I'm SOOOO mad!!! (another vent thread...)

[ChrizJen]

Sorry....LOOONG

OK, here's the story from the beginning:
I bought a new car back in April. In doing that, I traded in my old truck.
All's well, I transferred the plates from the truck to the new car and went about my merry way.
Then in July I get a letter in the mail saying that I've received a $75 citation (plus $65 in court costs) for improper display of registration. No vehicle listed, just my name and the amount of the ticket, and instructions to either pay the amount or appear in court on 9/8/09 at 7:00 pm. So I call thinking that it's for my new car. I argue that I got it registered right away and that my registration is good through 2011. Yada yada yada...
So then I determine that the ticket is for the truck! The one that I no longer own! Apparently, it was parked on the street somewhere, and was seen by the police without tags. So they looked up the VIN, and I was the only owner listed in their system. So the car dealership never took the truck out of my name when I traded it in!

I called and told them that I have all of the paperwork to prove that I traded that truck in and no longer owned it at that point. I asked if I could just fax that paperwork to them and be done with it. They said no, that I had to appear in front of the judge and show him the paperwork. Fine, whatever. So the date gets closer, and I realize that I have no one to take care of 2 yr old DD. DParter has class, and there is no one else available to care for her. I call them back and explain this, and ask if I can reschedule. They say no, just bring her. Fine...

SOOO...fast forward to last night. I arrive at the courthouse 15 minutes before my scheduled time, and I'm told I'll have to wait in a seperate room (because I have DD with me.) So fine, I understand. No problem. I expected that there would be a wait, and I'm glad they have a room we can sit in. I thought ahead and brought books to keep DD entertained.
So we go and wait in this seperate room, and DD is as good as she could be. She sat in a chair looking at her books the whole time. (granted, she read them out loud...but she wasn't running around or screaming or causing trouble.) Well, the guard came in and said that we could go into the courtroom and wait as long as I could keep her quiet. I told him that I probably couldn't keep her completely quiet, she's only 2. He said that we were on the next list of people, and that I really should be in there. So we go in, and I'm doing my best to keep her as quiet as I can. But she's still talking quietly and giggling. We keep getting glares from the bailiff. Just as I'm getting ready to gather her things and head back out into the hallway, the bailiff comes over and says, "The judge has had it with her (pointing at DD) behavior. You're going to have to wait outside until you're called." Fine. We go back out into the big waiting room, and I let DD blow off a little steam. She runs around a little, and then she sits back down and we read books together. Still, she's being a little angel. I couldn't possibly have asked for better behavior from a 2 yr old.
We sit there and wait and wait and wait, and then finally the bailiff comes in, and I think "Oh good! It's our turn!".
Nope, he says, "Judge is gone for the night. He left a card with instructions on coming back."
WHAT?!?!?!?!
So I let my anger get the better of me, and I basically proceed to "go off" on the bailiff. I tell him where he can shove the ticket and tell him that I WILL NOT be coming back. I've already wasted an evening of my time, kept my poor DD out way past her bed time, and missed an hour of work to show up (for something that I didn't even do!) and now they want me to come back?!??!?! No freaking way!
I was so mad at this point that I was shaking. I was livid.

So this morning I called the dealership where I purchased my car. Obviously, they didn't retitle the truck after I traded it to them.
So here's what they told me (and where I get a little lost). I live in Missouri (St. Louis). I bought my new car accross the river in Illinois. The dealership in Illinois sold the truck to a used car lot in St. Louis. They claim that because it was sold to a lot in Missouri, they didn't have to have it retitled before selling it. (If they had sold it to someone in Illinois, they would have...?) So they sold it to the lot and handed over my title. Then the lot turned around and sold it to an individual using the same title, with my name and address still listed right on it, as if I was the last owner!
Shouldn't SOMEONE have had to get it retitled??? It essentially went through 2 new owners before it reached the person who has it now...And that peson has obviously not gotten it retitled in his/her own name. So here this truck sits, 5 months later, still titled in MY NAME!!!! So now after all is said and done, I'm wondering if I'm going to be stuck with this ticket after all!! ??!!?!?
Oh, I'm so mad about all of this...It makes me sick that good people have to jump through hoops to make up for stupid people who don't do things the way they're supposed to be done. GRRRR.....

 

[HM]

Good grief. I think you better check with a lawyer about this matter. He/she should go after the dealership that you traded the truck to.....they should have retitled and you wouldn't be going through this. I am crossing my fingers that you can get this handled fast.

 

[Scurvy]

Wow that's awful! You shouldn't have to deal with all that. I also recommend talking to a lawyer. Clearly I'm a bad person - I'd be tempted to track down the truck and take it home since you apparently still own it. That probably isn't a great thing to do, though.

 

[ChrizJen]

That's my next move. I'll be calling a lawyer. I'm sure that someone at some point was supposed to have the truck retitled (aside from the individual who finally ended up buying it, who DEFINTELY should have registered it in his/her own name). I'm thinking it was probably the used car lot in St. Louis who should have done it before they sold it to another individual. I don't know for sure what the law is. But logic says that it shouldn't be sold twice with no one having to retitle it!

If nothing else, I'll find out who the current owner is, and go after them!!


Oh! and Scurvy! I was SOOOO tempted to drive by. I was given the address where it was parked when the police issued the ticket...

 

[jfoofj]

OP, I can feel your pain....

When I was in college I drove a hunk of junk.... I got rid of it when I bought a slightly better hunk of less junk. I sold it through a repair garage in my town owned by a family that is close with mine... I never even met the guy who bought it... I left it on their lot and the garage owner called me one day and said "Some guy offered $300 cash for your hunk of junk" to which I replied "SOLD".

Well, this guy gave the owner $300 and I signed the title over, never actually saw or met the guy.... flash forward 6 months.... I'm away at college.... my mom gets a phone call at 6:00am from the Worcester Police (I grew up in a small town near Worcester). The police ask for me, the owner of a 1983 Hunk of Junk that was involved in a drug bust. My mom FREAKS OUT... calls me at college where I FREAK OUT and run out to the dorm parking lot.... where my 1989 slightly better hunk of less junk is safely parked, no drug dealers in sight. I went back and and called my mom and explained that yes, my car is with me, no, I was not involved in any drug bust in Worcester (which she knew deep down in her heart because frankly, I was a goody two shoes), yes, I would call the nice police man back in Worcester.

It turns out the shady dude who bought my hunk of junk for $300 never registered it... so when it was involved in the drug bust they ran the VIN # and guess who it came back to.... yup.... me. Luckily I had the bill of sale but it was a pain in the butt to deal with. It got towed somewhere in Worcester and they kept calling me to pay for the impound fees.... no matter how many times I tried to explain. It ended up going on my credit report and it took me over a year to fix it, even with police reports, bill of sale, a letter from the registry. Honestly, the hassle it caused wasn't worth the $300 (of probably drug money ) that I got for it.

Good luck, OP..... I hope it gets straightened out for you!

 

[bookgirl]

This happened to me 5 or 6 years ago. My trade in was resold, title wasn't changed, 6 months later the car got a parking ticket (the ticket was issued in the parking lot of the county court building by the way) new driver didn't pay the parking ticket and I recieved a letter that a bench warrent would be issued for me if I did not take care of the ticket. I called in a panic, luckily they were totally aware that this happens, they had me fax in my papers that showed that I used that car for a trade in. Never heard another word about it. It really is easy to clear up, it just sounds like you got some small town dork of a judge. Sorry it's a hassle, I hope your lawyer nails them to the wall.

 

[ChrizJen]

bookgirl, I can only hope it gets cleared up easily. It's already turning into such a headache! Thing is, I've heard of others who've been able to fax paperwork and get the whole thing cleared up. This particular division just won't accept that. And it's not small town. That's the thing that gets me! It's a division of St. Louis County! The judge does seem very snooty and arrogant. By the end of the night, it was probably a good thing that I didn't go in front of the judge. I probably would have gone off on him too! I probably would have been held in contempt and been hauled off to jail...all over something I didn't even do...

I would think that once I get my name cleared, I should be able to get the name of the person who bought the truck and failed to register it. I mean, the truck is still titled in my name. I should at least have the right to know who's driving it, right? Then I can turn that person in and let them pay for their own crime! That's what burns me up about everyone claiming that they didn't have to have it retitled. Shouldn't the state of Missouri have some paper trail as to who owns a vehicle at any given time? I don't know. I just know I'm frustrated and ready to be done with it.

 

[lovetoscrap]

I agree with consult a lawyer ASAP--like TODAY! A ticket could be the least of your problems. If the current owner is involved in an accident then those involved could come after you as the registered owner of the car. Yes, you have all the proof it isn't still yours but that won't reduce the hassle and problems you could have.

I think I would also be going off on the car dealership that you sold it too and pressuring them to help you do something to get this fixed. I would also make sure that you are getting the correct information about not being able to send in the paperwork. DH had a similar situation with a car he sold getting a ticket and when we got the letter we had moved half way across the country---certainly no way we could appear in court. They have to have some way for you to send in the proof without appearing.

Good Luck! Keep us updated.

 

[DizBelle]

Go back on the new date with a particularly fussy daughter and refuse to leave the courtroom.

 

[EMom]

Does your local news have one of those consumer advocate reporters who covers stories like this? Ours could be all over it.

LOCAL CAR DEALERSHIP'S SHADY PRACTICES LAND CUSTOMER IN COURT AND YOU COULD BE NEXT[/B]----Details at 5:00.

Get that in the news (or even a letter to the editor) and I'll bet the dealership takes care of it quick enough.