Instead of complaining about the DMV, stop being part of the problem

[MadMike]

"If you're not a part of the solution, you're a part of the problem. Stop bein' part of the fuckin' problem and put the other fuckin' guy back on the line." [cookies for ref]

Asshole??? I'm not the one who just got butt-fucked on national television!

Back on topic...

As much as I complain about Pennsylvania, and its capital city, they redid our DMV (or PENNDOT as it's called) quite nicely. They used to be in a building along a street with meters, and no parking lot of their own. I got ticketed once because I parked at the meter and underestimated how much time I'd need. The guy was very apologetic when he saw me, but said that once he started writing it up, he had to finish it. And there were the long lines to stand in.

They moved to a much larger building around 2000 or so, with its own parking lot. And waiting in a long line is a thing of the past. You go to the front desk, tell them what you need, and they give you a form if you don't already have it, and a number. Then you have a seat somewhere and just hang out until your number is called.

[An Haddock]

"If you're not a part of the solution, you're a part of the problem. Stop bein' part of the fuckin' problem and put the other fuckin' guy back on the line." [cookies for ref]

You really think you have a chance against us, Mr. Cowboy?

[Monterey Jack]

You really think you have a chance against us, Mr. Cowboy?

[BOONG]


"Yippie Kai-yay, motherfucker...!"

[Ironclad Alibi]

Bruce Willis will keep making those movies, because you know what they say about old habits.

[Crossbow]

So am I the only person that has good luck with my DMV branch?

Went Saturday morning to renew two license plates/registrations. Was in and out in less than 10 minutes. Probably closer to 5. A friend went in the same morning to renew his non-drivers ID. Same thing: about 5 minutes. This is the norm at this branch, unless they are super swamped. I think the longest I've waited was half an hour, and that included eye exam and new photo.

[notalwaysright]

So am I the only person that has good luck with my DMV branch?

There was a really brief time in our town where we had two DOL locations, in a town of 80k. The old one was closing, and the new one was already open for like a week. So most people didn't know about the new one. It was amazing.

I just looked up the wait times on the website and either it's really wrong, or I had horrible luck on my last visit. Wait time to renew is 12 minutes. I'm leaning towards it being wrong, though. I just checked a different location, in a city of 200k with only one DOL, and it says wait time is 0 minutes. That just can't be right.

[Racket_Man]

You really think you have a chance against us, Mr. Cowboy?

I just can not watch that movie without now hearing Mr. POTTER in Prof. Snape's voice

[Monterey Jack]

I just can not watch that movie without now hearing Mr. POTTER in Prof. Snape's voice

Few actors could imbue the word "Mister" with as much doleful menace as Alan Rickman. God, I still miss him.

[workerbee222]

"didn't understand the difference between a registration and an inspection sticker."

This person should not be a candidate for a driver's license.

[Smapti]

Dealing with the DOL up here is thankfully easy. The only time I ever have to go there is to renew my drivers' license every few years, and there's not much of a wait; just stroll in, take a number, wait half an hour tops, do the vision test, get a new picture taken, and you're done. Registration renewals can be done online; you just fill in your info and they mail you your new tabs. The county I live in doesn't require smog checks, so that's one less hurdle to deal with.

Now when I lived in southern CA, it was a wee bit more difficult; if you wanted to get anything done in a timely manner, you had to call the automated reservation system, reserve a time slot 3-4 weeks in the future, and be damned sure that you showed up with all the required paperwork lest you wanted to go home and start the whole process over. Maybe they've streamlined it since they left; I sincerely hope they have, if only for the sanity of their clientele.

[Slave to the Phone]

When we fled California to move to the land of "we don't need no more stinking sunlight", something we did in the first month was to get our vehicles registered. We even notified CA that we had done so and asked for a refund of the unused registration. We got a letter back saying something like "we got your letter, and tossed it into the circular file".

Which is the same thing we did with the letter because the amount was so small.

Three years passed and we thought it was time to sell the old bike and get a new one. Private deal was done, cash and paperwork were exchanged and the excited owner rode off. And then wasn't so happy when he came back because there was a lien hold on the bike from CA for all the unregistered fees and fines. Which started happening when we got the letter saying they didn't care and we are CA and you left so go and do rude things to yourself because it would be more productive than expecting a penny from us.

Like you, I hope that CA has gotten better.

[raw1989]

My DMV has a drive threw for things such as renewals and stuff if im in a pinch that's what I use but if I have time I do it online.

[Victory Sabre]

I was at the DMV recently to transfer the title of my dad's car into my name. Since it wasn't a basic transfer, since he died, me and my mom didn't fill much out, just to make sure everything was done right, and because he died, there were extra steps that needed to be done. We were in and out within 15 minutes, even with the extra steps.

[An Haddock]

It's funny... I get stuck for probably an hour at my local DMV for a simple registration renewal.


I found out the other day that I had an unpaid parking ticket from 2016 and my license had just been suspended. To get unsuspended, you have to go to a special DMV that's a 20 minute drive away. Couldn't be one of the two that's 10 minutes away, has to be this special one, but whatever.

Drive down, only have to wait maybe 10 minutes to get seen. 5 minutes to get processed.

The lady informs me that my license expires the next day.

Whoops. But how often do I look at my driver's license? I rarely get pulled over, I never get carded. So, cool - things happen for a reason. Wait 10 more minutes, get processed in 5, wait 5 for the photo to get processed and I have a brand new unsuspended driver's license good for the next however many years.

Drive back only took 15 minutes. Spiffy.


So in almost the same amount of time I was waiting to do my registration, I drove to and from the other DMV, got my license fixed and renewed.

[Teefies2]

It's funny... I get stuck for probably an hour at my local DMV for a simple registration renewal.


I found out the other day that I had an unpaid parking ticket from 2016 and my license had just been suspended. To get unsuspended, you have to go to a special DMV that's a 20 minute drive away. Couldn't be one of the two that's 10 minutes away, has to be this special one, but whatever.

Drive down, only have to wait maybe 10 minutes to get seen. 5 minutes to get processed.

The lady informs me that my license expires the next day.

Whoops. But how often do I look at my driver's license? I rarely get pulled over, I never get carded. So, cool - things happen for a reason. Wait 10 more minutes, get processed in 5, wait 5 for the photo to get processed and I have a brand new unsuspended driver's license good for the next however many years.

Drive back only took 15 minutes. Spiffy.


So in almost the same amount of time I was waiting to do my registration, I drove to and from the other DMV, got my license fixed and renewed.

Okay so I'm glad it all worked out for you, but I have to ask ....

If they suspended your license, how did they expect that you could get to the "special DMV" that's a 20 minute drive away? Are you supposed to magically know that you'll need a ride to that place and bring a friend? And what would have happened if you had driven yourself and got pulled over during that 20 minute drive (hopefully not)? That's just messed up!