
Did you know there’s another way to do business with the DMV?
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Diverging Reports Breakdown
Did you know there’s another way to do business with the DMV?
Zaks Auto Registration is one of more than 6,000 second-line DMV partners licensed by the state that offer expedited DMV services for a fee. Assemblyman Matt Haney’s bill AB1190 would limit online partners to no more than 5% above the fees the DMV charges on its website. The online partners would also have to prominently show a working link to the DMV’s website, Haney said. The bill is not intended to affect DMV partners like Zaks that provide in-person services, he said. “It may cost more, but it’s way faster,” said Zaks DMV Service employee Nassib Ali. “That is ridiculous and it’’s a scam and it’s shameful,” he said of the DMV’s online business partners, which he called “shameful” and “ridiculous” and a “disgusting” way to run a business.
“Just like that: VIN verification is done,” said the duplicative-named inspector, who is also the owner of Zaks Auto Registration, in El Cajon.
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Zaks is a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it shop that’s big on saving time when it comes to providing about 80% of what the Department of Motor Vehicles provides, including title transfers, smog checks and the aforementioned VIN verifications.
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“It took me no more than 10 minutes,” Omar said with a grin, adding that the same service typically takes about an hour and a half at the DMV.
Omar’s shop is one of more than 6,000 second-line DMV partners licensed by the state that offer expedited DMV services for a fee.
“What’s up, man, how are you doing?” asked Nassib Ali as he walked up to and greeted a Zaks DMV Service employee sitting inside the shop.
Ali is a college student who, along with his father, buys cars, fixes them up a and sells them to make some extra cash. Many of those requires multiple DMV transactions, which he normally does outside of the DMV’s regular business hours.
“If you go to the DMV, it may not be open on a Saturday,” Ali said. “It may cost more, but it’s way faster compared to the DMV [where] you gotta get in line and all that.”
The DMV told NBC 7 Responds that these businesses help them meet the needs of more than 31 million vehicles in California. It also acknowledged that these partners offer quicker services and serve as a one-stop shop for auto registrations, allowing customers to pick up their license plates and registration tags in one visit. They also provide other services that require different forms, which, Omar said, they will help you fill out, unlike the DMV.
“They expect it to be filled out properly, so if you’re missing signatures — even something as small as a date — you are required to go and get that taken care of,” Omar said. “It cannot be done on the spot, and then you have to sometimes re-enter the line, which can be that much more of a hassle.”
However, there is a darker side to this industry, a risk that made Assemblyman Matt Haney pump the breaks and call for change when it comes to online DMV business partners.
“Right now, they can pretend to be the DMV,” Haney said. “People go there, you think you’re getting services from the DMV. You’re paying a lot more. That is ridiculous. It’s a scam and it’s shameful.”
Haney’s bill AB1190 would limit online partners to no more than 5% above the fees the DMV charges on its website. The online partners would also have to prominently show a working link to the DMV’s website.
The legislator said the bill is not intended to affect DMV partners like Omar’s business that provides in-person services.
“I do think that’s a different situation than the kind of challenges we’re seeing with online services that can be accessed on the DMV site in the exact same way just as quickly,” Haney said.
Omar explained that shops like his also need to adhere to DMV state regulations meant to protect consumers, including a requirement that a DMV Occupational License be prominently displayed to customers as they approach the shop. They must also show their prices upfront, with absolutely no hidden fees popping up on the back end of a transaction.
Omar said customers should also have recourse should something go wrong with their DMV service.
“Exactly: If something does happen, you have somebody to point the finger at,” Omar said.
AB1190 passed the Assembly and is now making its way through the Senate.