When JoAnne Bauer's car was stolen, it was the beginning of a nightmare that included both the West Hartford Police and DMV. (PATRICK RAYCRAFT | praycraft@courant).com
JoAnne Bauer’s life, at least the part requiring motor-vehicle transportation, has not been the same since her green 2001 Dodge Neon was stolen overnight from her West End residence on May 27, 2008.
In a mind-bending convolution of events, the car’s theft and eventual recovery combined with questions of continuous insurance coverage on it have left Bauer, by her estimation, with:
>> More than $500 in towing and storage charges.
>> Two court appearances and fees totaling $235.
Sign Up For Traffic Text Alerts>> A $117 ticket fine for driving an unregistered car.
>> A $200 insurance fine.
>> Two stops by West Hartford police and one by Hartford police – all three suspecting she was driving an unregistered or stolen car.
>> Three months without driving privileges, her registration and license suspended.
>> Countless hours visiting, consulting and arguing with the state Department of Motor Vehicles.
>> Repeated DMV customer-service lapses, including a misplaced fine payment and twice being put on hold for more than 45 minutes before being cut off.
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2 Responses to One Stolen Car, Four Years Of Fines, Police Stops, DMV Frustration
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Regarding the “Stolen Car, A DMV Mess” story, it would have been useful to your readers if you had stressed the importance of always sending letters “certified mail – return receipt requested” when trying to resolve problems with government agencies. For a few dollars and a trip to the Post Office, JoAnne Bauer would have obtained proof of mailing the letter and when the DMV received it. This simple step may have saved her a lot of time and money. Having dealt with the IRS and state taxing for several decades as a tax accountant, I know certified mail receipts always win the “we have no record of receiving it” argument, whether it’s a tax return or a problem resolution letter. That receipt will be accepted as legal evidence, should the issue end up in court.
Thank you so much, Kevin, for making this public! And to Mr. Alexander the first one to reply. I think you need to be realistic. Whether or not you have been a tax accountant matters not. The fact is that most people do not spend the time or money getting certified mail for correspondances like this one. I am not sure that even you would always get certified mail for some potentially important mailings. The Postal Service, at least before it was gutted so irresponsibly, was dependable, efficient and cheap. Important institutions like the DMV have a mandate to use the taxpayer’s money on behalf of the taxpayer. They cannot make mistakes like this one without consequences and the benefit of the doubt should always go to the taxpayer and not the agency. Furthermore, though you make a good point for future important correspondances; should haves, would haves and could have beens really do not help or address this situation right now.