The saga of Bright Lights numberplates caused much drama in the NSW motoring community – and it continues as the recall process rolls out.
The NRMA campaigned to have the controversial plates removed from the roads after being flooded with complaints about how difficult the colour-on-black combinations were to read.
Members claimed they would be unable to see the letters or numbers in the event of an accident or criminal act, despite the plates registering clearly on police and Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) detection devices.
RMS stopped issuing the plates in February and recalled them in March - read the original story - but now a Member who purchased the plates and is unhappy with the brighter replacement items is complaining they have been “screwed over” by the process.
“Where is the NRMA support for the 9000-odd motorists who have to hand back the product that they have purchased when they have no choice but to accept a replacement, even though it is not what they wanted or paid for?” wrote Daisy P.
“Not only can we not obtain a refund, we also have to continue to pay the $99 annual fee for the ‘privilege’ of having this unwanted replacement plate.
“It seems to me that you won a battle, claiming to be looking after the interest of NSW motorists, then happily turned your back.”
NRMA’s representation of Members certainly includes Bright Lights holders, and it seemed unfair to us that people who’d bought a legal product in good faith were denied the right to return it when the rules changed.
So we investigated the issue and discovered that there is a way to get a refund – but only after exposing a series of miscommunications.
The myPlates website confirms that no refunds are available at time of publication and when we asked RMS, the official response said customers “are being offered a free remake of any plate from the myPlates range”.
“Letters are being sent to customers progressively to let them know about the recall,” a spokesperson said.
“Around 1500 of the 9500 plates to be recalled have been replaced to date.”
We can reveal that a special group has been formed within RMS to manage the recall and that a special procedure involving additional paperwork that can’t be completed at RMS branches is required as part of the recordkeeping process.
Furthermore, some plates in the Euro and Prestige range will not in fact be available as replacements for Bright Lights holders.
But we can also reveal that the letter sent out to the first tranche of postings caused widespread confusion, triggering a rewrite before more notifications were sent out.
Due to the complexity of the process, we recommend that all Bright Lights holders call 1300 541 031 to get more information.
But we are pleased to report that Daisy has since been told that a refund is an option and that her letter is being rewritten.
So while NRMA stands by their campaign against the original Bright Lights plates, we also stand by Members who purchased them.
The NRMA campaigned to have the controversial plates removed from the roads after being flooded with complaints about how difficult the colour-on-black combinations were to read.
Members claimed they would be unable to see the letters or numbers in the event of an accident or criminal act, despite the plates registering clearly on police and Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) detection devices.
RMS stopped issuing the plates in February and recalled them in March - read the original story - but now a Member who purchased the plates and is unhappy with the brighter replacement items is complaining they have been “screwed over” by the process.
“Where is the NRMA support for the 9000-odd motorists who have to hand back the product that they have purchased when they have no choice but to accept a replacement, even though it is not what they wanted or paid for?” wrote Daisy P.
“Not only can we not obtain a refund, we also have to continue to pay the $99 annual fee for the ‘privilege’ of having this unwanted replacement plate.
“It seems to me that you won a battle, claiming to be looking after the interest of NSW motorists, then happily turned your back.”
NRMA’s representation of Members certainly includes Bright Lights holders, and it seemed unfair to us that people who’d bought a legal product in good faith were denied the right to return it when the rules changed.
So we investigated the issue and discovered that there is a way to get a refund – but only after exposing a series of miscommunications.
The myPlates website confirms that no refunds are available at time of publication and when we asked RMS, the official response said customers “are being offered a free remake of any plate from the myPlates range”.
“Letters are being sent to customers progressively to let them know about the recall,” a spokesperson said.
“Around 1500 of the 9500 plates to be recalled have been replaced to date.”
We can reveal that a special group has been formed within RMS to manage the recall and that a special procedure involving additional paperwork that can’t be completed at RMS branches is required as part of the recordkeeping process.
Furthermore, some plates in the Euro and Prestige range will not in fact be available as replacements for Bright Lights holders.
But we can also reveal that the letter sent out to the first tranche of postings caused widespread confusion, triggering a rewrite before more notifications were sent out.
Due to the complexity of the process, we recommend that all Bright Lights holders call 1300 541 031 to get more information.
But we are pleased to report that Daisy has since been told that a refund is an option and that her letter is being rewritten.
So while NRMA stands by their campaign against the original Bright Lights plates, we also stand by Members who purchased them.
