Hey Everyone, I wanted to confirm this with people. I purchased my car on August 21, 2010. And insurance came back telling me that DMV has no record of my registration. I emailed my sales person at the dealership i bought the car from and she said that due to cutbacks and furloughs of governement jobs, the state has been taking approx. 3 to 4 months to get out license plates to people. Can those who have purchased the car around August or September tell me if they received their registration and license plates yet? Thanks in advance.
Most likely the dealer never submitted the paperwork. Since the dealer charged you anywhere from $50 to $100 just to complete the paper work I would tell them you are going to small claims court to recover that charge and will file a complaint with both the DMV and Toyota. Good Luck
Yikes! I got mine in 3 days in MA. Is this a result of the great recession? i.e. Was it always like this?
I was only on temporary plates for a week (Wyoming). The dealer was quick about it. Xpcman is right - the delay is most likely with the dealer because he doesn't want to write the tax check to the state even though it is your money.
I purchased my Prius about one week later than you did -- and I am also still waiting for my plates & registration. One interesting thing to also tell you: I inquired about this long wait for plates with my dealer yesterday and they ran my registration with DMV (as they have a terminal which has direct access to DMV) and the DMV records show my car was registered in California on 1 October. This record also had my new plate number. My dealer scanned and E-Mailed me a copy of this DMV record. If I don't get the physical plates in about one more week I'm going to take this to DMV and get them to issue me new plates on-the-spot. My dealer said they'd reimburse me the $18 fee. I believe what we're experiencing has to do with the backlog of DMV actions due to the long period of no State budget and weekly staff furloughs. Please re-post if/when you get your plates - I will do likewise.
I think you should talk to your dealer. I bought mine in Aug. 23.2010 and got the lic. plate Oct. 12, 2010. I live in San Jose, CA.
I bought mine about the time you bought yours, and I got my plates about 2 weeks ago. I recall many dealerships do not send in the paperwork to DMV immediately, and sometimes delay as much as a couple of weeks (I guess they could delay even longer). Personally, not receiving the plates isn't much of a concern. But not being in the DMV computer is a problem. You'd better get some explanation from the dealership on why you aren't in the DMV's computer. Dumb Mike
Success - 64 days after I purchased the car, and 34 days since the state showed me registered (with these plates), I finally received my plates today.
Working with the state government here is California is really strange these days. Earlier this summer I sent Sacramento a check ($$$) for an issue relating to my business. It took them 3 months before the check cleared the bank! Having been under contract from time to time for various state government agencies, I see government employees under stress (gee - just like us in the commercial world) and somewhat depressed. Consequently, our government may not always respond in a timely manner as one would normally expect. This summer, I bought a motorcycle out of state, and when I brought it to the Ca DMV for an inspection and registration, they gave me the license plate right at the DMV! Congrats on getting your plates. Be sure to put on the front one. It is no longer an option. A business associate of mine recently got a fix-it ticket because he did not have front license plate. Keith
