To Whom it May Concern,
A little while ago, in June, I bought myself a moped from a seller in Maryland. My AAA membership is through my mother and she had sent the check in the mail about two weeks before I came in to AAA to attempt to do a title transfer and get a registration for the moped.
The fact that the check had not been processed after having been sent two weeks earlier, that is not my main issue.
My main issue lies in the way I was spoken to about this moped. I don't know if I wasn't very clear on the fact that this was a moped, it has pedals, it is not a scooter or a motorcycle. It is a motor-assisted bicycle. The "member services specialist" that I got clearly did not understand that until he went out to verify the VIN on the vehicle where he exclaimed, "OH, it's like a BIKE with a MOTOR." Yes. That is a moped.
Before he saw the vehicle he noticed that on the Maryland title there is a note there that states, "NOT TO BE REGISTERED." That is because in Maryland when you apply for a title for a moped or you transfer a title for a moped, you are automatically given a sticker that acts as your "plate." There is no registration for mopeds in Maryland. When your member services specialist noticed this note on the title he promptly looked at me and asked in a patronizing tone, "Where did you think you were going to ride this? It says it's not to be registered." Even after his coworker leaned over to correct him on this and I explained that in Maryland one does not register a moped, this issue is brought up again later after we find out that we can't process anything because
1. He will not take my printed insurance I.D. card because "it isn't printed very well."
2. I have pay by check and I don't have a checkbook with me.
3. The check my mother wrote two weeks prior has not been processed yet and I can't pay that bill (not that I had a checkbook anyway.)
This is the part where I got anxious and started to cry (social anxiety gets to me when I am spoken down to.)
So it had been stated that I would need to come back with a "real" insurance I.D. card, after the check has cleared, and with a checkbook for us to finish what I started there, okay fine. But as I stated, the issue of the registration wasn't over. He told me that when I came back in next time he was NOT going to issue me a moped plate because of the "NOT TO BE REGISTERED" on the MD title and that he would have [DMV] issue me the plate instead. He told me that would probably make it so that I could not ride the moped for another month or so after I came in the next time. I had already made up my mind that this was too much of a hassle when he asked me if I'd like to know how much I'd be paying the next time I came in. I told him that it didn't matter, mainly because I was upset and I didn't want to stay in the building any longer as I was being stared at for crying. He asked again but this time aggressively and I couldn't answer him so he told me the price which was 50-something and I just nodded and ran out of the building.
I have not been back.
In fact that same day I took the moped to a notary and within ten minutes I had the title transferred, the temp registration and a plate, and she didn't have a single issue with my insurance I.D. card. I also paid with a Visa card. It was less than 20 dollars more.
Fast forward and [DMV] has had absolutely NO ISSUE with registering my moped and transferring the title even with a "not printed very well" insurance card which was further "not printed very well" when the notary put it through the copier.
She was kind to me, knew exactly what a moped was, didn't have any trouble with it at all, and had me legal to drive in ten minutes.
I don't know why this happened to me at AAA. Is it because I look young? Is it because I was alone? Is it because I'm female? Is it because I'm only a 5-year member? I don't know why I would have been spoken to like I am stupid or not worth someone's time. I don't know why, after I am crying, someone would compound my anxiety by telling me that they were not even going to help me the next time I came in, making that whole morning a huge waste of time. I don't know why anyone would speak to me the way I was spoken to after I am already visibly upset.
My mother renews my AAA membership every year as a half-birthday gift. I'm going to have to think very long and hard about whether or not I'm going to tell her not to bother anymore.
Thank you for your time,
Gaki
A little while ago, in June, I bought myself a moped from a seller in Maryland. My AAA membership is through my mother and she had sent the check in the mail about two weeks before I came in to AAA to attempt to do a title transfer and get a registration for the moped.
The fact that the check had not been processed after having been sent two weeks earlier, that is not my main issue.
My main issue lies in the way I was spoken to about this moped. I don't know if I wasn't very clear on the fact that this was a moped, it has pedals, it is not a scooter or a motorcycle. It is a motor-assisted bicycle. The "member services specialist" that I got clearly did not understand that until he went out to verify the VIN on the vehicle where he exclaimed, "OH, it's like a BIKE with a MOTOR." Yes. That is a moped.
Before he saw the vehicle he noticed that on the Maryland title there is a note there that states, "NOT TO BE REGISTERED." That is because in Maryland when you apply for a title for a moped or you transfer a title for a moped, you are automatically given a sticker that acts as your "plate." There is no registration for mopeds in Maryland. When your member services specialist noticed this note on the title he promptly looked at me and asked in a patronizing tone, "Where did you think you were going to ride this? It says it's not to be registered." Even after his coworker leaned over to correct him on this and I explained that in Maryland one does not register a moped, this issue is brought up again later after we find out that we can't process anything because
1. He will not take my printed insurance I.D. card because "it isn't printed very well."
2. I have pay by check and I don't have a checkbook with me.
3. The check my mother wrote two weeks prior has not been processed yet and I can't pay that bill (not that I had a checkbook anyway.)
This is the part where I got anxious and started to cry (social anxiety gets to me when I am spoken down to.)
So it had been stated that I would need to come back with a "real" insurance I.D. card, after the check has cleared, and with a checkbook for us to finish what I started there, okay fine. But as I stated, the issue of the registration wasn't over. He told me that when I came back in next time he was NOT going to issue me a moped plate because of the "NOT TO BE REGISTERED" on the MD title and that he would have [DMV] issue me the plate instead. He told me that would probably make it so that I could not ride the moped for another month or so after I came in the next time. I had already made up my mind that this was too much of a hassle when he asked me if I'd like to know how much I'd be paying the next time I came in. I told him that it didn't matter, mainly because I was upset and I didn't want to stay in the building any longer as I was being stared at for crying. He asked again but this time aggressively and I couldn't answer him so he told me the price which was 50-something and I just nodded and ran out of the building.
I have not been back.
In fact that same day I took the moped to a notary and within ten minutes I had the title transferred, the temp registration and a plate, and she didn't have a single issue with my insurance I.D. card. I also paid with a Visa card. It was less than 20 dollars more.
Fast forward and [DMV] has had absolutely NO ISSUE with registering my moped and transferring the title even with a "not printed very well" insurance card which was further "not printed very well" when the notary put it through the copier.
She was kind to me, knew exactly what a moped was, didn't have any trouble with it at all, and had me legal to drive in ten minutes.
I don't know why this happened to me at AAA. Is it because I look young? Is it because I was alone? Is it because I'm female? Is it because I'm only a 5-year member? I don't know why I would have been spoken to like I am stupid or not worth someone's time. I don't know why, after I am crying, someone would compound my anxiety by telling me that they were not even going to help me the next time I came in, making that whole morning a huge waste of time. I don't know why anyone would speak to me the way I was spoken to after I am already visibly upset.
My mother renews my AAA membership every year as a half-birthday gift. I'm going to have to think very long and hard about whether or not I'm going to tell her not to bother anymore.
Thank you for your time,
Gaki
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