on Incompetence and inefficiency...
Ok... so last January, I decided to switch my car insurance from State Farm to Geico. (This was going to save me several hundred dollars a year...) I started a policy with Geico, then went to the State Farm office and cancelled my policy. I gave them the information on my new insurer, and everything was good. A week later, I recieved a check from State Farm refunding the unused portion of my policy and noting that I had cancelled my policy with them. Great.
On April 24, 2006 out of the blue and for no apparent reason, State Farm reported to the NC DMV that I no longer was insured by them. This incensed the state of NC, as they require continuous coverage for all drivers. Unfortunately, it was the end of the school year, and I had a job in DC for the summer. They mailed me a letter asking for proof of insurance. I did not receive said letter until August, when I returned, along with a letter that said that my plate had been revoked/suspended. (Imagine my dismay at realizing that I had been driving around for months out of state with an illegal tag...)
Upon my return in August, I sought to correct this dilemma by contacting the DMV and furnishing them with the requested proof of coverage form (called an FS-1). This was on August 18, 2006. So, we are done, right? Not quite.
Fast forward to February 14, 2006. I take my sister out to lunch for Valentine's Day, and upon dropping her off on campus, am notified by the campus police that I need to fix my plate or get a ticket. What is wrong with my plate??? Well, I did not have a 2007 sticker, which should have come with my registration renewal in October. So, I come home and hop on the computer and attempt to update my registration. I can't... it says that my plate is not in the system. Strange. So I call the DMV, and inquire over the phone about my plate and registration. Apparently, there is a $100 fee on my account, because I have not provided proof of continuous insurance coverage. Strange, I thought I had.
"Ma'am, what is the date in question?"
"April 24, 2005."
*LexisReid rolls eyes*
I have Geico fax this information over yet again, and to mail me a hard copy as well, for proof in my own personal file. Now, I just have to wait to recieve a letter back from the state clearing my file so that I can take it to the DMV and pay my registration. Great.
So what happens next? I get pulled over. Why? Because my registration isn't updated. Was it possible for me to have updated my registration yet? No. Was it my fault that my registration was not update and that I never recieved my renewal papers? No. Did I do ANYthing wrong? Well no. So I get this ticket... it's $25. No big deal, right? WRONG! In addition to the $25 ticket, I am assessed a $110 court cost. Why? I have no idea, but I am not paying $135 for something that is not my fault. This is in February, and I am given a court date of April 4, 2007. I get all of my documentation together, from GEICO, State Farm, and the State of NC, and I am ready to contest my ticket.
My ticket says that I need to appear in court at 9am, in Hillsborough, so I leave bright and early, only to arrive at the courthouse to a line of no fewer than 200 people. I kid you not. Apparently the state of NC likes to deal with its ticketing offenses annually. *rolls eyes* I stand in line for two hours before a woman comes out and asks what our tickets are for. I explain only that my ticket was for an expired registration. She asks me for a current proof of registration, looks at it, takes my ticket and tells me I am free to go home. Two hours, and I don't even get to set foot in a courtroom. No judges, magistrates, nothing. Just, Ok, you can go.
At least I didn't have to pay.... after all, it wasn't my fault, anyway.
P.S. I still have a little bit of hate in my heart for State Farm.
On April 24, 2006 out of the blue and for no apparent reason, State Farm reported to the NC DMV that I no longer was insured by them. This incensed the state of NC, as they require continuous coverage for all drivers. Unfortunately, it was the end of the school year, and I had a job in DC for the summer. They mailed me a letter asking for proof of insurance. I did not receive said letter until August, when I returned, along with a letter that said that my plate had been revoked/suspended. (Imagine my dismay at realizing that I had been driving around for months out of state with an illegal tag...)
Upon my return in August, I sought to correct this dilemma by contacting the DMV and furnishing them with the requested proof of coverage form (called an FS-1). This was on August 18, 2006. So, we are done, right? Not quite.
Fast forward to February 14, 2006. I take my sister out to lunch for Valentine's Day, and upon dropping her off on campus, am notified by the campus police that I need to fix my plate or get a ticket. What is wrong with my plate??? Well, I did not have a 2007 sticker, which should have come with my registration renewal in October. So, I come home and hop on the computer and attempt to update my registration. I can't... it says that my plate is not in the system. Strange. So I call the DMV, and inquire over the phone about my plate and registration. Apparently, there is a $100 fee on my account, because I have not provided proof of continuous insurance coverage. Strange, I thought I had.
"Ma'am, what is the date in question?"
"April 24, 2005."
*LexisReid rolls eyes*
I have Geico fax this information over yet again, and to mail me a hard copy as well, for proof in my own personal file. Now, I just have to wait to recieve a letter back from the state clearing my file so that I can take it to the DMV and pay my registration. Great.
So what happens next? I get pulled over. Why? Because my registration isn't updated. Was it possible for me to have updated my registration yet? No. Was it my fault that my registration was not update and that I never recieved my renewal papers? No. Did I do ANYthing wrong? Well no. So I get this ticket... it's $25. No big deal, right? WRONG! In addition to the $25 ticket, I am assessed a $110 court cost. Why? I have no idea, but I am not paying $135 for something that is not my fault. This is in February, and I am given a court date of April 4, 2007. I get all of my documentation together, from GEICO, State Farm, and the State of NC, and I am ready to contest my ticket.
My ticket says that I need to appear in court at 9am, in Hillsborough, so I leave bright and early, only to arrive at the courthouse to a line of no fewer than 200 people. I kid you not. Apparently the state of NC likes to deal with its ticketing offenses annually. *rolls eyes* I stand in line for two hours before a woman comes out and asks what our tickets are for. I explain only that my ticket was for an expired registration. She asks me for a current proof of registration, looks at it, takes my ticket and tells me I am free to go home. Two hours, and I don't even get to set foot in a courtroom. No judges, magistrates, nothing. Just, Ok, you can go.
At least I didn't have to pay.... after all, it wasn't my fault, anyway.
P.S. I still have a little bit of hate in my heart for State Farm.
posted by ARP | 7:08 PM
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