Computer Blackout

[Aragarthiel]

I must be lucky, our local tag office isn't a DMV, it's just a couple of ladies sitting at a desk with a tag printer and a stack of license plates. They don't take credit cards though, so we always have to remember that. The actual DMV, where you get your license renewed, isn't that bad either, but that might be because nobody goes first thing on Monday mornings.

[DGoddessChardonnay]

I love being able to pay the car taxes and order the sticker online.

Bet she didn't think of that, did she? When my Mom found out she had that option a few years back, she's given me the paperwork after we go get the car inspected and I have it done in minutes.

NO waiting in line w/the paperwork, NO battling for a parking space at the Title agency, NO having to get a SCAT trip booked the day before so Mom can go in to do this.

Thank Goodness NC allows this option.

[Ophbalance]

I hated the fact that there was a 4 + month disconnect between taxes and the registration payment. The other pain is having to do a the whole registration vs inspection dance and how they changed the order. And yet, it STILL doesn't prevent folks with no insurance and no license and no registration from killing other drivers on our roads. It just makes it yet one more pain for honest folks to contend with.

[Jay 2K Winger]

If you want to avoid these kinds of problems, you have to do what everyone else does and have your act together. Whining about it doesn't generate any sympathy points.

Yup, exactly this. Any time I have to go down to the DMV, I don't enjoy it, and when it turns out what should be a simple thing turns out to be more complicated (see: the whole rigamarole I had to go through to transfer my old car title to me, and then to renew my tags later), while I do get angry about it, I don't take it out on the DMV workers.

I did start to raise my voice once, caught myself, apologized to the clerk, "it's not your fault, I'm just frustrated," and then left to go do what needed to be done before coming back to finish the process.

[Sapphire Silk]

This is partially a self sighting, though that part of it is a Brain Burp, no suck.

Yesterday, I stopped by the Title and Plate agency to pay my car taxes (cars are taxed as real property in my state--yeah, it's stupid) and renew my tags. I have this tendency to leave it to the last minute, especially this year since this is the first year you have to pay the taxes before you can renew your tags (in years past, the rules were different which resulted in a lot of people not paying their taxes).

So I wait in line for about 30 minutes (not a bad wait with everyone else in the same boat as me), get to the head of the line, and realize . . . I forgot to get my car inspected first.



Fast forward to the next day. I come back again the following afternoon (having gone straight to the shop after leaving the Title and Plate agency the day before) to finally get the whole matter disposed of. The best part was, the line was very short! Yeah me!

Five minutes after getting in line, one of the clerks announces, "Our computers have gone down. The cable company doesn't know how long it will be before they are back on line."

:headbang: Well, I decide to stick it out for a bit. Sometimes the downtime is very short, and I didn't want to go to one of the other offices: 30 minute drive, probably crowded, and they close in an hour anyway.

A number of people leave, some come and decide to wait it out. This lady comes in and hears the news from other customers about the computers.

Cast:

Me:
Whiny Lady: WH
Cool Clerk: CC

So the whiny lady, behind me line, says, "Well, can't I just leave my check here?"

Me: No. That won't work.

WH: Why not?

Me: because you need your sticker. They can't give it to you if they can't process your paperwork.

WH: Oh. Forgot about that.

WH leaves to use the restroom in the Dollar Store next door (no RR in the agency), and comes back. After trying to cut her way back to where she was in line (behind me) and failing, the clerks again remind everyone the computers are still down and they don't know when they will be back up.

WH then says, "Will you be here until 5?"

The Cool Clerk (so named because she really kept her cool): Oh, yes! We're here until five no matter what."

Customer: so am I (cuing laughter from everyone)

WH: Well, can't I just leave my check with you?

CC: No, I'm afraid not.

WH: Why not?

CC: We can't be responsible for it.

WH: Well can I just mail it in?

Cue confusion from everyone because the answer is obviously yes

CC: Certainly

WH: Well, I mailed it in before and they sent it back to me

CC: When did your tags expire?

WH: February. I just got notice they didn't process my payment.

CC: Did you get your car inspected

WH: The form didn't say to do that. They sent me the form, and I sent in the payment. Note: the renewal form does so say you have to get your car inspected

CC: Well, without the inspection we can't process your payment

WH: Well, I know that now. But you know it's been over a month sent I mailed in the payment and I'm just finding out now. You know, someone at least could have called me

Uhm, yeah. Because the DMV has the time to call every idiot who can't follow directions

CC: I'm sorry.

WH: Can't I just leave the check with you? The inspections done.

Lather, rinse, repeat

Sorry you don't want to wait around like the rest of us plebs, but them's the breaks. If you want to avoid these kinds of problems, you have to do what everyone else does and have your act together. Whining about it doesn't generate any sympathy points.