Watch CBS News

I-Team Call For Action Saves Woman Thousands After License Plate Mix-Up

BOSTON (CBS) - When Pamela Hill of Hubbardston tried to trade in her car for a newer model, she was stunned when the dealer only offered a fraction of what her car was worth. "They said, 'well you've been in an accident in 2012,'" she recalled. "I said, 'no, that car has never been hit.'"

The difference was thousands of dollars, but the dealership wouldn't budge because the crash was included on the Carfax report. "They just were not buying that it wasn't my car," she said.

At the same time, she was getting stacks of EZ-Pass bills from New Hampshire even though she had not traveled to the state.

She soon realized there was a mix-up with her license plate. Photos on the EZ-Pass bills clearly showed the plate was a dealer plate with the letter's L-U-X-E. Pamela's car had a passenger plate, also L-U-X-E.

Despite weeks of calls and emails, she couldn't get either Carfax or the state of New Hampshire to fix the problem. "This was emotionally distressing and financially causing hardship," she said.

That's when she reached out to the I-Team's Call for Action. When we contacted the state of New Hampshire, a spokesperson told us it was an image review error and corrected the problem immediately.

Carfax also responded immediately. "Within a day of me sending you my VIN number, I got a response from one of the Carfax researchers," Hill recalled.

A few days later, Hill received an email link to a clean Carfax report and ended up selling her car for triple what the dealer offered.

"I think Channel 4, WBZ just saved the day. It's funny how fast things can pull together in the right direction when the right people call."

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.