A 7 year old problem reaches 7 On Your Side and takes 7 days to solve.
Thursday January 17th at 5 we'll bring you an investigation about what can go wrong when you donate a vehicle to charity. A Virginia man who thought he was doing something good learned a hard lesson.
He got stuck with fines and penalties after his donated vehicle ended up abandoned on the streets of Baltimore. Baltimore got proof that he no longer owned the vehicle at the time it was ticketed yet because of it's bureaucratic ways it will not release the penalties and fines. "Nothing we can do..that's the way the law is written" according to Janice Simmons head of collections for Baltimore.
I asked Mayor Sheila Dixon's office to help. If the laws are so inherently unfair, then rewrite them. Worse than that, the consumer reached out to the charity for help.
The Children's Literacy Fund strung him along for 7 years. It's since changed locations from Maryland to Glenside PA. We had to get everyone involved on this one. The Maryland Motor Vehicles Department, Virginia DMV, The City of Baltimore and it's collection agency and the Better Business Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance. Bottom line it came down to Wendy Cane, executive director of the Children's Literacy Fund, as we appeal to her charitable nature to help out. I'll tell you all about it tomorrow.
