Davidson County Clerk's Office Joins Long List of Groups Screwed By Misnomer
There are plenty of reasons to stay out of your car these days. The rising cost of gas. July heat that can make the front seat of a Civic feel like the inside of a rotisserie. Bumper sticker-induced bouts of rage.
But a new menace is lurking. One that threatens to further aggravate Nashville drivers and force them to consider, just maybe, whether that new SUV might serve them better as an expensive flower box.
That's right, the "convenience charge," the inappropriately named scourge of Ticketmaster customers the world over, has come to vehicle registration.
On May 20th, Davidson county's clerks office began offering residents the chance to renew their registration online. Busy homemakers and nudists countywide rejoiced: One-click compliance meant one less item on the "to-do" list and more opportunities to run errands in the buff.
But as one irate reader pointed out, the service comes at a cost: A hefty $5.99, or roughly one thimble's worth of Pure Premium.
A phone call to the clerk's office revealed that the source of the fee comes from charges levied by credit card companies. Visa and Mastercard love your money and will be happy to take it, so long as you provide them a little extra for their trouble.
As far as mobile irritants are concerned, the registration fee is still relatively low on the list (directly above "Drive-time DJs"). But combined with the laundry list of aggravations most drivers deal with on a daily basis, it's enough to make us consider using our jalopy exclusively for floral display. After all, where else are we going to put these gladiolas?
Comments
So is there an electronic funds transfer option that eliminates the convenience fee?
Posted 07/21/2008 at 06:14:35 PMTom --
Called the clerk's office again and they said no such option exists. It appears the only way to avoid the fee is to register the old-fashioned way.
Posted 07/22/2008 at 11:37:30 AMWah! The demand for 'convenience' is what's destroying this consumer-only economy. Give me a break! Get some friggin clothes on and get your registration when you have to run some other errands.. or are branch locations not 'convenient' enough. Spoiled brats.
Posted 07/23/2008 at 03:13:31 PM