Thai Licence Plate Winners Run Out Of Luck

Thai licence plate winners run out of luck

BANGKOK: -- The Land Transport Department has begun suing people who won sought-after licence plates at auction and then failed to collect them.

Chairat Sa-nguansue, department chief, said people who won popular plates at auction and then failed to pick them up, to avoid paying the auction price, would be sued as the department was losing money.

The proceeds from auctions go to a road safety fund.

Mr Chairat said the courts would be asked to order the winners to pay up.

Under bidding regulations, winners are required to place a deposit and collect the plates within 30 days of the auction. The department has extended the collection period for another 30 days.

If the winners still do not turn up, a new auction is called.

If the new auction fetches less than the first round, the first winner who failed to pick up the plate will have to pay the difference in bidding prices between the two rounds.

However, the department did not say if or how much the first winner would have to pay if the second auction fetched a higher price.

In recent years, at least 17 auction winners have failed to contact the department to pay for their plates.

He said the department had eased regulations for auction winners, many of whom planned to resell the plates.

"If they are unable to find buyers, they lose interest in picking up the plates. They are taking advantage of the department and depriving other potential bidders of opportunities," he said.

Last month, the department earned more than 40 million baht from auctioning attractive-number plates at two auctions in Bangkok and Surat Thani.

The plate Chor Thor 9999 was sold for 870,000 baht.

Mr Chairat also warned motorists against falling victim to unauthorised sales agents who charge exorbitant fees for the purchase of compulsory third-party insurance cover.

Last year, 22 unauthorised sales agents were arrested, he said.

-- Bangkok Post 2009-02-09