Purple Heart license plates are a special designation for veterans who were wounded serving our country, but some Washington Purple Heart recipients are feeling frustrated with the state Department of Licensing.
The plates adorn 23,000 cars across the state with each telling a different story.
A few months ago, KING 5 started hearing from frustrated veterans who were seeing a new $30 charge on their car registration.
“Is this their way of saying thank you?” veteran David Buckner asked.
Until now veterans have been able to get two sets of Purple Heart plates at no charge, but the state says now that second set will cost those vets $30. That didn't sit well with David Buckner, but he's so proud of the plates, he paid the extra money.
The explanation didn't make any sense to veteran Steve Harwood who paid the $30 charge.
“I only have one pair, and that's when I got more angry about it,” he explained.
After KING 5 got involved, the state admitted his bill was wrong.
“I received a call from a gentleman from the state saying that they had a made a mistake,” Harwood said.
Harwood will get a refund, but he worries about other vets who might not notice the mistake.
Harwood is a Bellevue-based real estate broker who is passionate about helping fellow veterans navigate the housing market and get VA loans. He believes they are an underserved group and says this license plate hiccup is another burden veterans who are often reluctant to complain.
“You definitely feel like you're getting a slap in the face to get a charge like that,” he said.
The state admits that Harwood is not the only veteran who was incorrectly billed but were not able to say how many bills with mistakes went out. For now, they're encouraging those who think they have a billing error to contact customer service.
