Excel's Coffee Shop

[excel]

New app helps drivers fight traffic tickets
KING 5's Michael Konopasek reports
Danielle Leigh, KING 5 News 12:03 a.m. PST November 3, 2015



A new Iphone app promises to help drivers avoid increased insurance premiums by keeping moving violations off their record.

The App known as "Off the Record" charges a fee of $250 for up two violations and $50 for each additional violation thereafter.

Users upload a picture of the ticket and answer a few short questions about when and where the ticket was received. Then the app pairs the user to a previously vetted attorney who takes care of the rest.

If that attorney is unsuccessful in reducing the ticket, the user is refunded the fee.

Hiring an attorney to fight a ticket isn't a new idea, but this app claims to streamline the process.

Seattle based Chris Guirguis and his brother Alex created "Off the Record" after receiving one too many speeding tickets themselves.

"We were frustrated that there was no quick and easy way to fight the ticket," Chris Guirguis said. "It was easier to pay your ticket online than to contest the ticket. Our goal is to help you get your ticket handled before you get back on the road."

The app launched in September in Washington state and so far the company is boasting a 100% success rate.

Alea Walior was one of the early users.

An attorney successfully fought a speeding ticket she received in Issaquah while she vacationed in Hawaii.

"I didn't really have to do anything," Walior said. "I didn't even have to put a stamp on my ticket to mail it out. It was definitely a relief."

The app's fee of $250 is quite a bit more than the general cost of a citation in Washington state, $136, according to Trooper Chris Webb, spokesperson for the Washington State Patrol.

The Northwest Insurance Council cautions, "Whether or not the app is a good value likely depends on your driving record. Some companies will have no increase for your first ticket – or even your second."

Guirguis argues the fee more than pays for itself in insurance savings by avoiding premium increases from a bad driving record.

The app advertises an estimated savings of $540 over three years.

The Northwest Insurance Council questions the app's estimated savings saying insurance rates vary widely, but it doesn't dispute the principle that keeping infractions off a drivers record cuts back on insurance costs.

"You are paying for peace of mind," Guirguis said.

"Off the Record" plans to expand to San Francisco and Los Angeles by the end of the year and hopes to be in 50 major cities around the country by the fall of next year.