So, in continuation of yesterday’s saga. Here’s the report from today.
I waited for a few hours this morning and didn’t end up hearing back from anyone at the State Patrol’s office. We’re all busy, it happens. Anyway, I called in again, was met with a different gal, who said that there was nothing they could do. I asked if I could please speak with or leave a message with the guy who deals with the towing companies. She was gracious enough to allow me to do so and I left him a voicemail with the basics of my situation and asked him to call me back.
A bit later on in the day, he did call me back and we went over what the situation was. He said as far as the records go it’s all with the DOL, so if they say that I’m good, then that’s what the State Patrol will go with. However, since the new owner didn’t register the vehicle, my name is still on the last owner, even though I’m not responsible for it due to the Report of Sale. He offered to call the towing company and said he would call me back after speaking with them.
He ends up calling me back a short while later and informs me that he’s spoken with the owner of the towing company, who told him that he would look at the DOL data again and put some consideration towards it. At this point it’s sounding to me more and more like it’s just the towing company trying to extort money out of me since they don’t have a current registered owner. My documentation is valid. The DOL says so, and everyone else in some way or another gets their info from the DOL.
During this second conversation he gives me what he believes to be the options for my next step. I can 1. wait a short while for the towing company and see if they reconsider, or 2. file a complaint with the DOT and have them investigate the matter.
I thank him very much for his help, time, and effort, and we part company.
An hour or two later I call the tow company back, and ask if they’ve come to any further conclusions. The receptionist isn’t aware of any and says she’ll try to get some info from the owner, or have the owner call me himself. I didn’t hear back.
At this point, I’m going to call the towing company back in the morning, and tell them that 1. I’m not the owner of the vehicle, the DOL confirms this. 2. You cannot hold me responsible for the actions of the new owner because of the properly filed documentation. And 3. If you don’t decide to do the proper thing by this afternoon, I’ll be calling a lawyer.
Hopefully that will be enough to get them to stop trying to extort this money out of me. I don’t own the car, I don’t owe them anything, and I’d much rather pay a lawyer to get them off my back, then to reward them for harassing me. It’s not about the money anymore. It’s about not punishing a good citizen.