Wondering if anyone can help out with my current situation.
Used a broker that I found here (CA) and got a good deal on a lease.
Took delivery, everything was smooth.
After 2-3 months and no license plates, I messaged the broker and he said he would take care of it. Another month passes, he says he’s still working it, that his guy at the dealership isn’t responding. This continues for months. It has now been over a year and we are uncertain how to register/renew registration for the car and I’ve talked/called the broker, the dealership sales manager and another manager he blamed for the issue.
Any help or insight would be greatly appreciated, thank you!
If you have a log of all of the emails and phone calls and contacts that you’ve made to resolve this, go ahead and email them now with all the information and make it their problem to contact the dealer and resolve this. If not, get all of that information together and call them on Thursday.
Once you have a case number, either email the general manager or call and ask to leave the GM a voicemail, be sure to include the case number from MB CC and tell them you expect this resolved in five business days — which includes your registration being paid through next year.
Unless you failed to provide some paperwork or pay the relevant fees, this is not your problem - it’s the dealership’s.
I wouldn’t waste your time to communicating with the broker or anyone except the MB CC or the GM until you have your registration with your stickers.
You should call Mercedes corporate at this point to clear it up. If they try and charge you again you should habe your contract showing you already paid tags.
Brokers should handle this for you. I don’t do the tags personally but if there’s an issue I’m paid to be a liaison between the customer and my dealers so I would make sure it’s handled
I’ve been talking to the dealer for months and have been on top of it. Every time I contact the dealer they blame someone else for the issue so about a month ago I put myself and @F1rstTimeLeaseGuy in a group chat with the salesman at the dealer.
They finally started replying when that was done… He informed myself and @F1rstTimeLeaseGuy that the plates were sent to the him on 1/17/2024 and provided a tracking number that showed the wrong address… The dealer rep said that @F1rstTimeLeaseGuy has to go to the DMV and request the duplicate plates himself, which we obviously don’t want him to do since he would have to wait for hours.
This has happened to a client of mine once before and this was the only way for them to get the license plates. It’s not something the broker or dealer can do. As far as the CA DMV is concerned, the car is registered to OP’s address and plates have been issued. If he didn’t get them because they went to the wrong address, that’s not something the dealer can control at that point. Best thing for OP to do is go to the DMV directly and let them know the plates are lost and he needs new ones. The DMV can confirm OP is the legal registered owner of the car simply by checking his ID and issue him new sequential plates. It’s a very easy fix, but OP will need to pay a visit to the CA DMV.
Since the dealer sent them to the wrong address they also need to do a trace and provide the documentation. Were they returned or does a neighbor have them?
Yes. I would recommend it since some locations are not processing registrations anymore. I had an issue renewing mine in June, whomever I spoke with at DMV made an appointment for me at a branch that no longer handles registration but they made an exception.
OP can fill out a replacement reg form there and will likely also have to write/sign an affidavit that they never received the plates — the tracking trace I mentioned above will make that part much easier.
After OP also pays the registration renewal fee. Reminder that CA DMV has a CC surcharge…
@legendsauto what is your dealer’s standard apology gift for their clerical error resulting in a trip to the DMV?
There’s actually a special number you can call for the CA DMV specifically for registration issues. Unlike the general line, someone usually answers and they also have a callback option if they’re really busy. But they’ve always been helpful unlike general customer service. I would call them first and give them your VIN and say you want to confirm what address they have on file for the registration, and let them know the situation. They can definitely shed light on what went wrong with the initial plates / address and possibly share the license plate number with you. With the license plate number and last 5 of the VIN, you can at least go on the DMV website to pay the renewal fees so you don’t get charged a late fee (or mitigate the late fees you’ll end up paying):
Not really. Showing DMV proof of the original transaction and fees being paid at the dealer DMV just cancels the plates, tags and registration and gives you new plates, etc. Been there, done that like 3 times with screwed up plates over many years and cars. You can still go in for this as the plates are coded as “lost or stolen” and they will see you inside.
As for “lost/stolen,” a few years back my rear plate was stolen from the Oakland Airport and I called it in to DMV on the 800 line. Didn’t have time to go into a field office to get new plates so I just put the front plate (non-sticker in CA) on the back until I could get to the DMV. Trying to avoid traffic on 80 from Sacramento going the back way in the Delta near Oakley while headed back to SF I was pulled over by a cop - at gunpoint, due to the lost/stolen plate code. Who actually even knows what was done with that stolen plate but that was a really good time for sure.
I had a similar issue when I leased my LEAF years ago.
I ended up calling CA DMV and they were quite helpful. They let me know they received the application but not payment.
So after a few calls/emails to the dealer, they finally sorted out the oversight (I’m convinced it was an honest mistake perhaps a bit careless or disorganized though) and I stayed in touch until I received the plates which arrived in short order.
It was helpful to have the exact reason from DMV to spur action from the dealer.
Man that is very nice of you. Do not listen to these people acting like you did something wrong. Trying to resolve this after a year deserves 5 stars in my book. Did you have in your messages guarantees that plates are guaranteed? Thats between the dealer and the customer. You set up the deal and you should wash your hands with it. That is how it should be handled based on my past experiences with these scam artist brokers and moderators in this forum.
