I'll try and condense this as much as I can without missing out any important facts, but its the strangest series of events I've ever heard about and am seriously hoping someone can help give me some pointers

The insurance problem is actually happening to a friend, but he struggles to stay calm when talking to people about it so he asked if I would try and make some headway for him

In brief here is the series of events

In 1986 he got a 5 year ban for drink driving

In 1995 he re passed his test and was re-issued with a license

In 2005 his insurance company said he needed to swap his license for a picture style one as his paper one was out of date

He applied for the picture license which the DVLA sent out but then the insurance company refused to insure him anyway claiming that he had outstanding convictions which had expired, but that he had then never retaken his test

When he asked about the alleged convictions as he hadnt (to his knowledge) had any convictions since retaking his test, the insurance company said the DVLA themselves had informed them that he should have surrendered his licence in 1997 and re-applied for his test in 2002

The same DVLA that a month earlier had sent him out his new photo driving licence

The insurance company wont give anymore details other than what I have written here, nor will they provide a copy of the letter the DVLA is alleged to have sent them

As a result he has had to state that he has been refused insurance each year since, which has meant despite being in his 40's he has been paying more insurance than the average 20 year old

He has tried to clear it up before but has never got anywhere with it which isnt helped by him having a short fuse, so with the insurance price hike this year he has asked me to see if someone more reasoned can unravel the mess

I was planning to start with the DVLA themselves which means going into one of their offices where I am hoping a complete driver history should be able to be obtained in hard copy including all convictions, driving tests and the current licence status

The only "odd" thing I have noticed whilst going through all of the paperwork he has acquired over the years is that on his second licence it lists the date he passed his test, then the date the license was issued but then also lists a date 10 months after that it should be returned (that was on there when the license was first printed incase that isnt clear rather than being added later)

I've never seen a licence issued with a note to return it 10 months later before and that does seem a bit strange by itself

Especially as it was around 10 years after that licence was issued that the DVLA sent him out a new photo ID even though they apparently told his insurance company he hadnt had a valid licence for the previous 8 years

Has anyone else come across anything this silly before?

And even if not, has anybody got any advice on the order I should approach things, and anyone other than the DVLA, the insurance ombudsman and the insurance company themselves that might be worth talking to or involving in the process?

Many thanks for any advice you can offer

Mike