I tried to register my car but 'nightmare' DMV billed me for fees I'd already paid – then my bank account was frozen | HW588VD | 2024-04-26 12:08:01
A SAN Francisco driver bought a Honda Clarity she leased and attempted to transfer the title with the DMV – technical issues dragged the ordeal out for 18 months.
A computer mishap led to repeated invoices despite proof of payment – and cost her thousands.
In January, Victoria Ernst leased a Honda Clarity hybrid for her daily driving in San Francisco, California, and decided to buy the vehicle instead of shopping for a new car.
The purchase was successful – but it was transferring the vehicle's title to her name that proved to be the most difficult part.
A normally single-day task of signing paperwork and waiting in long lines turned into an 18-month venture that involved repeated invoices, late fees, and delinquent notices.
At one point, her bank account was even frozen.
A month before Ernst purchased the vehicle, a check for the registration fee was sent to the department in the mail.
With all the necessary paperwork in hand and the assumption that her registration was current, Ernst went to her local DMV and wrote a check for $1,147.
However, a clerk told her that her registration was past due and that she needed to pay $306 to register the vehicle.
"I already paid that," she told the San Francisco Chronicle.
"The check was cashed."
Ernst had proof of payment for each of her transactions – but the DMV was unable to locate it on their end, placing the burden on Ernst.
"It was a nightmare," she said.
<!-- End of Brightcove Player --> Then, she called her bank to ask what happened to the check she wrote for the registration.
She said the clerk stated that the call sounded like an attempt at fraud, hung up, and froze her bank accounts for several days.
As a result, the check for $1,147 given to the DMV clerk bounced, but she claimed she was never notified of the mishap.
"They never told me that," she said.
"It was disconcerting that they didn't have the decency to call me."
Ernst then received a "final notice" in the mail, urging her to pay her vehicle registration costing $411 – inflated by a $118 late fee.
She said she'd never received a letter before the final notice.
<!--googleoff: all--> <blockquote class="article__quote"> </blockquote> <!--googleon: all--> Ernst relented and paid the bloated fee. But she was told it would take over a month before her stickers arrived.
Two months later, her stickers hadn't shown up, so she called the DMV to ask where they may have ended up.
A clerk told her that her check was never cashed due to her account being sent to the "delinquent check department," and she still owed for her registration for 2022.
The DMV told her she'd need to pay her registration fee, plus late fees and a $30 bouncing fee with a cashier's check for the department to accept the funds.
At the brink, Ernst arrived at the DMV with a cashier's check for the amount she'd been told, and the clerk couldn't find any records of her vehicle or the title transfer.
After some back and forth her records were found, she paid her dues and walked out thinking she'd washed her hands of the drama.
Four days after her visit she was sent another bill for the title and transfer fee, and she responded by sending proof of payment, but got another letter a few days later claiming the balance was never paid.
The DMV encouraged drivers like Ernst to explore other secure payment options that dont involve credit cards[/caption]
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A DMV spokesperson told the outlet that the letters were sent automatically before she'd paid, but encouraged her and other drivers to explore other payment options like e-checks or other online payment options.
"The DMV appreciates Ms. Ernst's feedback and apologizes for the inconvenience she experienced," they wrote in an email statement.
Ernst is happy to have the incident behind her but is curious as to why the process was so difficult.
"In today's digital age, what system are they working with?" she said.
"All their letters followed after I paid everything. How long does it take their system to recognize that (someone) had paid all of this? Give me a break."
Despite the drama associated with using checks to pay her dues, she plans on using checks instead of a credit card when her registration is due next year.
"I just try not to use my credit card for stuff like that," she said.
"I believe they charge more anyway for credit cards."
The U.S. Sun has reached out to the California DMV for comment.
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