FUN AND GAMES AT THE DMV

by Bob Walsh

About four months ago we got the renewal notice for the tags on my lady friends Jeep Cherokee, the one with the wheel chair carrier on it for her power chair. Sent in the money, now problem, two months before the actual due date.

Tags never showed up. I didn't notice it. (We have six cars between us.) About four months later they sent a polite HEY DUMMY notice. I sent that in, with the extra added $75 penalty, via certified mail with return receipt addressed to the Director's office. The return receipt never came back. The mail never came back. The tags never came in.

Tried to renew over the internet. Someone at DMV had put a stop on the vehicle so it could not be renewed over the net.

I contacted out local Assemblywoman's office. (She is a nice person but we are not particularly compatible politically. Never the less constituent service is constituent service.) A polite young man at the office asked a few questions and emailed a release to sign. We snail-mailed it back with a TON of supporting paperwork. He called Thursday.

Some how DMV "found" the original check for the original renewal. They were unable or unwilling to say where it had been for four months. They were unable or unwilling to say why a letter to the Director sat in a box for over a week without anybody signing for it. They did allow that they had cashed the ORIGINAL check and would be returning the second one in the mail. They also said we would be getting the new tags very shortly, which we did.

Little known fact. There is a "secret" DMV office in the capital building. It is theoretically a liason office to supply information to legislative staff and officials, however it also functions as a "real" DMV office for legislators and staff so they can get their DMV business done without mixing with the peasants or standing in line. Damn, ain't that nice. No wonder our political ruling class does not give a rat's ass about how inconvenienced the people are, it doesn't effect them in the slightest.

First thing the about-to-be new Director should do is shut that office down. That, of course, is never going to happen. Don't wanna piss off the people who hold your purse, do you?