lansbury

Mrs L had to go to the DMV today as her license expired while the DMV was closed. The procedure here in Oregon is now you make an appointment request online, and the DMV get back to you with date and time. Mrs L was requested to attend at 10am this morning.

She arrived and was met at the door by a greeter who checked her appointment email against the list, and then checked there was not the maximum of 6 people already inside waiting. There being only four she was admitted. Mrs L is impressed at how this is an improvement over the old way of taking a ticket and waiting until called. She goes through the entrance and is directed to take a ticket from the machine, take a seat and wait until her number is called.

Pulaski

There are procedures at the DMV, you cannot go against the procedures. Ever!

Former Lancastrian

See arriving on time meant 4 others were in line in front of her hence take a number. If only allowing 6 in at a time did you expect the DMV to have 6 wickets open

lansbury

No but I do think 6 people are capable of knowing who was there when they sat down, and when it is their turn when the wicket is free and next is called. Or in the case of our DMV, when the number changes and the green light comes on at the counter you have to go to.

Anian

Makes sense to keep that system. People can spread out in the waiting area rather than in a line. No one has to remember the order people came in the door. The ticket system probably keeps track for their metrics. Changing it for the sake of changing it is a bit silly.

Pulaski

I would like to agree with you, but there have been enough reported melees in recent weeks over mask-wearing and other trivial stuff that no rational person would argue over but which have decended into screaming matches, or worse, and in at least a couple of cases that I am aware of, into shootings, so I think that the apparently superflouous use of the "take a ticket" queue system is a small price to pay to avoid such nonsense.

robtuck

There does seem to be a penchant for creating Admin with a seeming end goal of retaining jobs in the USA (well, my exposure to it, which is mostly in Georgia). I can;t work out out of that is a noble cause or an annoyingly ridiculous one. In the DMV example, I also get a little down hearted when I don't get Cheese or some Deli meats at the point of handing over the ticket.

caretaker

Patti and Selma from The Simpsons brought DMV culture to the world, and the public just keeps on cranking it out.
In Canada the usual procedure is "Here's your license/registration/plate, thank you and have a nice day." "Thank you; you have a nice day too."
https://www.youtube.com/results?sear...ght+at+the+dmv

rpjs

The DMV is the reason why America doesn't have public healthcare.

Pulaski

In rural NC too. The queues are never long, and the staff friendly and helpful.

When we first moved here it took me less than an hour, start to finish, the entire process, to swap my VA licence for an NC one, and register three vehicles. .... And the licensing office and registration office are in two separate buildings, about a ten minute drive apart!

The last time I need to replace my license I first went an office in the area I was on that day, in a more urban area - it was crowded and the staff unhelpful, so I left and went to the one closer to home a few days later,

civilservant

I've already recounted my story elsewhere of trying to get my license renewed with nothing but the extension letter after you file an I-751.

That was interesting.

I hate the DMV.

HDWill

Say what you will, my state's DMV has improved dramatically in efficiency since the '90s. Back then, you could wait in line for a half hour only to find out you were in the wrong line.

I'm guessing the 'take a ticket and blank forms from a front reception desk' system emerged as a set of 'best practices' and spread to many states in the late '90s and 2000s.

Rete

You are to generous with your assumptions of courtesy and fairness. Someone always wants to go ahead of someone else because they have to get back to the office, have an appointment, etc. Heck, it was only 4 people ahead of her so not like it was the standard 25. BTW how many clerks were working at one time?

PS Coming from a big city in New York State, I've never had issues with the DMV either there or here in MS. I don't hate going to DMV and in fact, I have to go this week for my renewal registration to pay the personal property tax on my vehicle.

civilservant

Property tax on a vehicle? Is that a percentage of the value?

Here in GA the yearly fee is $20 to renew the registration, and that's it. Obviously if you buy a vehicle you pay property tax, but only the one time.

Pulaski

There is an annual tax on the value of a vehicle registered in NC too. It is charged on the book value, per a table of cars and values, not on the actual value of the vehicle. In other words, a poorly maintained high mileage vehicle is taxed at the same rate as a pristine low-mileage vehicle of the same make, model and age. The figure is pretty low, especially for older vehicles - I think the ad valorem tax on my 2003 F250 truck was about $40 last year, and our 2002 Accord, was $26 IIRC.

It appears that the ad valorem tax was eliminated in Georgia in 2013, and replaced with a tax payment at the time of purchase/ transfer of ownership.