Here’s the short version. Last week we got a car title in the mail, it was addressed to Honda Lease and then our address was below it. We leased a Honda about 2 months ago. It seemed odd that we would get a title, but whatever, we just filed it away. Yesterday, we got four more in the mail. I took a look at them. They were all different (including the one from last week), all for brand new Honda’s and none of them were for my or my wife’s Honda. Strange, so I figure somehow my address got in someone’s system as the address for Honda Lease. I called the dealership where I got my car. She [the person who handles titles at the dealership] seemed entirely disinterested, her reply was “we don’t send those out” when I said “I know, but where did the state get the address?” she asked me to mail them to her. I did. Today I got two more. I’ll call her back on Monday to see what she has to say about the first 5 and tell her I got some more. Assuming the problem is her fault, I plan to tell her that I’m not going to mail these to her. I already used my money for the first ones, she can arrange to acquire the others herself (courier, SASE, etc)
Assuming she tells me it’s the states problem, I’ll give them a call. But the main question is, am I somehow liable for all these? If this doesn’t get straightened out, can I just toss these in the garbage or shred them as they show up?
Also, I assume even when the address does get fixed, I’m sure there are already a bunch in the works that will get mailed out, can I just shred those?
I really don’t want to have to mail these all in as I get them. Sounds expensive.
Who’s on the titles as owner and who’s name is on the mail?
First, I have a correction, I haven’t recived 7 titles, I’ve recived 9. Every title I have received says for both the mailing label and title owner:
Honda Lease Trust
[my address]
So it’s not that they are being titled to me, it’s that they are being titled to Honda (I assume they are leases or purchases financed through Honda, but there is no lein holder listed), they are just being mailed to my address.
Label them Addressee not at this address and put them back in your mail box. you needn’t pay postage to forward these or do more.
The titles have to be incorrect , because the Wisconsin DMV mails titles to the the address on the title. The state will deal with it when the mail is returned. The dealership was also alerted by you, so to bad for the employee that wasn’t concerned.
I didn’t even think about doing something like that :smack:. My ‘can I just put them in the garbage’ attitude I think came from the person at the dealership. IMHO, the first thing out of her mouth should have been “Oh my, let me get [needed info] and I’ll get that taken care of for you”. Hell, she never even asked for any of my info. She has no idea who I am. If she has a question, the only way she’ll be able to get ahold of me is to wait until she get’s the ones I mailed to her and even then it’ll only work if her system will let her seach by address.
But now, let’s say in two months, I’m still getting 10 of them a week. I’ve contacted the dealership that I beleive to be responsible (not that there is any proof of that), I’ll have done the RTS thing. At that point I would have called the state as well. I’ll have fulfilled MY moral/ethical role. Can I, legally, just put them in the garbage?
You can’t trash mail that isn’t your’s as far as I know. Nothing says you have to return it promptly. A big bundle of 50 letters would be attention grabbing.
The DMV in your state has the address for Honda Lease wrong. Put these as return to sender and call DMV to have them take your address out of the system or you will continue to receive titles in the mail every week. These will be from car deals all over the state, not just from your dealership.
All of the titles you send back will then sit at DMV as unclaimed. When the appropriate people need the titles, they can then get them from DMV.
We have an update. Today I received another title and a bonus…two parking tickets. One from Chicago and one from Eau Claire, WI. I started to call them, but then changed my mind. I’m concerned that at some point they’ll ask for my name and at that point they’ll just change the name on the ticket. I mean (from their point of view) they mailed the ticket to the address associated with the license plate (or VIN, I’m not sure), it’s just that the name is wrong. If they change it to my name, it’ll be even harder to get it cleared up I think. Those two are both going back in the mail tomorrow. The titles I’m holding on to until Monday when I can call the DMV or stop at one of the branches (There’s one a half a block from my house).
And the saga continues.
Over the past several months I’ve gotten more titles and more tickets. I’ve got 99% of it cleared up. All the titles are, as far as I know, fixed. All the parking tickets in Wisconsin were cleared up by calling the local PD where they were issued. But I have two still in Chicago that are being stubborn. When I got the tickets and again each time I got a reminder/bill in the mail, I called them, explained the situation and mailed them back. Each time I called, they basically said that there’s nothing that can be done.
Today I got a letter from an attorney to which one of the tickets had been referred. I called them and again they were no help. I don’t think these guys where acting like attorneys but rather a collection agency. After I explained the situation he asked for MY licensce plate and name. I refused and told him that MY info has nothing to do with it, they just need to get the violators correct address (my god, just look it up online or something). I assume he only wanted my name and LPN so he could amend it to the file…something I REALLY REALLY don’t want to happen. My fear is that a repo guy will show up at the address on the letter (my address) and see a Honda in the driveway. Hopefully they’ll realize it’s not the one they want, but if my LP number is on his paperwork, that could be bad for me.
I emailed the IL State Attorney General and the IL Secretary of State just now, and I’ll try calling them tomarrow to see if they have any ideas. If they don’t I’ll call the place where I got the car and tell them to clean up their mess. My concern is that at some point they’ll mention my name/LP# or god forbid my VIN. Even if they do that to prove it’s not the car their after, I still would rather the Chicago people never even hear it. They really don’t need to know it.
Grrr, I thought this was all over.
It’s fairy likely that Chicago has privatized it’s parking citation process. Thus, they have no reason at all to help you.
And therein lies the problem. No one wants to help me. Hopefully the Attorney General or Sec of State will be able to help me in the morning.
It seems like the problem lies with Honda lease. Make them fix it.
You can also see if there’s a free legal aid in your area.
I think tomorrow I’ll take a ride up to the place where I leased the car and talk to the GM. But I want to talk the the Sect of State and the Attorney Gen in IL first. Like I said, I’m worried that in ‘fixing’ the problem my name will get attached to these tickets and I’ll wind up deeper then I am already.
Do you own your residence? If not, I’d move.
I originally posted this as a joke, but now I’m wondering if it would actually be easier…
Well that does seem a bit drastic. Besides considering there is an attorney/collection agency trying to collect I don’t think moving is going to stop them. Luckily they don’t have my phone number or even name.
It’s my understanding that once a ticket has gone long enough uncollected they said it to the lien holder (Honda Lease Trust) so it’s not that they’re after ME, it’s that they are after the lien holder, they just have the wrong address.