Titles aren't what they're cracked up to be

Last May we sold my son's car and getting the title for this car has been an absolute nightmare. It has been a perpetual process that I'm hopeful has finally, almost a year later, come to an end.

Because I was co-signer on the loan for my son, the title was in both of our names. When the car was sold I went to the bank and paid the loan and the teller advised that the title would be mailed out within a couple of weeks to my son. During that period my son moved out and changed his address.

I had assumed that the title was forwarded to my son's new address and had pretty much put the entire transaction out of my mind. About a month later the mother of the young man who purchased the car called our house and said they still hadn't received the title to the car. I contacted my son and told him that he'd probably have to go to the BMV and apply for a duplicate title. He advised he would so I again assumed things were taken care of and moved on.

Probably around September we had another message on our home phone from the mother pleading for us to do something about getting the title work completed but she didn't leave a phone number so we had no way to contact her. I called my son to see if he knew how to contact her and asked what the deal was with the title. He had no explanation. I asked him once again to please go apply for the duplicate title and considered myself, once again, done with the ordeal.

The phone rings at the end of November. Mind you its now been 8 months since the car was sold, and its the purchasers asking for help because they still had no title for the car. By now I decided I had better intervene. I probably should have months before but I was trying to give the benefit of doubt that the problems would get resolved.

I went to the bank and explained how we had sold the car in May and never received a copy of the title and these poor people who had purchased it had been unable to plate the car for all of these months. The representative at the bank advised that when my son and I took out the loan with them they had never received a title from the dealership that the car was purchased. However, they never told us that after we had taken out the loan. They suggested that I go apply for a duplicate title at the BMV.

I felt so bad for these people who had bought the car so the next week I went to the BMV and explained what had happened. By now its the first of December. The BMV clerk advised that it would take 6 to 8 weeks for the title to come and that that was the best that could be expected. What could I do? I now had a phone number for the people who had bought the car and I called and let them know the title had been applied for and that I would let them know as soon as it came, but it probably wouldn't be for at least another month.

At the end of December I still hadn't received anything from the BMV so I left a message on the purchasers phone as I felt it was the least I could do to keep them updated with as much as I knew.

Its now the end of January 2007 and 9 months since the car was sold. The young man who purchased the car phoned me and said that he had spoken to the BMV and they told him that the title had been sent to the bank on January 4th. I said I hadn't gotten anything in the mail from the bank nor the BMV and I would contact the bank.

I called the bank the next day and they said that the they received the duplicate title on January 5th and mailed it out right away. I said we had not gotten anything in the mail. She said it was mailed to my son at our address. My son has moved about 2 more times since then so with all the change of addresses he's put in at the post office who knows where it might be floating around. The bank said there wasn't anything they could do and that we'd probably have to go to the BMV and apply for a duplicate title again. That was not the answer I wanted to hear. After a little more discussion the bank said they could give me a lien release that would enable the purchaser to go to the BMV and apply for a title. I wanted these poor people to be able to get the title they needed and I didn't want to be in the middle of this anymore so I asked the bank to send the lien release to the branch I normally bank at and I would pick it up on Saturday.

Chaos continued when I stopped at the bank branch to pick up the lien release this past Saturday morning. When I arrived at the bank both the manager and the customer service rep were busy with customers so I sat patiently waiting. Only a few minutes had passed when the branch manager came over and introduced herself and asked how what she could do for me. I explained why I was there and she invited me into her office. Her desk looked like a tornado had just whipped through it before I got there. She said she recalled seeing an email that I would be in and she was frantically going through her in-box looking for the form. She couldnt find it so she dimissed herself to look elsewhere for it. A few minutes later she was back but had no form. She continued to look around the 'cycloned' desk and was on the phone with the main office. Not long after that she was off to look in other areas of the branch but was back in just a few minutes, still with no form. She then apologised for not being able to locate it and said she could just type something up for me. I said that was fine as long as it was good enough for the BMV. She assured me it was and completed it, signed it and sent me on my way.

I went home after that and hadn't been there for more than 10 minutes when the phone rang. It was the customer service representative from the bank branch that I had just left. She advised that the form had been her desk all along and she wasn't sure why the manager hadn't checked with her for it. The customer service rep wanted to know if I could come back and get before they closed at 12:30pm. It was already 12:10 and I said I didn't think it would be possible. She advised that the person who purchased the car could come get it instead if that would work better for me but I needed to give her his full name. Unfortnuately I didn't know his full name. I knew his phone number and first name but that was it. She said that would be ok as long as he brought the purchase agreement that we had signed when they bought the car with him when he came to pick up the lien release.

I called the young man and of course I got his voice mail. Perfect. I was just getting ready to call the bank back and tell them I couldn't reach him when he called me back. I got his last name and told him that he needed to take the agreement we signed with him to pick up the information and called the bank back. The customer service person apologised over and over for the confusion and thanked me for getting the purchasers information.

I'm worn out just typing this whole ordeal. I can't imagine how worn out the people who bought the car must have felt. Out of courtesy and concern I called the young man today to ensure he'd gotten the lien release on Monday and was on his way with getting the title, but of course I got his voice mail. I'd like to say that once again I've washed my hands of this ordeal but I don't think I'll be comfortable in saying that until I get a call back from him saying that he's applied for a title and then I'll know that the case is closed.