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January 23, 2003

License plate renewal ()

by fluffy at 8:21 PM
Okay, so I got the thing in the mail today for renewing the license plate on my car. One-year fee is $33, two-year fee is $65.50 (yay, renew for two years and save 50 cents). They offer a way to pay online. So I went to the site, and on the website it's $34 for one year and $67.50 for two years.

Apparently, if you renew online, they charge you a $1/year "convenience charge."

WTF? I thought the point to automated systems was that it was also more convenient for the people running them. It costs less for them to offer renewals online - they don't need people to open the envelopes and make sure the check is for the right amount and type in all of the information.

So I have to pay for them to have less work?

So I'm renewing by mail, out of spite.

Idiots just don't get it, do they.

(Actually, no, I just paid the $1 fee, rather than save $0.66 after counting postage. Bastards.)

Comments

#MT28 raoulduke January 24, 2003 8:44 AM

"Tax it if it moves.
Regulate it if it keeps moving.
Subsidize it if it stops moving."
- Reagan's take on big government and taxation.

#MT29 elefth January 25, 2003 2:45 AM

CC processing costs money. Businesses don't take it out on you so obviously, but the government doesn't have to worry that you'll renew your license plate elsewhere. :)

#MT30 fluffy January 25, 2003 1:17 PM

Well duh, but it doesn't cost them $1, and certainly doesn't cost them $2 to process two years. Typical CC processing fees are something like $0.25 + a small percentage, which isn't 3%.

#MT35 elefth January 27, 2003 3:12 AM

Well, the "ACCEPT CREDIT CARDS FREE!!!" sites seem to charge about .25 + 1.5-1.7%; I can see a major vendor taking more like 2.5% which would just about cover the fee.