Outdated procedure on engine number

While maintaining the momentum we achieved so far on this issue, I am pleased to inform readers that Dr George Debono's case is now resolved. I take the opportunity to thank Gianfranco Selvaggi, chief executive of the Malta Transport Authority (ADT), for his co-operation.

Indeed I have established a genuine, meaningful dialogue with Mr Selvaggi, whom I met last Monday. I gave him two letters I received from Charles Busuttil and Julian Scicluna, who wrote to me about their personal experiences on this issue. I am here featuring a letter from Mr Selvaggi which, although dated March 24, I received last Monday since it was not sent to my column address:

I refer to your article dated March 20, our telephone conversation and your e-mail of yesterday regarding Dr Debono's complaint.

I have personally called Dr Debono to offer him my personal assistance and support for any action which could resolve his issue in the shortest possible time.

We have since issued Dr Debono with a permit valid for one week for him to be able to have his engine number punched by the Police Department. Following this we believe he has an appointment for next Wednesday for his VRT and then we shall be able to renew his licence.

In fact our licensing manager has been in contact with him in this respect to offer him his full support on renewing his licence. I have made arrangements to call him back after all is concluded and ensure that he is satisfied that the issue has been resolved.

Meanwhile, I wish to reiterate these points as many areas mentioned in Dr Debono's complaint are governed by legal procedures which, while they could seem pedantic and, as the customer himself highlighted, bureaucratically elephantine, for reasons of control, are currently enforced.

Process for engine numbers anomaly:

1. One of the conditions for a vehicle to pass the VRT test is that it has legible/visible engine/chassis numbers which correspond with the logbook.

2. When the engine/chassis numbers become illegible, the VRT operator sends the client to LTD. (Licensing and Testing Department).

3. LTD personnel issue the client with an inspection form. The form is given to the client, who is required to go to the Vehicle Inspection Department of the Police (Stolen Vehicles Squad). The police are involved at this early stage of investigation to rule out any foul play - i.e. that the engine was not stolen and consequently tampered with.

4. The investigations carried out by the police are rather lengthy, depending on the particular case, due to the sensitivity of the issue and can take weeks at times.

5. If the police rule out foul play, the LTD receives a letter from the police (by hand), which is forwarded to the client asking the latter to call personally again at the LTD, where he is presented with another application - an application for punching. The client is asked to take this application with him to the police who then give the owner an appointment for punching. The police issue a new engine or chassis number, depending on the case.

The police have the facility to punch directly on the chassis if the chassis number has become illegible. With regard to an illegible engine number, the police issue special plates bearing the new engine number. This plate is attached/bolted to the engine.

6. The client is then given an inspection form by the police, which has to be returned personally to the LTD together with the logbook so that the necessary amendments are carried out and a new logbook is issued to the client

7. The client, with the newly corrected logbook, can then proceed to go to the VRT station again wherein the final VRT approved certificate is issued.

Nevertheless we acknowledge and recognise the case of Dr Debono and the inconvenience he has had to endure, and through this have become aware that other genuine cases could exist, which need to be taken in hand and evaluated correctly, offering all the empathy and support to minimise any inconvenience as much as possible.

I reiterate my offer to open more and strengthen our dialogue and in this regard I kindly ask you to contact my secretary to arrange an appointment to establish a way forward so as to use your column to feature a Customer Update Window, whereby readers unable to use the ADT Website, could be informed of items which could definitely help reduce any unnecessary inconvenience.

I thank you again for all your understanding and assistance. (Gianfranco Selvaggi)

As can be seen, Mr Selvaggi is doing whatever he can to help. However, I must stress that, at this stage, we must focus on the issue from a generic point of view. Indeed, Dr Debono's case, which is now resolved, was an apt introduction to our weekly features on this issue.

In this spirit I appeal to car owners who had similar experiences to write to me with a view to sharing them with our readers. I also appeal to car or motorcycle owners who are currently having such experiences to write to me. Here follows Dr Debono's letter in which he makes it clear that we must now move on to dealing with the issue rather than his case, which is now closed:

My car is back on the road and we can go off to Gozo soon for our (postponed) little holiday.

I think the matter was sorted out in record time in my case because I made a fuss. It is sad to think that there must be many other unfortunate, uncomplaining car owners who remain without a car for weeks on end because of this absurd procedure but are afraid, or do not know how, to object.

Though my automotive life is now back to normal, I am so indignant about the way I and others are being treated that I am not going to let go. I intend to continue campaigning so that others do not suffer the same hardship and have their time wasted by this absurd bureaucratic ritual.

On March 30 (perversely, again the last working day of the month) my car was due at the police garage to have its engine number put back. This day turned out to be the mother of wasted bureaucratic mornings. The engine number operation was over quite uneventfully by 9.35 a.m., leaving plenty of time (I thought) to get the VRT done and then renew the annual licence in the usual way after a VRT. But things are never that simple with the ADT. For some unknown reason, the car now had been allocated a different engine number! Because of this, I was told, a new logbook would be required. So I had to go, yet again, to Hall B of the licensing department.

I first wasted a half-hour at the crowded customer care counter at Hall B waiting to find out what I had to do next. At this point I discovered that, since this was the last working day of the month, I would be subject to a Lm15 fine for late registration if I did not pay the road licence by noon of that day. I joined a long queue of 42 people (I counted them) waiting to be seen to at windows 20-27. This entailed a wait until nearly 11 for my turn to arrive.

Having wasted 50 precious minutes just because I needed a new logbook, it started to seem as if the whole matter was planned so that I would have to pay the Lm15 fine. Why did the number need to be changed? The car still needed its VRT but there was barely an hour left for the car to have a VRT and for me to be back again at noon to join the queue at Hall A so as avoid the Lm15 fine.

Fortunately I just made it and managed to join the long queue in Hall A literally seconds before the door was slammed shut. My turn arrived at 12.35 p.m. I paid the annual fee and my four-wheeled pride and joy received a 2005 disc.

Had it taken a minute longer to get the VRT done or had I been delayed by a traffic jam, it would have cost me Lm15 solely because of a senseless bureaucratic procedure and not because of any fault of mine.

Maybe the Ombudsman should review this matter. Besides being unjust and time-wasting, the procedure is causing hardship to innocent car owners who are quite unable to defend themselves. In particular the Ombudsman might be able to do something about the injustice of the obligatory Lm15 fine from which there is no escape.

Please keep the pressure up. (Dr George Debono)

Well, now that Dr Debono's case is resolved, we must focus on the issue from a generic point of view. Indeed, Dr Debono's case was an apt introduction to our weekly features on this issue. In this spirit I appeal to car owners who had similar drawn-out experiences to write to me and so share them with our readers.