I guess that’s what I don’t get. In my experience, it’s not “invariably a hassle.” It’s always been a quick and simple transaction for me, whether dealing directly with the gov’t insurance office or the private insurance brokers that also offer the services. No waits, no different queues for each step in the process. In and out, quick and simple.
In my small town, the DMV office is only open a few hours, and only on Thursdays, but most things can be taken care of by mail or Internet. The last time I was in the office to get an updated picture taken, there were maybe a dozen people in the room waiting for something, and that includes the auto license crowd as well. There were two clerks, so everything went quickly.
So I don’t hate the Wisconsin DMV, but it sure is a world apart from California.
Very surprised nobody has mentioned (at least in California) that you can get a DMV appointment online. It’s really sweet because those who get an online appointment get priority at the DMV office. Last time I went for a new picture, the line was literally out the door in Arleta (80-100 people in line by my estimate). I went and checked in, was called 4 minutes later, was out of there within 15 minutes.
I also pity those who don’t check the DMV website to see what days they are closed because of the state furloughs
For some reason the ladies who work at the DMV are the very epitome of surly, mean, obstructive, jaded government workers. I swear it’s because they don’t let them smoke anymore or something. I’ve gotten friendly, fast, efficient service from all sorts of people in all sorts of governments - city planning, IRS, etc., along with some crappy service. At the DMV, it’s always rude, impatient, and “no just for the fun of it”. Nowhere but the DMV can “ma’am” sound like the foulest of insults.
And then there are the times where you stand in line for 45 minutes to get to the FIRST desk where they review your identification and give you the correct forms to fill out, and you find out that the only copy you have of your son’s birth certificate is not valid because it does not have a “raised seal” (you can clearly SEE the seal is there, but you can’t feel it, it’s not RAISED, so it is NOT
I’m not sure where you live, but I haven’t been to an MTO office in years that did not have at least a 30-minute lineup, and half the time the lineup literally spilled out the door. And it’s an improvement over when the government ran them all (the private employees are, at least, friendly.) The Burlington office wait ranges around 20-40 minutes; in Mississauga it was usually an hour and up.
Fortunately, most conventional transactions can be done at a kiosk, but some can’t, and when they can’t, it’s always a very long wait.
It’s not that MTO/DMV offices are worse than other offices; they’re not. It just that EVERYONE has to deal with them, so they become a topic of conversation we can all relate to. Not everyone has to deal with Customs as much as I do, so it’s hard to make that a topic of conversation. I’ve never had to deal with the police, or the unemployment office, or the Department of Fisheries, etc. etc. They may be awful to work with but since most people never have to, it’s not a popular bitchfest.
I did allude to appointments in my long post above. I used the appointment system to book my driver test here in San Diego, and it worked without a hitch.
One problem with appointments is that they don’t work if you need something done very soon. My wife recently lost her driver’s license, and need to get a new one. Because she didn’t want to be driving around without a license, she wanted to do it as soon as possible. The first available appointment in a local DMV was over two weeks out, so she just had me drop her off at our local office not long after they opened one morning (we only live about 2 miles away from a DMV).
I went home, expecting not to hear from her for hours, but she was on the phone about 75 minutes later, telling me that she was all done and i could come and pick her up.
Like DanBlather, i’m intrigued to know the basis for people’s assertions of inefficiency. In my limited experience with the DMV, the process seems to work pretty damn smoothly and quickly, considering the number of people they have to deal with. Yes, it’s slow, but that doesn’t mean it’s necessarily inefficient. Here in CA, the DMV has, like virtually every other state agency, had money cut from its budget and been saddled with furlough days when the offices are closed. I’m sure there it’s possible to improve the DMV, but doing that would probably require money, and then the same people who whine about waiting in line would be whining about higher taxes or higher license/registration fees.
It’s been a few years since I lived in Ontario, but I’ll add my comments to RickJay’s about the MTO. I lived in Toronto many years ago, and going to an MTO location meant long lines and a long wait. It seemed that counter clerks would routinely put up the “next window please” sign when the place was busiest; and even when you were at the counter supposedly being served, the clerk saw nothing wrong with taking five minutes to converse with a co-worker about non-work matters.
If the MTOs have been privatized, as RickJay says, they could only have improved. Certainly, their equivalents here in Alberta have been privatized, and things work pretty well. There are plenty of them so it never takes very long, and you have the clerk’s undivided attention when you get to the counter.
I do as much as I can at Auto Club now to avoid the DMV. If I ever have to go to the latter, I make a phone appointment but still assume that it may take longer than they say it will.
This is a good point, and one that i forgot to mention earlier.
Here in southern California, AAA offices provide a range of DMV services. They are sort of like a licensed subcontractor, or something. When we bought our car, in a private sale, we took care of the title transfer, registration, and all that stuff at the local AAA office. No waiting, and you get to sit at a chair rather than stand at the counter while your transaction is being taken care of. Very civilized.
They don’t do drivers license stuff, however.
Regina, Saskatchewan. I’ve got my driver’s license done at both the head office for SGI, and also at private insurance brokers. Same level of good, quick service at both.
Which registry is closest to you? The one in Worcester is notorious for being inefficient.
They had a few satellite registries, but I’ve read recently that they’ve closed most of them and opened like satellites at select Pike exits? Good lord.
I should mention that maybe five years ago they did make a lot of improvements to our DMV - they made the wait system better and easier to understand, stationed somebody at a desk by the door to give you a number that would go to the right desk instead of you trying to figure it out yourself, etc. Plus, you can do a lot of stuff online now, which I’m not sure is such a great idea because my drivers’ license photo is now ten years old. If I were 45 that might not be such a big deal, but I’m 29 and the girl in the picture is 19.
Still, the actual dealing with the actual people is usually agony. “Ma’am, you’ll have to go to the back of the line.”
I’ve been to hell, I spell it, I spell it DMV. Anyone who’s been there knows precisely what I mean. I’ve waited there in line for near an hour and fifteen, and if I had my druthers I’d screw a chimpanzee.
heh… raised seal… As a Notary Public, I know what that’s like. I have a stamp that avoids that BS.
I also have experienced the hell that is the DMV. Here in MD, they call it the MVA. It sucks. The last time I was there, I (almost) spent all day there. I felt like I was a piece of dry cleaning. In by 10, out by 5. Had to play hookey from work to do it.
From the jump, it was get in line. Wait. Get a number. Wait. Get to a desk. Get paperwork. Form Zed alpha double-zed slash 9-9 alpha. Not allowed to fill out paperwork at desk. I am ordered by surly counter monkey to go and fill out paperwork at my seat and get back in line (What? Am I back in grade school??? :rolleyes:). Spend 2 minutes filling out paperwork. Get back in line. Wait. Get to desk. Turn in paperwork. “Oh, you’ve got the wrong form. This is the *new * form Zed alpha double-zed slash 9-9 alpha “R” (dated Sept 1956). Please go back to your seat and fill this out.” Given another number. Wait. Number is called. Get more paperwork. Go away to fill out more paperwork. Go back in line and get another number. Wait. Number is called. Turn in paperwork and picture is taken. Go back and wait. Wait. Wait. Wait. Name is called (moment of hallellujah that I’m no longer a number, but I have *a name! *Get little plastic laminated card that says I am a human being once again and will be recognized by society as such.
Yes, I have much love for the MVA. I still have a medical restriction on my “driver’s license” (which doesn’t allow me to drive) that has since been cleared by my doc, but the MVA doesn’t recognize it. They don’t, because between the time I developed this condition and now, I had an out-of-state issued license and now I no longer drive or own a car, and because I don’t have any record of owning a car registered in this state, I couldn’t possibly have driven previously. :dubious:
Seriously, don’t these United States of America communicate?
Of course, if I really cared, I’d fight it tooth and nail, but since I don’t have a car and public transportation is great in my area, I don’t have much motivation. Does that make me a hypocrite? Don’t care if it does. But it does give me a windmill to tilt at every few years 
DMV
Come for the aggravation
Stay for the lines.
I had a really, really bad experience with the DMV in New Orleans many years ago. It left me almost phobic about having to deal with any vehicle-related bureaucracy. But the truth is since I’ve moved to North Carolina I’ve never had any actual negative experiences with another DMV. They’re always working the lines to get people through as soon as possible, handing out little study sheets for the sign-recognition test, etc.
Northern Piper, this dislike of the DMV definitely isn’t restricted to the Dope. It’s probably second only to airplane food as stale fodder for standup comedians.
Maybe that’s why Marge Simpson’s sisters, Patty & Selma, work there.
The DMV in my county is just fine, but then again there’s only about 21,000 people in the entire county. The only painful part of registering here was having to take a written test, which was nothing anyway but was a surprise. All done in one trip for under $100.
But don’t get me started on the ones in California. Gaaaah!
Saskatchewan has a lot fewer cars and drivers to process than most places. 