Action 9

Action 9: Charlotte man overpays taxes, waits 4-years for refund

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — You know that property tax you pay on your vehicle every year?

Marshall Chisholm got a bill in 2014.  He said it was for $105.

"I had mailed it off, but, evidently, they didn't get it.  Something ... happened with the mail."  So he paid again.  This time, online.  "Sure enough, they got the check, turned it in, as well as took my money online."

So he called Mecklenburg County's tax office.  He said somewhere there "told me I needed to write a letter to the department, let them know what had happened and they would process and take care of it and get me my money."

But they didn't.

"I waited two, three weeks, gave it a couple of months, thinking, 'I don't want to rush it, sometimes things take time,' but never heard again, called back, you keep getting switched around and I all but gave up."

Four years later, he still didn't have a refund.  He remembered the county never reimbursed him.  "I paid it like I was supposed to.  Double paid.  What was taking so long?  I just still don't understand it."

So he emailed Action 9.  Action 9 skipped the county and emailed North Carolina DMV, thinking it would be a more direct way to get his money back.  DMV didn't explain what went wrong, but took care of it right away.  "You responded back right away and told me I guess you were contacting them find out what was going on.  Then they immediately started responding."

Chisholm got his check.  It took him four years.  It took Action 9 two days.

Make sure you keep good records.  This is the second taxpayer issue Action 9 has helped a viewer with recently.  Both had receipts and financial statements.  Action 9 may not have been able to get them money back without that.

Read more top trending stories on wsoctv.com: