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I've just received an invitation to renew my FAC and Shotgun Cert two years earlier (2018 instead of 2020) for £25. That'd be a saving of £65 for a coterminous cert. Apparently the invitation is to help avoid years when a backlog is anticipated.

However, I then read that the renewal would be for five years from the date the renewal was granted rather than from when my certs currently expire. It doesn't really seem much of a deal to encourage me to help with their lack of efficiency - especially if I may be asked to turn in my existing certs as some say I should and be inconvenienced without their possession.

Has anyone else had the same offer?

That's insane.
GMP requested renewal paperwork 12 weeks before the expiration date, which they needed plus another 7 weeks and I thought that was a long time.

It’s an odd one... if they know two years out that they are going to have a problem, surely that’s enough time for them to put in place measures to cope with the expected demand? Or refine their processes? Or staff accordingly?

Call me paranoid, but something doesn’t quite smell right about that...

The situation stems not from inefficiency, poor processes or some such stuff, but the increasing a certificate from three to five years back in 1997. These spikes are being planned for of sorts, by trying to flatten the renewals throughout the period by having some renew early.

But, it has its issues and people are either suspicious or “feck ‘em”.... hence we will continue the spikes.

Presumably they aren't going to offer everyone that option, or they'd just move the spike???

Has there been a new Act in Parliament that allows Police to set fees ?

Sim G wrote: But, it has its issues and people are either suspicious or “feck ‘em”.... hence we will continue the spikes.

That makes sense, thank you.

That said, they’ve had twenty years - four full cycles of renewals - to flatten it out. Naturally given the massive nut ache the process can be, people will not willingly take a shorter cert. They could have got rid of all the problems by offering 5.5yr ticket to half of the punters randomly each renewal :)

Kungfugerbil wrote:

Sim G wrote: But, it has its issues and people are either suspicious or “feck ‘em”.... hence we will continue the spikes.

That makes sense, thank you.

That said, they’ve had twenty years - four full cycles of renewals - to flatten it out. Naturally given the massive nut ache the process can be, people will not willingly take a shorter cert. They could have got rid of all the problems by offering 5.5yr ticket to half of the punters randomly each renewal :)

Indeed.

I'm going to find out more as I'm about fourteen months away from renewal.
If the cut off point where I can avail myself of the offer is nearer to the end of this year and therefore of financial benefit then I might take them up. BUT only if they will allow me to keep hold of my FAC so that I can still buy ammunition, primers, caps and so on in the meantime. Otherwise I'm not convinced the processing time will be much improved over the anticipated 'spike' period.

Sim G wrote:The situation stems not from inefficiency, poor processes or some such stuff, but the increasing a certificate from three to five years back in 1997. These spikes are being planned for of sorts, by trying to flatten the renewals throughout the period by having some renew early.

But, it has its issues and people are either suspicious or “feck ‘em”.... hence we will continue the spikes.

this will be the same TVP that specifically told me they couldn't alter the timings of renewal as the length of the certificate was set in law and the Police had no power to vary it ?

Kungfugerbil wrote:

Sim G wrote: But, it has its issues and people are either suspicious or “feck ‘em”.... hence we will continue the spikes.

That makes sense, thank you.

That said, they’ve had twenty years - four full cycles of renewals - to flatten it out. Naturally given the massive nut ache the process can be, people will not willingly take a shorter cert. They could have got rid of all the problems by offering 5.5yr ticket to half of the punters randomly each renewal :)

Unfortunately though, the last 9 years has seen swathing cuts in police staff numbers and the result of which, we have all seen. Which is a service that nobody is happy with, the police as well as the certificate holder.