My trip to the DMV
Before I begin my story I must ask why in the world do some states feel the need to call the same bureaucracy a different name.
I've been procrastinating changing my Ohio license, which I got merely months before moving back to DC-area. After buying a new car and switching my car insurance to the same company as my homeowners insurance, I was told that I need to switch. So after procrastinating a couple more weeks, I finally took my butt to the Maryland DMV (called the MVA).
I gathered my materials and took them to the MVA. I was thrilled that it was right down the street from my house in Baltimore and across the street from a mall. I pull into the parking lot and nearly got hit by a new driver. Then dodged an older driver in a big ass caddy trying to relearn how to park. So after I stole his space that was obviously too small for him because of the mounds of snow/ice shoveled in the adjacent space I walked in the MVA.
The smell of frustrated, long-waiting Baltimore City residents hit me as I came in. I got in the information line waited my turn only to find out I forgot my passport. The woman was nice. She said I could skip the line and go straight to her if I was coming back soon. She kindly took down my name. I went home, grabbed my passport and got a better park than I had the first time. I thought, "Yes, this is a sign!"
Well, I go back in the stink hole and the woman who was just there 15 minutes before had left. Her computer was logged off and everything was cleaned off her station. So I waited again. I watched the line get longer until my I reached the next station attendant. She looks at my paper work handed me the number. A101. I look up at the screens and saw B-something. C-something and A63 and A64. I laughed and waited to see how fast they were going. It just wasn't going at all.
I thought I could take care of something else in the tags and title line. It took about 20 minutes to realize that I couldn't do anything about that issue at that time, but I filled out the form for future use. At that point they were on A70. Thank God I brought my iPod too.
"What the hell." I thought. Let's go to the mall. I heard it was really ghetto, b
ut I needed something to do. I walk over and see that it's not so ghetto... well... no more than PG Plaza in Hyattsville, MD. They had food and cool stores and then I discover the ultimate shoe store. The Stacy Adams store with huge signs that read $29.99 shoes 2 for 50 & $39.99 shoes 3 for $100. So I tried on a couple shoes consulted my budget and bought a pair of brown boots. I spent time debating on how comfortable I was in the 10 and a half size versus the size 11. I settled on the 11s. I continued my journey to the mall and thought about getting food. I decided to walk back to the MVA after joking with someone random about me still having a number at the MVA.
"WOW! I've done that. They're probably still on the 80s," he said.
Oh he was right. A86. I spent a while in that shoe store and in the mall and they were still in 80s. But before my eyes they jumped up to A98 within 15 minutes. I guess people went to lunch and came back. I was excited. Then they stopped calling the A numbers for another 45 minutes. Frustrated, I walked around. Texted people several times that I hated the DMV and I'm not doing anything else today but sleep and eat.
Finally A101 was called. I jumped up and walked to the attendant while another woman walked up. The attendant said the woman was a return customer she said could come straight to her. "WTF!" I thought. I now wonder if I should have checked her like a hockey player at that point. Instead, texted people what happened in more frustration. So I waited right in front row of those waiting benches just staring at them. The attendant finished up and I finally got to the promise land. BUT HER MACHINE WAS SCREWING UP!
She handed me my new license and said wait here. In my head I'm like. "No crap you have my passport and SS card on the freakin' scanner." A techie came through and still couldn't fix it. I watched both of them cut the scanner on and off 20 times before she handed me my documents and said, "Here you go dear. I don't want to hold you up."
I've been procrastinating changing my Ohio license, which I got merely months before moving back to DC-area. After buying a new car and switching my car insurance to the same company as my homeowners insurance, I was told that I need to switch. So after procrastinating a couple more weeks, I finally took my butt to the Maryland DMV (called the MVA).
I gathered my materials and took them to the MVA. I was thrilled that it was right down the street from my house in Baltimore and across the street from a mall. I pull into the parking lot and nearly got hit by a new driver. Then dodged an older driver in a big ass caddy trying to relearn how to park. So after I stole his space that was obviously too small for him because of the mounds of snow/ice shoveled in the adjacent space I walked in the MVA.
The smell of frustrated, long-waiting Baltimore City residents hit me as I came in. I got in the information line waited my turn only to find out I forgot my passport. The woman was nice. She said I could skip the line and go straight to her if I was coming back soon. She kindly took down my name. I went home, grabbed my passport and got a better park than I had the first time. I thought, "Yes, this is a sign!"
Well, I go back in the stink hole and the woman who was just there 15 minutes before had left. Her computer was logged off and everything was cleaned off her station. So I waited again. I watched the line get longer until my I reached the next station attendant. She looks at my paper work handed me the number. A101. I look up at the screens and saw B-something. C-something and A63 and A64. I laughed and waited to see how fast they were going. It just wasn't going at all.
I thought I could take care of something else in the tags and title line. It took about 20 minutes to realize that I couldn't do anything about that issue at that time, but I filled out the form for future use. At that point they were on A70. Thank God I brought my iPod too.
"What the hell." I thought. Let's go to the mall. I heard it was really ghetto, b
ut I needed something to do. I walk over and see that it's not so ghetto... well... no more than PG Plaza in Hyattsville, MD. They had food and cool stores and then I discover the ultimate shoe store. The Stacy Adams store with huge signs that read $29.99 shoes 2 for 50 & $39.99 shoes 3 for $100. So I tried on a couple shoes consulted my budget and bought a pair of brown boots. I spent time debating on how comfortable I was in the 10 and a half size versus the size 11. I settled on the 11s. I continued my journey to the mall and thought about getting food. I decided to walk back to the MVA after joking with someone random about me still having a number at the MVA."WOW! I've done that. They're probably still on the 80s," he said.
Oh he was right. A86. I spent a while in that shoe store and in the mall and they were still in 80s. But before my eyes they jumped up to A98 within 15 minutes. I guess people went to lunch and came back. I was excited. Then they stopped calling the A numbers for another 45 minutes. Frustrated, I walked around. Texted people several times that I hated the DMV and I'm not doing anything else today but sleep and eat.
Finally A101 was called. I jumped up and walked to the attendant while another woman walked up. The attendant said the woman was a return customer she said could come straight to her. "WTF!" I thought. I now wonder if I should have checked her like a hockey player at that point. Instead, texted people what happened in more frustration. So I waited right in front row of those waiting benches just staring at them. The attendant finished up and I finally got to the promise land. BUT HER MACHINE WAS SCREWING UP!
She handed me my new license and said wait here. In my head I'm like. "No crap you have my passport and SS card on the freakin' scanner." A techie came through and still couldn't fix it. I watched both of them cut the scanner on and off 20 times before she handed me my documents and said, "Here you go dear. I don't want to hold you up."I must admit despite the irony of that comment it felt good to finally here someone say that.
FIN
FIN
posted by Melvinator at 10:36 AM
1 Comments:
Man, your experience at the MVA was far worse than mine. And mine was still far worse than Ohio. In Ohio you could roll in and do ANYTHING in half an hour.
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