Monthly Archives: May 2017

New Fees in California eTags Wants You to Be Aware of

eTags provides online vehicle registration renewal services to motorists in California, Florida, and Maryland. They offers vehicle owners an alternative to standing in line at the DMV or even having to deal with confusing and sometimes frustrating online platforms with other online renewal options. They want their California customers to be aware that registrations fees will be slightly higher for certain vehicle owners next year when it comes time to renew.

 

In the state of California, registration fees go towards paying for the DMV and the California Highway Safety Patrol. However, new fees legislation passed in the California legislature and signed by Gov. Jerry Brown would go towards improving California’s roadway infrastructure. There will be two news registration fees that will go into effect on January 1st of 2018.

 

The first is called a “Transportation Improvement Fee.” This will be calculated on the value of the vehicle, but public officials note that most vehicle owners will spend around $50 for this fee based on average vehicle values. The second fee will be specifically for Californians who own zero-emissions vehicles. This will be $100, and it will offset some of the lost revenue that California has missed in the past year as these vehicle owners are not paying any taxes on gas, which are used for highway improvement projects.

 

Also, please keep in mind if you live in California that gas taxes will be going up soon as well as part of this bill. The gas tax will be bumped by 12 cents, and the diesel tax will go up an additional 20 cents. This increase is slated to take effect in November. If you renew your vehicle registration in 2018 through eTags or the DMV or just simply go to the pump, you will be paying more, so it’s important to keep this in mind when you budget out your vehicle expenses.Money

Reviewing eTags’ Services and Other Online Platforms

Woman with smartphone

 

We use technology for so many different things in our lives for convenience and because it’s just plain easier. Consider banking. Do you remember the old days when we actually had to go to the bank to deposit a check or conduct a transfer? You would have to make sure you could get make it during business hours, which could be difficult if you work a 9-5 job. You would have to stand in line and hope nobody had too complicated of a transaction. And when you finally were helped, you would have to resist being upsold on a new credit card or other bank promotion.

Now, all you need is your smartphone, an internet connection, and the check, and you can deposit it anytime, anywhere.

The same idea could be applied to the DMV.  Every year or two, depending on the state where you live, you will need to renew your vehicle registration. Now, before the Internet, smartphones, and mobile apps, you had no other choice but to use the snail mail option or go to the DMV in person. Obviously, this is not always the best use of time as lines can be long depending on when you go. In addition to that, you have to make sure you can make it to the DMV during its business hours, which, like banks, are often limited. Do you really want to use a personal day so you can renew your registration at the DMV? We are betting the answer to that question is now. Thanks to technology you may have more than just one online option. If you live in California, Florida, or Maryland, eTags offers an online registration renewal service that enable motorists to renew their registration on their laptop, mobile phone, or tablet right from their very own home. Just as technology has driven major changes in banking, it can do the same for some DMV services.

Here is where your input is very important. Whether at the start of the development of a new online service or after its establishment, your feedback is integral in the forward progress of updating antiquated processes like those of the banks and DMVs. By providing your feedback or review, you provide the people in charge of implementing things like online transaction platforms the information they need to both understand what people want and how in demand it is. Taking for example eTags again, the company founders identified an area of need where vehicle owners in many states were looking for more convenience than their state DMVs were offering. With continuous customer feedback from over 80,000 reviews to date, the company has added conveniences and improved their platform and overall customer experience. Imagine how that much feedback could help other companies or industries like real estate or even the food insustry.

When consumers leave feedback, industries respond.