Long waiting list for NCT Westport?

seligehgit

Hi guys,
Tried booking my NCT on line but there only appeared to be one appointment available to me up to February 2011.Is the waiting list for the test that long?I find it hard to believe.I did not wish to do my booking via the low call number as I had hoped I would be able to pick and choose the time and date of my test via the website.Is there simply a problem with the website booking facility?
Selig

statto25

seligehgit wrote: »

Hi guys,
Tried booking my NCT on line but there only appeared to be one appointment available to me up to February 2011.Is the waiting list for the test that long?I find it hard to believe.I did not wish to do my booking via the low call number as I had hoped I would be able to pick and choose the time and date of my test via the website.Is there simply a problem with the website booking facility?
Selig

The website is updated every morning with cancellations made the previous day. It is better to ring them first thing in the morning as the updated calendar goes live on the NCT's system first and then on the website.
My brother rang last week and got an NCT for this Friday.
Unless you want to wait until february I would give them a call.

PogMoThoin

According to the NCTS Customer Charter if you request an NCT appointment within 4 weeks and it cannot be provided, you are entitled to have the test carried out for free.

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/categories/travel-and-recreation/vehicle-standards/national_car_test

steph1

Agree with statto there. Ring them first thing in the morning as there are always cancellations. Its the same in the Ballina test centre. I had to get an nct done last month and being a taxi it has to be done within a certain time as its tied in with the renewal of the taxi licence plus taxi drivers have to do another test called a suitability test before the car is compliant and can continue to work as a taxi. More bureaucracy.
Anyway I could not get a test in either Ballina or Westport but got a cancellation for Castlerea on the afternoon that I phoned and I took it. A bit of a journey but I passed. I have never passed any nct in Ballina and have always had to do a retest and this is I think the problem. There seems to be a backlog in these centres most of which are probably caused by retests.

seligehgit

Thanks guys,really appreciate all your advice.
Selig;)

snaps

Shouldnt have to pay money to ring them if the website worked/was updated properly!

metrovelvet

I use castlerea. Much shorter waiting time. Less potholes to kill your car. I lost two rear shocks going into the NCT center in westport.

PogMoThoin

metrovelvet wrote: »

I use castlerea. Much shorter waiting time. Less potholes to kill your car. I lost two rear shocks going into the NCT center in westport.

You'll actually pass with both rear shocks gone, they look for imbalance

metrovelvet

PogMoThoin wrote: »

You'll actually pass with both rear shocks gone, they look for imbalance

I failed mine for rear shocks. They were fine going into Westport [I had the whole car checked before going in] and they came out destroyed. Have you seen the craters on the road to the westport NCT?

PogMoThoin

metrovelvet wrote: »

I failed mine for rear shocks. They were fine going into Westport [I had the whole car checked before going in] and they came out destroyed. Have you seen the craters on the road to the westport NCT?

May not be just the road, when testing the shake the living shít out of the car, it often shows up things normal mechanics don't see. Also, if they see any rust they hit it with the hammer.

Just Like Heaven

Don't know if it's any relevance but i waited 79 days for westport and got full refund. Worth e mailing for the sake of fifty euro.

metrovelvet

We should all agree to stick our names on Westport so the waiting list gets really long and we'll all get a refund!

shoes34

I book my NCT back in June and I have a date for the end of October! Going to try ringing them to see if I can get a cancelation this week.

CiniO

I imported a car from NI in beginning of July.
I paid VRT, registered it, paid motor tax, so last thing to do was NCT.
I don't know if I should say it's funny or pathetic, but our law expects us to have NCT done straight away after registering a foreign car in the State. You obviously are not legally allowed to drive your car without NCT. And in the end, how long the waiting list is, everyone can see.
So in short words, the whole system makes my car not road legal for a couple of weeks or months after registering it, as I can't get NCT that fast. So legally I shouldn't drive my car for couple of months after registering, even the car had a test certificate from NI (MOT) valid until March 2011.

So I rang NCT booking infoline, and was told that there is no appointments available in Westport for next 6 months, and that they don't book anything above 6 months, so she can't provide me with any booking at all.
I asked what am I supposed to do - put my car on a parking and wait utile forever, as I can't drive it legally without NCT. She said she's sorry but she can't do anything about it. That I can ring back on Wednesday (it was MOnday) and try then for cancellations.
I pretty much got really pissed off, but I did rang on Wednesday. She said exactly the same. No appointment available at all in the 6 months period. So I said to her, that I assume that whenever I'll get my appointment (if it will ever happen) I'll get it for free. She confirmed, that if I request an appointment in 4 weeks time and they can't provide it, so it will be for free. I asked her if I wasn't requesting appointment just a minute ago, so she said that I didn't precise it has to be within four weeks.
So I said to her that I request my appointment within four weeks form the date I called first time (Monday). She took my contact details, and said that's all she can do at the moment.
No later then 5 minutes after it, I got a text message, with my NCT appointment for Friday in 2 days (it was Wednesday I was calling).

So in other words - if they want they always can find an appointment date for you.
it's all a matter - if they want.

Faunglass

If you ve to wait a long time I suggest you get a letter from them.This will cover you should you be stopped by the police and you ll have your proof for when you want to claim the cost of the NCT

yop

Don't know about the waiting list, I contacted them 3 weeks ago about getting an appointment, emailed them, as I couldn't find a slot there online.

Emailed me back, very helpful, got me a cancellation last Friday at 6.05pm and it flew through.
Maybe I was lucky though!

CiniO

Faunglass wrote: »

If you ve to wait a long time I suggest you get a letter from them.This will cover you should you be stopped by the police and you ll have your proof for when you want to claim the cost of the NCT

The sad true is that it won't cover you in case you are pulled over by Gardai.
Obviously Garda are also human, they understand, and they know how the situation looks like. Most likely if you show them you are waiting for your appointment, they'll let you go.
But it absolutely up to them. They are not obliged to do it.
If they want, they can easily prosecute you for driving without NCT.
Law is very clear here, and you are not legally allowed to drive your car in public place without NCT (with very few exceptions).
And long waiting list in the NCT test centre is definitely not one of these exceptions.

So in other words - no matter how long you are waiting for your appointment, if you are driving without NCT you are breaking the law.

oscarBravo

CiniO wrote: »

So in other words - no matter how long you are waiting for your appointment, if you are driving without NCT you are breaking the law.

Then the law needs to change. The testing service is carried out by a privately-owned company (Applus), presumably for-profit. If that company is incapable of carrying out its business in a manner that allows people to ensure that they are compliant with the law, it's utterly unjust that their customers should face the legal penalties for that failure.

I wonder whether there are penalty clauses in the NCT contract?

yop

NCT is well hit and miss, I got some work done on the car there Wednesday last, the lad in the garage told me, which I knew already, that the back tires were level with the min marker in the centre of the tire and really that they would fail me.

I went to the lad I get my tires from to get the tires on, he was out of stock of them, said that it will fail but its only a visual.

As per my post above it passed.... so either the 2 of them were wrong or they were missed in the NCT. But it passed so I am happy

CiniO

yop wrote: »

NCT is well hit and miss, I got some work done on the car there Wednesday last, the lad in the garage told me, which I knew already, that the back tires were level with the min marker in the centre of the tire and really that they would fail me.

I went to the lad I get my tires from to get the tires on, he was out of stock of them, said that it will fail but its only a visual.

As per my post above it passed.... so either the 2 of them were wrong or they were missed in the NCT. But it passed so I am happy

Legal minimum tyre tread depth is 1.6mm. It only applies to 3/4 centre part of tyre. Minimum tread markers on tyres doesn't matter, as they are usually bigger then 1.6mm. That's the law, so they couldn't fail you if they had 1.6 in 3/4 centre part of the tyre.

steph1

Whats the situation now in Ballina and Westport NCT centres are there still long delays waiting for tests?

irishgeo

steph1 wrote: »

Whats the situation now in Ballina and Westport NCT centres are there still long delays waiting for tests?

i have got mine for march 4th without too much hassle.