Quick service if you're buying, everything else is 5 weeks

In case you were thinking of buying a new number plate, please go ahead as DVLA get this sorted very, very quickly.
If you want to transfer your reg, then please allow yourself a minimum of five weeks. I own a car with a private plate and want to move this to another car. I have had to buy the second car and start the process. I posted this on Thursday 13th March, first class recorded, to DVLA. They received this on Friday 14th March. I phoned them today, Monday 24th March to be told that they had received my documents, but the "marker" only went on the system on Friday 21st. They said the 4 weeks starts from the 21st. The fact that they had my paper work for a whole week means nothing, it was just waiting to go on the system. They did say, which I am sure they are told to, that it may take less that 4 weeks.
So, you either pay to get your private plate taken off the donor vehicle onto a retention certificate, which takes 4 weeks as well, or you have to buy another car first and them wait, in my case now five weeks, before you can get a V5 for your donor vehicle as you can't sell it without it.

I understand they may be busy, but they are devoting all the resource to the money end of the business.

Being a government department, you can guess how much they really care when you say you are unhappy.

I did look up why the delays are so bad and it is because of centralisation. DVLA said there would be teething problems at the start, but that was last October. Six months down the line and they are getting worse.

Just read the comments here, one stars for the transfers and 5 stars for the purchases, it says it all....