“ Me lose brain? Uh, oh! Ha ha ha! Why I laugh?I’m not sure what it is, but the DMV is just a scary place to be. Perhaps it all begins with the fact that the first time you go there you are all of mid-level teenager and scared out of your mind about failing the test. I mean, this is the pinnacle of everything you have been waiting for since you first realized the freedom that driving could bring. Not passing is not only humiliating b/c you feel stupid, but all of your friends will make fun of you. So, perhaps is the basis of why everytime I go back I feel like I am going to be asked 101 questions and go through a polygraph of some sort. Or perhaps, it’s b/c the clientele at the DMV seemed to have come up from the bowels of the earth, and you are just sitting there hoping no one looks you in the eyes, as that may mean you have to meet them outside afterwards for a go of it. Seriously, aren’t there other people like me that go to these places. All of us have to get Licenses renewed, registration renewed, or whatever, but it feels as if I’m the only one there that needs to go to work afterwards as opposed to back to the porch for another relaxing day.
Now, I have to give the DMV some credit, at least the system out here. You can now do a lot of stuff via mail, and if you must enter the dreaded facility in person, you can at least make an appointment that should speed up your wait time considerably. And trust me, this is the last place you want to spend an afternoon. Also, they have somewhat streamlined the process of getting in and out. It’s simple, get a number, wait for your turn, and move on. Each number has a letter assigned to it also, so I’m assuming it’s to be able to filter what people are requiring even more so you are not stuck behind people that need to take a full driving test, when all you need is a renewal sticker.
My final note on the DMV is perhaps more of a statement as opposed to a question. DMV workers are just not very nice. Before going there in person, I called up asking what I needed to do to contest a Parking ticket, b/c it said I still owed for it, but I had proof that the ticket had been paid by check (thank goodness for online banking). The person on the phone, not the nicest either, simply said bring in proof, therefore copies of the check (front and back), and they could take care of it. So, when I showed up at the DMV, I told them that I needed to get my renewal sticker, but that I shouldn’t have to pay the parking ticket as it was already paid and here is my proof (handing him the copies). He simply said “we don’t do that here, you need to get an abstract.” OK…so what the heck is an abstract, and talk about being abstract. I said OK…where do I get one, and he proceeded to look at the ticket on the computer and simply said “San Francisco.” OK, but that is not what I was told on the phone…”oh well” was his reply, “that is what you need.” So I asked if I had to pay the ticket again to get my stickers, which he said “yes” to, so I asked how do I get paid back? He simply said, fill out a refund sheet….nothing else. Perhaps he thinks I am telepathic and just know this stuff. I literally have to ask how to get this, and he says it will take months for them to refund (if at all was my impression). He also said I would need to provide a receipt of payment, to which I replied that is what the copies of the checks were, as I had mailed off the check. His reply…”you need a receipt.” I explained that a person doesn’t get a receipt from the U.S. Post office when mailing off a check…his reply…”well, you need a receipt.” Anyways, I got stuck having to pay for the ticket again, and who knows if I’ll ever get this “abstract” thing, or even a refund. Perhaps it will come when the US Post Office starts providing receipts for checks in the mail.
