Hi All-
 
Sorry if this is a little long, but...
 
I bought a car from a dealer on 8/6. I was told I could transfer the plates from my old car and they would take care of transferring the registration. While at the dealership, we contacted my insurance agent and told them about the purchase and transfer, so my new car was insured and my old car wasn't from that point.
 
14 days later (on 8/20) I received new plates and a new registration. I called the dealer and asked why the new plates. They apologized for the error and told me they would refund me the amount of the registration and that I should go ahead and put the new plates on and get the car inspected. Did that.
 
I contacted the DMV about surrendering my old plates and they said since I wasn't carrying liability insurance on my old car I'd be charged an $8.00/day fine. I had no idea, and at this point I'm looking at $152 in fines.
 
This seems to me like more fallout from the dealer's failure to transfer the plates as promised in the first place. This could have all been avoided if they'd just done that.
 
I have an email from the dealer saying it was their error, but I'm gearing myself up to contest the fine with the DMV and/or throw it back on the dealer.
 
Just looking for moral support or holes in my argument ;).
 
Thanks-
 
-Susan

I'd say you've got a good case Susan!  Good luck and, hopefully, government idiocy won't be so thick as to realize you shouldn't be paying.

A case that is well documented can usually work out unless your DMV workers are like our here in CA; lazy, by the book drones.
 
Keeping good thoughts that it works out in your favor.
 

Don't let 'em win Susan!!

Hi,
 
ALL of the states in America have a Consumer Protection Agency, run by the state. As such you can file a complaint against the dealer and their delaying tactics, which are "normal" procedure, and mainly laziness and intentional, for many a car ownership.
 
I would file a complaint IMMEDIATELY (for example, in the state of WA you can do it online -- nice and fast!) and it goes straight to the office of the Attorney General of that state.  If you have to mail it, registered mail and get a receipt that it got there. And you can (usually) get the rest of the information with email.
 
And these folks NOT responding, and ignoring the whole thing (which they will to annoy you!), will get them fined big time by the state, and in some cases, have their license to do business suspended until resolved, which on occasion happens, although rarely. No business, in their right mind, would want to have any kind of a record with the State Attorney General, for something that is wrong, specially if it gets resolved in your favor. 
 
On one complaint, I made in California, the judge even asked ... any more terms that you want to file against the insurance company? I asked him later, why he asked that. Because if you had told me that you wanted compensation for time lost and this and that, you would have gotten it times three! Needless to say, I fell out of my chair and tree! But I was OK, and did not pursue the punishment thing.
 
You have to take a stand. And let them know that you are not a nobody that doesn't know diddly squat about the law. If they want to play games, you can too. But they will pay for them!

DMV in NY State is tough on that type of thing.  No insurance means surrender your plates  ...
I hope for your sake Susan the dealer makes amends ...
 
all the best ,
 
Kenny

craigb
I'd say you've got a good case Susan!  Good luck and, hopefully, government idiocy won't be so thick as to realize you shouldn't be paying.

Thanks, Craig! I hope you're right.
 
-Susan

bapu
A case that is well documented can usually work out unless your DMV workers are like our here in CA; lazy, by the book drones.
 
Keeping good thoughts that it works out in your favor.
 

Thanks, Ed. I've only talked to one person at the DMV so far (will go there tomorrow) and she definitely sounded like the by the book type.


Thanks again-
 
-Susan

BobF
Don't let 'em win Susan!!

Thanks, Bob! I'll fight the good fight tomorrow!
 
Trembling in my boots-
 
-Susan 

Thanks, Pedro. I don't want to cause problems for my salesperson, since none of this was her fault, but OTOH there's no way I'll pay fines that I wouldn't have incurred if they'd done what they said they'd do. It hasn't gotten to the point of legal action yet and I hope it doesn't, but I will pursue it if the dealer doesn't stand up and pay if there are fines.
 
Thanks-
 
-Susan