DMV Rant

[warren46]

I don't rant online often.  In fact this is my first time so bear with me.

I have a 2007 pickup.  The registration was due at the end of July. My wife went online to pay the renewal August 14 but the DMV site was down for maintenance so she sent in the renewal August 15 with a check for $139.00 as stated in the renewal notice.  Yesterday we got a letter from the DMV stating that the amount was insufficient since we were 15 days late and an additional a new amount of $146.00 was due to cover the interest that was due for the 20 days.  I was instructed to submit the new amount and wait two to three weeks for them to send a refund of my original $139.00.  Our $139.00 check was cashed on August 31.

Now that is not so bad by itself but wait, there's more.

Today I am driving to the mill when this all white Camaro with no markings flashes its blue lights at me and the young officer tells me that the reason he stopped me is that my tags are expired.  I explain that I have mailed in my check but have not received my stickers yet.  He dutifully runs my plates and discovers that the DMV as no record of my payment.  My money must be in some limbo account waiting for the time when the DMV deigns to return my money.

The good news is that the fine is only $25.00, the bad news is $190.00 of court costs are also due.  I can go the court on October 3 and explain the situation and the fine and costs will likely be dismissed but I lose half a day or more appearing.

Something seems wrong with this procedure.

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

Move to South Carolina Warren......its worse down here. 

Something does seem.....not so right.  say_what

[LaneC]

Tried to pay for the trailer tags today at about 12 o clock. As I was walking in, the workers were walking out. I asked them if they were going to lunch and told them why I was there and they said the computers were down for state business. They would call me if they came back up. Still waiting  :D

[r.man]

I am pretty sure that the monkeys that plan one way streets and no left turns in cities wrote most of the procedures for governments worldwide. Why the DMV would not just accept the due amount above the original is beyond me but I have heard of similar things in business and government. When it is in business it is generally the huge concerns that are practically monopolies otherwise they wouldn't survive the reaction to stupidity.

[Peter Drouin]

We get our tags in town hall. Five min done.

[scleigh]

NC is getting bad about the tags. I received notices on all of our vehicles that the inspections were over due and it listed my options. Each time I received the notice, I would go to the listed vehicle, and I still had a good month on the due date for inspection.
How much does it cost the state to send a meaningless warning to every plate holder in the state?

[thecfarm]

Peter,me too. Small towns are great!

[drobertson]

All for small towns!  even if late, mainly due to forgetting, it is just not an issue,   I've heard of some terrible cases, the main thing is to have the ducks in a row, and on time.  this alleviates many worse case scenarios. 

[easymoney]

not all small towns can be easy to deal with. we did have a county clerk that would be helpful with registration and title transfers. the present clerk seems to look for any way to tell you that you can not register a vehicle and how dumb you are to not have every i dotted and every t crossed before buying a vehicle.

[dgdrls]

I don't rant online often.  In fact this is my first time so bear with me.

I have a 2007 pickup.  The registration was due at the end of July. My wife went online to pay the renewal August 14 but the DMV site was down for maintenance so she sent in the renewal August 15 with a check for $139.00 as stated in the renewal notice.  Yesterday we got a letter from the DMV stating that the amount was insufficient since we were 15 days late and an additional a new amount of $146.00 was due to cover the interest that was due for the 20 days.  I was instructed to submit the new amount and wait two to three weeks for them to send a refund of my original $139.00.  Our $139.00 check was cashed on August 31.

Now that is not so bad by itself but wait, there's more.

Today I am driving to the mill when this all white Camaro with no markings flashes its blue lights at me and the young officer tells me that the reason he stopped me is that my tags are expired.  I explain that I have mailed in my check but have not received my stickers yet.  He dutifully runs my plates and discovers that the DMV as no record of my payment.  My money must be in some limbo account waiting for the time when the DMV deigns to return my money.

The good news is that the fine is only $25.00, the bad news is $190.00 of court costs are also due.  I can go the court on October 3 and explain the situation and the fine and costs will likely be dismissed but I lose half a day or more appearing.

Something seems wrong with this procedure.

I do not believe you will see the Court costs waived  :(

DGDrls

[Woodboogah]

Yup small town, in and out with registration.  Filing for an intent to cut, now that is a whole different story.

[beenthere]

Filing for an intent to cut, now that is a whole different story.

Would that be just for your own property, or for cutting on a logging job?  Or both?

[petefrom bearswamp]

Cortland NY DMV is great.
Courteous clerks and extremely helpful.

[thecfarm]

In Maine I need to apply for an intent to havest on my land,if I am cutting a lot logs. Just mine own personal logs,firewood I don't need to.

[SLawyer Dave]

You can also write the judge and let him/her know what happened.  Include a copy of the processed check and a copy of your bank statement indicating it was paid, (should be available from your bank), and any correspondence you have received from DMV.  Most states, have a law that makes you "legal" to drive as soon as you dispatch the payment to DMV, (though I don't know if this applies in your state).  So by showing that you paid the original amount, and subsequently then paid the increased amount when told to, the entire ticket should be dismissed without any further costs, (given it was technically legal for you to drive as you had "paid" the registration).

Also explain to the judge that you would have to lose pay if forced to come into court, so you are hoping that they will dismiss the ticket in the interests of justice given the proof you are providing the court.

Hope that helps.

[redprospector]

I went over a few days on my registration 2 years ago. The clerk asked me if I wanted to sign an affidavit stating that the vehicle hadn't been driven on public roads in that time.
I told her; No, I couldn't, in all honesty, sign such an affidavit without purgering myself.
She said; Wouldn't you like to sign this paper stating that the truck hasn't been driven in the last few days?
I said that I couldn't.
She then printed out a bill for $85 for my registration, and a fine of $158 for driving an unregistered vehicle on state roads. 
I am now convinced that the government wants to make liars and cheats out of all of us, so we can't complain about them.  >:(

[beenthere]

I guess it is just better to pay before the deadline.

For them to be "honest", they have to account for those days we are late.

[redprospector]

By all means, it would be far better to pay on time. I agree whole heartedly.
But as my Dad used to say. The only man he ever knew that never messed up wasn't doing anything anyway.
For "them" to be honest, they would have to not ask me to be dishonest.

[Freedom6178]

If I had the proof of the cashed check before the due date I'd take all that info to the court date if what SLawyer Dave said doesn't work.. I cant see having to pay court fees if I was innocent of any wrong doing. just my $0.02

[JJ]

I have one.
My driver license was to expire, and I needed to go to the DMV for new picture.
I arrive at the DMV right at opening, and nobody was waiting so I walk right up to the window.
..
....
......
after standing there about 5 minutes, staring at 4 people behind counter; I clear my throat and say excuse me.
one person behind the counter looks up at me, and says 'take a number'.
-?-
I go back to door and grab number 100, then go and sit in waiting area.
Immediately they call '100' .

          :D

Still makes no sense to me.

       JJ

[Bert]

I wasted 2 days in the DMV last week trying to get a CDL permit. I sat over 2 hrs the first day to get a physical card and over 4 hrs the next day to get the knowledge test. Im taking the road test with 3rd party outfit to avoid them again.

[clww]

I would rather go anywhere than the DMV here at The Beach. Up in Highland County, it is completely opposite.

[sandhills]

We're kinda lucky I guess here in small town USA as far as the license thing goes, only trouble you most generally have getting a CDL is the long wait to take the skills test.  They only have two people working and the wait list for the test is usually months out.  I don't need a health card for what I do but the written part of the test was in and out in about 20 minutes or so.

[beenthere]

If I had the proof of the cashed check before the due date I'd take all that info to the court date if what SLawyer Dave said doesn't work.. I cant see having to pay court fees if I was innocent of any wrong doing. just my $0.02

The OP stated

The registration was due at the end of July. My wife went online to pay the renewal August 14

:

Not suggesting that being late doesn't happen to us all, but.... what if it was a year late?  or 2 months?

When is late not really late, and in the meantime driving or working without ? 

[SLawyer Dave]

If I had the proof of the cashed check before the due date I'd take all that info to the court date if what SLawyer Dave said doesn't work.. I cant see having to pay court fees if I was innocent of any wrong doing. just my $0.02

Just to be clear, the issue is not that you "paid" before the due date, but that you "paid" prior to having been issued the ticket.  California Vehicle Code makes it clear that you are legal to drive without a current registration ticket on your vehicle, so long as you have paid the registration fee, (pending your receipt of your new tags).  We generally pay online, so I always print off the receipt and throw that in the glove compartment.  I have been pulled over before, but if you have the receipt for the payment, then the police pretty much have to let you go. 

Different states have different laws and fines, but generally on such a "fix it" ticket, there should only be a small "correction fee".  Here in California, it is $25.00.  The $190 fee that was mentioned is probably the fine if you don't "register" your vehicle, (thereby correcting the violation). 

Sometimes it comes down to what is cheapest.  Earlier this year, I got a ticket when someone apparently stole my registration sticker off my truck.  I was quite upset that the officer tells me that he can see that it was cut off, (and I was fully registered), but he was "required" to give me a ticket to get a new sticker.  As both a lawyer and part time judge, I know that this is incorrect.  He is under no duty to issue such a ticket, and actually has a duty to use discretion in determining when it is appropriate to issue such a ticket.  I was quite upset that I was first, (a victim of a crime), and then second, (punished by the officer for being such a victim), for having unknowingly driven without the sticker that had been stolen.  He should have given me a warning.  While I am confident the court would have dismissed the case had I gone to court, I rather wrote a rather lengthy letter to the officer's commanding Captain wondering about their lack of training of their officers in the use of discretion and proper execution of their duties to uphold the law and JUSTICE.  Then I paid the $25.00 because it was cheaper than missing my other court hearings.

I did receive a rather polite and apologetic letter back from the Captain. 

[Don_Papenburg]

A friend of mine went to the DMV . there were only acouple of people in there and an open window so he walked up and was told to take a number .  He went back and got a number and sat down . 
the lady calls number 5  , nobody moves and he looks all around and at his No.  he has 7  The lady calls number 5  no one moves . The lady calls NUMBER 5 . Nuthing. and the lady calls  I SAID NUMBER FIVE.   and she looks right at him with the LOOK  and he held up his card with the seven and shrugged.

[Freedom6178]

Oops missed that part. :  Still agree withSLawyer Dave about the warning...