What’s the worst that can happen? One of the questions we’re asked with consistent regularity by customers across the county.
If you know Take My Scrap Car, you’ll know we’re champions of responsible car scrapping and recycling. Nevertheless, it sometimes isn’t until you face the consequences personally that you realise how important it is to do things properly.
Something that played out quite painfully for one poor motorist in the United States earlier this month.
A Cautionary Tale from Across the Pond
A proud resident of Portland, Katie Orr went to the press to tell her cautionary tale for the benefit of others. Like any responsible citizen, she decided that the time had come to get rid of her run-down Honda. It was no longer roadworthy, so she looked into local car scrapping and recyclingoptions. Like most, she wanted to ensure she got at least something out of the deal. Subsequently, she took it to a local business that promises to pay its customers ‘Cash for Junk Cars’.
She called the company, watched her scrap car being towed away and figured that was the end of that. Job done – old Honda gone. Unfortunately, she then received a rather angry letter from local authorities a few days down the line. Much to her bemusement, she was told that her vehicle had been impounded. For from the responsible car scrapping and recycling she’d sent it away for.
Paying the Price
At the time she handed her car over, she was paid $100 for the privilege. Not bad for doing the right thing – certainly better than nothing. Sadly, she then went on to find herself with bills and penalties totalling more than $500. Unsurprisingly, she had a whole bunch of questions to ask the car scrapping and recycling specialist.
Not least of which being – how did a car that didn’t even run get back on the road in the first place?
Unsurprisingly, the car scrappingcompany that took her Honda off her hands was unwilling to comment on the issue. And nor were they willing to accept any kind of responsibility. Or contribute to any of the penalty payments.
Fair or not, it’s standard practice for the courts to rule in favour of cops and towing companies. As she hadn’t followed official car scrapping and recycling rules to the letter, she was held accountable. She may have handed over the keys, but she still remained the legal owner of the vehicle. Hence, the trouble it rolled into after the ‘sale’ was hers to deal with.
Important Lessons to Learn
All in all, the moral of the story is quite simple. If you want to do the right thing with your end-of-life vehicle, you need to hand it over to the right people. That being, a fully licensed and regulated car scrapping and recycling specialist. Not some random local business that offers cash for scrap cars.
While on that note – cash payments are no longer legal, so don’t accept them.
Bidding a car farewell is only final if you formally relinquish ownership at the time. You may be told it’ll be handled on your behalf, but how can you be sure? What if your car remains your property and gets into mischief?
Here at Take My Scrap Car, we always ensure all legal boxes are ticked for the benefit of our customers. We’re committed to total peace of mind and we always double-check the details. If you’re unsure how to declare your vehicle out of service for good, we can help.
What’s more, we also promise to pay the best possible price for every scrap car we take. Calculated in accordance with scrap values on the day, you won’t find a better deal in the area.
So rather than taking a leaf from poor Katie Orr’s book, trust Take My Scrap Car to do the right thing with your end-of-life vehicle.
