DMV renewal scam

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11-10-2019, 11:17 AM
spam1

DMV renewal scam

So I went to renew my car (yes, electric of course) and googled dmv renewal. I picked a site that I thought was the official site. It looked official but was actually run by a company called etags. When i got to the checkout there was an additional "online service fee" of $30 and a BPA fee of $5. I thought "I can mail it in for 50 cents, forget it". Then I thought "maybe a scam" . I went to www.dmv.ca.gov directly and did an e-check for no fee at all.

I went back to the original site and it claims "licensed by the dmv"; who knows if it's true. but it is a scam. The real dmv site was faster, easier and of course cheaper. Don't be fooled.
11-11-2019, 08:00 PM
SonomaPatientsCoop

Re: DMV renewal scam

Quote:

Posted in reply to the post by spam1:

So I went to renew my car (yes, electric of course) and googled dmv renewal. I picked a site that I thought was the official site. It looked official but was actually run by a company called etags. When i got to the checkout there was an additional "online service fee" of $30 and a BPA fee of $5. I thought "I can mail it in for 50 cents, forget it". Then I thought "maybe a scam" . I went to www.dmv.ca.gov directly and did an e-check for no fee at all.

I went back to the original site and it claims "licensed by the dmv"; who knows if it's true. but it is a scam. The real dmv site was faster, easier and of course cheaper. Don't be fooled.

Well, I wouldn't say they are a scam per se. Scumbags...sure...but...

They are just one of thousands of services that offer to deal with gov't bs- everything from car tags to rush passports...for an exorbitant fee. They, like most of the services, actually provide the service promised...so I wouldn't call them a scam per se. The old saying always applies- "Buyer beware".

As a side note... "google" was, despite my feeling about the company (Alphatet I believe they call themselves now) I would still use, because their search engine was the best. But that has changed in the past year or two- it has increasingly become worthless with results heavily skewed to advertisers. For "questions" I still like Wolfram Alpha. For general searches I either use the privacy centric DuckDuckGo or Ecosia - the site that puts their profits to planting trees (both use Microsofts "Bing" search engine).
11-11-2019, 09:19 PM
podfish

Re: DMV renewal scam

Quote:

Posted in reply to the post by spam1:

.... I went to www.dmv.ca.gov directly and did an e-check for no fee at all.

I went back to the original site and it claims "licensed by the dmv"; who knows if it's true. but it is a scam. The real dmv site was faster, easier and of course cheaper. Don't be fooled.

also, if you need something that you can't handle online through the DMV if you're a CSAA member you can treat their office as a DMV. I just transferred a car from an Oregon plate to a CA one, and it was way easier at CSAA. No extra fee there either.
11-12-2019, 08:56 AM
Shandi

Re: DMV renewal scam

I've found that whenever I'm searching for a service or product, there will be "options" that pop up. So, it's very important to note the "details" of the site you may be tempted to click on, especially if you're rushing, which is almost always a mistake, if you're online. "Haste can indeed make waste"!! Buyer BEWARE!

It just happened to me, while trying to track a certified letter to my ex-landlady. I typed in "how to track certified mail", and clicked on "easypackagetracker.ORG".. I was into it a bit, before I realized it wasn't USPS. I had to scroll down several of these to actually find the true site for USPS. Then I knew I should have looked for the USPS logo.

Even though I found the USPS site, I couldn't get the delivery information, with my tracking number. I have to call them, which I'll do now.
11-12-2019, 01:35 PM
Dorothy Friberg

Re: DMV renewal scam

I'm not sure it's actually a scam. There are storefronts with people who do DMV work for folk who do not want to wait in line at the state offices of DMV. I have paid $35 and my friend pays $50 for these services.

Quote:

Posted in reply to the post by spam1:

So I went to renew my car (yes, electric of course) and googled dmv renewal. I picked a site that I thought was the official site. ...
11-13-2019, 06:37 PM
Shandi

Re: DMV renewal scam

This is true, however there are obviously many people who don't know about this service, and don't have the extra money to pay for it. I went just to see what it would cost to renew my license. I was told $60! They can charge whatever people are desperate enough to pay. Hopefully word will filter down to those who are unaware of the service, and the extra charges for it.

In my previous business, I'd tell my clients "You can get it FAST, and PAY MORE, or you can get it done SLOWER and PAY LESS, but you can't have it both ways.

It's just how it is. And that's why people with plenty of money, can get whatever they want, when they want it.

That's just not the majority of people in our community, but then I could be wrong. People here do spend a lot of money on workshops, products, recreation, alcohol (wine especially) and all that a leisure life entails.

This represents a "gentrified" Sonoma County, especially Sebastopol, Petaluma, Healdsburg, and surrounding areas. It's just progress, so if people can't keep up, they may leave Sonoma County, but they'll hardly be missed. More room for new ones coming in to build, consume, and continue to create a "wasteland" of something we were proud to be a part of.

Leave the "waiting" at DMV for the poor suckers....

Quote:

Posted in reply to the post by Dorothy Friberg:

I'm not sure it's actually a scam. There are storefronts with people who do DMV work for folk who do not want to wait in line at the state offices of DMV. I have paid $35 and my friend pays $50 for these services.
11-13-2019, 09:42 PM
podfish

Re: DMV renewal scam

Quote:

Posted in reply to the post by Shandi:

... new ones coming in to build, consume, and continue to create a "wasteland" of something we were proud to be a part of....

I mean, I like it the way it was too, but hating on the new people isn't worth it. They're not some weird 'other' that doesn't deserve to be here. It's too easy these days to fall into that mindset about people who aren't 'us' and are changing things as they show up. Remember the words of Yogi Berra, sort of apropos and worth a little stretch to use here: "no-one goes there anymore; it's too crowded". I guess that's what's happening to us.
11-14-2019, 06:02 AM
Shandi

Re: DMV renewal scam

I think you may mean "no-one can live there anymore because it's too EXPENSIVE!" I'm not hating on anyone; that's not my style. I'm just stating facts. If someone has lived in the county for 30+ years, and invested in a home/property/properties, and had the means to maintain them, which even at that time would have meant having some capitol to do that. Those people are in a good position to rent and or sell to the moneyed newbies coming in to enjoy the luxury of our wines, produce, boutiques, events, and so on. Some of those early settlers were sold mortgage lies, and ended up losing their homes and investments. If I may, Jude I Am is only one of those in our community, who now must leave the county and "country" for affordable living.

Many people who built homesteads did so without permits, as was done by the poor of that time, although some of these homes were built without permits, even under the supervision of contractors who actually WORKED for PRMD! I know of several homes where this was done, with the PRMD looking the other way, until many years passed, and now they see an OPPORTUNITY to push the now senior, disabled residents onto the street into homelessness, level the homes, and build something brand new for the wealthy.

I'd venture to say that many of us have sadly watched our long time friends being forced to leave our county and our country to live out their lives on a poverty level, giving up much of what they have had most of their lives, as they slip into affordable decline of their aging.

From what I've seen, this is yet another beautiful, corrupt county, joining the many across the nation. Even if it's "crowded" those with money will continue to flock here, as they do in Hawaii where I lived for 12 years. Look at the island beauty under the "reign of progress" now.

Watch and Weep as the true spirit dissolves into the midst of the dollar.

Quote:

Posted in reply to the post by podfish:

I mean, I like it the way it was too, but hating on the new people isn't worth it. They're not some weird 'other' that doesn't deserve to be here. It's too easy these days to fall into that mindset about people who aren't 'us' and are changing things as they show up. Remember the words of Yogi Berra, sort of apropos and worth a little stretch to use here: "no-one goes there anymore; it's too crowded". I guess that's what's happening to us.
11-14-2019, 08:14 AM
podfish

Re: DMV renewal scam

Quote:

Posted in reply to the post by Shandi:

I think you may mean "no-one can live there anymore because it's too EXPENSIVE!" I'm not hating on anyone; that's not my style. I'm just stating facts. ... moneyed newbies ...this is yet another beautiful, corrupt county, ...Watch and Weep as the true spirit dissolves into the midst of the dollar.

see, that's my point. You're calling those coming "no-one"; just like Yogi's restaurant, it's not actually losing what are commonly called "people", it's just that no-one who counts goes anymore. Moneyed newbies do think they're people too, and I doubt they agree that they're all corrupt.
As I said, I liked it the old way too; I suppose I shouldn't throw cold water on a rant against the inevitable. Lots of poets have indulged in it too; it's the natural way to react.