DMV Woes

As usual, things that sound simple with the DMV never are. Just trying to
register the Outback became a mission:

The DMV folks told me I'll need a bill of sale to register. We could ask
Earl to write it but driving to MD and doing it in person seems easier.
Then, Cin recalls Nancy Jones is a notary public so we're able to get her to
write up the bill of sale, have Earl sign it and mail it to us. That wasn't
too bad. Nancy was very helpful.

Just for kicks, I compared the VIN on the title to the other documents.
Of course, the VIN on the title didn't match the VIN on the bill of sale or
registration. Matching it to the VIN stamped on the car itself confirmed
the problem. It wasn't off by one or two characters; it was a totally
different VIN. Some discussion with Earl revealed that Judi decided to
purchase the Outback instead of the Legacy that Earl picked out on a
previous visit to the dealer, who drew up the paperwork based on Earl's
Legacy selection, but probably never updated the documentation.

I called the MD car dealer and after 2 or 3 calls, got in touch with some
manager whose first response was "Shoot, that's not good. That is NOT
good!" I already knew this but hearing it from her made it worse and gave
me an idea of what was to come. At least she offered to help research and
get back to me. After two days of no call back (what a surprise), I decided
to call the DMV (now called the MVA). I never did receive a call back.

Again, 2-3 calls later, I got in touch with someone who seemed to know how
to resolve the problem. "Just send in a written request, $20, title, lien
release letter and we'll send you out the corrected title," she proclaimed.
She also suggested I also get a tracking number ... just in case.

I confirmed the package was delivered and two weeks later, I placed a
follow-up call to the MVA. After going through several dept's, they
couldn't find any record of my call or receiving any package! Eventually,
someone offered to research using the tracking # and get back to me.

A few days later after not receiving any calls, I called and called and
eventually someone confirmed they found the package I sent them. "Dont know
why it didn't get processed but I'll pass it to the right dept for
processing" said the rep. in an assuring & friendly voice. Finally, we're
almost done, I thought.

Two more weeks later, I called and of course, there's no progress. Now they

told me to contact a totally different dept. to check on the status. Ugh!!

Of course, this person had no record of my request so I had to fax a copy of

the title and letter. Again, days and several calls later, I managed to
reach some manager who, after a few days of research and "5 people
working on this," confirmed they found the title and she's personally going
to get it resolved.

Now, about 6 weeks later, I get a phone call. The MVA manager states "Guess
what I have in my hands right now. Your new, clean title, Earl." Did I
forget to mention that I was calling as Earl the whole time? Yes, success,
at long last!

To paraphase Earl's past MVA experience: I never could get anything resolved
in one visit. But in all fairness, they all sounded nice and seemed to want

to help over the phone. Another side 'benefit': Earl can practically walk
in and they should instantly recognize his name althuogh they may not
recognize the voice.

Another week later, I finally received the new title with the correct VIN
and got it registered at the local NJ MVA. Of course, they didn't need any
bill of sale when I got there.

~8 weeks total. Sounds about right, doesn't it?