Vicroads Suspended My Rego 3 Months after The Transfer Was Made

I bought a car 3 months ago and I transferred the vehicle to my account. During the transfer from the seller, the Vicroads online account displayed that the transfer fee was already paid and completed the transfer. I received the confirmation email with no dues. so I agreed with the seller to pay for the roadworthy certificate and additional cost for repairs. My transfer was smooth and has no issues. I could see the car in my account and even have the transfer confirmation email from Vicroads

Now after 3 months, my rego has been suspended and I am asked to pay $600. They informed me that it was a technical issue and now they have identified that I have to pay the transfer fee. I cannot pay it online in my account. I have to visit the Vicroads centre and pay the amount or give my credit card details over the phone.

In between a lockdown, I am not sure what my rights are here. Isn't VicRoads responsible for my loss during my purchase? Can they just suspend my rego?

As Vicroads confirmed (or mislead me) that stamp duty and transfer fee is already paid I have agreed to pay other costs such as RWC and repair costs during my purchase. This is the loss.. So I was misled and I would have not paid those costs and negotiated differently had I known I had to still pay the transfer fee.. I followed the process set up by Vicroads and the transfer was complete. I have records that Vicroad sent me.. Ideally if I hadnt paid the transfer fee, the rego gets suspended in 4 weeks.. not 3 months..

They woke up suddenly and realise their mistake and someone else has to bear the loss..Now if they came back after 3 months to collect this.. i cannot go back and ask the seller about this.

So Vicroads can screw up anything, but will not have any repurcussions? Should I bear the loss even when its Vicroad's mistake?

Say you buy something from Target and its been mispriced at checkout. You buy it and go home following the process set up by the provider. Then you get a bill for $1000 after 3 months. Had I known that I had to pay $1000 I wouldnt have made the purchase.. or found the product cheaper elsewhere.. Can the store come back and ask customers to pay up for their mistake after like 3 months????I feel its violating consumer rights

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VicRoads
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Comments

  • +1

    Did you give VicRoads a copy of the RWC after you completed it?

  • +1

    Yes I uploaded the RWC and completed the transfer..

  • +4

    Was the money actually deducted from your card at the time?

    • +13

      No, he's saying the site stuffed up and didn't charge him anything. He got a free rego transfer but they're trying to get the money from him and he wants to pay nothing.

      • +2

        When I've bought used cars and the registration was transferred, the registration period that the seller had already paid for remained valid after the transfer. I had to pay a registration transfer fee and stamp duty, but not additional registration until after the expiry date.

        The vehicle's registration expiry used to be on the registration sticker, but now may be checked on the Vicroads website.

  • +5

    Are you sure you're actually dealing with VicRoads and this isn't some sort of scam?

    • No, unfortunately it is VIcroads and my rego is suspended now for real.. I cant use my car this weekend until they open on Monday

      • +8

        Damn.. what a pain in the ass. Typical government department - they'll probably get away with the screwup and the loss will end up being yours.

        But then if I think about it, if I purchase a vehicle privately (not through a dealer), I'd expect to be paying for the rego transfer fee on top of what I'm paying for the car. So since they told you it was already paid (but you didn't actually pay) at the time of purchase, and you need to pay it now, you're not really losing out in terms of money, are you?

        • +2

          Usually RWC is at buyer expense. Since VIcroads confirmed there was no need to pay the transfer fee, I agreed to pay for the RWC and repair costs which were almost the value of transfer fee.

          The seller herself had transferred the ownership a few days before that from a novated lease company and we thought it was thus exempted from transfer fee due to this transfer happening within a week again.. I just relied on what Vicroads told me. I would have negotiated differently had I been informed correctly

          • @mikesyd2011: Thanks for clarifying. That makes more sense now, except:

            The seller herself had transferred the ownership a few days before that…

            How did the previous owner do the transfer a few days before? Usually, the full payment is required at the time an application is lodged to initiate the rego transfer. Could it be possible that the previous owner or leasing company did a chargeback after the transfer went through and it's taken VicRoads (and their shitty systems) this long to realise?

          • +23

            @mikesyd2011:

            Usually RWC is at buyer expense.

            I think you misspelt SELLER.

  • +1

    No Vicroads said that the fee was not due on my account and it has already been paid for. So I agreed to pay for RWC and repair costs as a part of the negotiation which was about $500

    • +1

      Paid for by whom? The seller?

    • -6

      So I agreed to pay for RWC and repair costs as a part of the negotiation which was about $500

      That seems like a you problem.

  • Do you actually have a record you paid the transfer fee?

    • +1

      Yes I have the email from Vicroads on the day I made the transfer. Which clearly states that the RWC is uploaded and the fee is paid (no dues). I have record of my vehicle transfer being completed

  • +4

    Forget what VicRoads have told you as it is a well known fact their computer systems are in total chaos at the moment.
    My question really was how did you pay the transfer fee, viz. credit card etc and do you have evidence of such payment of the fee.

    • We dont get email with payment confirmation. We just get one email confirmation after the transfer is completed.

      • +3

        You never paid the Transfer Fee. You knew you had to pay the transfer fee. Because of the glitch you thought that the Taxpayer paid the transfer fee on your behalf. You thought you could get away with it (which amounts to stealing from the Government). Now you need to pay up.

    • +3

      He never paid xfer fee/stamp duty

  • +1

    If you want to use your car Monday, you're going to have to bend over.

    Otherwise, FIGHT!

  • +2

    Did you ? pay for 12 months registration , i mention this as you can get a 3 month 6 month rego etc ? in either case print out your payment to vic roads to show what you paid for .

    • +1

      Yes the rego is paid for 12 months and in not due until early next year… I am thinking of going to ACCC.. not sure if its violation of consumer rights.. Once a service has been complete and the service provider has agreed then can they come back and charge extra?? This is what I am hoping to fight for

      • Good luck with it , i would print documents , payments etc show what youve paid down their and see if the can work it out for you .

      • +4

        Are you sure you are not talking about transfer fees+stamp duty and not rego as these are two completely different payments. You (usually the buyer) pays the transfer fees and stamp duty which is calculated based on the sales figure and charged when you submit the RWC and the transfer form signed by both the seller and the buyer. I have a feeling this is what VicRoads is claiming that you haven't paid.

  • +1

    Transfer fee or stamp duty?

    Transfer fee is like $24 flat rate
    Stamp duty varies by a formula

    • yeah includes transfer fee $40 and the rest is the duty

      • +2

        Buyer is responsible for both fees no matter what. If you didn't pay them then you owe VicRoads the transfer fee and stamp duty. If not paid rego will be suspended.

        Car value about $13k?

        Is this the first car you have purchased and transferred in Victoria?

  • +2

    So how did you pay - credit card or bank transfer and do you have proof of that charge to your account?

    • +4

      OP seems to have avoided this question many times above already.

      • +1

        Like I said in the post, when I was transferring the car using my online account, the website mentioned the transfer fee was already paid. The seller had just paid transfer fee and stamp duty just a few days before that as she bought it from her novated lease company. So when VICroads confirmed that the payment was made, I agreed to pay for RWC and repair costs.. Hope this is clear

        • +6

          Ok now I'm really confused. The normal process for a transfer online for Vicroads is:

          Seller - submit a a notify of Disposal to Vicroads, the vehicle will be transferred into the name of the Buyer and appear in their VicRoads account the next day. (Step 1/2)

          Buyer - to complete the transfer (Step 2/2) the buyer needs to submit the following online;
          - completed and signed transfer form
          - road worthy certificate
          - payment of the motor vehicle duty and transfer fees

          Now you are saying the seller had just purchased the car from her novated lease company a few days before you started your transfer. That would of been the same process above but only for her and the leasing company. It would of needed to be done again and paid again.

          I'm assuming it was a technical glitch to show it as already paid, but I'm sure you knew this and wanted to roll the dice to see if you can get away with it.

          • @hellobargain21: Yes exactly.. That was the process.the notice of disposal request was raised by the seller and then the car appeared in my account. I then uplaoded the RWC and moved on to the payment page. Where it said that my transfer fee and stamp duty was already paid and moved on to confirmation page.. The transfer was then complete. So I agreed with the seller then to pay for the RWC as I could see the payments were not required for the transfer. I could see the car in my account and everything was set until yesterday. Now after 3 months my rego is suspended

            • @mikesyd2011: VICroads has confirmed verbally that there was a technical glitch as the system saw the transfer fee paid a few days before by seller during her novated lease purchase as the fee that was due on my transfer.

            • +2

              @mikesyd2011: I do agree with you that as VicRoads does have part fault in this too and coming back to suspending it and making you pay upfront with no negotiating or offering favorable terms for both parties doesn't sit right.

          • +2

            @hellobargain21: *would have

        • +1

          The seller had just paid transfer fee and stamp duty just a few days before that as she bought it from her novated lease company

          I haven't novated in a few years but I've had 5 in the last 20 years and it never worked this way. I've just paid the balloon + GST to finalise a novated lease. Things might be different now though.

          • +8

            @Muzeeb: Yes I use to work for a novated lease companies and the vehicle registration is registered in the customer name, so no need to transfer. Only need to pay the financier to discharge the PSSR.

        • Is it possible that the confirmation letter they send you is the one confirming novated leasing company to seller and not seller to you?

    • +2

      During the transfer from the seller, the Vicroads online account displayed that the transfer fee was already paid and completed the transfer.

      OP hasn't paid anything I'm guessing and probably misinterpreted something along the lines of stamp duty etc must be finalised in 21 days for example.

  • +15

    What loss? You didn't pay at time of transfer, you get to pay now? It' is annoying, but not much that can be done by the look of it. Pay credit card over the phone.

    • +4

      Stop this logic immediately.

    • As Vicroads confirmed (or mislead me) that stamp duty and transfer fee is already paid I have agreed to pay other costs such as RWC and repair costs during my purchase. This is the loss.. So I was misled and I would have not paid those costs and negotiated differently had I known I had to still pay the transfer fee.. I followed the process set up by Vicroads and the transfer was complete. I have records that Vicroad sent me.. Ideally if I hadnt paid the transfer fee, the rego gets suspended in 4 weeks.. not 3 months..

      They woke up suddenly and realise their mistake and someone else has to bear the loss..Now if they came back after 3 months to collect this.. i cannot go back and ask the seller about this.

      So Vicroads can screw up anything, but will not have any repurcussions? Why should I bear the loss when its Vicroad's mistake

      Say you buy something from Target and its been mispriced at checkout. You buy it and go home following the process set up by the provider. Then you get a bill for $1000 after 3 months. Had I known that I had to pay $1000 I wouldnt have made the purchase.. or found the product cheaper elsewhere.. Can the store come back and ask customers to pay up for their mistake after like 3 months????I feel its violating consumer rights

      • +15

        I followed the process set up by Vicroads and the transfer was complete.

        No you didn't. The correct process (and the process setup by VicRoads) is what hellobargain21 outlined above. The car appeared in your Vicroads account only because the seller submitted a a notice of Disposal (could be done online) and then it is removed from the seller's account and moved to yours. This does not mean the transfer is complete. The transfer is completed only when you turn up at Vicroads within 21 days and submit RWC, Transfer form and make the payment. This is how 100's of cars are sold and bought every week in VIC and if you (and the seller) decided to do it your own way then I'm not really sure how it could be the fault of VicRoads.

      • +6

        I have agreed to pay other costs such as RWC and repair costs during my purchase. This is the loss

        That was a choice you made, not a loss forced upon you.

        • -7

          It was a choice I made because of the information that Vicroads provided.. I would have made a better financial choice VICroads did their job perfectly

          • @mikesyd2011: It is still a choice, no one had a gun to your head, therefore the "loss" was causes by you, not VicRoads. Everyone has to pay transfer fees.

            • @brendanm: Yes I agree… but I was told its paid already by VICroads.. now they are saying its not..

              • +5

                @mikesyd2011: If you didn't pay, then it hasn't been paid has it?

                Even if they did this, and you legitimately thought it had been "paid" magically, it was your choice to pay for the other stuff that the seller should have paid for. That is only on you, no one else.

                There is no loss and nothing to get from VicRoads, except your registration, when you pay the money you owe.

                  • +7

                    @mikesyd2011: If you know the law, then why did you bother asking your question here? Seems you already know the answer…

                    Please, cite the law you are referencing that they have broken. Have you thought about taking your case up with a lawyer?

                    Anyway… they paid for their transfer fees, you didn’t pay for yours. Pay your fees and get your registration reinstated…

                  • @mikesyd2011: I don't think you know the law mate.

                    • +2

                      @brendanm: The law? The law is a far cry.

                      The OP seems to be confused about a simple transfer process that's clearly outlined in VicRoads website as well as in the paperwork the OP obviously didn't read properly.

                      Besides, they also seem somehow convinced that VicRoads is responsible for them negotiating poorly. I've never heard of a buyer paying for rwc or repairs, ever in a non-auction type situation (sold as is).

          • +2

            @mikesyd2011: You seems to avoid listening to the answer that everyone keeps saying to you; you have no case against Vicroads, even if you got it in writing there's no way they will reimburse you for a decision you made to a third party.

            Sure, in the ideal world people won't make mistakes or give incorrect advice, but it doesn't mean you are due compensation each time when those things happen.

  • +2

    Sounds like some confusion. Novated lease no real relevance as it was paid out. Previous owner would have been registered owner and you would have pay stamp duty.
    If they said it was paid then that would be there error.
    Unlikely someone going to pay your stamp duty for you

  • +6

    No private seller would ever agree to cover stamp duty, as every used car in Australia is sold plus stamp duty. Not to mention that the stamp duty bill doesn't get sent to the seller, nor is it an instant bill for them to pay.

    OP, you dun fked up

  • +2

    Pay up. You didn’t pay the transfer fee and stamp duty. It doesn’t matter what their system said. Based on your comments you seem to be well aware that it was a system mistake from the get go and not that you didn’t actually owe vic roads the transfer and stamp duty for some magical reason. You could have called or visited to confirm if it was a mistake you didn’t, you let it slide . A system mistake doesn’t void your obligation to pay the transfer fee or stamp duty. Playing ignorant and acting like “oh your system said it was paid so I thought I didn’t actually owe anything I didn’t know any better it’s your system fault you should just let me get away with not paying because hey I didn’t know any better” is not going to fly. I mean you had a good run you almost got away with it but hey you didn’t. Next time you run into something that clearly a system mistake I suggest putting the money aside instead of spending it on other things because most the time they’ll eventually realise the mistake and come and get their money one way or another.

  • Seems to me it would be easier to lie about the pric of the vehicle if paying the $500 is an issue. It’s only a tax, tax avoidance is about as Aussie as you can get lol

  • Vicroads online is down atm 😷

  • +3

    Oh, and your analogy is bogus. It is not even remotely the same thing. An error in the price of a retail product is not the same as dodging your legal obligations.

    And basically, yes, Target could go you for that difference in price. If you knew what the price was, and it was freely available information what the price was (advertising, price stickers, web stores, etc) and you knowingly let the transaction slide through at $1000 off the price you knew that it should be, they most likely are entitled to chase you for the remainder or for the item to be returned.

    So, just like that case, you tried to sneak through without paying full price, knowing that you should have to pay. You are now refusing to pay, even though store policy says you have to pay. You can either pay what you owe, or hand the plates back in and go somewhere else to get your rego… oh, hold on… you can’t.

    InB4; no conformation bias and DisabledUser259757

    • In Target’s case, how could they chase you if you paid by cash? I think in that case they would let it slide.

      • if Target has the power and jurisdiction as Vicroads then they'd probably do that.

  • Well visit and pay what is owing

  • Ask the previous owner to pay or go shares, anyway that sucked and your screwed. Happens all day, everyday with cars!

  • +2

    You and the seller saw that the transfer fee ($600 - based on what you bought the car for) was marked as paid. You had not paid this (as you would have expected to) so instead of querying it you (and presumably the seller) decided to take a risk. As you then paid the seller $500 the potential gain for you was $100 and the potential gain for the seller was $500 (hmmm). Now, as it turns out, the risk went bad and the potential gains have evaporated. Thus you may feel the seller should reimburse you $500……… Good luck with that!

  • +2

    Similar experience for me however I am not as unhappy as the OP:). Seller submitted the notice of sale to Vicroads and shared a screen shot with me of his submission / Vicroads account. The car started appearing in my Vicroads acocunt as pending. I uploaded the RWC on my Vicroads account and got the transfer pending confirmation, was surprised as no fees were mentioned or asked during the online process. Next day got confirmation that transfer completed. After 2 weeks got a letter from Vicroads asking for transfer fees, went to Vicroads and paid the fee. My only concern was why cant i pay the fee online.

    Assuming that transfer fees of a new transfer of vehicle have been already been paid is not a wise assumption.

  • As others have said vicroads has a process they go buy.

    If you want to do something different and negotiate something else with the person you are dealing with then that’s on you.

    Take it as an expensive lesson and next time do it the normal way that vicroads has set out.

  • +1

    Hard lesson.
    Don’t ever pay for the RWC as buyer.

  • +1

    There's something here the OP isn't telling us. He keeps tip toeing around the question of how he paid for the transfer.

    Either he got confused with the email or the system incorrectly didn't charge him and they are now rectifying it and he's annoyed.

  • Sounds like the QLD govt: 6 months ago 42% worked, gone down to below 40% now. At one time they forced to pay car owners for their faulty plates. It took the ACCC to force them to refund every single customer!

  • +4

    Confused….they didnt charge you what you owed due to a computer glitch. The glitch is now fixed. They now want the money that you owe them. Whats the issue?

  • +1

    You are essentially trying to claim consequential damages from the government based off you thinking you got away with something you clearly needed to pay.

    Bit harsh to cancel your rego for their mistake. But I don't think you are entitled to anything at all. This is a government body you are trying to deal with.

    • Vic roads suspended Op's Rego pending payment of the transfer fee which OP never made and foolishly thought the taxpayer would pay up. The glitch in the system was that the car was just bought by the seller who paid their own transfer fees a few days ago.

  • +2

    If it was already paid, you shouldn't have any problem getting proof (bank statement or something like that) from the seller, no? However, if it was paid by being free at the time through a technical flaw, well, that does not count. It is like getting Netflix through a bug for free and then complaining they suspended the service after a few months because you never paid for it.

  • +4

    SUMMARY - OP initially got away with not paying stamp duty due to glitch which they 100% knew (disregard the red herrings in the story). Now glitch is fixed and need to pay.

  • +2

    so what you're saying is that you didnt pay all the fees and had the chance to rectify it over the phone but you were too nanny to give your cc details to fix it and now complain about it?

    Ok sure op, let me know how you go bringing legal proceedings against VIC roads. Thx

  • +2

    Clearly you need to pay to register your car, I would of actually of chased it up myself because your rego is tied to things like Compulsory Third Party Insurance and also just not wanting to risk driving an unregistered vehicle and messing with your comprehensive insurance etc…

    Sorry but is OP completely in the wrong.

    If I didn't get charged for a video game from Amazon I'd be like score free game… if I didn't get charged stamp duty on buying a house or some other government levy, you chase that shit up!

  • My friend is a top level manager there. They're hopeless. Endless politics.

    Took them I think 1-2 years after they stopped sending out paper rego stickers to people to enable e-mail/calendar reminders for vehicle registration.

    Actually, I don't think they send out e-mail reminders still.

    And if you have multiple cars, you still need an e-mail for each car.

    I think they're the last government beuarocracy that has yet to have an overhaul.

    • It shows too… ARCHAIC

  • Everyone knows you CANNOT TAKE ON Government departments.

    If OP has not paid for the transfer fee then clearly VIC Roads has every right to demand payment.

    So stop wasting everyone's time OP

    Just pay the transfer fee and stop complaining!

    All you are doing is making a complete FOOL of yourself.

  • My car rego was suspended with compliance issue and I had it fixed. When I called up I was incorrectly told my rego was cancelled and that I needed to get a RWC to register the car again. I later found out I didn’t need to get RWC and I filed a complaint. Vicroads ended up paying the money I paid for the RWC. Everything was on the phone so they were able to listen to the conversation and confirmed that I was given wrong info. Only took 3 weeks for them to review and getting the cheque sent to my house.

  • Not sure why you keep stating you paid RWC and other costs. They have nothing to do with the Vicroads issue. Regardless of the message, it seems like you still havent paid the transfer fee. Did they tell you such before they suspended the rego?

  • Surely you had agreed on a purchase price of the car prior to the previous owner transferring it? If this was the case then you hadn’t seen that the transfer fee was not being charged at this point.

    Are you saying you agreed to pay extra, after seeing this?

  • +8

    "I drove my car through a red light, but because there were no police I didn't get pulled over and fined.
    Because I felt I had escaped a large fine, I spent the equivalent money buying drinks for my friends at the bar.
    Now the government has noticed I ran the red light a few weeks later, and is fining me. But I wouldn't have paid for those drinks if I knew I had to pay a fine.
    The government shouldn't fine me because I would have acted differently if I knew I had to pay it."

    OP, this is how silly you sound.

    • furthermore, "I also want to sue the Police as they didn't issue the fine on time"

    • -2

      There is just 1 flaw in your example. Government did not give you a certificate that there are no dues to be paid after crossing that red light.

      Don't know why everyone is picking on OP. Vic roads confirmed that the documentation is done and fees if fully paid already and there are no dues.

      OP's example is much better in this case that if you buy something from target, go to the checkout, get an invoice showing it's all paid but after 3 months target sends you an invoice saying it was a pricing error or system fault. How would you feel?
      I feel for you OP. But I guess you will have to suck it up.

      • +1

        If I go through a checkout and pay nothing, that would be a major clue of a system glitch. I may take the item and keep my fingers crossed but I wouldn't cry foul should they realise and ask for payment down the track. Your example is fine but it doesn't really help the point you are trying to make :)

  • That's a lot of text, but didn't you expect to pay a transfer fee?
    Pay then, pay now, no real difference.

  • OP sorry for your loss. Sometimes we pay for other people’s mistakes.

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