Is Service NSW Ripping Us off?

Bugs Bunny on 23/01/2025 - 16:49
Last edited 23/01/2025 - 21:38 by 1 other user

So, my driving licence expired a day before I was going overseas on holiday, I tried renewing online but couldn't because I had to go in to get a new picture taken. I figured I'd just renew when I got back a few weeks later.

When I renewed, I was surprised to see that the expiry date is 10 years from the date of that my previous licence expired, rather than 10 years from when I renewed, meaning that I'm only getting 9 years and 11 months out of this licence that I paid 10 years for.

My question is, shouldn't the expiry be set based on the renewal date, similar to a passport? Are Service NSW ripping us off?

Edit: Just spoke to a mate who said he had a similar situation with renewing rego for his (garaged) car after returning from overseas. Now we're talking real money!

Update: It seems many people think that a licence is continuous which is why they backdate it to the expiry date. If this is the case, why wouldn't Service NSW have an option to auto renew?

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Comments

  • El cheepo on 23/01/2025 - 16:56
    +7

    I would say there are bigger issues in life than losing less than 1% of the validation period of your license due to you not renewing at its expiration.

    Assuming you paid $410 for 10 years you are out roughly $3.41 in perceived value.

    • Bugs Bunny on 23/01/2025 - 17:08
      -6

      It's not really about the money, it's more the principal.
      If I was renewing for a year only, I would be losing about 8%.

      • altomic on 23/01/2025 - 17:46

        It's the vibe.

      • mboy on 23/01/2025 - 17:46
        +1

        If I was renewing for a year only, I would be losing about 8%

        Yeah, you'd be losing 8.33% of $41 (assuming 1/10th the cost of 10 years) = still $3.41

        Thank goodness you didn't renew for a month only, cause then you would have lost 100% of $3.41

        • Bugs Bunny on 23/01/2025 - 17:57
          +2

          Dodged a bullet there! 😂

      • Gdsamp on 23/01/2025 - 18:23
        +2

        it's more the principal

        out of interest, what do you have against the CEO Greg Wells

      • El cheepo on 24/01/2025 - 00:05

        I do understand where you are coming from but a license is a life long fee commitment.

        There are some good hypotheses below as to why it is that way.
        In any case, it’s not the end of the world.

        Although i would be interested to know what would happen if one was away for years without paying and tried to pay a one year license on their return.

  • ZachBlasphemy on 23/01/2025 - 16:56
    +16

    I would believe it is to discourage people from driving unlicensed for short periods as a way to save money, like min/maxing the system. The same thing happens with car registration. Unless of course I've misinterpreted what you mean in your scenario.

    • Bugs Bunny on 23/01/2025 - 17:10
      -5

      Yes, a mate told me he had the same thing with a car rego.
      Why should someone renew rego on a car they're not using and is stored on private land, and why should I pay for a licence I'm not using?
      Call it discouraging, sounds more like theft!

      • Bugs Bunny on 23/01/2025 - 17:12

        Also they already have ways of discouraging this behaviour, with hefty fines!

      • ZachBlasphemy on 23/01/2025 - 17:30
        +3

        Regarding storing a car, you're always free to cancel registration on a vehicle, you just have to get it checked when you want to register it again. Then the part about a licence you aren't using, you did seem okay at first with renewing the licence before heading overseas, it's just a little contradictory.

        • Bugs Bunny on 23/01/2025 - 18:00
          -2

          I would have been able to drive on my last day before going on holiday. That was a convenience I was happy to pay for.

  • Jimothy Wongingtons on 23/01/2025 - 16:57
    +3

    That’s a bloody outrage it is

    • MS Paint on 23/01/2025 - 17:02
      +1

      Classic Simpsons reference.

  • mapax on 23/01/2025 - 16:58

    Yes

  • barge-in hunter on 23/01/2025 - 16:58
    -1

    Report it to the DOGE department

    • Gdsamp on 23/01/2025 - 18:23
      +2

      ATM Machine

  • MS Paint on 23/01/2025 - 17:03
    +1

    I know you're not serious but thanks for the laugh anyways.

    Also, you're not serious about your edit are you? Really? FFS

    I think you're confusing your license and registration with your Disney plus subscription.

    • Bugs Bunny on 23/01/2025 - 18:01
      -2

      I'm not too serious about the few dollars, but I just think it's another way that the government is sneakily taking more money from us

      • elgrande on 23/01/2025 - 18:18

        Would you prefer to start back with your L's

  • Protractor on 23/01/2025 - 17:37

    Here ya go. Happy Licence Renewal day>
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLO5IZcNOXg

  • Euphemistic on 23/01/2025 - 17:38
    +2

    Its so when you pay early to avoid having an expired licence you still get the full 10 years out of the old one.

    If you pay late, that's your loss.

  • Tomhaigh1 on 23/01/2025 - 17:56

    For insurace would you say you didnt had DL for few months?

  • Caped Baldy on 23/01/2025 - 18:03

    On the other hand, if we renew early do we get 10 years and 1 month?

    • surfingedge on 23/01/2025 - 18:25

      No

    • Euphemistic on 23/01/2025 - 18:33
      +2

      If you renew early, you arent wasting the early payment period. Your licence (or rego) still stands from the previous payment, then the renewal recommences the date it expires.

      • Bugs Bunny on 23/01/2025 - 18:58

        Yes, because I've already paid for that period of time.

        • Euphemistic on 23/01/2025 - 19:05
          +2

          I dont think you can have it both ways. It would either be from the renewal date or from the payment date.

          Making everyone who pays early, so they dont end up with an invalid licence, lose a few days or weeks worth of payment so that late payers arent 'wasting payment' would create a headache of a sysyem. I would guess that most want to pay early, not late. Go with the majority for your system.

          • Caped Baldy on 23/01/2025 - 19:16

            @Euphemistic: Thanks. So the system sounds completely reasonable. Although, I'm not happy about losing the discount for not having demerit points.

          • Bugs Bunny on 23/01/2025 - 21:14
            -2

            @Euphemistic: I don't see how it's "having it both ways".
            If I pay for a 5 year licence, I expect to get 5 years out of it.
            There's no requirement to have a continuous licence if I'm not going to use it. When I decide to renew my licence for a certain period of time I don't think it unreasonable to expect to get that full time that I'm paying for.

            • Euphemistic on 23/01/2025 - 21:36
              +1

              @Bugs Bunny: Do i get a discount because i rode to work for 3/5 work days and didnt drive? Its the same thing. You chose not to drive for that period, you still held a licence.

              • Bugs Bunny on 24/01/2025 - 00:25

                @Euphemistic: No, just like you don't get a discount if not using your gym membership or Netflix. However once your subscription or licence expires (and you get a fine for driving with a now worthless licence) you should be free to choose when to renew it.

  • plmko on 23/01/2025 - 18:25

    Small mind set right here

    • Bugs Bunny on 23/01/2025 - 21:35
      -1

      *Makes valid point about being ripped off on OzBargain, gets accused of small mindset.

      Last I checked OzBargain was about saving money.

  • Drakesy on 23/01/2025 - 18:27
    +2

    This definitely sounds like they're having their cake and eating it too.

    If you get pulled over during the time without a license you'd be classed as driving without a license because you don't have a license.

    Don't see how Service NSW can charge you for it when you literally don't have it. My passport is from the day it's granted, not the day it last expired.

    You make a fair point.

    • mskeggs on 23/01/2025 - 18:42

      Maybe think of it as "continued licensing", so you don't need to resit a driver's test if you were late paying.

      • Drakesy on 23/01/2025 - 18:43

        But on the other hand we don't have to resit a citizenship test if our passport lapses.

        • mskeggs on 23/01/2025 - 18:44
          +1

          Don't tell anyone, but I never even sat for the citizenship test!

          • Drakesy on 23/01/2025 - 18:48
            +1

            @mskeggs: Touche.
            I too was born with a durry in my mouth, VB in my right hand and fell straight into a kangaroo's pouch and lived purely off vegemite for the length of my childhood.

            That was reason enough.

      • Bugs Bunny on 23/01/2025 - 21:17

        From what I understand you only need to retake a test once you hit a certain age (75?).
        Having a continuous licence doesn't have anything to do with proving you're still physically capable of driving.

    • Bugs Bunny on 23/01/2025 - 21:32

      Exactly. Finally some sense here!

      • MS Paint on 23/01/2025 - 21:48

        Some sense or bias confirmation?

        • Bugs Bunny on 24/01/2025 - 00:29

          Perhaps a bit of both.
          But I'm yet to see a valid reason that a driver's licence should be considered continuous.
          If I'm late on my insurance payment, my insurance will still be active until I eventually don't pay up (usually a couple of months). If I'm late on licence renewal I'd cop a hefty fine, so logic would suggest it's not continuous.

  • surfingedge on 23/01/2025 - 18:28

    You can only do it if you want to have no licence for more than 6 months (but less than 5 years)

    https://www.nsw.gov.au/driving-boating-and-transport/driver-…

  • tenpercent on 23/01/2025 - 18:33
    -2

    Yes they are.
    They operate like the Mafia.
    'Pay for this piece of paper/plastic or else we will set our blue gang members on you with violence and they will either deprive you of your property, your liberty, or physically hurt you if you so wish to decline being deprived of your property or your liberty.'
    So their fees and charges are basically protection money.

    • Gdsamp on 23/01/2025 - 18:37

      DEFUND THE POLICE !

      • tenpercent on 23/01/2025 - 18:43

        No. Just let them police real crimes like murder, rape, theft, assualt, etc and don't use them like mob goons.

        • Protractor on 23/01/2025 - 19:15

          But who will fill the jails with petty crims , and instigate car chases, while the gangsters rule the roost?

          Quotas mate, quotas

    • Gdsamp on 23/01/2025 - 18:37
      +1

      BLUE LIVES MATTER !

      • Protractor on 23/01/2025 - 19:16

        Let them hold their collective breaths then.

        EDIT< tell me why Victorians weren't outraged when plod used choppers and plod mobiles for a union stunt last weekish?
        No wonder the black Ninjas are growing.

  • racer1234 on 23/01/2025 - 19:33

    Maybe just cancel it and go back to the start if you fail to renew by the due date?

  • EFC94 on 23/01/2025 - 19:47
    -1

    Have you considered being more prepared in the future and planning things a little bit better?

    • Bugs Bunny on 23/01/2025 - 21:20
      +1

      Not sure how this would help my complaint.
      The fact remains that they are not giving a full period of time for the amount paid.

  • Shoocat on 23/01/2025 - 19:47

    The government is also protecting people from themselves. If you drive unlicensed, insurance won't touch you. Completely on your own if an accident happens.

    • Bugs Bunny on 23/01/2025 - 21:33

      Then why don't they do like many other "continuous" services and just auto renew when it expires.

  • AndyC1 on 23/01/2025 - 20:06
    -2

    Sounds like OP should have cancelled the old license and then apply for a new license in order to not get penalized for not paying before the license expired.

    • Bugs Bunny on 23/01/2025 - 21:21

      If I am overseas and not using the licence or car in the case of rego why should I get penalised for not renewing?

  • foxmulder on 23/01/2025 - 20:46

    Op doesn't mention the 50% discount on renewal, I guess op didn't get one.

    • lgacb08 on 23/01/2025 - 21:18
      +2

      you dont get that anymore.

  • Bignudge on 23/01/2025 - 21:05

    Same thing applies for expired car registration in NSW. You can renew your rego within 3 months of its expiry without needing to get a blueslip to get it reregistered… but the renewal is counted from the date of expiry. So if you wait for 2.5 months before renewing and you renew for 12 months, it'll expire in 9.5 months.

    • Bugs Bunny on 23/01/2025 - 21:22
      +1

      Don't even get me started on green slips! 🤣

      • Bugs Bunny on 23/01/2025 - 21:26

        Curious to how it works in other states/countries with regards to rego.
        I don't think someone should have to pay road tax for a car sitting in their garage.

        • Euphemistic on 23/01/2025 - 21:41
          +1

          Rego is not road tax, its a registration fee. 'Road tax' is built into fuel costs.

          How would you define 'sitting in the garage? How would you measure how much it wasnt driven? Do i get a free day today because i didnt drive anywhere? Does my partners car get a week off while we were away on holiday last week? Do i need to log all my driving or submit a nomination to say it wasnt used?

          How would that work?

          If you want to lay up your car, cancel the rego.

  • Edeena on 23/01/2025 - 21:13
    -1

    I think it makes sense, you're renewing to have your license & rego extended from the expiry date, not applying for a new license. Passport is different as the number does not repeat so once it's expired, it's not valid anymore. When you renew it, you get a new number with new date of issue and expiry.

    • Bugs Bunny on 23/01/2025 - 21:27

      Fair point.
      Could I request a new licence number? 😆

  • tsunamisurfer on 24/01/2025 - 00:01

    OP would probably lose more time from his beloved Drivers Licence on holidays over the 10 years than the earlier expiry date.

    Solution, go on less holidays so you can hug your licence longer.

    Seriously complaining about 1 month in 120.

    Jesus Christ.

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