Frustration in the form of an unexpected letter: Let ABC15 Know viewer Steven received a letter from the Arizona Department of Transportation stating he did not have an insurance policy on record and needed to take action or his registration would be suspended.
"We've had insurance for years, same policy for years," Steven explained, adding his insurance had not lapsed once.
After receiving the letter, Steven says he immediately contacted his insurance company which, he was told, contacted ADOT.
"They sent them email with with my policy attached. Their email said, 'please see attached auto declarations page. Let us know if you need anything further,'" Seven recalled.
He thought the matter was settled. However, he received a big shock when he went to renew his vehicle registration.
"Their website was saying 'no registration found.' I called the MVD and said, 'What's going on here? Why is it saying no registration found?' Then, they told me, 'because your registration is suspended,'" Steven said, recalling the phone conversation.
Steven said when he called ADOT he wanted to know why his registration was suspended even after his insurance company said they emailed the policy. Steven said the representative told him emails are ignored because insurance companies must input information electronically, through the website.
He felt it wasn't right because his insurance had not lapsed, saying, "we are law abiding citizens, we follow the rules, and then our registration gets suspended even we didn't do anything wrong."
Steven began researching the situation and found previous reporting by ABC15 where consumers received suspension letters which they felt were sent by mistake. That's when Steven Let ABC15 Know.
We reached out to ADOT. A representative confirmed what Steven was told, stating for consumers to have their insurance updated with the MVD, the insurance company must report it using the Arizona Insurance Verification System's website.
We also asked about Steven's situation specifically and the following day he received an email stating his suspension was lifted.
In a statement, ADOT wrote, in part: "...we’re happy to report the suspension was lifted and no reinstatement fees required. In this particular case, it appears the vehicle information was not transmitted properly by the insurance company, causing the renewal not to upload to the insurance verification system. This was addressed and corrected by the company after the customer brought it to their attention. With the proper information submitted for this vehicle, the registration is now current and valid."
Now, Steven is back behind the wheel without worry, but said he wishes there was a better option for consumers to advocate for themselves in a situation like this.
"As a policy holder, you don't even have access to this website. You can't even verify that it was uploaded or not uploaded," Steven said, encouraging a change for consumers.
You can read more about ADOT's insurance requirements and the information systems on their website.
Arizona requires every motor vehicle on state roads to be covered by liability insurance.
The minimum amount is $25,000 bodily injury coverage for one person, $50,000 for all persons, and $15,000 property damage coverage.
