NCT tests backlogs getting longer

J

Joe_90

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Heard about this so went to book a test, NCT out 15 of Jan next!

Checked 10 closest centres on the website there was one available slot before 31 January.

System seems to be out of control.
 
If you're in a hurry to get the car tested tell them you are selling the car and they will put up on a cancellation list.
 
Do NCT centres hold bookings for garages and traders?

They never seem to have an issue getting tests.
 
I rang last week after getting a date of 02 Feb 15 as the earliest available date in Cork. Got a text yesterday to say booking now arranged for next Saturday. When you ring they will give you a date and time within 28 days - otherwise its free.
 
If you keep an eye on the website yourself you will see cancellations popping up regularly especially when the staff have finished working and aren't there to grab them first :) Its a while now since we needed to use it but that's what I noticed about the system then. Early in the morning too before they start work.
 
The website is updated at 23.30 each night. That is when cancellations open up.
 
So rang them today.

They will contact me within 7-10 days with a time for the local centre with 28 days of today.
 
And they will get you a date within 28 days. The day and time might not suit but you won't be getting a free test.
 
If the NCT was propperly run and managed then the customer would not have to keep on ringing looking for a cancelation or checking the NCT website.
Funny that as the price increased so too did the waiting list for a test.
3 month long waiting lists are a joke and show how badly run and managed this money making racket is.
 
Leo said:
So you're suggesting simply increasing the price has increased the demand for the NCT?
Click to expand...

You charge people more money for a service,yet the waiting time for said service is getting longer and longer and nothing is being done to bring down waiting times.

The entire NCT system is poorly managed and run on the whole.
Leo Varadkar was asked about this before and he just tried to wash his hands of it,same with Pascal Donohoe when he was asked about it last month,he just warbled on,avoided the actual topic and then started talking about how people should buy a leap card and use the train or bus instead.
 
They haven't given anyone a free test. It is not happening. They always find you a date within 28 days. It just might be early on a Sunday morning or at a time that would not suit most normal people.
 
flowerman said:
You charge people more money for a service,yet the waiting time for said service is getting longer and longer and nothing is being done to bring down waiting times.
Click to expand...

Ah yeah, I accept that, just your wording was suggesting the lengthening of waiting lists was related to the increase in price. There has been a significant increase in traffic volumes and new car registrations over the last couple of years.

As with many government procurement procedures, the final terms were never released, so we have no idea what SLAs Applus+ are being held to. Would anyone be surprised if the current service level was within the terms?
 
Leo said:
Ah yeah, I accept that, just your wording was suggesting the lengthening of waiting lists was related to the increase in price. There has been a significant increase in traffic volumes and new car registrations over the last couple of years.

As with many government procurement procedures, the final terms were never released, so we have no idea what SLAs Applus+ are being held to. Would anyone be surprised if the current service level was within the terms?
Click to expand...

Over 200,000 cars currently dont have a valid NCT cert,mainly down to these massive waiting times.
From 8th December if your car does not have a vaild NCT cert then you will get 3 penalty points on your licence if stopped by gardai or if you are in an RTA.
Full story in tomorrow mornings broadsheet and tabloid newspapers.
 
flowerman said:
Over 200,000 cars currently dont have a valid NCT cert,mainly down to these massive waiting times.
From 8th December if your car does not have a vaild NCT cert then you will get 3 penalty points on your licence if stopped by gardai or if you are in an RTA.
Full story in tomorrow mornings broadsheet and tabloid newspapers.
Click to expand...

That story has been doing the rounds since September at least, so nothing new in it.

My car is of an age where I have to get it tested every year now. I've never failed to get an appointment that suited me, but then I don't leave it to the last minute. You can book a test up to 90 days in advance of your due date without it affecting the expiry date.

If your car falls due around the high demand times of January, and soon July with the split in plates (sales volumes in Jan can be 13+ times that for other months), you really should start looking well in advance.
 
My NCT is due in Feb 15. I ran thro all dates from last week right into March WITHOUT getting a single free appointment in Northpoint 1. When I got them on the phone they said I should hear from them with a cancellation. What gives with this company? Surely they KNOW how many cars are due and should have planned to handle it effectively so that all cars are efficiently and promptly tested to comply with the requirements of the RSa or whoever looks after road safety. I imagine it is a highly profitable service, but it appears it is not well-managed. There should be a penalty incurred by the company for failing to adequately provide the service they were engaged for.

There should now also be some sort of legal waiver for cars which can't be tested within the appropriate timeframes. But this at best is only a sticking plaster on what looks like an organisational mess on the part of Applus.
 
My test was due the end of January. The nearest that I could get was March when I contacted them 1 month ahead of my test date, online. I also am finding a box popping up on their website that says my details are not secure. I rang them. They said that they would ring me back when an appointment becomes available. No phone call to date. I am doing my best but risk getting penalty points because of the incompetence of others.
 
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