Man baffled by the recall of his custom number plates: 'There's way worse'
The former owner of the plates wondered if they were in some way 'offensive' while he waited for an explanation from authorities.
An Aussie man who was ordered to hand in his custom number plates or face having his registration cancelled over suggestions it was an "inappropriate" message said he was "shocked" by the demand.
The NSW man believed he had to send back the plates due to their "offensive" nature, seeing him become the latest in a long list of residents who have had to do so.
The disappointed driver, Daniel, "died a little inside" after being told he'd no longer be able to drive around sporting his plates, that read: "W8N4U" — an abbreviation of "waiting for you".
Though, he was later informed by Transport for NSW, that they needed to be returned due to a "system error" that failed to identify the "plates with this alphanumeric combination had been allocated", with the authority admitting they failed to notify him of the reason.
He said initially Transport for NSW approved the plates before the backflip.
"I was shocked. At first (I) laughed about it; then kind of died a little on the inside," Daniel told A Current Affair. "I mean there's way worse plates out there but somehow my plates got flagged for being inappropriate.
"It's more than just a plate to me."
The driver said his beloved former plates had a layered meaning.
"It has two meanings: I'm always punctual and it's also in reference to the 15 months it took for my dream car to arrive from the dealership," he said.
Transport for NSW explains why plates were recalled
Addressing the issue, TfNSW issued an apology to Daniel.
"A system error failed to identify that plates with this alphanumeric combination had been allocated before this order was placed and as a result, the letter sent to the customer did not correctly explain why the plates were recalled," the authority told Nine.
"The customer is returning the plates and will be given a full refund for all fees paid, and Transport for NSW has offered to waive the order fee for a new set of plates."
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