124 Responses to “Who is GC Services and AllianceOne? They Are Not Court Employees.”

1. David W. Sommerville October 17th, 2007 at 4:39 pm

   AllianceOne, The following was NEVER removed f/ my Credit Report & hence is reflected on my Credit Score ? Can you PLEASE look at the following & take corrective actions ? I can be reached at (310)714-0818. Thank You,Dave Collection on debt to: 04 San Diego Superior Court Kearn
   The collection agency “Allianceone” was hired to collect a debt of $441 originally owed to “04 San Diego Superior Court Kearn” on account number “XXX9775″.

   Collection agency [?] Allianceone
   Original balance [?] $441
   Current balance [?] $115
   Status [?] Not Reported
   Date assigned [?] May 03, 2004

   Answer: We cannot help with credit report issues. Sorry. Attorney C. Dort: Email : cdort@dortlaw.com.
   Date reported [?] Jan 18, 2005
   Original lender [?] 04 San Diego Superior Court Kearn
   Account number [?] XXX9775
   Account holder [?] Individual

2. lexi May 21st, 2008 at 6:38 pm

   thank you so much. I have been so confused and concerned. There was an evil woman at GC who spoke too fast (on purpose) and would not clearly give me my new court date… now i cannot get in touch with them. I think they have a blacklist.

   Response: GC Services is a private collection agency that tries to collect the courts’ accounts receivable. They are not court employees. If you have a pending case that GC services is trying to collect, you should try dealing with the court clerk, not the collection agency. - Attorney C. Dort: Email : cdort@dortlaw.com.

3. claudia May 30th, 2008 at 3:36 am

   I had to pay Alliance One 300.00 dollars, they only accept money orders and after I sent it I had to called them and give them a reference number from the money order, I asked for a confirmation number from them but they do not give confirmation numbers. I thought everything had cleared but now I got a bill in the mail for 1500.00 saying that I never paid the original amount. Can anyone help me?

   Answer: Every case has a unique case # from the court. If you paid GC services for a case #, and they are still trying to collect for the same case #, send them your proof of payment. If you do not have proof that you paid for the case # they are trying to collect for, you did not pay it. Chances are that you have 2 different case #s, and that you paid one, but not both.

   But I would also say this: what truly matters is whether or not the court clerk shows the case as closed and paid. That is more important than the records of GC Services. If you are worried that your case was not properly closed by the court, you need to contact the court clerk. If you have proof you paid for a case that the court says is still pending, you need to take the proof to the court clerk.
   Attorney C. Dort: Email : cdort@dortlaw.com.

4. Mario A Ruiz July 25th, 2008 at 10:48 pm

   Get a Court Date from GC Services?

   How can I go about getting a court date for my case if it’s in GC services? I have tryed to get a court date and they always deny it. I am to the point where I am saving money just to pay them in full, because I am getting no where with them. But it seems as if I have to save money forever, because the amount that GC Services ask for are ridiculous. Can you please advise me how I can go about getting a court date through GC services? Is there a specific way or do you have to mention something out of the ordinary so they can budge? Thank you.
   
   Answer: I cannot tell where your issue is, but GC services works in many California Counties. In my opinion, based upon my personal experience (yours may be different), they do give out false information occasionally.

   Usually, it is the court clerk at the courthouse that sets court dates, so going to the courthouse may help. I would not ask a private collection agency to set a court date for me.

   Generally, you can never set a court date over the phone.

   If the court clerk denies a request for an “Arraignment”, sending in a written demand or “Motion” for an Arraignment in which you state that you have good cause for an Arraignment because you feel you have a defense to the alleged violation.

   If they deny such a motion, you can appeal in writing to the Superior Court, Criminal Appear division, via a “writ of mandamaus” - which is a fancy word for appeal to superior court judge.

5. STEPHENIE ARRIAGA August 22nd, 2008 at 3:42 am

   HOW CAN I GET INFORMATION FROM SACRAMENTO COUNTY ON WHAT THESE FINES ARE FROM AND WHY I HAVE THEM? I OWE GC $4000.00, AND SACRAMENTO COUNTY IS ALSO GARNISHING MY WAGES FOR ANOTHER $3800.00. I TRIED TO CALL BUT THEY GIVE ME THESE COURT CODES AND DATES FROM AS FAR BACK AS 1997?
   
   RESPONSE: Go to the court and discuss your case with the court clerk. It is only from the court that you can get reliable info on court cases.

6. Jamie September 26th, 2008 at 7:35 pm

   I’d like to make a comment about my exeriences in hopes that it will help someone out there.
   My store:
   Got a traffic ticket for $168
   Fax my credit card # for payment before payment due date
   Thought end of the story right? NOPE.
   1 months later, checked my credit card statements to see if it was ever billed and found it never was. So I faxed another letter to the courthouse asking someone to call me (their 800 number has over an hours wait time). I explained my story to the courthouse and was told it was sent to collections (Alliance One since I’m in San Diego), that I now owe $468 (YIKES!) and my credit is now affected. WTF right? So I printed a copy of the faxes on my fax machine to proof the date and the fact that this did transmit to the courthouse. As a result, I received a call, my fees were vacated (still owe the $168) and the courts would send me a letter to show the new judgement and a leter would be sent to Alliance One, and the courts would forward my cc infomation to Alliance One. Also, they noticed I had put in the wrong expiration date on my cc payment and made this the cause for the fact that the courts never billed me (which is crazy cause all they had to do was call me for a valid number rather than send me to collections). Anyways, called a week later, they told me to call Alliance One to get a letter to prove it was removed from my credit score. I was then told by Alliance one I still owed $458, and the have not rec’d any letter from the courthouse to indicate my case was vacated. I called the courthouse again, the person said they would forward this to Alliance one, and told me to follow up with Alliance One in another week. So I waited to weeks, gave them plenty of time to update their records. WHen I called, the Manager at Alliance one said she had NO records of my case being vacated, basically insinuating that I was lying, insisted on a credit card so they can bill me for the full amount, I told them hell no. WTF AGAIN. SO called the courts again, said they would forward to Alliance One and to follow up with them again. What a nightmare and all this was really never my fault to begin with, looks like my paperwork/fax was shuffled around with the courts and ‘lost’. As a result, I’ve had my credit dinged, spsent 1-2 hours each time (4 times total) I make calls to see what is going on. I’ve had everyone point fingers at someone else that this is still not taken care of. At the end of the day, I just want to pay my $168, remove that from my credit, get a copy from the collection agency as proof and move on. How hard is this for both parties to get it right? Gees. Let’s see what happens when I call next week. I’m sure I will get the run around and finger pointing again. Advice to your readers, STAY ON TOP of the case, and make sure you have ample proof, fax proof, and keep good notes and all paperworks sent to you.

   RESPONSE: Jamie, that sounds like a typical traffic court nightmare. The problem is that the collection Agency (Alliance One) has no interest at all in helping you out. My advice to others out there is this: Don’t try to pay traffic fine by fax. The most reliable way to pay a fine is to go to the court in person, pay in cash, and get a receipt. - Chris Dort, Esq.

7. misael October 2nd, 2008 at 5:39 pm

   I have three speeding tickets. Am getting a good job but they want at least two tickets. I want to know if i can go to court and tell my situation to the judge if he allow me to do community service and traffic school even though i already pay my tickets. or is somenthing i can do because right now i don;t qualified for traffic school but i can do somenthing extra to earn the traffic school to clear one ticket at least. Thank you. 619-623-5030

   RESPONSE: What in the world do you mean by: “Am getting a good job but they want at least two tickets.”?????? Dear readers, if you want a real response, please write something that makes sense. I am so sick of reading questions that do not make sense!!!! Chris Dort, Esq.

8. Gina October 16th, 2008 at 5:44 am

   I am “dealing with” Alliance One. Trail date was 06/30/08, found guilty for speeding, was given 45 days (by 08/14/08) to pay fine or complete traffic school, could not because of daughter’s illness, called court on 08/12/08 and got 30 day extension (09/15/08), still could not complete traffic school, appeared in court on 09/15/08 and granted another extension (10/16/08). I know I have received (2) 30-Day extensions, but serious, by daughter has a terminal illness, has been in Children’s Hospital and I had to resign from my career!

   So, with all that said:

   a) Can I receive another 30-Day extension? The Court website says you can receive first a 60-Day extension and if needed an additional 30-Day…

   b) The fine itself is $168. or $196. if I elect traffic school. Alliance One is billing me $203. and will not mail me a breakdown of the itemization of charges and cannot explain to me why the amounts differ. On 10/09/08, I certified a letter disputing the charges and mailed them a check for $196 since I am going to attend traffic school, I also CC: the Court Commissioner of the dispute. The check has not cleared and I have had no response. Please HELP ! Thank you :)

   RESPONSE: Traffic School takes less than one day ( a few hours) and can be done completely on line. Don’t waste your time trying to get an extension. That’s crazy. Just do it, or decide not to do it. Traffic school is optional.

   The fine is not optional. If you sent them $196, and they want $203 - you are fighting over $7. Get over it, cancel your first check, and send them $203.

   Don’t waste your time writing letters to a court commissioner. A commissioner is a temporary employee of the court, and they are not going to read or respond to your letter.

   If you already lost a trial - you cannot dispute the charges. Your case is over and you must pay.

   -Chris Dort, Esq.

9. Sheila November 5th, 2008 at 7:57 pm

   I am dealing with a 4 year old traffic citation that is in this magistrates court collection department for the amount of $1,032.00.

   The citation was issued to someone that used some of my information but not my documentation (no ID was used)

   The citation read “None” for drivers license. The first name is similar to mine but is not my legally documented name. The last name is correct. The address was correct. The physical description was similar. The vehicle was not registered in my name. It was registered to my Ex-husband as a loaner vehicle for his past business. It could have been a number of individuals. The charges were Speeding- No seat belt- No proof of insurance- No valid license.

   I have no recollection of this citation whatsoever. I had no knowledge of this citation until January of last year, when I received a collection company notice in the mail for $1,032.00 as a default judgement. I contacted this magistrate court to dispute it.

   I was told since it was in default, I had no recourse but to pay it. Unfortunately, for me, I just put it to the bottom of my life, assuming it it was just going to have to go on my credit report with a long line of others, thanks to a host of BAD marriage and divorce debt. Not realizing they would suspend my license.

   Well, come to find out they suspended my license at the end of that January. I am now being held hostage by this nightmare and am being told by the court clerk that my only option since it is in collection from default, is to write a letter to the judge at this magistrate court.

   This sounds kind of hokey to me…I have never heard of doing that, I mean am I in Mayberry? My question is, does this sound feasible or am I wasting my time writing him a letter? Or, is there a motion I can and should file to get this re-opened or re-heard. I mean could I be incriminating myself writing this, and how and what do I say to him if I write to him?

   I went to the magistrates court and got a copy of this citation, and it was altered by someone other than the original complainant (officer). A line was drawn through “None” in the DL box, and my drivers license was written in with different handwriting. In the defendant box a line was drawn through the original documented name, with my name being written in after it. The SSN box a line was drawn through and my SSN was written in after it. Basically the person that did this just used some of my information, the only correct information was the last name, and address.

   Some clerk after this document was issued, matched up some of the data with me and this is where I am at.

   This feels a lot like extortion, considering they wont release my drivers license until it is paid…I am a single mother on a fixed income with no means to pay such an exorbitant amount of money, in order to get my license back.

   The only reason I found out about this, is from being pulled over last week, for my tags being 14 days overdue. I live paycheck to paycheck, and yes, it was my error in my tags not being current. Not only did they impound my car to the tune of $380.00 to get it back out, but an additional $180.00 to get the tags current before they would release it. All in all, a nice $600.00 chunk of change I had to borrow from a Loan Shark.

   If I am stopped again with a suspended license they impound the vehicle for a mandatory minimum 30 days.

   So, basically this is legalized organized crime at its finest.

   This is insane, how am I supposed to work to support my kid if I can not drive. AZ has no restricted drivers license program for someone in my predicament, only for drunk drivers. Guess I would have had more options to keep my license by endangering the public vs failure to pay traffic infractions, that were not even mine to begin with.

   I know this was not me, unless I am suffering some memory loss

   Should they not have gotten the proper documentation first off upon issuance of this citation? If a clerk can use their discretion to alter legally issued documents after the original is issued, would that not call into question the entire legality and integrity behind every legally issued document in our justice system?

   I have documentation from Allstate Insurance attesting to the fact that I had a valid license and insurance coverage at the time this citation was issued. However, I don’t know that I should offer this information, without appearing to incriminate myself.

   Any recommendations on what I should do, file, say, plead, threaten, intimidate in regards to getting this rectified? I have drafted a letter to this judge, but am concerned whether sending it would be the correct way to proceed at this point. The clerks give me that smirk, like yeah, right it wasn’t you, sure lady… A lawyer is not an option, if I could have afforded a lawyer, I would have just paid the damn thing to have my life back.

   RESPONSE: Well, I wish I had better news to report. Sounds like you are getting screwed. But if hiring an Attorney to use his/her professional training and experience to help is not an option, the only thing I can recommend is that you go to the courthouse and demand a court date in person. Once you get in front of a judge, you should demand a trial to present your evidence.

   An attorney working on the problem at full speed would demand a court appearnace, demand a trial, and if that did not work, file a “Writ” with a higher court to try to get an order requiring a trial in the traffic court.

   -Chris Dort, Esq.

10. STEPHENIE ARRIAGA November 11th, 2008 at 10:52 pm

    I have cases dating about 5 years back, I served time for some ( 6mo.total) and I thought that was it. All of a sudden, 2 years later I get a letter at my job saying my wages were being garnished and then I get another letter from GC services saying they are collecting as well. My wages are being garnished for around $4000.00 and GC wants $4140.00 as well. Ive tried to explain to them I have 5 kids and I make roughly 1000 a month and my rent is 1000 so Im living on borrowed money and time. They still threaten to take my license if I dont pay so I send $30.00 which I borrow from friends, am I safe doing this or is there anything else I can do? Im desperate! These fines are all going to Sacramento County Superior court.

    RESPONSE: Stephenie, it sounds like you have a lot of cases. If you did some jail time on a case, that does not mean that all your cases are automatically cleared. You need to look at each case separately. Keep track of everything by case number. Keep proof of all your payments, and make sure you are not paying 2 different people for the same case #. Call the court clerk and ask if you can schedule a court date on any of the cases. If so, go in and ask the judge to reduce your fines. It might work. If the court suspends your drivers license because of a failure to pay a fine, sending in $30 a month will not get your drivers license back, but it will help you reduce the debt. It sucks, but we live in a world where resources are distributed by capitalism, not through fairness. Because of this, the court and collection agencies do not care what your income is, or how many kids you have.

11. STEPHENIE ARRIAGA November 11th, 2008 at 10:54 pm

    Is there any way to pay GC Services or the Sacramento County Superior Court online?
    
    RESPONSE: Generally, no. Once a traffic citation becomes a failure to appear, usually the online payment options through the courts are not available any longer. I recommend paying in person and getting a receipt. However, you can pay GC Services with a credit card over the phone.

12. Rashaan Hayes December 4th, 2008 at 9:13 pm

    In April of 2005 I plead “no contest” to a 22350 (speeding) and I was supposed to make payments to the court. I thought I had made all of the payments but apparently I missed a couple (not unbelievable, it’s been a hectic past three years). I recently found out my license has been suspended since February 2008 for failure to pay on that fine. I called the court and GC Services and they told me the actual fine amount due is $200 or so but with the fines etc. total came to $999.

    I called and asked GC services if I could schedule a court date or set up a payment plan in order to get my license suspension released and make payments because I can’t afford $999 in one payment and they said no. I would have to pay the amount in full before I can get the suspension released.

    Is this true? Do I have to pay the fine in full before I get my license back? Is there any hope for me?

13. Chuck January 21st, 2009 at 1:00 am

    I’m guilty of not paying a ticket for a violation that I definitely committed 3 years ago. A cop at the airport stopped me for talking on the cell phone while driving (I was pulled over in the passenger pickup area). While he didn’t give me a ticket for the cell phone (he actually said that he thought those tickets were lame), he informed me that my licensed was suspended and he took my license away from me right there on the spot. I guess I was lucky because he didn’t take my car…anyway… G.C. Services now has the account as a collection and I just want to pay it. What’s the fastest and the best way to get this taken care of so I can get my DL back ASAP?

    ANSWER: Chuck, the fastest way to clear the old infraction with a failure to appear (assuming this is LA County) is to go to the courthouse and schedule a court date. Once you schedule a court date, you can ask the court clerk to relase the drivers license hold (40509.5 hold). The can release it prior to the court date.

    If you just pay the collection agency, your case will end and the hold will be released eventually. However, you are admitting guilty and may end up with a failure to appear on your record that could be avoided with a court appearance.

    Our sponsor attorneys at http://www.trafficcourtpros.com can go to court for you and do the work right away. Request a free case review to get more info on why it makes sense to have help in this situation.

    If the most recent police contact resulted in a new case, you’ll have to take care of that separately, and it is probably more serious. Driving on a suspended license can lead to jail time.

    -Chris Dort, Esq.

14. story January 21st, 2009 at 8:08 am

    I too got a traffic violation in SD county the night before i left on deployment out of CONUS for a year. when i returned i bought a car and noticed Alliance One on my credit report….having forgotten about the ticket i called and they told me it was for the ticket and they wanted my credit card or bank account info to pay it in full or they were taking court action. I told them i didn’t know who they were and frankly i don’t just give up my personal info on the phone and i would take care of it with SD county……. called the traffic court who referred me to the California Franchise Tax Board….. called the CFTB and took care of it……. they told me they would send notification to Alliance One……. 2 years and there it still sits on my credit report…. It shows paid, but as a charge off….. so…… is there any way i can take this off as its the only mark on my credit…. and if not do you have any guesstimate as to how long i will be looking at that eyesore?

    RESPONSE: Unfortunately, we cannot help at all with credit report issues. But you can look at it this way, if a person has to borrow money to buy something on credit, maybe they are better off without it. Credit is a poison of capitalism, not proof you are a good person.

15. cAnee January 23rd, 2009 at 8:45 pm

    Please help me. Back in June/July 2008 I rec’d traffic citations. I was going through (and still am) severe chronic depression. The tickets were never paid and ended up with GS Services, and now total $1800. In addition, my license is suspended. The tickets were referred to the Van Nuys courthouse.
    Please tell me how I can request court dates for these citations? I’d like to show that I am of reduced mental capacity, and am going to ask for lienency with the fines/suspension.

    RESPONSE: You can go to the Van Nuys Courthouse, Traffic Court Clerks office and schedule a first court date (Arraignment). Most of the time, the Van Nuys Courthouse will release drivers license holds once a court date is set (some exceptions). Once the holds are removed, you need to go to DMV and pay a re-issuance fee.

    However, a better and faster, and more economical option is to hire an attorney to do the work for you. It can be done within a few days. Request a free case review for more help. The current LA County Attorney Sponsor for TrafficCourtPros.com is Richard Grant, rgrant@grantattys.com. He can help.

    -Chris Dort, Esq

16. Jerry February 18th, 2009 at 1:03 pm

    i received a ticket for front tint back in june and completely forgot about it. i did not receive any notices until recently and found out that my license has been suspended and that i owe GC services $706 (for front tint?!) i called gc services and they informed me that i had no choice but to pay the the fines and that was the only way to get my license back. i was told that i can’t schedule a court date to talk to a judge about reducing this amount. i am a student and need to drive to school everyday. what can i do?

17. Melinda February 27th, 2009 at 10:09 am

    I went to L.A. Superior Court a while back on a failure to appear for a traffic ticket and plead (sp?) guilty. I was given the fine, but due to financial diffculties including having a baby I never paid the fine. Now my license is suspended and I asked GC Services for a court date so I can ask the judge for an extension due to hardship. They told me I could not do that and my only option is payment arrangements and my license would still not be released until I pay in full. Is this true?

18. Alejandro March 30th, 2009 at 11:22 pm

    I need help in a with GC Services. I got matters set to compliance.. Im trying to get my lic. But i requested to pay through community service and the judge never gave or the clerks but forcing me to pay. What can i do instead of paying can i see a judge. I have a hearing to see the judge in 6/16/09 to show proof of lic. Please someone help me.

19. Administrator April 5th, 2009 at 9:55 pm

    Generally, California Courts will not allow a person to do community service instead of paying a fine. The reason is that it costs the government money to force you to do community service. They want the money. My recommendation is that you pay as soon as possible. - Chris Dort, Esq.

20. Administrator April 5th, 2009 at 9:59 pm

    Once you plead guilty on a traffic court offense in LA, your case is over. You cannot go back and contest the charge or ask for a reduced sentence. You’re screwed. I recommend paying ASAP. Don’t drive at all unless you have a valid drivers license in your pocket. Once you pay the fine, make sure you go to DMV and pay the re-issuance fee to get your valid license reinstated. Do not assume your drivers license will automatically be reinstated automatically once you pay the collection agency.

21. Administrator April 5th, 2009 at 10:03 pm

    I recommend paying ASAP. The court is not required to send you any courtesy notice. Your ticket that the officer gives you and has you sign is your promise to appear in court. That is all that is required.

22. Monique Herrera April 10th, 2009 at 7:44 pm

    Funny, I had to deal with GC Services for a speeding ticket that I received in LA County. I’m a broke college student, so I didn’t pay the original $180 that the ticket was for, so, it blew up to $842. When I finally got a second job, I called GC Services to make payment arrangements, and was treated rudely by some prick named “Mr. Lopez.” This guy demanded I call him MISTER Lopez, yet he was still addressing me by my first name. When I asked him to call me Mrs. Herrera, he scoffed! He told me that since the ticket was in collections, there was nothing I could do about it and proceeded to ask me when I planned on paying the ticket off. My retort was that if I HAD the monet to pay for it in full IN THE FIRST PLACE, I wouldn’t be talking to them now trying to arrange payments.Mr. Lopez went on to inquire as to whether or not I could borrow a credit card from someone to pay it off and suggested that I can pay that person payments instead of the collection agency!!! Needless to say, I made payment arrangements and went to court, where halfway through my payment cycle, the court showed that my payment was made in full and GC Services had no record of me owing the original amount they said I owed…I’m just afraid that now its gonna come back and haunt me….oh, and I’m still waiting for the DMV to give me my license back. It’s been over a month.

23. Christopher Dort April 12th, 2009 at 7:10 pm

    Monique,

    You are not alone. GC Services is a private company - not a court division. In my opinion, they are simple collection agents that sit in cubicles and harass people with phone calls and threats. They are not court employees willing to help you solve a problem.

    Here is what I recommend. You need to call the DMV Driver Safety office (LA) at (818) 376-4217 and ask if there are any remaining holds on your license. If not, you need to go to DMV and pay a re-issuance fee to get your license reinstated. DMV will not just automatically give you a new drivers license.

    If there is a remaining hold, you will need to find out what courthouse has the hold, then go to that courthouse and ask the court clerk for a court date to get the hold released and payment options. In my opinion, GC Services rips people off. I receive frequent complaints from Traffic Court Pros.com users stating that they got false info from GC Services, and suffered high pressure and intimidating collection efforts. I choose not to Trust GC Services, and always get my information directly from the court clerk.

24. meesh April 21st, 2009 at 7:24 pm

    My boyfriend has had his license suspended for 5 years for outstanding fines and penalties for traffic tickets. When he went to the DMV two months ago, they issued him a CA ID and referred him to the court to deal with the fines. The court referred him to Alliance One and stated he owes $2500. They have never mailed him anything, nor gave him a printout of the fee breakdown while at their office. We have consulted with an attorney who says that sometimes Alliance One has the authority to negotiate the fees UNLESS the judge specifically noted that the fees are non-negotiable. Is there any way to get the fines reduced or a payment plan re-issued? (He was offered payment arrangements before but was unable to keep them; years ago)

    My plan would be for him to go to the court, ask for a court date, go before the judge, explain that he’s self-employed and requires the use of his license to do the kind of spontaneous work he does, and make an initial payment of $500 and request some of the fees be waived or lowered or something.

    The other shitty thing is, he has no documentation of any of this. It is so old and he has moved in and out of state, that we are really starting from scratch.

    Thank you in advance for your time and consideration.

25. Christopher Dort April 24th, 2009 at 11:27 pm

    There are 2 kinds of cases that go to Alliance One from the courts in CA: Failure to Appear cases, and Failure to Pay cases. Failure to appear cases are those where the defendant has not plead guilty and still has a right to a trial. These cases can get a court appearance by going to the court clerks office and scheduling one. Must be done in person at the right courthouse. Call DMV driver safety office for the case # and courthouse name. Failure to pay cases are different. Those are cases where the defendant was found guilty, and no more court appearances are allowed. Failure to pay (FTP) cases are over, nothing you can do but pay. I recommend going to the court clerks office and asking for a court date. If you get one, go in and beg for lowered fines.

    But if he already made a payment arrangement, he probably plead guilty and the cases are FTPs - over and done.

26. Ash Camarilo May 25th, 2009 at 2:27 pm

    In late 2007 I received a citation for not having a ticket on a light rail platform in Los Angeles (Pasadena, to be exact). Because I work abroad and was about to leave the country in a couple of weeks, I went down to the court house a few days later to try and settle matters. I was told that the ticket was not on their records. A couple of weeks later I left town. That was 18 months ago.

    Since then, at my address in CA, it seems I’ve received mail telling me I have a failure to appear and that all sorts of bad things are going to happen to me. Because I’m going back home soon to visit, I just looked up on the L.A. County website my DL#. It states that I have a 40509.5 Hold. I don’t understand how a non-traffic infraction can get one of these. Apparently it’s in collections and I’m worried this might be on my credit report (about to check now), which is a big deal because I’m going to be buying property and need my credit to be perfect. So the question: is it possible my license is suspended for this? Is this something they have the right to put on my credit report since I never admitted I owed anything to anybody? Can I still fight this ticket, a ticket that when I went to the courthouse was told they had no record of? How much hassle is it to go to the court and do this myself since I have limited time?

27. Gary May 26th, 2009 at 10:12 pm

    Hi,
    I had a very simple ticket. A broken windshield. I went to court and got the proof of correction. I had to had it over in the court with a fee of 10 bucks. Instead chose to mail it to court rather than stand in a long line. Anyway, I sent the 10 dollar check along with the proof of correction etc to the court house. Learnt recently after one year that my case was referred to GC and the fine is 706 USD. I am aghast. I called GC and the story is same as many others people. They are asking for a proof that check was encashed which did not happen. What can I do now?
    I realize after reading the responses that even if I pay 706 to GC, I am essentially admitting a very serious charge which is “Failure to Appear”. I will do more research to find out if it can affect my Green card process to permanently settle here or not. But I am assuming at this point that it will affect my Green card process so I am not willing to admit to that charge. Can I get some respite by going to court etc? I do have a proof of correction report and various proofs of mailing out etc. Only thing is check is not encashed which I think they deliberately did not encash. can I hire lawyer and sue the hell out of them.

    Gary
    p.s. I wonder how this kind of corruption goes unchecked.

28. Christopher Dort May 27th, 2009 at 8:38 pm

    Gary, Unfortunately, if they did not cash the check, and you do not have a receipt for your payment, you are screwed. You cannot prove you paid on time. The good news is that it sounds like there are no misdemeanors associated with the case, and if it is an infraction only case, it will not have immigration consequences. You probably can go to the court clerks office and request a court date to talk to the judge (but it varies from court to court on infraction ony cases). If there is a misdemeanor, you have the right to a jury trial - but when they send the claim to the collection agency usually it is an infraction only case. If you want to get it reduced, you need to get a court appearance.

    Here is a warning to all readers paying fines: I strongly recommend paying in person at the court clerks office, and getting a receipt for your payment. Then, take care of the paperwork in case you need it later. Do not just assume a mailed in payment got there on time, and do not pay over the phone if you want to be sure you paid. -Chris Dort, Esq.

29. Christopher Dort May 27th, 2009 at 8:46 pm

    When a person receives a citation (ticket) it should have a court date listed on the bottom. When you sign a ticket, you are promising to appear in court on that date (not a date that you choose). If you go early, and there is no record of your citation, you have to go back (maybe over and over until its there).

    If you have a Vehicle Code 40509.5 hold, your driving privilege in California is suspended (even if you do not have a CA Lic.).

    You probably still have a right to a court appearance and a trial if you want one. To get a court date, go to the court clerks office in person and request one.

    I do not have any info regarding how it appears on a credit report. And I would not focus on that. The most important part of the problem is the possibility that they charged you with a misdemeanor failure to appear, and the drivers license suspension.

    An attorney can go to court for you and resolve the case in court. Usually the attorney focuses on getting the hold released, and then getting the FTA reduced to an infraction only. But an attorney cannot help with a credit reporting issue. -Chris Dort, Esq.

30. Nene June 4th, 2009 at 4:56 am

    Hello My name is Nesha I made ALOT of mistakes in my past with driving I’ve lived a rough life went through alot as a kid etc I was laid off 1/30/09 My license is suspended I owe 10,500 in trafic tickets 1 of the tickets has put a hold on my license $979 I made a payment on it 5/13/09 for 300 thanks to a good friend helping me out and the very next day after the payment the collection agency Gc services mail a letter saying I owe Metropolitan superior court $3,161 and if I dont call and pay it off they will take further collection actions I’m very worried that once I finally get this ticket that’s holding my license paid there going to suspend it again until I have paid all of the tickets instead of setting me up on a payment plan and keep my license just when Im almost close to paying one ticket off there throwing the other ones at me to pay and there saying even if I set up payment arrangements through my checking account to go straight to the court it still wont stop my license from getting suspended again Please help me someone please I need to drive I have a sick Mother to take care of.She mean the world to me.

31. Christopher Dort June 11th, 2009 at 2:07 am

    Well, unfortunately it appears you cannot afford to have a valid drivers license. Sadly, in our capitalist society, driving is a privilege granted by the state to people who conform. Driving is not a right for all people to enjoy. If you think you owe $10,500 in “traffic tickets”, you probably have a lot of cases with FTAs causing a suspension of your drivers license. You need to call the DMV Driver Safety Office and ask for a list of the holds and suspensions on your license. There is probably more than one. Its not hard, you can call and get the info. Once you do that, and get a list of all the cases, request a free case review at: http://www.trafficcourtpros.com/casereview.html. If you can get a court date on all the cases, you can request that the court release the holds prior to payment. Otherwise, you have to pay. I recommend that you do not drive without a valid drivers license in your pocket - because you can make the problem worse fast. — C. Dort, Esq.

32. Justin July 1st, 2009 at 11:51 pm

    Speeding ticket Los Angeles County 4/14/9, I waited for courtesy notice, it didn’t come and I forgot about it. I found the ticket today. Court Date was 5/29/9, the citation has been sent to GC Services with their additional fees. I called DMV Driver Safety Office, my license is not suspended yet but there is the FTA hold on it. Will the hour of your time consulting be enough to get the FTA to an infraction and allow me to go to traffic school, or do I need to employ your services Christopher. I did your free review and was referred to a local (Irvine) attorney, but if it is West Los Angeles Court, don’t I want an LA (310) attorney? GC Services offered a discount ($150) if I paid online. Don’t really want the FTA. Please advise, I believe I had until July 13, 2009 to collect my GC discount, perhaps that is also a ‘magic’ court date?

33. John Stuart July 5th, 2009 at 1:53 am

    This question has been asked and answered yet I am compelled to inquire. I recieved 2 tickets over the last year, one for unsafe lane change and another for going driving with an expired temp, registration sticker. I have 2 holds and fines of 800.00 per ticket. I suffered Kideny failure only months after the first ticket and have been in very poor health since. I did get extensions on the tickets but still due to poor health failed to appear. According to what I have read here I should go to the courthouse and request a hearing date and at that time the court will release the holds? Is their a possibilty if i petition the court to mitigate the fines and show that I was severly ill I can get some reduction in the penalties? And is it incorrect for the collection agency to state that I cannot deal with these tickets now through the court system? Thank you.

34. Vince Cimo July 15th, 2009 at 10:06 pm

    About two years ago, I received a failure to change address citation in los angeles. I apparently forgot to change the address and now have a bill of $800 from CG Services for a failure to appear. I was out of the country for about a year and a half and had no idea this horrible thing was sitting and amassing interest. I’m a student and I straight up do not have money to pay for this…i’m already 12,000 in debt with student loans. I no longer live in LA and the courts down there are a nightmare…but would it help to drive down and go there in person and demand to see a judge? or, since this is two years ago am I just screwed. Thanks!

35. Al Haynes July 17th, 2009 at 11:46 pm

    I received a standard fix it ticket for expired tags. I renewed my tags and took the vehicle to the CHP to have an officer verify the tags and registration. I forgot to appear in court to have it dismissed and pay the slap on the wrist fine. Now GC Services is asking for over 800 bucks and threatening to report me to the DMV to have them suspend my license and registration. I know California is seriously in the red, but muscling drivers like this is criminal and total BS! Am I not entitled to appear before the judge, especially since I corrected the infraction and shortly after receiving the citation? If anyone can point me in the right direction or know of a reputable attorney experienced in this matter, I would appreciate it. thank you

36. Christopher Dort July 27th, 2009 at 12:26 am

    Vince, every county deals with these cases differently. But in LA, at last check, the court does allow a person with a failure to appear and “civil assessment” schedule a court appearance. A court appearance may or may not be helpful - depending on whether or not you want a trial and have a defense. If all you want to do is schedule a court appearance to walk in and lead guilty, it may be a waste of time and effort. If you do go in to court, the best advie I can usually give is that you should ask the judge to dismiss the failure to appear charge (and related civil assessment) - and then you are left with the underlying violation to pay. The most important thing is to get the drivers license hold removed (called VC 40509.5 hold) because that will result in a drivers license suspension in most states (they honor the CA suspension).

    But the procedures have been changing recently. In some counties, such as Solano and San Luis Obispo, they deal with these cases in a different way that I feel is completely unfair - and possibly illegal. They consider the failure to appear a request for trial by declaration which you lose - then they convert the fine to a civil judgement (as opposed to criminal failure to appear). Once that happens, you are screwed, because they consider the fine a civil penalty and you have no right to challenge it. Then they send the balance to a collection agency like GC services that (in my opinion) will lie to people and add unfounded interest and late fees - even if you have a complete defense. We’ve been planning a lawsuit against GC services for sometime on this issue, and are researching how best to approach the issue.

37. Christopher Dort July 27th, 2009 at 12:36 am

    Our LA Sponsor Attorney with an Irvine Address - Richard Grant - is a very experienced Attorney who handles cases in all LA and OC courthouses (including west LA). Don’t pick your attorney based on their area code. That is ridiculous - unless what you are really saying is that you do not want an attonry who has to drive to work??????? Chicht - I used to wake up at 4:00 a.m. and drive to West LA Courthouse form San Diego on a weekly basis and it worked fine. Most attorneys in that area cover several courthouses at a time in one day. Hopefully you got in touch with him in time.

38. Christopher Dort July 27th, 2009 at 12:39 am

    I cannot tell what location you are talking about. If LA, contact attorney richard grant - rgrant@grantattys.com. He can help you get the case(s) cleared quickly.

39. Paul August 13th, 2009 at 5:45 am

    My wife received a collection notice from GCS in the mail today. It says it’s from LA Superior, but my wife has NEVER had a ticket nor have I. What do we do about this letter?

40. Maria Fernandez August 13th, 2009 at 5:07 pm

    I have a ding in my credit report for owing cg services $28 in 2006. I never owed $28 to anyone and have never been sent to collections. I’ve tried to contact them to no avail (they don’t know what I’m talking about and they won’t give me any information).

    What is my recourse to get this off my record when it doesn’t look like it’s even mine?

    Thanks.

41. Melissa August 17th, 2009 at 8:18 pm

    Hello.. my husband is in a similar situation.. he has three traffic tickets, one of them dating back to 2004 and two of them from 2008. He had a court date and did not show. They were all sent to GC Services. He has called the courthouse but they have just told him that he needs to talk with the collection agency and that they cant do anything. So we called the agency and they told him what he needed to pay and we could set up a payment plan and once it would all be paid, the hold on his license would be released in 24-48 hours. That it was too late for a court date because he didnt show to his trial. We called back two days later to set up the payment plan and the guy said he no longer owed what they told him two days ago.. now it was more money and the only way to stop this amount from going up was to set up the payment plan. So we have and we are slowly paying it off. Now, can he still go to the county clerks office and request to lessen the amount of all of the fees? or at least set up a payment plan through the courthouse itself? Or have we lost that chance since were already paying GC? Also, if we keep paying GC… will they really reinstate his license two days later? He is unemployed right now but needs to drive to take our daughter to and from school and needs to go to interviews in order to get a job.

42. Christopher Dort August 23rd, 2009 at 6:24 pm

    If he missed the trial date, the case is probably over and there is no way to get a court date. If he just missed the date on the ticket, that is different than missing a trial date. I would recommend going to the court clerks office in person and asking for a court date, it may be worth the try. Don’t say anything about having made payments to the clerk. Just ask for a walk in appearance.Get there before 8:30 and ask for a walk in appearance. If you can get into court, you can ask the judge to reset the payment plan and ask the judge to release the drivers license holds (Vehicle code se 40509.5 holds) in “the interests of justice” (Penal code section 1385). We are currently evaluating a civil law suit against GC services collection agency because I have at least one client who strongly believes he was lied to by GC services regarding the availability of a court date. If you discover that is what happened, let me know.

43. Christopher Dort August 23rd, 2009 at 6:27 pm

    Maria F.: Sorry, but we do not deal with credit report issues at all. If you want to have perfect credit so that you can borrow money from banks, I’d say pay the $28. But I would also recommend skipping the borrowing. Our society is far too obsessed with the ability to borrow money in my opinion.

44. Christopher Dort August 23rd, 2009 at 6:28 pm

    We are evaluating a civil law suit against GC Services Collection Agency. Pease email me a copy of the letter and your contact info to info[at]dortlaw.com

45. shauntel August 26th, 2009 at 11:17 pm

    I would like to get more information about the civil law suit against gc- services. Also is there a way the law can be changed about the penalties that are added to traffic infractions. They are unreasonable, cruel and unusual forms of punishment. The fees need to be more reasonable.

46. thomas fisher August 27th, 2009 at 1:38 am

    I know everyone keeps asking the same question, but you seem willing to keep answering, so here goes ;) I have 2 failure to appear orders from the Glendale court house (LA Superior), one from the Sheriffs for driving w/out insurance and registration, the other from Glendale PD for driving w/out registration (this is from memory. The website doesn’t say, but I am pretty sure I had insurance the second time).

    Both have gone to GC Services and when I search the LA Superior website using my Drivers License # they both say I have 40509.5 holds. And that the last “action” was failure to appear. Anywhere I read anything on the LA Superior website about being referred to a collection agency (GC Services) it states that I can no longer schedule court dates and that my only option is to go to GC Services. This info is from the LA Superior website, not some GC Services bill collector since I have never spoken to any such person.

    I have a related fix it ticket from Ventura County saying basically to fix the above situation. There is a warrant but the website just let me pay the ticket (it was $0.00 plus a $5.00 service charge) so that might actually be cleared up now (if not I would imagine that I could clear it up by fixing the initial problem).

    Regardless I have about $1000-$1500 that I was prepared to set aside to fix the problem but GC Services wants $1400 for each of the two Glendale tickets ($2800) which I consider to be a bit much.

    Assuming you are right and I can schedule an arraignment then my plan would be to plead not guilty to both counts, pay bail (how much would this be?) get the holds lifted “in the interest of justice”, get my license from DMV and show up for the trial(s). I assume my only hope would be that the cops don’t show up to testify and that my tickets get voided right? Or that if they show and I lose that maybe I can get the fine lowered (at least to the 800 that they originally charged me?) or set up a payment plan with the court and in the mean time have a drivers license again?

    What happens if I win? Does the Court tell GC Services to get lost?

    Also, I am hesitant to just show up at the court house to talk to the clerk. Will they arrest me? If I have to file written appeals to get them to give me a court date where do I get the forms and how long does it take to give a response. I live in Riverside so I don’t want to make a big effort to go down there if they are gonna tell me just to talk to GC Services (just like the LA Superior website tells me to).

    ~Thomas

47. Christopher Dort September 1st, 2009 at 6:04 pm

    Thomas, I would recommend that you go to the court clerks office and ask for a walk in appearance on each of the cases. They will not arrest you in LA at the clerks office. You need to be there at 8:00 a.m. Don’t trust GC services if they tell you that you can not have a court date. Bail is the term they use to mean “deposit to make sure you show up”. The amount of the bail on a traffic infraction is usually the fine total if you just plead guilty and paid in full. If you win a trial on the cases, the case gets dismissed and GC services will be notified by the court. However, the first court date is an arraignment, and the judge may offer to reduce the charges and or fees at that date and thereby eliminate the need for a trial. An attorney can do the work for you, and it is usually worth the money - especially if you need to drive. It appears your drivers license is suspended, so do not drive at all. If you are caught driving it will be a disaster, and you will have a new more serious case (Vehicle Code section 14601.1 misdemeanor). Our sponsor Attorney Richard Grant has been getting great resultsin LA 40509.5 cases recently and will give you a free case review. Contact him at rgrant@grantattys.com.

48. Christopher Dort September 1st, 2009 at 6:07 pm

    I will keep you updated on our evaluation of a civil suit against GC services. I’m doubtful the argument that the fees they charge are unreasonable or “cruel” will work to lower civil assessments and collection fees. No judge is going to rule the fees are unconstitutionally cruel. But I am focused on the claim by at least of one of my clients that GC Services lied to him about his right to a court date - which is clearly illegal.

49. Tiffany J September 6th, 2009 at 4:31 am

    My husband just received a letter in the mail from Alliance One saying he owes $701 which includes a $300 fee for a failure to appear. We moved last year but I believe all our info is current with the DMV since we received both of our cars registration to our new address. He has not gotten a ticket the only thing we can think of is it might be a red light ticket but we never received a notice in the mail. Can we still go to the judge and ask to have the 300 removed and still be able to go to traffic school if this is a valid ticket? Thank you for your help!

50. nora onofrio September 8th, 2009 at 7:54 pm

    My husband received a fix-it ticket on 4/21 for a broken headlight. He sent in the signed off ticket on approximately 5/15. He has never received anything from the court, until today when we received an $800 collections bill from GC services. If we look up his ticket, it cites a Failure to Appear Hold, even though he has not received any notice of a license suspension either. The address on file is current, so there is no reason we should not have received this information.

    Courthouse is Downey in Los Angeles County.

    Any help ore suggestions are greatly appreciated.

51. Christopher Dort September 8th, 2009 at 9:06 pm

    Nora,

    This is a very common scenerio. Person gets correctable violations, sends in proof of correction, and then later discovers a failure to appear accusation and drivers license hold with DMV under vehicle code section 40509.5.

    The problem is most often caused by a failure to send in a “dismissal fee” with the proof of correction to the court. Yes, it is not free to prove you solved the problem. And of course they do not tell you how much it is, or they do not give you clear instructions on how to do it. They don’t want you to do it correctly, because they can get more money by sending it to the collection agency. They actually charge you to dismiss a case. Crazy, but true. Important things to note here are: 1) the court will issue a drivers license hold (40509.5) but it is actually DMV that takes drivers license action; and 2) most courts will allow you to have a court date in this situation. But every court is different. In LA - you can walk in during the morning (8 am) and get a same day court date. In san luis obispo - they want you to send in your prof of correction with their local “petition to vacate civil assessment”. Make sure your DMV address is current: and then go to the court clerk and request a walk in appearance. Go at 8 am. Show your proof of correction and ask for the dismissal. If they don’t give it to you - post the bail and demand a trial date. at the trial - show your proof of correction again. But usually, once you get into court, they will dismiss it with proof of correction. Do not deal with the collection agency unless you totally give up. Go to the court clerk. An attorney can do the work for you for about $400. If you have a suspended drivers license because of the VC 40509.5 hold, you will need to go to DMV to have a new license made before your license is valid again. Even if it was an error - you have to go to DMV. If your drivers license is suspended, and you need to work and drive - it is best to send an attorney to do the work tomorrow. Don;t wait - because you can be arrested for driving with a suspended license (See Vehicle Code section 14601.1)

52. Christopher Dort September 8th, 2009 at 9:18 pm

    Tiffany,

    Just because a case is overdue, it does not mean there if nothing you can do. I would recommend going to the court in person at 8 am and asking for a walkin court appearance. Once there, you can ask the judge to dismiss the civil assessment based on the fact that you did not have proper notice of the date, and you can ask for traffic school.

53. Alma September 29th, 2009 at 10:59 pm

    I’m hoping you guys can help me. I got a ticket in 2007 for not having proof of insurance (i know stupid since I DID have insurance at the time I just didn’t have the ID cards in the car)It was a fix-a-ticket and I completely FORGOT the court date. Well, I forgot about the case and now I received a call from GC Services saying I owe $1500 (for a $10 ticket how sad!). I asked if there was anything I could do to fix this through court but they said no. I was reading a few of the Q&A’s above and I read that I can request a new court date…would this apply to my case as well or is mine just a lost cause??? Thanks for your helP!!!

54. James October 1st, 2009 at 5:51 pm

    What to do,

    I recently switched jobs, and had a court date for a speeding ticket. I’ve had a clean driving record for the last 6 years.

    I hired mrtrafficticket to take care of the case for me PRIOR to my court date. I’ve just received a letter from allianceOne stating I owe them $1500 for a speeding ticket? I dont know how to proceed with either mrtraffic ticket or alliance one.

    I thought I hired professionals to take care of this but it looks like they dropped the ball.

    What is my best course of action at this point?

55. Christopher Dort October 4th, 2009 at 11:41 pm

    James, Well, I can’t tell what happened, and you may have lost your case. You should probably take care of this yourself now. Don’t rely on someone else to do it for you. Check to make sure you’re talking about the same case. Check with the DMV to verify that your license is not suspended (it might be). Then go to the court clerks office and schedule a court date if they will let you. Once in court, you can tell the judge what happened, and ask for a dismissal of the civil assessment and/or failure to appear fines “in the interests of justice” as authorized by penal code section 1385.

56. Christopher Dort October 4th, 2009 at 11:43 pm

    Alma, Go to the court clerk in person, and ask the court clerk for a court date. Show up before 8 am. Once in court, tell the judge you have proof of correction and ask for dismissal. Show your proof. It should work - but you have to go. Your drivers license may be suspended. Do not drive until you call DMV.

57. Latrece October 10th, 2009 at 3:04 am

    Not sure of what actIons to take now I went to court and seen a judge for a fIx It tIcket that I got. I plead not contest and she dropped the charges after she told me to go see the cashIer to get a prIntout I had frIends standIng In lIne for me so I wouldn’t have to waIt In another long lIne. I get to the wIndow to see the cashIer see saId she dIdn’t have my fIle. and to go waIt and the end of the lIne so I was mad and went back In the courtroom and talk to the sherIff that was there he came wIth me back to the wIndow and she told hIm wIth a attIude she can eIther waIt at the end of the lIne are come back tomorrow I decIde to leave to go get me son came back the next day and they told me they dIdn’t know what I was talkIng about and my case have been sent down staIr already and to check back by call In about a month so I call and they tell me I owe 721 and I tell them the judge told me she dIsmIssed my case because I came wIth proof and she told me there nothIng I can do about It but pay (telephone court rep)so now I have GC ServIces tellIng Mr I owe them $911 dollars. Is there anythIng I can do? O and the reason i Left to go get my son is because his school called to tell my son boys jumped on him and he was talking to the police my fam comes first.

58. Kahira October 11th, 2009 at 1:14 am

    Today, I got a notice in the mail from GC Services saying that I owe $849 and failed to appear in court. I was completely lost, but remembered getting a ticket for making a turn on a red light some months ago but never getting anything in the mail. To add insult to injury, I moved a while ago but never changed my address officially with the DMV. I never did receive a notification from the County of LA however the letter from the collection agency came to my current address. This baffles me. Anyhow, I know that I am at fault for not updating my address with the DMV but wonder if I have any recourse. I’d like to have the fine reduced and get a court date/attend traffic school if possible.

    Thank you for all of your wonderful advice.

59. Christopher Dort October 21st, 2009 at 9:01 pm

    Latrece, I hear this problem all the time. When a court dismisses a “fix it” ticket - there is a $25 “dismissal” fee you have to pay. If you did not pay it, the case was not dismissed. Now they are charging you the full value of the violation, plus a civil assessment. The only thing I can suggest is go to the court in person and request a new walk in appearance - or pay in full. Once in court, you can ask the judge to dismiss it again. If you go to traffic court again, you have to plan on being there all day. That’s bad news, I know, but it is the reality. But don’t drive there - your drivers license is probably suspended as a result of the citation. Call DMV today to verify the status of your drivers license.

60. Christopher Dort October 21st, 2009 at 9:05 pm

    Kahira - the fact that the court did not send you anything in the mail does not matter at all. They are not required to send you anything. And the date at the bottom the citation that you signed and the officer gave you is the deadline to take care of the ticket. People who wait for the court to send them something are making an expensive mistake. DMV is different however, they are required to send you a notice of drivers license suspension when a person fails to appear by the deadline on the ticket. But they always send it to the address on their files. You probably can go to the courthouse in person and request a walk in appearance. Once in court, you can request that the judge dismiss or reduce the case. Your drivers license is probably suspended - check with DMV today to verify the status of your license.

61. GC Services' NEMESIS October 26th, 2009 at 8:54 pm

    GC Services is collapsing.

    Ironic, they collect for tax systems but they don’t pay their own, they are in BAD STANDING in Texas.

    You can get all the news on them at:

    http://gcserviceswatch.blogspot.com

    and

    http://collectionagencyhallofshame.blogspot.com

62. Loryan October 30th, 2009 at 9:32 am

    I am seeing a lot of cases that are nearly identical to mine with some exceptions. So maybe I can be helped as well.

    I received a “texting while driving” ticket back in April of 2009. Incidentally, when I received this ticket I was actually using a hands-free device, but the cop insisted that I was distracted by my phone and thus wrote the ticket anyways. After moving and not receiving the courtesy notification, I forgot to take care of this and missed the court date for June. I recently found out through my insurance agency that my license is now suspended. When I finally traced back the suspension to the texting ticket I finally reached GC services and was informed that the outstanding amount was not at $805.00. I insisted on receiving a trial date due to the circumstances of receiving the ticket and they actually scheduled one for me! They told me that I was scheduled for March of 2010 and that there was no way to receive a sooner date. They also informed me that my license would remain suspended until the court took care of my case.

    I do not have the money to afford an $805.00 ticket especially when it was not warranted. My only mistake is forgetting to take care of this ticket. It sounds like GC Services isn’t always accurate. Should I go to the court clerk and request a court date, even though GC services apparently set me up for a date in March? If given a court date, will they release the suspension until I am seen in court?

    Ultimately, I need my license. I am a full time student and work full time in a restaurant too far away to do anything but drive. What is the quickest way to get my license back, without paying the $805.00 fee.

63. Christopher Dort November 2nd, 2009 at 6:33 pm

    Loryan, I would recommend going to the court clerk at 8 am and requesting a walk in appearance. They may allow it. Once in court, you can request that the drivers license hold be released and allow you time to pay the fine off. Every court releases the drivers license hold with a different procedure. In LA - the court clerk will do it once a date is set. In Contra Costa, they will release most holds once your in court. In Solano and San Luis Obispo, they screw people but refusing to allow court dates and refusing to release the holds until the full collection amount is paid.

64. racheal November 15th, 2009 at 6:41 pm

    Hi i recently had an speeding traffic attorney go to court to clear my ticket. I looked online after he said he cleared it and it is with GC colleciton agency. If he cleared it with the courts am i still liable to GC?

65. Christopher Dort November 18th, 2009 at 6:40 pm

    Racheal, I cannot tell what you mean by “cleared it”, so I cannot be sure how to answer your question. But I can tell you this:

    1) If the ticket was dismissed by the court, you do not have to pay GC services for it.
    2) If there was a trial and you were found not guilty, you do not have to pay GC services.
    3) If the attorney pay the court for your fine, then you do not have to pay GC Services for the citation.

    BUT:

    4) If you were found guilty (or the attorney plead guilty for you) you have to pay the fine yourself. If you had a fine to pay and did not pay the court on time, then you either have to pay GC services or go to the court in person to pay.

    You need to call your attorney or review the paperwork (or report) he/she gave to you on the case and find out what happened.

    “Cleared” is not an official action that has any meaning.

    -Chris

66. Ricardo Vargas November 19th, 2009 at 1:56 am

    I got a call from a GC rep and was told I owed $$ on 2 tickets from W-LA Court. I went to court and was able to setup community service for them but I was hurt and could not complete it by the due date. Now I am trying to get another hearing to prove my case but I was told by GC that the case is closed and I cannot go back to court and if I don’t pay off the $1,300 or setup a monthly payment (min of $50) by the 17th of Dec they will have my license suspended. Is there anyway to get around this?

67. Danielle Marie November 30th, 2009 at 3:51 pm

    I received a speeding ticket on 2/8/07 and appeared in court on 12/11/07 with a plead of guilty or no-contest (can’t remember). I made payment arrangements to pay the fine. During that year, my teenage son starting acting crazy, and I was laid off from my job. I totally forgot about the payment arrangement. Fast forward to Sept. 2009 and I find out that my license is suspended. Now I have to pay GCS a fine of about $800 plus additional DMV fees. Can I go back to court to request a lesser amount? Or, is there anything I can do to at least obtain a license for driving back and forth to my two jobs while I pay on the ticket?

68. Christopher Dort December 1st, 2009 at 5:58 pm

    Danielle, if your drivers license is suspended because of this case, you cannot drive at all. If you are caught driving (even to work) your car will be impounded, you may be arrested, and you will be charged with a criminal misdemeanor violation of Vehicle Code section 14601.1 (assuming you are in CA). Don’t let that happen to you! There is no way to get a valid drivers license without taking care of the case first. You can request a walk in court appearance by appearing at the court clerks office at 8 am on a weekday. Most courts will give you a court date if you get there early. Since you have already been convicted (plead guilty) you cannot change the original sentence, but you can ask for the court to remove (or vacate) the civil assessment fee for the failure to pay on time. The court can remove it, but does not have to. Once you get the case resolved and paid, you will have to visit DMV and pay a re issuance fee before your license is valid again.

69. JOZF December 1st, 2009 at 10:04 pm

    i lived in Oregon for a few months and received a driving ticket. long story short i don’t live there anymore i moved back to California and now owe alliance one $3000… what can i do to fix this.. honestly id rather fly out to Oregon and spend the time in jail rather than pay this $3000 considering the ticket to begin with was $900.

70. Christopher Dort December 1st, 2009 at 11:00 pm

    Jozf, what you need is an attorney to go and make a court appearance for you (assuming that court will allow it). You probably cannot do jail time instead of paying, because when the courts send a fine to a collection agency they are treating it as a civil, not a criminal, penalty. In some jurisdictions, the court uses the hammer of a drivers license suspension to get you to pay the collection agency. And a drivers license suspension in one state can be honored by your home state. You can go to jail for driving on a suspended license, and never even deal with the underlying ticket if you want to. Anyway, send your info (as much as possible) to me at cdort@dortlaw.com and I will try to get you a detailed case review from a Local TrafficCourtPros.com sponsor attorney.

71. wally December 7th, 2009 at 6:06 am

    i got a ticket for fishing without a license, so i went to court and the judge told me if i went and bought a license he would reduce the ticket to $175, and he told me to set a date to come back and i did. i got the days confused and went on the 7th instead of the 1st cause i read it wrong. i went to court i was called up and he asked me if i got my license and i gave it to the court sheriff and he showed the judge, he told me that the fine was gonna be $175 and a $100 fine for missing my court date. he asked me what i wanted to plead and i said not guilty and he asked me if that was something i really wanted to do because if i go to the trial i will mostly lose the case and will end up paying $500+ dollars. so i told him not guilty because i didnt want to take the chance of losing and paying that much. when my case was done the judge told me to go to the windows and talk to someone about making payments. so i waited for my name to be called and went to the alliance one window. i asked them if i could do community service and they said to that i basically have to show the judge hat im homeless, and i asked them about payments and the lady told me to call alliance one in a few days and talk to them about it.to make a long story short i called alliance one and they told me i cant make payments and have to pay they fine at once, and if i dont my license will be suspended. ive been reading your blog trying to find out some stuff, if you have any suggestions or ideas please let me know. thanks

72. Christopher Dort December 8th, 2009 at 5:31 pm

    Wally, I consider myself a tree hugging environmentalist and avid fisherman. I’ve paid for a California fishing license (and related tags and special permits) every single year for 23 years straight - so I am hesitant to help someone who fishes without a license. But since you were kind enough to read our blog and write, I will do my best to answer your questions for free. First off- if you did not have a fishing license on the day you were fishing and cited - it would be stupid to plead “not guilty”. You are guilty!!!!!! And the judge knew it. He did you a favor by warning you against wasting the court’s time in a trial that you would certainly lose. (Tip for the rest of you - if you are guilty and the judge knows it - don’t waste the court’s time and expect a good result). As for getting community service - you would have to get permission to do that instead of paying money from the judge - not the people at the bullet proof windows. But generally, court do not allow people to do community service instead of paying a fine because: 1) it costs the court a lot of money to schedule new court dates to verify you did the work; and 2) because they want the fine money. As for a payment plan, if you need time to pay a fine, you need to get that time from the judge, not alliance one. My recommendation would be go back to the court, ask for a walk in appearance and ask the judge for more time to pay. Usually if you can get in front of the judge again h/she will give you more time to pay. Hopefully it’s not too late in your case.

73. Luka Barnes December 9th, 2009 at 4:01 am

    I’ve accrued several traffic tickets in the past dating all the way back to 2004 and I never went to court for any of them. Three of the tickets are currently in collections with GC Services. What I want to know is…Can you dispute traffic tickets in collections with GC Services? And are they subject to the same rules that other collections agencies are under Fair Debt Collections Practices Act?

74. SA December 16th, 2009 at 2:19 pm

    Dear Attorney,

    I got a minor speeding ticket which I failed to appear in court twice. This is back in 2006 some time. Now the account has gone to GC services, and they are demanding the full $1,200 and it must be paid in full. I asked for a court date, they said,”NO, it was not possible anymore.” They said I must pay for it, or I will get a warrant… One attorney told me that the ticket is old enough, and he may be able to completely wipe it off, with no fees. I lost his card… Is what he said true? Can you do this? Please contact me ASAP. thank you SA

75. Christopher Dort December 16th, 2009 at 6:11 pm

    There is no way to get rid of a pending court case just because it is old. Whoever told you that was not right. The record of the violation may fall off a DMV record after a number of years, but the pending court case will remain forever. GC Services is the collection agency that collects the bills for the court. The source of the problem is the court, not GC services. You should go to the court clerks office and ask for a walk in appearance on the case. GC Services does not really know if you have the right to a court date, and it is my opinion that the many people who have told me they were lied to by GC services about their right to a court date were telling the truth. Most courts will give you a walk in appearance. In those courts that do not allow it, you need to file a Request for Trial De Novo, and if that is denied, you can appeal the denial of a trial de novo for free. Of course, you can also just pay GC Services. Your drivers license is probably suspended. Do not drive at all until you contact DMV and confirm that your drivers license is valid.

76. Christopher Dort December 16th, 2009 at 6:17 pm

    Yes. You have to go to the court clerks office and request a court date. RE: And are they subject to the same rules that other collections agencies are under Fair Debt Collections Practices Act? Answer: Yes. And I am ready to sue GC services if you find a violation (especially lies about your right to a court date).

77. SA December 21st, 2009 at 1:42 pm

    I have a traffic violation from 2006 which I kept extending court day for 2 years I think. When I went to court, the judge granted me taffic court and an extension on the fine. I never paid the fine and I failed to appear in court again. By license never got suspended, and I think that a mistake on there side. Yes, I did go to the DMV to check on that. GC now wants almost $1,000 from me, and because the ticket is so old, they are telling me that I can’t go to court and if I don’t pay for it, my license can get suspended at any time. The court clerk is saying that my case is with collections and I have to deal with them.

    My question is the following:
    1.) If I pay GC services, can I force them to take payments and stop the suspension potential possibilities?
    2.) If I pay GC services, do they then contact the court to let them know this case is paid? If they do that, the court may find out there mistake of not suspending me before, and also giving me a point on my record? Does it also get sent to GC services?
    3.) If I pay GC services, is this the best chance that dmv will not ever be notified something was paid and I will get no point?
    4.) If I got to county clerks office at 8am and demand to been seen by judge, can they say no? If they say yes, and if the judge reduces my fee to lets say $500, do I still get a point on my record? If I completely avoid the judge, do I have a better chance not getting a point on my record?

    thank you
    213 909 6211

78. SA December 21st, 2009 at 1:47 pm

    Please ignore my last comments? I did not see that you answered most of my questions on Dec 16th. I do have one thing to ask you though.

    My license is not suspended. I’m 100% sure. I went to the DMV. if my top priority is to keep it away from DMV records and avoid points on my record, should I pay GC services? If I get a walk in hearing and teh judge reduces the fines, is there a bigger chance for them to send info to DMV?
    213 909 6211 thank you

79. Christopher Dort December 21st, 2009 at 6:11 pm

    SA, there are 2 things the DMV should have notice of: 1) the failure to appear drivers license hold under Vehicle Code section 40509.5; and 2) the violation that you were originally cited for.

    The DMV does take action on the FTA hold immediately once they get notice, but as for the original violation, the DMV does not take action until you are convicted. If you never had a trial, you have not been convicted yet. But if you pay GC Services, you are admitting guilt and then will be convicted. It is at that point that the violation will appear on your DMV record (if it is a moving violation).

80. SA December 22nd, 2009 at 8:34 pm

    I went to Van Nuys court county clerk yesterday and asked if they would let me do a walk in for citation#8880656? They said no, and that I would have to speak to GC about it. I told them that GC is a collection company and they should not have any jurisdiction, they said, NO, they have full jurisdiction, because they ticket is now with collection, and they own that ticket. After asking for the supervisor, they provided me with a Traffic Arraignment Notice which I signed on 3/13/2008, after I appeared in court. The letter states, I will NOT be scheduled to appear in court again to address this matter. There will be NO extensions given to the dates indicated on the court compliance slip. I have been given a copy of and fully understand the courts’ ruling as it is explained on the court compliance slip. I understand that it is expected that I comply fully with the court compliance slip. Failure to fully comply with the courts’ ruling as explained on the court compliance slip will result in my case being referred to GC services and the opportunity to complete traffic school will be withdrawn. I singed this on 3/13/2009, which was hearing date. The now retired judge, Martin Megman, checked Fine payment/not guilty bail of $889/924 due in the Clerk’s office by 12/11/08. The judge granted me 12hour Traffic school.
    What happened?
    I signed up for a two full day traffic school in West LA near Century City at local hotel. If you are familiar with the area, the one across from Ralphs. I attended a full 6 hour Saturday, but the instructor said that he would give us no receipt until we complete the class tomorrow. The next day, I suffered from a seizure. A few weeks later, I was unable to remember which company I signed up with, but I remember the very over weight instructor… Before that, after the judges ruling, I did not pay the clerk on 3/13/2009, because I did not have a credit card with me nor enough cash. After my seizure, I could not remember that I hadn’t paid this fine along with me not completing the traffic school 12 hours. The address on the ticket does not match my current address either. Any notices that where sent, they where returned to the court house. I DID update my address with the DMV, but at the time of the ticket my address was different, so the police officers went with my at the time address.
    Conclusion:
    I went to GC services, they said, if I don’t pay the $1,000 plus fees my license can be suspended for non payment. I told them that this is NOT a failure to pay. They said a law passed early this year and for any tickets taht is in non payment status they are subject to suspension and they are going back 4 years. I asked if I could get on a payment plan? They said, you can by no guarantee that my license would not be suspended until everything is paid. I went back in the hour plus wait line for the clerk. They said, that this is GC services discretion and they have no jurisdiction for this at all. The DMV has no record of this ticket was so ever. I went to DMV and checked on this.
    My questions?
    - Can I write a motion to get heard by a judge? If so, how do I get a judge to hear it?
    - I can get a note and prove that I am suffering from epilepsy and one of the biggest side effects is memory loss. Can I use that for my defense?
    - Do I have any case for this ticket to be wiped off, because they did not notify me at my current address, based on DMV records?
    - If none of the above can work in my favor, if I am able to find the traffic school I completed the 6 of 12 hours, can I get granted to do the remainder and get a reduced fine from the $800 judgement?
    - If I hire an attorney, their fee would be $500, so even if my fine is reduced I will most likely pay more. Any benefits you could think of?
    - Can we sue GC services for emotional distress and wrongful information about them having full control in getting my license suspended etc..?
    Sorry for the long story above, but I think it is a useful one too! thank you

81. Christopher Dort December 22nd, 2009 at 11:47 pm

    SA, Sounds like you plead not guilty and set a trial date, and the court told you that you have to post bail to have the trial. If you failed to post bail on time, you are probably screwed. You basically gave up your right to be heard by not posting the bail. The failure to complete traffic school does not matter at all anymore. Traffic school does not affect the court case, only how DMV treats it. There is nothing you can sue GC services for on this one. If you had an arraignment, and did not follow through with the trial, you had your chance and missed it. The correct action would have been to go into court on the day your bail was due and ask the judge for an extension. Now it is a failure to pay issue - because th court probably had the trial without you and found you guilty. My only suggestion would be to fill out the form for a request of a trial de novo. GC Services is right, your drivers license will be suspended if the case is not satisfied (Se Vehicle Code section 40509.5. Wish I had better news.

82. Christopher Dort December 22nd, 2009 at 11:57 pm

    Danielle, UPDATE!!! I finally got sick of this problem and did some real legal work. I just wrote a new document for people who have a civil assessment added and the court will not allow them to have a trial date.

    It’s a real legal form, on pleading paper, instructions included, for a Notice of Not Guilty Plea and Demand for Court Trial. In your situation, I recommend you fill it out and file by delivering to the court clerk it ASAP - so that you have prof they refused you a trial. If it does not work, you can appeal and in my opinion, with a strong case. Here is a link where you can get this form I wrote myself for free for a limited time: http://sites.google.com/site/dortlawcom/DemandforTrialTrafficCourt.pdf?attredirects=0&d=1. After a short free period, it will be available for $9.99.

83. Channon Adams January 6th, 2010 at 1:57 am

    I went to the DMV to renew my registration and was baffled to find out that my license was suspended. After a little research I found that Alliance One has placed a “hold” on my drivers license. I called Alliance One and spoke with a woman who I had asked how this was legal where she gave me the case numbers for not only one but two outstanding amounts totalling $1183 to my surprise. I was then referred to contact the court house as well as the Franchise Tax Board. I did contact both the court house as well as the Tax Board and was told by each department that there was in fact NOT any outstanding balance. I am so confused, I asked each person I spoke with to send me in writing what exactly their systems showed and that I in fact did not have any outstanding balance. I was told this can take up to 14 business days.

    Is there anything I can do… I am basically brushed off by Alliance One while trying to explain that there is a large problem and that they need to release the :hold: they placed on my license. I am told in not so many words that until I have that paperwork in writing to prove I do not owe anything to the court or the franchise Tax Board my life is basically put on hold! How is this possible for such a large company to treat us like this, because of their mistake I am being punished! This effects my job, my children, my everyday life… to them that means nothing unless I want to go forward and just pay the full $1183. How is this company still in business?

    Any suggestions to speed this process would be greatly appreciated, also any ideas of how to avoid this from happening in the future.

    Thank you,
    Channon A.

84. Christopher Dort January 6th, 2010 at 6:00 pm

    Channon. Common problem. Here is some clarification that may help. Your drivers license is suspended because of a hold placed on it by the COURT, not the collection agency. A collection agency does not have the power to suspend a person’s drivers license. But vehicle code section 40509.5 allows a court to do it after a failure to appear on the date listed on a signed “Promise to Appear” (ticket). You need to call the DMV driver safety office and get the names of the courthouses where you have VC40509.5 holds. Then you need to go to those courts in person and ask the court clerk to release the holds. You may have to make a court appearance to ask a judge to release the holds. If your cases are with the FTB - the court has handed them off to the state for collection. BUt the place where you need to get the holds released is the Courthouse Clerks office. Not at Alliance One. They cannot release the holds for you. Only the court can.

    As far as advice for avoiding this problem in the future - here it is: 1) never throw away or lose a ticket that you get; 2) always make sure the DMV has your current address; 3) when you get a ticket, read the entire thing, and note the date of your court appearance at the bottom and write it on your calendar; 4) don’t ignore the date listed on the ticket; 5) open all mail from the DMV immediately; 6) if you move after getting a ticket, notify the court in writing of your address change; 7) If you cannot pay a fine, don’t blow off the court date, go in and ask for more time; 8) don’t ever drive with expired registration tags; 9) don’t ever let your insurance expire; 10) don’t drive without a valid drivers license in your pocket; 11) don’t drive with tinted windows; 12) etc.

85. Andres Vargas January 21st, 2010 at 1:38 am

    I am in a bit of a problem I think. I am hoping someone can help me try to make sense of this mess. I got a total of three tickets, two of them on the same day and time, I went to court to ask for a payment plan and they did set up a payment plan but since my unemployment ran out and I am basically just having to scape money for food so I failed to meet the payment plan. I am ofcourse very busy looking for a job and I really need to take care of this since they suspended my license but I went back to court to see if I could get a brake and set up payment plan again but they told me I couldn’t see the judge anymore since my fees went to the Franchise tax board. In short my question is, is there anyway of getting in front of a judge, the option to pay the fees a total of $1800 is impossible and I need my license. Any suggestions, Please!!!

86. Christopher Dort January 21st, 2010 at 8:31 pm

    Andres, I wish I had better news, but for fines sent to the Franchise Tax Board, I have never found a way to get them back into court. The problem is that the case is over, and you have already been sentenced. The court’s position is that you did not comply with the sentence, and they converted it to a civil judgement. They then sent the judgement bill to FTB for collection. Once you get to the FTB you are screwed. Maybe someone working out there for FTB has an idea?

87. Amy January 27th, 2010 at 2:10 am

    I need some legal advice. My boyfriend recieved a Fix It ticket for late registration in Fresno, California. He failed to tell me, as I take care of everything here. We paid the DMV late registration, well over a year ago. We even recieved the registration notice for this year for a normal amount. A few months ago he recieved a letter from GC, and again did nothing, because he had paid the registration. After another letter arrived we called them. The very rude lady on the phone told us that by him calling we have acknowledged the letter and have 72 hours before they put a hold on his liscense. After asking for a payment plan, the lady said they do not offer any and I was “disconnected.” I called back, got the same lady, and asked to speak to someone else. She said there was no one else, and put me on hold when i was “disconnected” again. My boyfriend cannot go to the courthouse until next week (he works the same hours they are open) What should we do? Does paying the late registration have anything to do with the fix it ticket?

88. Luka Barnes January 27th, 2010 at 6:18 am

    I had a situation where I requested a court date from GC services this month for a Failure to Appear hold involving a seatbelt ticket and the earliest the rep said I could go to trial was in August. Are my rights being violated considering that I have a right to a speedy trial within a 45 day time period or did I voluntarily waive that right by not showing up to court the first time around? Also is there anything I can do to speed up the process?

89. Jon January 27th, 2010 at 6:41 pm

    Back in 2007, My former roommate received a fix it ticket for not having a current registration sticker (the registration was paid and valid, but the sticker had yet to arrive in the mail).

    She paid the $10 fine at the Lakewood County building.

    She has since moved to Florida and went to renew her license and was told it was suspended and now owes a $706 and has a FTA hold on her California license.

    She can’t come back to California to contest this - any advice?

    She’s hoping to find the cancelled check, but they had a number of bank accounts here in CA and is not sure where it was paid from and if they have the 2+ year old bank statement.

90. Christopher Dort January 29th, 2010 at 11:08 pm

    Jon, I always tell people going to pay a fine (or in this case a “dismissal” fee) that you must keep proof of payment. If she did not keep proof of payment, and the court says she did not pay, she is screwed. There is nothing you can do without proof she paid. But I also have to say this - there is no $10 fine for having expired registration stickers (Vehicle Code section 4000(a)). The fine is actually about $350. However, is she got a police officer to sign off on her ticket (proof of correction), and took that proof of correction to the court, she would have had to pay a $25 dismissal fee to end the case. So I have to say from this info, maybe she didn’t jump through all of the required hoops. You cannot just pay $10 and expect the case to be over. You can pay $25 and provide a signed off ticket, or pay $350, but not just $10. Tell her not to drive at all until she contacts DMV (I recommend calling the DMV driver safety office) to verify the status of her drivers license - it is probably suspended as a result of the case.

91. Christopher Dort January 29th, 2010 at 11:11 pm

    Luka, unfortunately, requesting a court date from GC Services is the wrong way to go about it. I recommend going to the courthouse in person and asking for a walkin court appearance (or a date setting) from the court clerk (not some drop out sitting in a cubicle with a headset). You should go to the courthouse tomorrow and ask for a walk in appearance. Get there at 8 am. Do not rive at all until you contact DMV to verify the status of your drivers license. It is probably suspended. The right to a speedy trial is 45 days from the date of arraignment. You have not had an arraignment yet, and that is what you scheduled. To get a trial date, you have to first appear in court and plead not guilty.

92. Christopher Dort January 29th, 2010 at 11:15 pm

    Amy, there are 2 ways to take care of a fix it registration ticket. You can pay the fine in full (about $350) and it is over, regardless of whether or not you get the car registered. But if you do get the car registered, you can have an officer inspect the registration and sign off on the ticket - which then becomes your prof of correction. If you provide the court with your signed off proof of correction (before the date listed on the ticket), the court will dismiss it for a dismissal fee of $25. So just getting the car registered is not enough to end the court case. The case does not go away just because the car gets registered. I recommend that he go to the courthouse at 8 am and request a walkin appearance to show prof of registration. Technically, its too late to get it dismissed, but you may be able to talk the judge into it. He should plan on spending the whole day there.

93. Anna February 9th, 2010 at 5:41 pm

    Have you had a negative experience dealing with GC Services that is a true “horror” story? Have you lost a job, housing, or had some other serious repercussion through no (or limited) fault of your own? A local news program is seeking people to profile in news story focused on GC Services and their relationship with the Los Angeles County courts. We are especially interested in military personnel. If interested in sharing your story, please contact Anna at gcservices.story@gmail.com. Please forward to any friends or family with similar experiences.

94. Pat February 17th, 2010 at 6:59 pm

    Last year in I visited California and got a speeding ticket, (202.00 fine). I live in TX and have a Tx license. I arranged an extention to pay or to appear. Since I was unable pay or go back to CA to take of it. My ticket has been transfered to GC services now they say I owe 849.00! What do you suggest for my situation?

95. Christopher Dort February 18th, 2010 at 5:27 pm

    Pat, here is what is happening - once you miss the date on a citation in CA, CA will suspend your driving privilege in CA, even though you never had a California Drivers license using authority of California Vehicle Code section 40509.5. Texas will honor that suspension and will (at some point) suspend your Texas Drivers License. So the real problem is not GC Services or the fine. The real problem is the fact that this probably will cause the loss of your drivers license. The reason the “bail” amount has more than double is because the court has added a new charge of failure to appear - which carries penalties of its own. The best way to solve the problem is to hire an attorney to go to court for you, get the drivers license 40509.5 hold released, and hopefully, get the failure to appear dismissed and get you a traffic school referral on the speeding charge to prevent any damage to your driving record. If you cannot afford to hire an attorney, and cannot afford to just pay the bail (not the best option), and cannot get back to CA to do the work yourself, unfortunately, you are screwed. There is no free way to solve the problem. Let me know what court the problem is in and I should be able to get you a case review and quote for an attorney’s help. sent to cdort@dortlaw.com

96. Robert Allison February 26th, 2010 at 3:49 am

    I have a bad situation, I rode the trolley in the past for many years with no problems. According to Alliance One I received a citation in 2001 and 2008. The citation in 2008 was because I had lost my ticket which was a honest mistake so I never paid the fine. I never got a citation in 2001 so I do not know why they told me that. They have intercepted my tax refund every year and now they are saying that I owe $1270 dollars.
    What should I do to fix this issue?

97. Christopher Dort March 2nd, 2010 at 6:30 pm

    Robert, well, Alliance One cannot intercept your tax refunds - only the Franchise Tax Board can do that. So you probably have 2 problems: 1) with Alliance One, and 2) one with the FTB. The court can send a fine that is converted to a civil judgement to the FTB. Once a case gets to the FTB, there is nothing you can do that I know of. Sorry. With the Alliance one case, I recommend that you go to the courthouse where the case is located (it is a pending case) and request a walkin court appearance to try to get something done on it.

98. Michael March 2nd, 2010 at 9:40 pm

    Thx for the valuable information.

99. Lunie March 17th, 2010 at 12:25 am

    I know I’m a little late to the part, but I’m in need of some advice. This blog has been so helpful so far, but I’d like to get a little input if you have the time.

    In 2005, my husband was pulled over for forgetting to turn his lights on while driving in the campus parking lot of a community college he attended. In addition, he didn’t have his registration on him AND the police officer arrested him for having his fishing knives in the car. My husband forgot his fishing knives were there from the weekend fishing trip.

    So, my husband ended up in court over it all, pled guilty. The registration part was dismissed because it was a fix it and he had proof. So, he paid the fine for that. Then he was told that for the knives on school campus, and because it was his first offense that he would get probation and it would be sealed. He was told that he’d have to pay 1000$. As he understood it, he would pay 1000$ for the whole deal, even though the knives and the headlights where separate cases.

    He went back and set up a payment plan for what he owed. He paid it off. (No, he doesn’t have record of this as it was 5 years and 3 moves ago.) Skip forward to some months ago. We find out his license has been suspended for about 4 years. He never received anything from the DMV saying that his license was suspended. And in fact after this whole thing happens his license was suspended a second time in 2006 (the dmv guy said it was because he was pulled over, gave his info, but not given a ticket or citation).

    So, now my husband can’t access his court records to figure out why this happened since they are in collections. We believe it is the headlights case that is causing this. In addition, I’m confused as to why it’s 1000$ but this is what the collections people told him he owed. Headlight fee should have been about 150$ to 200$ and the non-payment fee would have been 300$. I want to avoid dealing with the collections people because they are sharks and after reading this blog and all its comments I don’t want to be burned even worse. Would he be able to ask for a walk-in court appearance? He’s currently unemployed due to having immense trouble finding a job, but we only have one car so when he gets a job, he needs to be able to drive (it will also help in finding a job too), so having his license is important. And it’s scary that no notice of suspension was given in 5 years. Do you have any suggestions for this situation.

100. Christopher Dort March 18th, 2010 at 5:31 pm

     Lunie,

     I cant tell what state or county you are talking about, but, your husband needs to contact the DMV, and get a list of the holds including case number and address of the courthouse where the cases are from. Then he needs to go in person to those courthouses and ask for a walk in court appearance. Once in court, he can ask for payment arrangements and release of the drivers license hold.

101. Shaina P March 18th, 2010 at 8:46 pm

     help! At the beginning of Oct 2009 I got a speeding ticket in San Diego. I stupidly tossed this aside while getting ready to move up to Washington where I reside now. I was expecting to get a letter in the mail stating how much I had to pay and my options for traffic school (I’ve gotten a speeding ticket before and know how it goes). However I never received this. In the midst of everything I made the bad assumption that it possibly got thrown out by the cop…and then I forgot about it until about a month ago when I received a letter in the mail stating that I now had a Failure to Pay and Failure to Appear charge and my balance was sent to collections (Alliance One). I dug up the ticket and found that I was supposed to be in court sometime in Jan 2010. …called up the SD court, found out I would have to write a letter to the judge. I wrote a letter to the judge pleading no contest for speeding and pleading to lower the balance since I never got a notice in the mail about my ticket and I moved out of state 3 weeks later, etc etc and that I would have financial hardship. The response was that the civil assessment was reduced to a lower fee but I don’t think that the Failure to Appear was dropped. Now I just got a letter in the mail from CA DMV that CA driver’s license is being suspended - I’ve already got my new Washington one.

     My questions are
     1. Is there anything else I can do to get Failure to Appear to disappear? If not, does it really matter now that I am in a different state?
     2. Does it matter that CA is suspending my license? Will this affect my WA license?
     3. Is there any way to dispute this with Alliance one and get it off my credit report?

102. Christopher Dort March 19th, 2010 at 5:21 pm

     Shaina, to answer your questions: 1) to make the failure to appear part of the problem go away, you need to have a trial and be found not guilty of the failure to appear charge. To do that, you need to appear in court multiple times. You cannot do it by mail. Whether or not it matters in your home state depends on whether you ere convicted of a misdemeanor or an infraction. A misdemeanor violation of Vehicle Code sec 40508(a) is a crime that will create a criminal history. 2) Most states will honor another state’s drivers license suspension. You should not ignore the problem and think everything will be OK. 3) I cannot help at all with credit report issues. Alliance one is a private company, not a part o the court. My only advice on that point is probably not helpful - but here it is - if you dont borrow money to buy things, it wont matter.

103. MeShawnda C March 23rd, 2010 at 4:10 am

     Here is my situation i have a ticket that is holding my license. I went to court in june of 2007 regarding this ticket the judge saw that i was making payments on it and said he would take the payments that i made and dismiss the ticket officer didnt had me any paper just told me to leave. I received another ticket in 2008 and made a payment online but it didnt go through for some reason so made another court apprence date and went to that didnt make any payments so it went to gcs collections never received any thing from them at all regarding this ticket. In june of 2009 i received a ticket in pomona for driving under a suspended license never knew it was suspended forgot all about that ticket cause it was during a emotional time in my life. Got stopped in november of 09 talking on my cell but then found out that i had a warrent for my aresst regarding the ticket in pomona and received another ticket for talking on my cell and driving with suspended license. recently went to court in feb and may regarding both of those tickets and judge wants me back in May to show proof of my license. Called the gcs service to see how much would the ticket that i got in 2008 would cost so i can get my license back she respond 2,007 dollars i told her that sounded funny for just one ticket she said its not 1 ticket its too i told her i never had another ticket in 2008 she said its from 2007 so i hung up and went online to check and see how many tickets i had underneath my driver license it only shows the one from 2008 none from 2007 also went to the gcs service website samething only 1 ticket under my name. So i went to the Bellflower court bulding regarding this and printed out what i seen online to the gcs service people she told me that i do have two tickets underneath my name and its one from 2007 and the other from 2008 i told her everthing from 2007 ticket she resonded as saying that i went to court on august 17th 2007 and agreed to pay this ticket by December 2007. I told her that is a lie i never went to court on august 17 i went in june because i just had a baby on july 26 of 2007. I just feel that gcs service is doing something fishy i am paying the ticket that i know i have but this one that isnt even on there on website is recking my brain what should i do or what could i do in order to get my license abck before i got back to court at the begining of may

104. Christopher Dort March 23rd, 2010 at 6:10 pm

     MeShawnda, I recommend that you hire an attorney to sort the mess out. GC Services is probably screwing with you.

105. gail March 24th, 2010 at 1:26 am

     Hello Sir and thank you so much for your blog site!! You have offerered me a bit of hope possibly!! I had a ticket for exp tags that the guy at the court clerks desk had told me that this was my last possible date which was Jan. 13, 2010! He had said either get it done and come in o9n or before that date that he was putting it I think like maybe a trial date or Im not sure, court date! For some dumb reason I didn’t mark it on my calender or did and then forgot to look at my calender and/or tossed it to the side. Well now it has gone to G.C. Services and is like over $900.00! Everything I tried over the phone etc, meaning talking to friends etc told me I have no other choice that I have to go to this collection agency, which I am familiar with from when I was a young adult! I have been depressed and stressed to my max to say the least ! Im 45 years old and never had a suspended lisence! As of now I believe it is suspended or in a day or two! Since the end of 2002 I have been out of work, Im on SSDI and have disabilities due to stress, memory, bad organization and concentration and major deppression, bad neck and back etc..I get only 1250 a month to live on and with an agingcar it was hard to pay Insurance, smog, tags, a parking ticket, repairs all at one time.Now with this $900.00 something bill I will never be able to do it!! Plus the $55.oo to renew lisence!I read that I should go to the clerks office, on your site hear and ask them for a court date or arraingment date!Is that right?What do I say to them for a great chance of getting a court date?Should I bring maybe proof of my social security disability papers? I want to go tomarrow am but will wait for your response first!! Is there a form or a letter that they have there to do a written motion, like you had stated in previous blog, in case they deny my a court date? Should I talk to anyone there in particular? If I do get a court date then the collection agency cannott hold my lisence or ? hOW WOULD i CLEAR MY LISENCE IF i DO GET A COURT DATE OR HOW DOES THAT WORK? pLEASE HELP!! Thanks sincerely, you are great! LOL, if single let me know, lol!!

106. Christopher Dort March 24th, 2010 at 1:49 am

     Gail, OK - that is a computer screen full of info. Let me narrow it down a bit - forgive me if this sounds curt, but I’ll tell what the court wants. Poverty is not a defense to anything. So bringing SSDI papers will not help at all. The information about your income will not help at all. The fine (and civil assessment they add after a missed court date under Penal Code section 1214.1) is based upon a law - not based on your income. Your income is completely irrelevant to the issue of whether or not you have to pay. The information about your disabilities is also irrelevant - and ironically, it is totally counter productive for the following reason:

     Driving is a privilege, not a right. You are only allowed to driver if you are healthy, competent to follow the laws, and able to afford insurance and registrations costs, as well as the costs of maintaining a vehicle.

     If you have disabilities due to “stress, memory, bad organization and concentration and major deppression [sic], bad neck and back etc.”, why in the world would the judge want to help you maintain your PRIVILEGE to drive? Answer: that info would convince the judge to NOT help you.

     Having said all of that - here is what you need to do (assuming this is CA):

     1) go in person to the courthouse clerk at 8 am on the next weekday and ask for a walk in appearance;
     2) go in and tell the judge you feel you are not guilty, but cannot afford the fine. Ask him to “suspend the fine in the interests of justice based upon economic hardship.
     3) ask the judge to release the drivers license hold (if any - Vehicle Code section 40509.5 hold) while you are on a payment plan. Tell him, her you have to drive to work.

     If the court refuses to give you a walk in court appearance, ask the court clerk to give you proof you were there (proof of appearance), and send me another comment. I will help you by directing you to my form for Demanding a Trial After a Civil Assessment.

     If you get in before the deadline on the warning notice, you should not have a drivers license suspension or have to pay the DMV drivers license reinstatement fee. However, you should call the DMV Driver Safety Office and ask a human working there to verify that your license was not suspended. Do not drive until you speak with a DMV human. (They do have a couple working there).

107. Wayne Matthess March 27th, 2010 at 11:55 pm

     I thought I read something either in this blog or related info regarding the pressure tactics and unscrupulousness of these employees who fake being an official court advisor, etc. I thought I saw some complaints from lawyers were waging toward GC Collections. I, too, was victim of their scare tactics and rush to give up bank acct info. I refused until I had a chance to go online and verify who they were. Anyway, if there is info on complaints thus far, any new status? Anyhing we consumers can do to help destroy some of their official sounding victimization (to be fair I do realize they are collecting fines and for the most part they deal with folks who dodge, weave, tell stories…, etc.) that is really going stronger than ever as of end of March, 2010. Thanks

108. jane March 29th, 2010 at 11:20 pm

     I recieved a speeding ticket in oct 2009. I got an extension so it wasn’t due unitl march 1 2010. I forgot about the ticket and now I recieved a notice stating that my license has a hold on it and I have a Failure to appear. The fine is now $1015. I don’t have that kind of money.Am I able to make payments and have the hold removed. What should I do??

109. Christopher Dort March 31st, 2010 at 8:47 pm

     Jane, when you miss a court date, several things happen (in CA). Most people get focused on the fine, but that is not the most important part of the problem. The VC 40509.5 hold actually causes a drivers license suspension. You cannot drive at all without committing a criminal offense. Then, they usually also add a new misdemeanor charge of failure to appear under VC 40508(a). Taking care of the case correctly means clearing the drivers license, and avoiding a misdemeanor conviction - not just paying the fine. The best option is to hire an attorney to go to court for you and take care of the case. Second best option is going to the courthouse at 8 am and asking the court clerk for a walk in appearance. The faster you get to it, the more likely it is that you can get a good result.

110. S.A. April 19th, 2010 at 5:06 pm

     If you call 1-800-352-3759 you can speak with a gc clerk and if you feel like they are rude, you can hang up and call back and get someone else on the line. One clerk told me as long as I send something every month its fine.(they were asking for hundreds of dollars a month, i send 30)

111. Christopher Dort April 21st, 2010 at 4:44 pm

     S.A. - The real problem with paying GC Services instead of going to court is that: 1) you are being over charged; and 2) GC Services will not be able to release the drivers license hold (VC 40509.5) that causes a suspension of your drivers license in a failure to appear case. Only the court can release the Drivers License hold. In most failure to appear cases, a court appearance will get the drivers license hold released. When you are dealing with GC Services, you are not dealing with court employees. In my opinion, dealing with a court problem through GC Services is not the best way to solve the problem. Go to court.

112. Kimberly Davis April 21st, 2010 at 6:41 pm

     I new that some of my rights had been violated by GC Services, but from their collection practices they made me believe everything was “under the laws”. I got a ticket last summer for driving without my license and insurance. I took the proof in the next business day and had the fix it tickets signed off. I asked for an extension on the fees. I missed the payment date by 3 days and received a “failure to appear” and sent the fees to collections. When I called GC services to pay the $187 fine, they had already reverted the ticket to the full amount of the no insurance no license ticket $1600. I asked for a court date and GC services informed me that I was not entitled to a court date and that it was too late because I was a “flake” and I just had to “suck it up” and pay it all of. This is improper treatment of people and I am now seeing, against the law. Yes, they can revert the fees to the ticket full amount……but I could have gone to court and was told no. When I asked the court they backed it up stating I was not entitled to a court date. Their answer was the judge did not see cases that were in collections. My license is now suspended even though I have faithfully been paying GC services every month and on time. They suspended my license 29 days before the due date of my next payment. They stated that the court put a hold through on my license and that always turns into a suspension prior to the balance being paid in full. I asked again if I could go to court and was told again, “no”. If I would have known then what I know now after reading your website I would have hired a lawyer. I am almost paid off and it was just a bad experience. But hopefully, my experience can benefit your case against GC Services.

113. Jonathan Guthridge May 8th, 2010 at 9:11 pm

     Hello, I was convicted for Driving While Suspended, and Driving Uninsured multiple times and failed to appear at every case.

     I owe Alliance Once 3,890 bucks. I’m guilty and I’m paying the tickets. Tara, my collector is really nice, but my question is… Can I mail my payment to them or do they only accept cash/check/money order?

     with His blessings,
     Jonathan Guthridge

114. Christopher Dort May 11th, 2010 at 4:51 pm

     Jonathan, I really appreciate you using http://www.trafficcourtblog.com, but why in the world are you asking me this question? Come on, use your brain! Ask them how you have to pay. But if you really want my opinion, Send them 389,000 pennies registered mail.

115. Scott Gulliford May 12th, 2010 at 4:03 pm

     Hello,

     I have a violation that was moved to collections for failure to appear. I was wondering if there is any way that I can not have to pay the fine and do community service instead. I have paid the first of the split payment but have lost my job and cannot make the rest. Thank you for this great resource!

116. Christopher Dort May 14th, 2010 at 6:19 pm

     Scott, if you cannot pay a fine on time, the correct thing to do is go to court, ask for a walk in appearance and ask the judge for more time. a few courts will allow community service in lieu of a fine, but it is rare, and I have never heard of it working for a case where you have already started paying the collection agency. Courts generally do not allow people to do community service in place of a fine, because it costs the county money in several ways - lik e - they dont get your money and they have to spend time and resources monitoring it. They will sometimes allow community service as a substitute for JAIL, but that is because jail costs them more. So it boils down to money - do they want your money, or do they want to spend money monitoring you???????? They want the money. Ask for more time.

117. Michael May 14th, 2010 at 11:23 pm

     Mr. Dort,

     Thanks for all the good postings. You seem to be the only one who knows anything about this.

     Here’s my situation and would really appreciate the advice.

     I got a fix-it ticket for not having my most current insurance card with me when I got stopped at a DUI checkpoint. I forgot to take care of that and got a letter in the mail saying that my license would be suspended unless I paid the bail of $1100 - $300 for a failure to appear and $800 for failure to have insurance. Went to courthouse to pay failure to appear and had my proof of insurance with me then (I was insured the whole time). The clerk told me they no longer had jurisdiction and referred to Alliance One and to request a “good cause form” to have it brought back to the courts.

     I’ve asked alliance one for the form nearly a month ago with several phone calls to follow up and still have not received it.

     They are telling me that they are “backed up” and will send it when they get to it. They also said that I have to return it to them and they will decide whether/when to send it to the courts.

     This all sounds like extortion to me. Is there a way I can take this directly to the courts to get resolved?

     Thanks!

118. Christopher Dort May 19th, 2010 at 6:20 pm

     Michael, sounds like you are one of the people I need to contact regarding an upcoming civil suit against Alliance One and GC Services. One thing I can recommend is that you Get and File the form I wrote for Demand of Entry of Not Guilty Plea; Demand for Trial at http://tinyurl.com/2byxul7. It comes with instructions. This is the next best shot at getting a court date if you cannot get one by going to the court clerks office in person.

119. Ossie Bluth July 1st, 2010 at 7:50 pm

     Great post I am definitly bookmarking this. Thanks for the resource.

120. Mike Morgan July 4th, 2010 at 5:12 am

     Hello Sir,

     Thanks goodness for this site! I paid GC SERVICES yesterday over the phone. I would have tried to go to the court to get a new hearing but I thought it was too late since my last court date passed a while ago and I didn’t show up. It seems like from what I read above, I should have done that before writing a big, fat check out to GC SERVICES. I am seriously considering putting a stop payment on the check and instead going back to the L.A. Superior Court to see what I can do directly. I still have time to stop payment before Tuesday, 7/6.

     Do I still have a chance?

     Thank you,

     Dave

121. John Arnold July 30th, 2010 at 2:19 am

     I have 10 traffic tickets, I was young stupid and had a fast car and a sports bike. GC services called me threatening to file a wage garnishment.
     I apparently owe them $7,300, that is a whole lot of money!
     I never paid my tickets or showed up to court. I was stupid. Now I can’t pay this fine, and I do not know what to do.
     I do want to pay my debt to society, I am not looking for a scape goat. But I will not pay 4K in fines, that is just crazy. I have yet to arrange a payment plan with GC services.
     The court clerk told me I can not see the judge. The court clerk also told me I had no choice but to pay GC services and she told me where there nearest office was.
     I want to see a lawyer, but will they be able to set a court date and get the fines reduced, and the hold on my license taken off. I do need to work. my job is in the next city, I have no choice but to drive on a suspended license.

122. Christopher Dort July 30th, 2010 at 3:26 am

     John,

     Wow. You might just have the type of problem that justifies real legal work.

     First thing I have to say is that you would have to be an idiot to continue to drive on a suspended drivers license. Do not do it. When you get caught, you will have a much, much worse problem.

     OK - I cannot tell what court this is in, and each court deals with these problems differently. The primary goal for you would be get the cases back on the court’s calendar. Assuming you are in CA, I would recommend that you fill out and file the form I drafted for Demanding a Trial After Civil Assessment ($9.99) in all of the cases. If you follow the instructions correctly, and the court denies the motion, then your case(s) (problem) is big enough to justify the cost of filing an appeal and finally, challenging the court’s refusal to give you a court date for real.

     Now, you would have to hire an attorney such as myself (I’m ready to go!) to appeal the denial of court date(s) in both state and federal court. But in your case it;s worth the money. They are violating the law, but I have never had anyone with a the money or a big enough problem to do a real challenge in Federal Court. My form listed above is designed specifically to present the appealable isues correctly so that if an appeal is necessary, there is a good chance of winning.

     But you might get lucky. My form has actually worked many times without an appeal and gotten people court dates.

     Once you get into court on the cases, it will probably get much better. But there is no free EZ way to get your license back after 10 tickets. That is an outrageous amount of bad driving. (I’ve driven 100k miles in 7 years without a single moving violation).

     You probably actually have way to many points to get a drivers license even if you get the tickets cleared up and paid off (you are only allowed 4 points in 2 years). You probably have way more than 4 points, but time might be on your side. So you would have to first check your points standing with DMV to see if it is even worth the effort. It would suck to get the tickets cleared off and spend $5000 doing it, only to find out the DMV has revoked your license because you are a danger to the public.

     Here is my advice is a nutshell: 1) get my form, file it in all cases; 2) get a copy of your DMV report, and find out how many points you have to see if you can even have a license anymore at all; 3) appeal a denial of the Request for Trial form if necessary; 4) once in court, try to work out the cases the best you can.

     You can hire an attorney to do all of this work for you. I’d have to talk to you on the phone to give you a specific quote (depending on the courts and whether or not you actually want to go through with an appeal to challenge the denial of court dates). 800 256 5983

123. Larry August 9th, 2010 at 10:24 pm

     Recently, I noticed I had a suspended license when I was trying to renew my Washington State driver’s license. To my surprise, my license was suspended in the state of CA. What the heck? Then, I finally got around to calling up California DMV. I had to pay DMV $55 for the ticket cost. I submitted the $55 payment for the ticket. DMV also said I needed to pay for whatever the court costs were too, before I can finally get my license un-suspended.

     It took me a long time to figure out the status of my court obligations. Well, I eventually found out my citation has been sent from Long Beach California LA County Superior Court to GC Services. I would have to pay $1501 to clear the fines.

     I am totally shocked I had my driver’s license suspended in the first place, and couldn’t even think of how I got this ticket.

     Thinking back as far out as I could, I had pulled over by a cop in Los Angeles in 2006 for supposedly speeding. I must have had a Washington state driver’s license at the time. The officer also took my Alabama driver’s away and even said that it was “illegal to have more than one license at a time”. Grumble. He wanted me to prove who I was and had to show a bunch of my IDs and credit cards, etc. He was being a jerk and trying to intimidate me. He also insisted that I was speeding, which I wasn’t. Eventually, he left and did not give me a ticket. I was a bit confused. He didn’t say he let me off easy or anything. Just that I could get back into my car.

     I was visiting a friend at the time and lived in his house. I never heard anything about the ticket or personally received mail about the ticket.

     4 years later I find out my driver’s license is suspended because of the “speeding” ticket. Everything adds up. I got pulled over in LA. The court is LA Superior Court. I had no other traffic violations in CA state. Even the violation date of July 3rd, 2006 adds up. I remember being pulled over a day before 4th of July.

     I read on this blog that paying for the court fines in full can be pretty bad. But now I am also in Washington state, not in California. Coming to court in person would be difficult, but I do not want the charges associated with the citation. Plus I adamant that I was not speeding and should have never gotten a ticket, nevermind the inconvenience of talking to a rude police officer.

     What am I going to do??? Any help!?!? Any help will be really appreciated!

124. Ron August 18th, 2010 at 9:52 pm

     Hi Chris, reading this blog, you are quiet the duty expert in these matters. I was in the military as a Texas resident stationed in California. In order to drive in this state, had to get a California drivers license. I got a ticket ($250) 15 years ago in Washington State that Alliance One wants to now collect $900 for the state of Washington. Is there a statute of limitation? Can Alliance One garish my wages? I have never had a Washington State license nor a drivers license ever revoked. Retire now from the military and recently became a California resident. What recourse does Alliance One or the State of Washington legally have in the state of California? Thanks, Ron