ATLANTA — A new problem is plaguing business owners across Georgia as they try to renew their licenses.
Every business in Georgia, from hairdressers to funeral directors, is affected by issues with the Georgia Secretary of State's new online license renewal program.
“You enter your email address and then enter the PIN that they give you. They will email you the pin,” said hairstylist Michael LaVey.
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LaVey said the process is usually very simple. For years, he always renewed his license on his website at the Georgia Secretary of State, but since updating the program he has been unable to do so because that portion of the site has been down.
“We need a license to work. We can be fined,” Rabei explained. Channel 2's Larry Spruill. “If the work is not completed by the deadline, you may also be charged late fees.”
When LaVey went to the website to renew his license, he encountered a message that said “No account was found with that information,” but he has been a licensed cosmetologist in Georgia for 30 years. Therefore, he said it is not possible. I always had an account.
“All of our hairstylists are working on renewing their licenses,” LaVey said. “There's a guy who went to Macon. He spent five hours getting his license.”
Other professions affected include veterans, athletes' agents, and architects, just to name a few.
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LaVey said she asked the state for help. So I started getting very irritated. When I came to work, everyone had the same problem. ”
The state confirmed that channel 2 action news, they have a problem with the site. They released the following statement:
“The State of Georgia is currently piloting new software to phase out 20-year-old software known as MLO. Thank you for your patience as we renew our licenses. So far, the vast majority of licenses have gone through without a hitch, and we are dealing with individual cases on a case-by-case basis.”
Meanwhile, LaVey hopes the problem will be resolved soon, saying, “I want it up and running. It should have been done before they released it.”
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