Forgot to renew rego exemption, $50!

[davereid]

I also like the 'rego-on-hold' system all things considered, if you keep on top of it then it doesn't cost anything to have a vehicle off the road while still allowing it to be easily put back on the road. The alternatives wouldn't seem to be all that great...

The old system was better.

When your rego expired you did nothing, except stop using it on a public road. When you wanted to use it, you went and paid the fee and got a new sticker. No 3 month minimum. No forms. No fuss.

[jono035]

The old system was better.

When your rego expired you did nothing, except stop using it on a public road. When you wanted to use it, you went and paid the fee and got a new sticker. No 3 month minimum. No forms. No fuss.

Well, yeah, admittedly that would be better

[jaykay]

A new development:

I can't be bothered to go and get the first written notification about the "fine" for not renewing rego out of the bin.

Basically it's from Baycorp threatening various things that 'may' occur, with a demand for $67. I have no inclination to respond to an unsolicited invoice, so in the bin it stays.

I'll keep you posted.

[jaykay]

Just by coincidence and on something totally unrelated I was talking to the IRD a couple of days ago.

To put things into context (and for reasons not important) I have been involved with a large number of debt collectors over the last year - all of them chasing a Ltd company for money - amounts up to $20,000.

The IRD confirmed that these debt collectors have no powers whatsoever, and certainly no legal powers - and until a "debt" has gone through the court system there is nothing they can do. Only the original entity who is claiming money can take legal action - and as this takes time and more money they probably won't. Debt collectors letters that state you must contact them etc etc should be filed away and ignored.

Anyway, second letter from Baycorp asking for $67, usual threats, usual rubbish - binned.

But note, court imposed fines are a different matter.

[jono035]

Interesting, good to know. I'm currently getting hassled by Entertainment Collections limited for $65 or something. $20 of that is late fees from Video Easy that I was completely unaware of and which I have never been contacted about by the store itself, the rest is 'collection fee'.

Guess I'll just keep ignoring them. A good trick is to ask them if they are recording the call then when they inevitably say yes you ask them for a copy of the phone call as is your right under the Privacy Act. Generally results in a lot of umming and ahhing before they say they'll get their supervisor to call you back (which never happens). A couple of times I've had them just say 'Ok, hold on while I get my supervisor' and then just hang up on me. Amusing.

[CookMySock]

A good trick is to ask them if they are recording the call then when they inevitably say yes you ask them for a copy of the phone call as is your right under the Privacy Act. Generally results in a lot of umming and ahhing ..

LOL good stunt.

Steve

[AllanB]

Sheeezzzzzzz ya tight-wad.

It will end in tears .........

[jono035]

Sheeezzzzzzz ya tight-wad.

It will end in tears .........

Steve - wasn't a stunt, was being abused over the fact that I hadn't responded to the invoice they mailed to the wrong address, so I corrected them over the phone and they said they'd send out another invoice.

Second phone call was particularly abusive so I asked to get the records of the previous call to prove that I had provided the correct mailing address and that it was their fault I hadn't got an invoice yet.

They haven't responded so I'm not paying the fine.

How would you feel if someone randomly rang up and says 'Video Rzy says you owe us money, pay now or your credit gets shat on' over something you've never heard of before... If it is a legit fine from Video Ezy then I will pay that. I will not pay their debt collectors fees over a fine I have never heard of. They could have called my landline or my cellphone (and left a message if they didn't get me on either one), e-mailed me, snail mailed me (although apparently they transcribed my address wrong) at any point during this and avoided this situation.

[AllanB]

Thing is:

You put the rego on hold. Conditions of this are a fee if you 'forget' to continue. Agree or not this is the way it is. Write a letter to your MP if you disagree with the system and suggest a change.

Shit happened, you forgot, thus the $50 bill.

You are now in the process of being verbally abused by a debt collector and no doubt you'll continue to be bothered by them, plus in the future end up in court ........

Now, no disrespect intended, but IMO why add the stress and bother to your life now and in the future for $50? At the end of the day who forgot to to the registration before the expiry date?

I'll watch with interest and quietly admire your stubborn streak

[CookMySock]

Steve - wasn't a stunt

Yeh yeh I mean just the way you stand them on their head. It's awesome - fuck them one way, and then again another way. They will be wondering why they bother living, LOL.

How would you feel if someone randomly rang up and says 'Video Rzy says you owe us money, pay now or your credit gets shat on' over something you've never heard of before...

Yeh, I do what what you do, and tell them to get effed.

And for those who wonder why - it's great sport, and good for the soul to stand up for oneself.

Steve

[jono035]

And for those who wonder why - it's great sport, and good for the soul to stand up for oneself.

Hahahaha so very true

[davereid]

The IRD confirmed that these debt collectors have no powers whatsoever, and certainly no legal powers - and until a "debt" has gone through the court system there is nothing they can do. Only the original entity who is claiming money can take legal action - and as this takes time and more money they probably won't.

Im not an expert here, Winston is your man, but I think.....

The original entity can authorise the debt collector to manage the court side of things, and almost certainly your contract with him allows him to do this, as well as charge all the fees on to you.

The debt collector pays a fee (about $100) to lodge the debt with the court, which will hold a hearing to establish that you owe the debt.

Once the court has agreed that you owe the debt, you may find that the debt now includes all the court fees, the $100 lodgement fee, and the $100 an hour the debt collection company has charged for managing the debt as well as fees from a security company for serving you the paperwork.

However... the "Once the court has agreed that you owe the debt" bit is very important.

If you have disputed the debt, the dispute has to be settled before this occurs.

So, if you disputed returning the video late, or disputed any other material facts, then you may well have a case.

You dont have to go to the disputes tribunal, but you have to have said "This matter is in dispute... the DVD was scratched... R18 but Im only 12.. returned on time, your clock was wrong... etc etc"

[FROSTY:Me]

Orange and blue.

Not heard anything about the $50, and I doubt it will be chased. The annoying part was the refusal to put the bike on hold again without paying the money rather than the money itself.

As there is a system to get round the "fine" I used it, and if the $50 is chased I will ensure it will cost far more than that to collect.

Sorry to say this but its YOU that it may cost heaps.
The unpaid rego gets refered to baycorp --Baycorp put a markup on it so $50 becomes $80
Best of all you get a collection lodged against your name which will stay there untill you pay it.
Three of those and a first tier finance co wont be keen to finance you if you ever wanna pay off a bike.
Dude trust me--pay the $50 its more hassle than its worth not to.
Incidently the $50 is NOT a "fine" its payment for the continuous rego from between when the exemption ran out and you went to put it back on exemption.

[kwaka_crasher]

The unpaid rego gets refered to baycorp --Baycorp put a markup on it so $50 becomes $80

Which you're not obliged to pay.

Best of all you get a collection lodged against your name which will stay there untill you pay it.
Three of those and a first tier finance co wont be keen to finance you if you ever wanna pay off a bike.

But who'd be silly enough to finance a depreciating purchase?

[Sidewinder]

Tried to renew rego exemption for a GSX400 that has been off the road for a few years - the online system said I couldn't renew until I paid $50.......
So I rang this morning to be told "as you didn't renew your exemption in time there is a $50 "fine", and it can't be renewed until you've paid"
Yeh right - it's this sort of thing that really annoys me.

What to do? Simple really, register the bike to someone else (my Ltd company in this case), and immediately fill in the forms for exemption from rego - total cost $9.20.

Now LTNZ have to chase me for the $50 - the question is will they take me to court (remember I've had no notification about a $50 fine yet)? or will they just put it in the too hard basket?

I'll wait and see, probably for a year or two!

just photo shop one! its easy to do on microsoft paint even,
just print it out on photo paper and it looks all good. fine for check points just ya fucked if you get pulled over and they do a check on you and vechile