Monday, March 19, 2007

Have I ever mentioned that I love our state government?

Most especially the California DMV. Ahh yes...
I let the insurance expire on my Harley in October (it's on a separate policy from the rest of our "fleet"), because I don't ride so much in the winter and I didn't really have the funds to renew right away (Christmas coming up and all that) so I parked it for the winter. Tags came up in January (I received notice in December) and I paid them promptly. I then received a letter from the DMV "Financial Responsibility Program" stating that they had no evidence of insurance and they were serving me notice of intent to suspend registration. OK... time to get insurance. I picked up a policy and emailed them the proof they required. A week later, they still hadn't dealt with my email... "we get a lot" was the response I received on the phone. OK... I'll just wait, still a bit cold to ride anyway(I'm all about comfort when it comes to riding... real hardcore)...
A week after that, I received a letter stating that their requirements had been met. Great. Now where's my tags? "You have to call the main number for your tags". OK...
So, I called the main number and asked for my tags, now two months past when I paid them for.
"Sure, no problem, just fax over a copy of your proof of insurance".
"But I emailed it to you."
"No, you emailed it to the Financial Responsibility Program".
"Is that not also the DMV? Can't you just get it from that department?"
Testily, "Look sir, it would just be faster all around if you just faxed over that proof of insurance"
"But don't you people communicate with each other?"
Very testily, "Sir, there are a lot of problems with this system, so it would be just easier if you sent that copy to us".
Meekly, "OK, no problem, whats the fax number?"
So, rather than get into a shouting match with this lady over why she can't get off her ass and go talk to the other department, I submitted, because, at the end of the day, I just want my tags.
Sigh. Still better than actually going into that hell-pit known as the local DMV field office, I suppose.
And, yes, next time, I won't be letting my insurance expire. The less I have to talk to government hacks, the happier I am.

2 comments:

NotClauswitz said...

Keep those DMV assholes at arm's length! :-) No they cannot go to the next cubicle and ask *that* someone for any paperwork, not after what they did to them in the coffee-room - they have probably burned all their interdepartmental bridges...

Kevin said...

Yup. Expecting efficiency from a government bureaucracy is like expecting honesty from a politician...