Art got the safety check done on our Prius to get another sticker to put on our license plate for the year. The deadline was September to get it done.
He didn't relish the idea of standing in the long line at the City Hall Satellite Office. So he opted to pay the 78¢ stamp to mail in his check to get the sticker.
Well... he waited and waited for the sticker to be sent to us but it didn't come. When he checked our bank account, it showed that the check had been cashed. So he waited some more but still, the sticker did not arrive in the mail.
Well... it was now September. 😬 So he called the Department of Motor Vehicles. The Consumer Advocate who answered said they got the check but could not tell him if the sticker was mailed so he just needed to wait for it. And if he still didn't get it, to go to the Satellite Office. Another week went by.
No sticker.
With September almost over, he gave up and went to the Satellite Office. He was directed to a long line. When he got to the front, the person at the window directed him to another line.
When he again got to the front of that line, he was told he should have stayed in the other line. 😵 He was then told he'd have to pay 50¢ for the replacement sticker EVEN THOUGH they'd already cashed his check. 😏
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He paid it, got the sticker and put in on our license plate so we could be legally on the road. I hope it doesn't fall off. Well... if it does fall off, we should get another sticker in the mail someday, right?
Do the police really look for those stickers?
Well...
After all that, Art got a call from the Department of Motor Vehicles. She said she was following up on that call he made in September.
OK, she got an earful from Art. He just told her EVERYTHING he went through to get that little sticker. She asked if he wanted to be reimbursed the 50¢. He told her, "yes" just on principle for this whole fiasco. And no, he wasn't nasty at all to her. He was very pleasant actually... (I was listening) just detailed. 🤣
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A week later, he got this in the mail. 💗
*Translation: Mahalo is Hawaiian for thank you.
We don’t require inspections in our state so my sticker just arrives a month or so before it needs to be put on. I’m guessing you could drive an entire year without it with no problems unless you got pulled over for something. Then they would tack on a fine for an invalid registration. I see that charge quite often in our local newspaper added to someone who got stopped for another moving violation.
ReplyDeleteWe’ve gone sticker-less in the past few years. Now I am trying to remember if there is still a charge of some sort. And I am failing. I know that I have to renew my personal licence, but I don’t think we need to renew vehicle licences.
ReplyDeleteThat is a nice finish to the story! P.S. We don't have dollar bills any more!
ReplyDeleteNo kidding? Uuummm... I'll bet I still have some Canadian dollar bills somewhere.
DeleteWe had to renew our license plates during Covid. Our state put in place a way to order through the mail. I mailed two checks which were cashed. No plates. We finally went to the BMV and they had no records of anything. We had to purchase new license plates for both vehicles. Almost a year later we got a reimbursement check in the mail. The government does not inspire confidence.
ReplyDeleteI got pulled over for another reason without a sticker, it was at home and I'd stayed near the hospital where hubby was. The officer called in my plates and was told they'd been renewed. He just cautioned me about being 5 miles over the limit and let me go. I did put my sticker on when I got home.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad he was such a nice policeman, Val, and checked the records.
DeleteA bureaucratic mess - we all experience them.
ReplyDeleteMakes me wonder where the sticker went or who may be using it.
ReplyDeleteHello Kay!!! 🌺 I usually get my safety check sticker when I take my car in for service. The dealer puts the sticker on for me. When I submit my car registration, I typically do it online although there is a small cc fee. It’s quick and easy and it seems to get processed fast. I try to avoid mailing checks or standing in lines. Something to think about next year?? Have a fantastic day! 🤗
ReplyDeleteArt: Hi Pat, my problem was DMV got my check like they did your online payment, but I did not get the sticker they were
Deletesupposed to have mailed to me. They (DMV Customer Service nor the Pearlridge mall satellite clerk) could not tell me when it was mailed or if it was mailed “for sure.”
Hi Pat, it's me this time. (I was getting breakfast ready for mom and checking on Handi-Van.) Did the DMV send the sticker to your dealer? The DMV cashed Art's check so they got it OK, but never mailed (I suspect) the sticker. We still haven't gotten what was supposed to have been in the mail. So weird... I think this is the first time he's run into this problem.
DeleteWe do our yearly car registration through the AAA office where we have the car insurance. It's one of their benefits. They hand us the department of motor vehicle sticker right then and there. I hate to think of my sticker, for which I pay about $200 each year (DMV fees), being lost in the mail.
ReplyDeleteWhat a funny yet frustrating story Art tried to do everything right, but the system made it complicated. Waiting for the sticker, calling, standing in the wrong lines that’s classic bureaucracy! Still, he stayed calm and polite, which is impressive. The 50¢ refund offer was small but meaningful, showing at least some fairness. In the end, it’s a relatable story of patience, persistence, and a little humor in everyday life. Mahalo indeed
ReplyDeleteJohn says that he sees SO many expired tabs and that the police aren't pulling people over for it, but I don't want to take the chance. We are law-abiding people, aren't we? I'm getting a toll bill in the mail; my daughter used my car to cross the Narrows Bridge and paid the toll but it apparently didn't register. It's $5.50 and I intend to fight it if I can. Art is my inspiration!
ReplyDeleteWe don't require an inspection anymore, and they did away with stickers too :/! Now you just have to sign up for a reminder service and renew online, and if you're in good standing I think you don't even need to renew they do it automatically. Them not just sending you a sticker knowing the cheque was cashed was just ridiculous. I am glad he got double for the trouble!
ReplyDeleteNo kidding? That's absolutely awesome!
DeleteAwww. That is rather nice. I really like nice. It is one of the reasons that I like to slow down and let buses change lanes instead of waiting for a break in our ever increasing traffic. I then get the shaka sign and "mahalo" on the screen on the back of the bus. Very warm and fuzzy.
ReplyDeleteI love how people flash the Shaka sign too and it's really fun to see that Shaka and "Mahalo" on the back of TheBus. It's interesting how it's called TheBus in Hawaii. Looks almost like a typo.
DeleteThat is hilarious unless it is you standing in line. I recently went through that with a friend. It was a 2-hour wait but we finally got the job done in less than 5 minutes. For people who think we are overstaffed in government offices, just let them stand in line 2 hours for a sticker. However, the dollar refund was nice and more than I would have expected.
ReplyDeleteWhat an adventure! Kansas doesn't have inspections, but we do have to pay our property tax for the vehicles yearly and get a sticker. Missouri still has inspections and that's when they get their stickers after providing proof that their property tax was paid. When I lived in Missouri I had to eventually make a file folder just for that property tax receipt, which was paid at a different time than when we got our new stickers or tags. In Kansas, there was a a few months where the mailed out stickers were being stolen between the office and the post office. We had to file police reports if they never arrived. The police finally caught the bad guy. So, good thing Art followed the problem. Some thieves have actually cut off the stickers from license plates, sliding razors under the short pile of stickers on your tag. Not much can be done to prevent that. Since I live within 1 mile of the sububan county courthouse, jail, sheriff and police, we don't have too many folks messing with our cars. Linda in Kansas
ReplyDeleteOMG! OMG! They cut off stickers from license plates?!? That is totally unreal... and nasty!
DeleteWow, that was a nice follow up from the consumer advocate. I've been going to Ala Moana or Hawaii Kai to renew my registration. It isn't so bad. Just need to go in the middle of the month vs the end when it does get busy. They normally have separate lines. Have you seen the new comedy DMV? My friend works the DMV so I find it funny. Similar to Abbott Elementary, highlight things that happen on the job that people will laugh about but they actually happen. You are a former teach so you can relate to Abbott Elementary.
ReplyDeleteDe
I have seen Abbot which I can definitely relate to although my principals were never that crazy. LOL! I'll have to check out your DMV now. Thank you for the recommendation.
DeleteArt should frame that dollar bill! We never do anything by mail anymore, if we can help it. Our mail service is awful.
ReplyDeleteAin't bureaucracy grand?
ReplyDeleteOur stickers come on the mail, after we pa the fee, of course.
ReplyDeleteThis is almost a comedy, except for the standing in line, of course. :-/
I learned a log time ago that the only way to pay these charges is to pay them online using a credit card There is no chance for human error. Another option is to use one of the vending machines found in supermarkets. DavidH
ReplyDeleteKay of Musings: Hi David, Gosh… So Pat must be right. I wonder why this is because even if you pay by credit card, someone has to mail that sticker to you. Thank you for writing.
DeleteI love that Art said he wanted to be reimbursed "on principle.' I too am a 'it's the simple principle of the matter!' Person.
ReplyDeleteDo you suppose it had anything to do with funding during the shutdown?
Glad it worked out that way after all!
ReplyDelete