I rang them the lady on the phone said to try either really early in the morning or after 6pm cause that's when all the cancellations go into the system. I did that and I got an appointment the following week for the time that was most convenient for me without a problem.

hi5

Bring your car to the test centre just before they open,have all the correct documentation including the cheque in an envelope and just ask one of the testers to test it if they get a no-show or a cancellation,the testers can book it in for you. dealers do this all the time.it helps the NCT people as well as it prevents slack periods and the cars have to be tested anyway.many of the dealers get to know the testers and may even buy them a pint at the weekend if they do the test during the testers lunch break;) .

peasant

Got my VW tested and re-tested within four weeks ...just rang them early in the morning, looking for cancellations.

MercMad

hi5 wrote:

Bring your car to the test centre just before they open,have all the correct documentation including the cheque in an envelope and just ask one of the testers to test it if they get a no-show or a cancellation,the testers can book it in for you. dealers do this all the time.it helps the NCT people as well as it prevents slack periods and the cars have to be tested anyway.many of the dealers get to know the testers and may even buy them a pint at the weekend if they do the test during the testers lunch break;) .

.........and then we will read here next week about guys doing doughnuts in our cars at lunchtime !!

Good idea though, but I'd prefer to wait while its being done !

Seth Brundle

I had the same problem two months ago when I decided that it was time to get the NCT (well out of date!).
Anyhow, went online and there was nothing available for the next 5 weeks in the Dublin, Kildare, Meath & Leitrim (I checked it for the craic!) so I left it for a week. The following week there was only one slot available in all of these - so I ended up ding the test in Naas.
The car failed and I had to get a rubber propshaft coupling replaced and when I went to beek it in online there were loads of slots!!!

McSpud

The online list does seem to have large gaps with nothing available & then there will be a day with long list of options. Sometimes you can be lucky as i did mine in Fonthill today & booked 2 weeks ago online. Online booking sends you a nice SMS reminder too.

Mine was due last year & I received a provisional booking a few months after it was due.

From a guards point of view they do not seem to care at all. Mine was out for 6 months & stopped @ checkpoints but guards never even queried. Has taken me a couple of attempts over 2 months to get it passed today but I got stopped a few weeks back (embarrassed now to admit was over a year out ) at checkpoint & I talked my way out of...

Our man in Havana

I tried to book a test for my dad a month or so ago and there were no slots online at all 6 centres I checked. Rang them up and they said the same and they took my details and put the car on a waiting list and to expect to hear from them in a week to 10 days. 8 days later I got a SMS message with a test appointment.

redman

celt262 wrote:

They don't send out letter's for test's anymore it's up to the owner to book the car in.

I got one from them two months ago, so maybe it's when it suits

drdre

Nothing is wrong.I got my nct date 1 week before my test and passed.You just have to be up at 8am and call them as the cancellations are done then so you can get a faster date.

daymobrew

celt262 wrote:

They don't send out letter's for test's anymore it's up to the owner to book the car in.

The first time I rang them they said that there was a priority put on sending letters to those due for their first NCT. :rolleyes:

daedalus2097

drdre wrote:

Nothing is wrong.I got my nct date 1 week before my test and passed.You just have to be up at 8am and call them as the cancellations are done then so you can get a faster date.

There's something very wrong if you have to do that. What if you work shift and 8am is the middle of your night? Or is when you work and you can't use a phone at that time? You shouldn't have to resort to getting up and making phone calls at 8am on the off-chance that there's a cancellation and you get your call in on time.

On a side note, my dad's car passed earlier this week after a 4 week wait, and it had a busted wiper arm and a bad CV joint on the left front driveshaft. Hooray for inconsistencies

drdre

daedalus2097 wrote:

There's something very wrong if you have to do that. What if you work shift and 8am is the middle of your night? Or is when you work and you can't use a phone at that time? You shouldn't have to resort to getting up and making phone calls at 8am on the off-chance that there's a cancellation and you get your call in on time.

On a side note, my dad's car passed earlier this week after a 4 week wait, and it had a busted wiper arm and a bad CV joint on the left front driveshaft. Hooray for inconsistencies

well i work all hours over 12hrs a day so if i can take time out i think you can.I woke up especially at 7.30am to be ready to call the nct office and i got through at 8.05 and got a date in 1 week not more than 1 week.So i was happy and passed.

lizzyd66

There must be a different system for retests - bought a car that had just failed its NCT - needed rear shocks . Car tested in Waterford. Got the work done and rang the NCT centre in Deansgrange last Wednesday - they could have fitted me in last Friday or any day this week so getting it done tomorrow. I imagine they have to get it up on the ramp to check the work but strange that they told me they weren't busy when most posters have had problems.

Our man in Havana

How did you get a retest in a centre other than the one where the original test was done? I was told when getting a retest that it had to be done where the first test was done.

MercMad

So.............just to recap..............my car was reg'd on 01/08/03 , and is due its first NCT so will they send me a letter ??

Gerry

Nah, my sisters car's nct has expired, no sign of any letter. They mustn't be doing it any more.