Registration Fee

My local newspaper had a blurb today about the new late fee that Ohio is charging people when they renew their registration more than a week past the due date - which, btw, is your birthday, so make sure you register on time or it will cost you $20.

The late fee isn't actually new anymore; it was implemented in October, a few weeks before my own birthday. Some of you may recall my outrage at being charged $20 for what I had always thought (and many many other people thought) was a due MONTH or at least grace period for registration renewal.

The woman at the BMV claimed there had been advertising and press releases regarding the new fee, but I sure as heck don't recall seeing or hearing anything about it. Also, when my renewal notice came in the mail, there was some wording about a late charge being assessed to SOME vehicles but not specifically which vehicles were being included. Why didn't the renewal notice say something like "All private passenger vehicles will be assessed a late charge of $20 if they are not renewed on time?

Further, how fair is it that only people in the last quarter of 2009 were assessed this charge? NOT VERY, I can tell you!

Long story short, make sure you renew your vehicle early this year.