The Great Vehicle Rebate of 2005—i.e., Gov. Kenny Guinn's Latest Attempt to Rescue a Middling Legacy; i.e. Rule No. 2,124 in the GOP Vote-Grab Playbook; i.e., Let's Ignore That Nevada Could Use $300 million for Schools, Uninsured Residents, Social Services ...
All right, back to the topic.
Whatever the intent of the $300 million rebate—2 million Nevadans receiving $75 to $275 for up to two vehicles; to be fair, economists say the money will generate a slight bounce in the economy—there've been problems with its execution.
Reno resident Sam Garner told the Reno Gazette-Journal he received two duplicate $275 checks. A Las Vegas Review-Journal article quoted Las Vegans Dick Saddler, recipient of four checks—he only has two cars—and Jeni Lee, who got checks made out to the man she bought her mobile home from eight years ago and a woman she's never met.
But the story that Tammy (not her real name) told the Weekly might take the cake.
Tammy has lived in Clark County for 30 years, including the last five at the same address. Like hundreds of thousands of other Nevadans, she rushed to her mailbox on October 8.
No rebate check. Neighbors got theirs. So she checked online. There it was: A $275 check had been cut to her on September 28. She waited a few more days, then looked again. Nada.
"I found the number to call for rebate issues, and called them during my lunch hour," she says. "The first day, I was on hold the entire lunch hour. The second day, I did get through."
Her check was in Dublin, Ohio.
Guess what happens here, pays elsewhere.
"I was told that it was because there was a lien on my car," she says. "I was told I needed to pay $20 and get a new title. Then I would need to fax a copy of my current registration along with the correct address to the rebate fax number. I told the woman that there couldn't possibly be a lien on my car, but she insisted. I made several phone calls to Volkswagen (who still holds the title to my 2003 Passat), and to the DMV itself. I found out that, as I thought, there is no lien on my car. I finally got through to the special rebate section again. I asked them to please check on why my check was sent to Dublin, Ohio, since the first explanation had been wrong."
Turns out there's a woman with the same name in Dublin. Tammy phoned the DMV again.
"This woman didn't know where the first person had seen anything about a lien, but she said that the entire phone operation was staffed by temps, since this is a one-shot tax rebate," Tammy says. "I was told I had to file a change of address form, even though I didn't change my address, and that after the previous check is returned to them (DMV) and destroyed, another one would be issued to me at the 'new' address."
Which is the same address she's been at since 2000.
While there have been problems, DMV spokesman Kevin Malone insists they haven't been widespread. Among the biggest issues, Malone says, are wrong addresses and out-of-date information. More than a few dead folks have gotten checks.
"We have no way of tracking whether someone has died," Malone says. "We mailed checks to folks over 65 with valid identification cards. If we're not notified, as far as we know, that person didn't die."
(DMV rules for those receiving checks for the deceased: The surviving spouse of the registered owner can deposit the money in their existing bank account. If you received a rebate check and you are not the surviving spouse but you are listed on the registration, you should contact DMV via mail or fax. You will be required to explain your situation in writing, return the rebate check, and include a copy of the death certificate. After verifying the information, DMV will issue a rebate check to the proper registered owner. For those receiving checks for someone they don't know, the DMV says to mark checks "Return to Sender," then mail.)
Tammy's case is the most unusual Malone has heard. His theory: Maybe she paid off the loan and the lien-holder failed to sign off on the title. "There's no way for us to know what happened unless we have the person's name and driver's license."
Despite the fact that the address on her license and registration are the same and she's never had a problem corresponding with the DMV, Tammy says she was told to file a change-of-address form.
"I explained that I had sent a fax with a copy of my registration already, and I asked if that would be sufficient," she says. "I was told that there is a special fax room as well as a separate e-mail room, and that the phone staff has no idea what happens in either one. She (the customer service representative) didn't even have a way to determine if the original fax had been received. She insisted I had to file the official DMV change-of-address form, and then wait 45 days. I asked her what happens if the first check isn't returned to them and destroyed. She didn't know. She said just file the information, wait the 45 days, and then call back if I still haven't received a check."
Malone says she should continue her due diligence. Meantime, Tammy has faxed the new form and is waiting.
"Hopefully, somewhere down the line, I'll be getting a check for $275. If not, I'll start all over," she says. "It will probably cost hundreds of thousands to administer this, and the thousands of other errors the 'technician' told me have been reported."