So, a couple weeks ago someone asked to look at my driver’s license and I realized it expired. 3 months ago. I thought I had better rectify the situation because though I haven’t gotten a ticket in years, no doubt now would be the time I did—Murphy’s Law and all that. Alas, you can only renew by mail once and I was forced to go to the DMV to get a new one. The old one was the classic laminated style that caused TSA officers (are they officers? workers?) to laugh anyway.
I walked in and there were people sitting everywhere, staring into space. A few kids were studying the driver’s manual. My heart sank. I grabbed a number. 86. Would you believe it? I sat down. Nothing happened for about a minute and I realized this would not be an in-and-out thing and I went out to get a book from my car. There was a guy at the counter and he seemed to be taking quite some time. This made me nervous. I read for a few minutes and they started calling numbers…78…79.. 80… Yes, they were blowing through these. Everyone was renewing. 81…he was taking the driver’s test. Speaking of kids these days, it seems that punk has come back, I saw two (sad) mohawks and a spikey blond Billy Idol look while I was there.
After about 10 minutes my number came up. I told the lady I needed to renew, handed her my license and sat back down and waited to get through the renew line. 10 more minutes of reading and my name was called. The lady in front of me in line seemed completely befuddled by the entire experience and needed all the directions twice. “Take this paper over there, fill out this part, sign at the bottom.” Blank stare. “Over there?” gesturing feebly with her purse. “Yes, take this paper over there…” Either she tests poorly or took too much prozac is all I can figure. The lady behind me was the chatty sort and was discussing lotion and things with the workers. I was somewhere in between. Took the eye test, gave my new address and info and got in line to pay.
They only take cash or checks! What?! Who doesn’t take debit cards in this day and age? Kootenai County Sheriff’s Department of Driver’s Licensing, that’s who.
Luckily I keep some emergency cash in my vehicle and went out to get it while I was waiting. Stood in that line a few minutes, paid my money, filled out my paper work, waited a few minutes, got my picture taken—and a fabulous picture it is too—I like how they ask if it’s okay. Uh, sure it’s for my license, I won’t ever look at it. With any luck no one will see it except the Del Taco people who ask for ID on a debit card. What is with that? Then I waited a few more minutes for my license to print out and was done.
The entire thing took 40 minutes, which isn’t too bad, all in all. As someone who hasn’t been there in 8 years and not since they moved into the new building it wasn’t a bad experience at all. The benches could be a bit more comfortable, but at least they were padded. The people working there were pleasant enough and competent and while there was some waiting around the lines were moving and that counts for a lot.
Not So Fast 
Personal story from Kristin! Hurrah!
🙂 You’re too kind.
Yes, the stories I could tell, what with the fascinating life I lead. I should post more pictures of my cats too.
Eh, maybe I’ll do book
reportsreviews this year. That might be fun.It seems government entities (DMV, county, state, feds) don’t take credit cards (or debit cards) because they don’t have to. It’s not like you’re going to take your business elsewhere, eh?
The “merchant” who takes your card has to pay for the convenience. If the DMV took ’em… *we’d* have to pay for it.
Nice. The last time I went to the DMV it took f-o-u-r hours. Painful hours. And apparently it’s this slow everyday and when my number was finally called another woman went up to the desk. Ummm…hello! Just waited four hours. Turns out she had cheekily taken number the day before and come back to use it the following day so as not to waste four hours of her life…four hours that can never be retrieved and are forever owned by the state of Maryland. Not that I’m bitter or anything but you can imagine the fit that I threw in the DMV to get my turn in line.
Tom: Yes, I know it costs the merchant, but it’s what, 3-5 cents per transaction? Pass it along if you must, I’m sure merchants do. Other parts of the county and city government are on the ball, accepting credit cards and an online presence, which I grant you, they charge me for, but I am willing to pay. Heck, I renew my vehicle registration online.
But this is why people think government shouldn’t be in charge of important things like health care. They’ve had almost 100 years of licensing vehicles and drivers to try to get it efficient and it still runs like they use former Soviet government workers as consultants.
Kelsey: Yes, the whole small city thing has the occasional benefits. Also, excellent use of the word “cheekily”. I must work that into my day.
It’s more like 3-5 *percent* per transaction, with a 5-10 cent minimum. And they have a number of crazy rules — you’re not allowed to pass on the charge to customers (that is, the same fee has to be charged to people paying cash and credit), for example.
Visa (which calls the shots; MasterCard and AmEx just copy what they do) is evil. Their reps seem nice enough (I’ve been in meetings with them here), but they don’t take “no” for an answer.
Cobranded cards are their latest scam. Customers who use a cobranded card save the merchant a few fractions of a percent, incentive enough to get merchants to push them (e.g., http://www.amazon.com/gp/cobrandcard/marketing.html), and the customer gets some token loyalty points in return. However, the interest rates are generally higher (which, if you’re smart about it and pay your full balance every month, won’t matter) *and* they often have an annual fee. (Amazon’s doesn’t, but I recall Shell and US Airways both having fees in the $25-50 range).
Store cards (the industry calls them private label credit cards, or PLCCs) are even better for the merchant (sometimes with no fees). However, they’re not so great for the customer — no rewards, even higher interest rates, and you can only use them at that store. As a consumer, you would only get one if you don’t qualify for a credit card. I find it hard to believe — my cats have gotten credit offers in the mail — but such people apparently exist.
I do have an Amazon store card, but only because I helped launch that project and it’s my own small way of sticking it to Visa.
See, I don’t care about the troubles and woes of implementing it. Almost every retail business in America lets me pay with a card. I can buy a cup of coffee at a roadside hut with a card. I don’t carry much cash around and if you want my business, you’ll have to take my card. A brilliant business coupe for Visa no doubt.
The government can get away with not keeping up because I have no choice if I want to keep driving and stay out of jail/away from fines so they don’t upgrade. If an alternate licensing place opened that accepted cards I’d go to that one. But it can’t.