Is it possible to have a good experience at the DMV?

[LordMorpheus]

So I'm getting a Texas license. Unfortunately I was unable to do this before my MO license expired (long story ... ) so I have to retake the test.

Yesterday, waited at a DMV or DPS or whatever in Houston for ~2 hours, took the written test, and was told "come back here no later than 6 am to wait in line until 7:30, when we open, to sign up for a time slot to take the test."

Well, i thought, screw that. Instead this morning I drove to the DPS in Fort Bend, figuring that there would be less screwing around in a rural town (about a 45 minute drive). I had to take my roommate's car, though, because my battery was this morning connected to a trickle charger and wasn't ready to start my car.

Anyway, I get out there to take the test, only to find out that my roommate carries his insurance card on his person and they wouldn't give me the test.

Well, there's half a day wasted. Not all is lost, though, they gave me an afternoon time slot as a sort of sick consolation prize. By this point my battery is ready so i take my car. I get to the DPS, during the pre test inspection it turns out that my State Inpection sticker claims that it expires on the 8th month of 2004 because the douchebags at the inspection place switched the fields. I have the inspection certificate that has the correct date, but noooo, you can't pass a car with a typo on the sticker.

This is the angriest I've been in quite some time ... I can't clear a day again until Monday, and I guess I'll take my roommates car and his insurance crap. After that it's time for a pleasent little chat with the manager of the place that inspected my car.

and hell, I've got to be doing all this on an expired license. When I realized that my sticker was telling every cop in sight that I was almost 4 years expired I nearly sh!t myself.

goddam beuarocrats.

 

[sniperruff]

yeah governmental agencies are inefficient because nobody has any incentives to work hard but they are necessary for our society to function.

 

[ElFenix]

last time i renewed my license here in texas it took all of about 5 minutes to get in and out. there is a tiny drivers license office in austin just north of the capitol. it's only open over lunch, and almost no one is there.

 

[PottedMeat]

Originally posted by: ElFenix
last time i renewed my license here in texas it took all of about 5 minutes to get in and out. there is a tiny drivers license office in austin just north of the capitol. it's only open over lunch, and almost no one is there.

I had mine renewed at Weatherford. No problems renewing... except a month later a few days before my license expired I was wondering where my new license was. Turns out they lost the photos and renewal sheets. I went back and had to do the stuff all over again and the clerk said they lost ~50 renewals. They said they weren't going to notify anyone.

 

[ViviTheMage]

I always do, renewing liscense, passport, everything goes smooth for me, I generally wait 5 minutes at most too!

 

[ProfJohn]

Florida lets you make appointments. Really nice, show up wait for your time and then done.

You can always just sit and wait but that turns into a 3-4 hour wait.

 

[Scouzer]

In Alberta, Canada registries and licenses are done at private establishments. Generally they are co-located with most insurance brokers.

The service is always good... never more than a 10 minute wait to see a person.

 

[mooseracing]

A few in mchigan have gone to a quicker style branch, they have seperate counter locations for seperate items. You can be in and out under a half hour no prob. Even when lots of people. I was in and out in less than 10 mins for new plates.


Then there are the old style that you sit for 20 mins before being helped.

 

[steppinthrax]

I try as hard as possible not to go to the maryland dmv. You can do renewing for example online. I do that and registration. But unfortunatley I have to go. The maryland DMV is f--- up. there are express centers and full service centers. so if you want to do anything hardcore you have to go to the full service center which there are only 1 or two in the city of baltimore, MD

 

[thomsbrain]

The California DMVs have been drastically improved in the last few years. My last experience there blew me away. Granted, I still had to wait for 15 minutes, but they gave me a number and I got to sit in a chair and read, and that was without an appointment. Usually it takes 60+ minutes of waiting, standing in a line with nowhere to sit down and everyone all pissed off.

 

[Soapy Bones]

In Ohio I had to go to get the license plates for my new car for the first time just a few weeks ago. I was running out of time on the temp tag and couldnt go to one during normal business hours. I found that the closest one to me had evening hours until 6:30pm and figurd I would be able to get there at about 5:45 and have to wait forever. I walked in and nobody was there. I couldn't believe it... I was in and out in about 10 minutes. I was prepared to wait for hours since it was the only one open evening hours that night.

What a nice suprise!

 

[nakedfrog]

It's unusual for me to have to spend more than five minutes at my DMV for anything, but I live in a small town.

 

[natto fire]

The one in the town I grew up in, Mount Vernon, Ohio, which served all of Knox county, was pretty bad, but I think the longest I ever had to wait there was 1.5 hours. When I moved to Columbus, I don't remember having to wait more than 25 mintues, and that was at the main DMV. The branches always had a shorter wait. In fact, when I renewed my plates last time I did not even have to take a number or wait in any sort of line.

Edit: So to answer your question, yes it is. It also helps to have a Nintendo DS for the few times I have had to wait.

 

[DrPizza]

My local DMV, they came out from behind the counter to see if I needed help finding the right forms. No line. Extremely friendly.

Next county over, dmv people treat everyone like shit. Every one of them is an absolute, uhh, what's that 5 letter word for "female dog"?