A CUSTOMER turned in her license plates and registration as part of purchasing her new car – but the plates were never returned.
Instead, the salesperson kept them for personal use and was caught in two accidents.
Kymera Leath and her husband bought a Honda Civic in February, and as part of the process, the salesperson told her she had to turn in her old car’s title and plates.
From there, the salesperson said, they’d be the ones to turn it into the DMV.
“I was told that those plates were going to be sent to DMV along with the title,” Leath told ABC affiliate WRIC.
“We thought everything was sealed and done with that car.”
Leath signed all the necessary papers, turned in her plates and registration, and enjoyed her purchase.
Five months into being a new car owner, Leath, and her husband received letters from Virginia lawyers naming them responsible for damages to several parked cars.
They were also named responsible for two crashes between May 31 and June 1.
In the letters, she realized something was strikingly familiar about the license plate number that was associated with the accidents and damages.
The title for the trade-in was properly submitted to the DMV, but her plates weren’t.
After reading the name of the person involved in the accidents and damage to the parked cars was the same person who sold her the Civic and handled her trade-in.
Leath contacted WRIC reporters for help in solving the strange mystery and assumed the salesperson put her retired plates on their personal vehicle.
Reporters went to the dealership where Leath bought her Honda, but the salesperson was nowhere to be found.
Employees with the dealership declined to comment but confirmed that the salesperson was no longer employed at the dealership.
Leath filed a police report for stolen plates with the Chesterfield Police to hopefully clear her name from the incidents.
How to prepare for the DMV
Here are some ways to streamline your DMV experience:
- Check the DMV website for your state to see if the task can be done completely online. Many processes can now be done online, like renewing a vehicle’s registration or changing an address. Otherwise, several processes can be started online and finished at an in-person location, like renewing a driver’s license.
- Schedule an appointment. While walk-ins are available at all locations, having an appointment time can help reduce frustrating wait times.
- Check the DMV’s website to ensure you have all the necessary forms for the task.
- Get there early. Since many people prefer to try and tackle simple tasks on their lunch breaks or days off, showing up early can mean you’re only one of a few.
- Eat before you go or bring a snack. Since wait times can exceed expectations, bring some form of sustenance.
- Be positive. The process is temporary.
She hopes that the media attention will help inform the public to prevent the same from happening to them.
She learned a powerful lesson through the process, and won’t make the same mistake again.
“Transfer your plates over to your new vehicle,” she said.
“Or if you’re not transferring them, just get them and take them with you to the DMV yourself.”
‘What do you gain from this?’ asks driver after ex-car dealer swipes plates & gets in multiple accidents with their info #gain #asks #driver #excar #dealer #swipes #plates #multiple #accidents #info
Source Link: https://www.the-sun.com/motors/11807858/stolen-license-plate-virginia-chesterfield/amp/
‘What do you gain from this?’ asks driver after ex-car dealer swipes plates & gets in multiple accidents with their info:
A CUSTOMER turned in her license plates and registration as part of purchasing her new car – but the…
