boy, it's been a long day.. i was at the dmv from 10:30am until 3pm to get a georgia driver’s license, and then the tax commissioner's office from 3:30 to 4:30 to register my car in georgia. yes, that's right, 4 and 1/2 hours to get a new driver's license. never, i repeat, NEVER get a driver's license in georgia!
so, first off, the dmv moved to a new location. maybe it'd be helpful to have some signs? nah, that would be too logical. the office is inside a shopping mall, and there are no signs on the outside of the building. how the heck are you supposed to find it?! i had to stop and ask at a bank.
then, you have to stand in line outside the office for about an hour to get a number. next, if you need to transfer an out-of-state license, change your name or address, or get a new license because yours was lost or stolen, you have sit and wait for about 3 hours, while all the people who need to renew their licenses get to go right ahead in front of you, and be in and out in 30 min or less.
why, you ask? apparently, a few years ago everyone was constantly complaining about the long lines (about 2 hours) at the dmv, so the governor decided to pass a law to guarantee that it will not take longer than 30 min to renew your license.
how does the dmv do this? they let all the license renewal people go ahead of everyone else. first come, first serve? nope, not in georgia! screw the people that have been waiting for 4 hours already. and out-of-state people? let’s make them wait even longer, because why would we want to make a good impression on the new residents?
hey, it’s noon, the busiest time of day, let’s have 7 out of the 11 workers go out to lunch. yeah, that makes sense. oh, and let’s put up lots of “no food or drink” signs and not let any of the people waiting eat even though it’s lunchtime and they’ve been sitting around for hours.
anyway, i finally got my license and quickly drove to the tax commissioner’s office to register my car. they were super-friendly and efficient there (i’m sure they get many frustrated people coming from the dmv). i got a new title, registration, and tag in less than an hour. you’d think getting your car registered would be a bit more complicated and time-consuming than your driver's license…
so, first off, the dmv moved to a new location. maybe it'd be helpful to have some signs? nah, that would be too logical. the office is inside a shopping mall, and there are no signs on the outside of the building. how the heck are you supposed to find it?! i had to stop and ask at a bank.
then, you have to stand in line outside the office for about an hour to get a number. next, if you need to transfer an out-of-state license, change your name or address, or get a new license because yours was lost or stolen, you have sit and wait for about 3 hours, while all the people who need to renew their licenses get to go right ahead in front of you, and be in and out in 30 min or less.
why, you ask? apparently, a few years ago everyone was constantly complaining about the long lines (about 2 hours) at the dmv, so the governor decided to pass a law to guarantee that it will not take longer than 30 min to renew your license.
how does the dmv do this? they let all the license renewal people go ahead of everyone else. first come, first serve? nope, not in georgia! screw the people that have been waiting for 4 hours already. and out-of-state people? let’s make them wait even longer, because why would we want to make a good impression on the new residents?
hey, it’s noon, the busiest time of day, let’s have 7 out of the 11 workers go out to lunch. yeah, that makes sense. oh, and let’s put up lots of “no food or drink” signs and not let any of the people waiting eat even though it’s lunchtime and they’ve been sitting around for hours.
anyway, i finally got my license and quickly drove to the tax commissioner’s office to register my car. they were super-friendly and efficient there (i’m sure they get many frustrated people coming from the dmv). i got a new title, registration, and tag in less than an hour. you’d think getting your car registered would be a bit more complicated and time-consuming than your driver's license…
4 Comments:
Why don't you do as what a lot of people do? Just don't change your license… who really cares. If cops stop you say you've been there on a few occassions but you couldn't wait more than 3 hours each time. I'm sure they'll get off your back then :)
By
Anonymous, at 10/07/2005 3:39 PM
well, my car's registration in florida expired in july, so i needed to register my car in georgia, and in order to register your car here you need a georgia license and georgia insurance.
By
Anonymous, at 10/07/2005 3:39 PM
I remember the painful process. I waited from 9am until 3pm on a Saturday to get my license.
There's a trick though - there are some locations that specialize in out-of-state transfers or new licenses.
By
Anonymous, at 10/07/2005 3:39 PM
yeah..i actually went to one of the few places that do out-of-state transfers..
By
Anonymous, at 10/07/2005 3:39 PM
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