Why I hate the DMV:
This morning, I tried to log onto the DMV's website to renew my drivers license online. It responded with a statement that the last time I renewed I did it online, therefore I had to go into the office to get a new license. First problem, this was not true, exactly. I did renew in 2005 online, however, I had come in person to change my name in 2009. So I learned the system does not take into account if you had been in person any other time, just the time you renewed. FAIL!
They do not automatically renew your license when you get a new one, it does not change the expiration date. I got a whole new id with a new name. FAIL!
Procedure at the office: go in, wait in line for an hour to get your documents checked and get a number to wait some more to meet the actual person who will check your documents again and scan them (Note: do not use sensitive information as your verification for address (mail)). And ultimately get your license.
I thought I had all my paperwork, (DL, birth certificate, marriage license, 2 pieces of mail, SS card) waited an hour in line to realize my SS card was NOT in my wallet like I had assumed. Lesson, assume NOTHING. Double check. You must go to jail, do not pass go, do not collect $200. Sucka! I will say that the wretched lady at the desk laughed! Laughed! when she took my number away.
The DMV is highly inefficient. While standing in line I saw about 50% of the people turned away do to incorrect or insufficient paperwork. They only have 1 person checking documents and giving numbers yet about 8 stations to process the licenses. The longest line is the initial check in. There should be at minimum 2 people at the front desk for this. Once you get past the front desk it's pretty fast and unnecessary to have that many people in the back. By shifting resources they could be more customer friendly.
Waiting in line for an hour, and then told you don't have something right, (b/c it's always changing), and they wonder why people get so mad. Hello? You just made them wait for a 2 minute interaction that ended up in them being sent away, just to have to come back and oh...stand in line again! You should get credit somehow for standing in line the first time. There is no sense of urgency, and the lady was ridiculously slow. She definitely wasn't concerned with how long people were waiting. She could have cared less. No business would survive if they ran like the DMV. People would not go there b/c of such horrible customer service. I hate that government agencies are allowed to ignor industry standards for queueing and customer service. FAIL!
Some of things that I saw people turned away for:
An out of country student turned away b/c he had an international drivers license instead of one issued by his home country (India). Not valid, go away sir!
A teenager with his mom who didn't have any mail with their physical home address and his or her name on it. They had a PO Box and all of their mail goes there. But you can't use a po box. Go away kid!
A woman whose name had already been changed via marriage, and she had her birth certificate, which didn't match by name of course to every other piece of documentation. She did not bring her marriage certificate. They sent her away. On the form list it says if you are changing your name bring the certificate or court decree, not after you have changed your name you still have to bring it. Luckily I was wary and brought my certificate. She also had her passport with her new name, which would have sufficed if it hadn't already expired. Not good enough. Go away lady!
A college student from Atlanta had lost his ID and needed to get a duplicate. He didn't have his birth certificate. You still have to have all of the documents to get a duplicate (although he could have probably done that online). His parent(s) have all of his documentation in Atlanta. So sorry...fed ex it here. Go away college student!
It is easier to get a duplicate SS card than it is to get a duplicate DL. Crazy!
