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South Dakota address now available to members.....


Kirk W

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After reading the info, it wasn't clear to me if the "satellite office" offers any of the ancillary services, such as vehicle registration and renewal, as are offered by the existing SD mail services? Last year our mail service hand carried our new vehicle registration through the process and had our tags back to us in ~3 days. They also handle our yearly tag renewals. Maybe Travis or someone can clarify if the new Escapees service in SD will do the same.

Sandie & Joel

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It looks like mail will be delivered to SD and then sent to TX for shipping. You'd have to plan on additional delay. Hope it works out for some.

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and 8 yr in a 33' Travel Supreme 5th Wheel

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State specific mail will go to SD, voter's registration and such, while all your normal mail can be sent directly to your Texas Escapees address, see Kirk's link.

 

I haven't seen anything about offering other services besides the domicile address and mail forwarding.

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Looks like it will work well... They've put a lot of effort into this. I don't believe they've ever offered renewal from Livingston??

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I'm not aware of any plans to provide services of picking up license plates, but don't really know why you would need that as I think that SD has renewal of plates by mail, just as TX does??

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

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You can renew online and SD will mail new plate stickers to your SD address. We did use our mail forwarder to help us with the paperwork and process when we got the SD new plates. Greg

Greg & Judy Bahnmiller
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State specific mail will go to SD, voter's registration and such, while all your normal mail can be sent directly to your Texas Escapees address, see Kirk's link.

 

I haven't seen anything about offering other services besides the domicile address and mail forwarding.

 

If there were enough requests for assistance with these services we might consider offering them, but South Dakota is so straight forward, I'm not sure that kind of help is necessary. :)

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Am I interpreting this cdorrectly? If I want to have my home state be SD the only mail I have sent to that address is any mail that requires me to be domiciled in that state? The rest of my mail goes to my Livingston address. So I have 2 addresses now: one in SD and one in TX.

 

What happens to non-state related mail that goes to SD? This may occur if the state sells the mailing list or something like that.

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If there were enough requests for assistance with these services we might consider offering them, but South Dakota is so straight forward, I'm not sure that kind of help is necessary. :)

 

Cathie:

 

Just an observation; when we purchased a new toad last year in TX and wanted it registered in SD it was very nice to be able to send the paperwork to someone I knew and trusted who could walk it down the block and get it all processed and who I knew would call me immediately if there was any problem with the paperwork. I would not have been nearly as comfortable sending the paperwork to a State motor vehicle office by mail without someone to shepherd it. Even for routine annual registration renewals the SD website says to expect the "online" process to take 10 days for delivery to an address within SD. It was a lot less stressful to have my mail service person walk over and get the new sticker and send it to me.

 

For me, these kind of "boots on the ground" services are an essential part of any mail service I would consider using. Other people may feel differently but these are my thoughts.

 

Joel

Sandie & Joel

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Joel, I agree that the help from the SD mail forwarder was very welcome on my part as the SD process was different (I thought even complicated) from MI that I was accustomed to regarding getting vehicles registered in SD. I have used the SD state website twice to renew and it was very simple and easy, they send the stickers to your SD address which then forwards them to you. You can renew them 2 or 3 months before they expire so there is plenty of time . Greg

Greg & Judy Bahnmiller
Class of 2007
2014 F350
2007 HitchHiker Champagne

Both sold 2/19, settled in Foley, AL after 12 years on the road

http://bahnmilleradventure.blogspot.com/

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What happens to non-state related mail that goes to SD? This may occur if the state sells the mailing list or something like that.

It just depends upon your instructions. If you have the mail service instructed to destroy trash mail, that is exactly what they will do but if you ask them to forward all of the "mail-box spam" then it will be forwarded and you will pay postage for that.

 

For me, these kind of "boots on the ground" services are an essential part of any mail service I would consider using. Other people may feel differently but these are my thoughts.

That is an advantage of using a small service where there are not so many customers to deal with. If the Escapees were to do that with their nearly 15,000 addresses they would need to hire more help just to do that work. With the low rates of Escapee mail service they would have to raise prices to add such service, comparable to what others are charging.

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

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OK. So SD mirrors our TX instructions if needed. Any mail that is received by SD will be sent to TX for mailing. TX is a central hub and all mail is distributed from that location only. SD really acts a drop address for "SD legal" purposes. SD is not a mail distribuition facility equivalent to the TX one at Livingston. Correct?

 

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If I understand it correctly they (SD or FL locations) are just a satellite facility that sends mail to TX for forwarding to you.

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Sell a customer a Linux computer and you'll eat for a day.

Sell a customer a Windows computer and you'll eat for a lifetime.

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But you will also have a Livingston, TX address for all mail other than SD plates, drivers license and voting mail. My understanding is that Escapees do not want all your mail going to SD. Greg

Greg & Judy Bahnmiller
Class of 2007
2014 F350
2007 HitchHiker Champagne

Both sold 2/19, settled in Foley, AL after 12 years on the road

http://bahnmilleradventure.blogspot.com/

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Has anyone prepared a step by step, set of instructions, detailing the process for changing domicile for existing mail service members?

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Our service in South Dakota is not small and they handle all the paperwork for us for everything, pick up everything in person, and let us know it's ready to be sent to us. And we pay less than what we would to Escapees, when you add in the annual membership fee. They've got their own office building, campground,service bays--about as big as the Livingston location.

How many customer addresses do they have? Escapees is generally considered to be the largest by most RV writers and has been for a long time, with about 15,000 addresses. The club membership is far more than just a mail service and many of those who have chosen to use an SD address still join the RV club for the large number of other benefits. Their mail service rates are low because it is only available to club members but far from all members use it.

 

Not an Escapees Member yet? You can join now for just $29.95 (plus a $10 one-time enrollment fee).

 

Mail Forwarding Service Rates

Category A

Annual Fee = $95

Postage Deposit = $50

Enrollment Fee = $15

Cancellation Fee = $35

For a Total of $195

* All mail received is forwarded first-class

Category B

Annual Fee = $115

Postage Deposit = $50

Enrollment Fee = $15

Cancellation fee = $35

For a Total of $215

* Request classes of mail

Category C

Annual Fee = $135

Postage Deposit = $50

Enrollment Fee = $15

Cancellation Fee = $35

For a Total of $235

* Requests special mail sorting

 

Is there an additional cost for using SD mail and address services?

I don't believe that there is, but to be sure I would suggest that you call them and as, since it is a toll free call. (888-757-2582)

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

            images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQqFswi_bvvojaMvanTWAI

 

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Has anyone prepared a step by step, set of instructions, detailing the process for changing domicile for existing mail service members?

 

A complete step-by-step guide has been prepared and will be posted on our website very soon. In the meantime, you can contact our office as Kirk said (888-757-2582). It took us a little longer than we intended to prepare because we wanted our attorney partners in each of the states (Texas, Florida, and South Dakota) to review it first. As soon as our graphics department finishes their part, it will be posted.

 

A few additional questions have been asked so I will try to answer those:

 

Escapees: Home is free.There are no additional fees for Escapees: Home satellite service centers, other than postage. The $1 (per mailing) fee is mainly in place to encourage members to use this service for their state specific mail needs, and not general correspondence. We realize that some states are bad about selling their address lists. This has not been a problem for anyone using the Florida service to date, but should South Dakota prove to be different, I can assure you it is not our aim to charge members for junk/spam mail that comes as a result of voter's registration or vehicle registrations. Staff will use the same personal instructions you have provided when packaging and forwarding your mail .

 

Escapees Mail Service rates. Kirk posted the fees above so you can compare costs. As you can see the base rates, which are the only recurring fees other than your personal postage deposits, are $95 for Cat. A, $115 for Cat. B, and $135 for Cat. C. It's true that we offer our mail service to Escapees members only. Annual dues are currently $29.95 and we hope to hold that rate as long as possible! So, you are not just getting a mail service, you are getting a complete support network. I hope you will compare apples to apples when comparing us against others.

 

Hands on services. Some individuals have mentioned that they appreciated someone handling their vehicle registrations for them. As I indicated in an earlier post, this is a relatively new program that will evolve as service needs are more fully determined. On a completely personal note, I admit that I have had reservations about handling domicile-related tasks. Having gone through two-years of intense challenges in court for our members, I discovered (or felt) that judges looked at these kinds of details when making their determination. If everything is done through the mail or handled by someone else, there could be some question about an individual's "intentions" which we know wraps tightly around domicile law. Please remember, I am NOT an attorney and do not profess to be an expert in this area, I am just explaining why I have been reluctant to offer these kinds of services in the past.

 

Happy Travels!

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The folks at Escapees do not advertise it but the services such as operators licenses, registration, new vehicle registration, jury duty etc are all handled locally in Livingston by the Polk County Office--Not some remote STATE OFFICE.

 

We have been members of the Escapee Mail Service for over 15 years, three new vehicles, multiple license renewals, handicap placard renewals and four jury summons. When we call on the Jury Summons they say something to the effect, oh are you Escapees? Don't worry about it-we will take care of it and if you are ever in the Livingston area please stop in and volunteer for Jury duty.

 

We were in Louisiana at a rally with our new coach when the dealer in California called (45 days after purchase) to ask a question about the registration in TX (they had sat on it till the last minute). I called Polk county-explained the dilemma, They offered to contact the dealer, did so and had required paperwork Faxed to them at Polk County and then FEDEXED our plates to us with no additional charges at all for this PERSONAL service.

 

They know and understand Escapees and traveling RV'ers and there is no need to have friendly "boots on the ground". Polk County Officials are our friends, not petty bureaucrats that do not have a clue about us or our life style. .

 

Dave O

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The folks at Escapees do not advertise it but the services such as operators licenses, registration, new vehicle registration, jury duty etc are all handled locally in Livingston by the Polk County Office--Not some remote STATE OFFICE.

 

 

In SD vehicle and voter registration is also a local county function. Our mail service is down the block from the Lake County Treasurer's Office where all of this sort of thing is handled. It makes it easy to have someone hand them your registration paperwork and pick up your tags. No reason that's any different from using a "tag and title service" as is available in many states.

Sandie & Joel

2000 40' Beaver Patriot Thunder Princeton--425 HP/1550 ft-lbs CAT C-12
2014 Honda CR-V AWD EX-L with ReadyBrute tow bar/brake system
WiFiRanger Ambassador
Follow our adventures on Facebook at Weiss Travels

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I'm a little confused (I confuse easily). Is this new Home service the only option for those in Florida?

 

Me personally, I have no interest in having two addresses, in different states. I have two addresses now, in the same state, and even that is a pain.

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