GainesvilleMoms.com

I am so glad hubby is dealing with this so I don't have to, because I swear I'd find a way to jump across the phone line and strangle somebody.

So, hubby receives a notice in the mail Saturday from the state of Illinois saying he owes around $135.00 in fines and toll fees for blowing by 6 toll booths in 2007. We live in Indiana and to my knowledge did not go into Illinois once in 2007, let alone 6 times. Besides that, neither the car we owned or the SUV we currently have had the license plate number clearly shown in the snapshot included in the notice. The other kicker is that the plate in the photo is a truck plate and we don't even own a truck.

So, hubby pops in to our local BMV this morning to find out that it's our boat trailer that has the same digits as the truck in the picture. It has the same digits, but does not have an L on the end like the truck plate has. He then proceeds to call the number on the notice sent to us. He had to call several times, because each time he would choose an option on the automated system, he would receive a busy signal.

After many failed attempts, he finally presses the right combination of numbers to get a person on the other line. Their answer to us, we have to have the Indiana BMV prove that this isn't our plate. What??? Because of their mistake we have to provide them with proof??? Our local BMV is at a loss as to what to do and has referred us to the state office in Indianapolis. So hubby's next step is to call them to see if there is anything they can do for us. UGH!!!

have you ever noticed that when a government agency screws up they still find a way to put the blame on you without taken any responsibility of their own actioins???

I suggest you take pictures of your vehichiles w/ pictures of your dl plates and show proof that the car they show muchless the plates don't even match!!!!!! if you are in FL- how is that possible.

I'm not sure if you are in FL and trust you are...and they are showing a ILL or iND plate-then that is the full proof of their stupidity!!! how long have you been in FL?

Some of these government agencies hires the most imcompentent people! (include SSA!!!!)

Sorry, I should have explained further. I actually live in Indiana for the time being, although it looks as if hubby has a job in Gainesville if all of his paperwork goes through properly. We also have a lot of family in Gainesville, so this site is a great way for me to get a grip on what's happening there and to find out info. prior to moving.

Since I wrote this message, hubby has contacted a woman in Indianapolis who's sole job it is to deal with the state of Illinois mistakes. Fairly recently, the state of Ill implemented a new system of looking up plates in their system. Problem is this new way of doing things involves looking a plate up soley by the state and the numbers. They don't look at the letters on the plate. So, they basically then expect you and your state to prove them wrong. Hopefully the woman in Indianapolis will be able to help us. Hubby said our BMV was as friendly and helpful as could be which is reassuring.

There is nothing worse than dealing with an incompetent government agency. You always end up going in circles, unless you are lucky and find one person who is willing to help. I know what a headache this must be. Hopefully this gets resolved. But isn't it frustrating to have to spend so much of your time on someone else's mistake?

No kidding! And of course hubby is having to submit a background check to his potential employer. All I can think of is thank God this probably hasn't hit his record yet since he has a period to contest the charges. I'm assuming that this is something that would come up anyway. Not as bad as burglary or murder but not exactly something I'd want a potential employer to see;-)

This reminds me of something that happened to me in college.

I was a student a SFCC and I was getting ready to graduate. Before I could complete graduation registration I had to take care of any overdue balances. I wasn't worried because I didn't have any. Well, lo and behold, something pops up on my record; I had a parking ticket I neglected to pay.

I went over to the police station to find out what was going on. Apparently, someoe with the same last name as me parked illegally on campus. Because the person the car was registered to wasn't registered as a student, they attached the ticket to my record simply because we had the same last name!! And I have a very common last name. It totally blew my mind. They claimed I probably drove "Daddy's" car to school and didn't bother following the rules. What a bunch of malarky! Eventually it all worked out but their incompetence was very unsettling.

When I was in my early twenties my license was suspended in Maryland when I've never even been to Maryland. Someone with a similar name, not the same, but similar got a ticket and didn't have a license so they just suspended mine. I couldn't drive for 3 months and spent untold amounts of money on a long distance bill trying to get it straight. Finally I had to get K-Mart (where I worked) to provide me with documentation that I was at work in Florida the date the offense occured. It's such a hassel. Why does this stuff always happen to us?

oh yeah, and my next job was at GPD so I had to prove to the background investigator that it wasn't me so that I could get that job. These things haunt you in several ways.