California drivers are voicing outrage after being hit with steep fees on websites that look strikingly similar to the official DMV site.
Many Golden State motorists say they used NeedTags.com to renew or register their vehicles, not realizing at first that it is a third-party provider authorized to offer DMV-related services.
The frustration grew when customers discovered they had paid roughly $90 more than they would have been charged through California’s official state DMV website.
Some drivers who attempted to challenge the charges through credit card disputes said the company pushed back by warning them of possible legal action.
“I’m not a criminal,” Allen Jensen said through tears in an interview with ABC 7. “I’ve never been to jail…It’s not about the money. Why is my state doing this?”
Another driver, Allyn Peterson of San Jose, also disputed the fees but ultimately lost the fight.
“My problem is, why is our government enabling them? Why is it officially sanctioned by the government?” Peterson said.
The service also ensnared an 84-year-old woman, who said she failed to “read the fine print.” Manuella Raquelle of Santa Cruz said she contacted the company by email after realizing what had happened.
“I said, ‘I’m terribly distressed. I’m 84 years old and I made a terrible mistake and pushed submit in error ,” she wrote in an email to the company, which never responded.
The company can be seen on Google search results as a “sponsored result” and on the state DMV website as a “DMV partner.”
Google ad transparency data shows Continental Green Inc. pays for the ads, and there are 73 different versions of it.
A warning sign sometimes appears under the ads from Google that says: “Not a government website.” A legal advocate blasted the company’s appearance as a DMV business partner.
“They are using this language about being a DMV business partner to create the false impression in someone’s mind that you’re paying the same amount as if you were on the DMV website. That’s not true,” Robert Herrell of the Consumer Federation of California said.
“Consumers are paying, in some cases, hundreds of dollars more beyond what they would pay just by going straight to the DMV website… Which I highly recommend all consumers do go to the DMV website.”
The company does have language on its website that says it is not a government agency and charges extra fees for what the state will do for free.
California has done little to change the problem. Lawmakers sponsored a bill last year to cap fees, but the legislation has yet to pass.
“You can find yourself accessing services that you can get through the DMV through these online vendors and being charged huge markups on those services,” California assemblymember Matt Haney said during a Transportation Committee hearing.
Consumers are exasperated that Google appears to be doing more for the registration issue than the government.
“So what I learned is that…Google did something for the people of California while their public servants say ‘give me the money,’” Peterson said.
The state DMV told ABC 7 that it encourages consumers to use the state website and advised any third-party partner to keep their fees transparent.
“The California DMV encourages customers to use its online services at dmv.ca.gov to complete transactions without incurring the additional charges of a third-party business partner.
“The DMV expects any extra fees requested by the service provider to be clear and transparent, and it expects BPA partners to adhere to the law and deliver a valuable service to their customers,” they wrote.
The NeedTags.com website appears less in search recently since Google placed a warning on it. NeedTags owner Eddy Asmerian previously said the company is “committed to transparency.”
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