Alex, because they don't have good experiences there like you. And people aren't asking for there not to be a DMV, they are asking for one that is run efficiently. - Cristo

Because DMVs (in CA cities, at least) are known for their long lines and surly employees. - Spidra Webster

I've never had a bad experience either in CA or OR. - Todd Hoff

California DMV system, at least in the Bay Area, has a website showing average wait for each office, so if you go when it's busy you only have yourself to blame. - Alex Scoble

I recently went to the DMV to register my car. I had to wait about 30 seconds before going up to the window, & the employee I dealt with--a long time DMV employee--was incredibly nice & helpful. - josh neff, geek at large

E.g. I've made an appointment, still waited an hour, and then was told I had to go home and get different paperwork. - Cristo

Personally, I've never had horrible experiences at a DMV. The only time I had to spend more than an hour there, the clerk was helpful and patient. God knows I needed that because I didn't know how else to go about fixing the problem I had. - pea

And if we are limited to only the entities we've only had good experiences with that pretty much eliminates everyone, doesn't it? - Todd Hoff

I have never had a bad experience at the DMV, either, but I have always lived in the boonies where I don't have a long wait. I would probably hate it if I lived in a city. - Michelle Martinez

The difference between the DMV in CA and the DOL in WA could not be more stark. I hated the DMV, I've never had a remotely bad experience with the DOL. - Bren - Minister of Mayhem from iPhone

Alex, I don't think I'll be using you as a guide to the SF DMV since I doubt you've ever even been there. - Cristo

In fact, I've never had more than two people in front of me in line, and the workers have gone out of their way to be helpful. Maybe, because in WA they separate driver and vehicle licensing, the system is just more efficient. - Bren - Minister of Mayhem from iPhone

That's good, Chris. :) - Alex Scoble from IM

Well, I did love trying to convince the Missouri DMV that I was in Texas at school and was not going to be able to come in person to get my driver's license replaced when it was stolen. They had no forms for people studying out of state. They did eventually take a out-of-state military form, but this was after days of discussion over the phone (and my dad going into the MO DMV to talk to them) and then it took weeks to get the new one to me, during which time I was driving without a license because I didn't have a choice. - Jandy, ConcertMaven of FF

The only DMVs I remember going to were in LA, Mountain View, and San Francisco. They all were long waits involving bored and semi-rude workers. I find post offices to be similar, which is why I use the UPS store instead. - Cristo

I've had some shitty experiences with rude, bored employees at fast food places, but that doesn't mean the fast food industry needs to be taken over by the government. - josh neff, geek at large

The DMV isn't all that bad in my experience. It's actually pretty efficient from what I've seen. Now, let's talk about the Department of Human Resources. There is a clusterfuck worth mentioning. - Rahsheen ™, Coach Rah

I realize this is just a coded thread for whether we should have nationalized healthcare, but my comments are specifically about the DMV without expressing any particular opinion on the other topic. - Cristo

But can you imagine it, Josh? The Triplicate Burger, having a hot dog during the Tax Break... - Pete

Also, it's obvious from this thread that you'll have widely different experiences depending on which state and city you live in and when you've gone (I've had a driver's license since 1979). - Cristo

Sorry, Cristo, I used some of the same words as you, but I didn't mean my comment to be targeted at you. I was commenting on how many people will point to bad experiences at the DMV as the reason why goverment-run systems are bad, without considering that corporate-run services aren't any better. - josh neff, geek at large

I've never had any bad DMV experiences per se, but the differences between the DMVs in the Bay Area and the ones here in Reno and Sparks are like night and day. - Hel Hel

I dislike NJ's DMV - there's always a problem of some sort. But my experience with the DMV in DC has been positive. How's that - the people in Washington turned out to be more efficient than the people outside the Beltway. - John (a.k.a. dendroica)

It's an old hackneyed cliche from when they used to be run more poorly. In my experience I've had much worse service/experiences (ie retail returns) with the corporate/private sector than within government funded services including the DMV. - sofarsoShawn

My only comment is that Cristo's first comment is dead on. - Jason Huebel

sofarsoShawn, that's a pretty broad generalization. It seems more realistic to frame things in terms of your own experiences, rather than dismissing others. - Cristo

Each person can have their individual experiences, I think the point most try to make is it is very inefficient to say the least. - Spencer

I turn into my "hapless rube" mode and have always had good service. Maybe it's the smile, or the saying something nice to them...but it always ends nice. - heart and soul royce

I will say that the DMV is better run than Comcast. The government should definitely take over cable services. - Cristo

@Cristo Don't worry, I'm sure that is some agenda somewhere. - Spencer

It took my wife 3 tries to get our newly traded-for car registered properly because the people at the counter gave us different answers everytime about which paperwork we needed. I called in before the first visit, wrote down everything we eneded, and then put a packet together for @CPritchett. We still had to try three times to additional papers before they finally let us go. - Daniel J. Pritchett

Spencer, what I'd really like is for the government to level the playing field for cable and internet services. The infrastructure should be owned by the government, just like the Interstate system is. The problem with the cable companies is they have a monopoly in many places, so there is no competition. Hence the suckage, because they don't need to compete by offering better customer support. - Cristo

@cristo chill out, that's what in my experience means, some people have good ones other's bad - sofarsoShawn

Cristo, I completely agree re: cable companies. - josh neff, geek at large

I didn't understand eithe r(coming from WA), until I lived in MD. Moving my driver's license took over 2 hours. I was the third person in line at the DMV when it opened that morning. There were 5 different lines I had to wait in to fill out a form and talk to a person. - Jennifer Dittrich

I've only had one bad time at the DMV. Now, it's in-and-out in less than 30 min. It helps they have wait times on the website and have moved so much stuff online. - Admiral Anika

I may be buying a used car, and this thread prompted me to look up what I need to do in DC. <sob> I don't understand... I think their website is just not very good... a case of too much of the wrong information - Jason

Jason, a friend recently bought a car and had it registered in DC. It didn't seem to be too much trouble. I suppose it mostly depends on whether you're buying it from a dealer or an individual. - pea

An individual, it's already tagged in DC and I can't tell if the tags transfer with the title or not? Also, it says to retitle the car in the new owners name and 15 days later you get it in the mail, then come back to register???? So I was confused and if the car is untagged while you wait, or you get temp plates? I did find that the inspection sticker stays with the car, so that's good. - Jason

Because the DMV is one of the few government institutions that almost every person in the U.S. deals with on a personal level. Sure, we all deal with the IRS, but that's a faceless group (and it gets its fair share of derision, obviously, as well). When dealing with the DMV, we all deal with individuals, so there's a much larger base of people that have experience from which to pull negative comments. - Curtiss Grymala

The bay area wait times are a lie, no matter when you go, you will have to wait for no reason. I always get an appointment and have never made it out in less than an hour. Wouldn't be so bad, if the employees acted like they at least cared. The computers that they use have to be from the 80's. It's like Calif. forgot about them and never upgraded. - Davis Freeberg

I've never had to wait more than 10 min. at the local (Gilroy, CA) DMV office. - Glen, Bespectacled Elder

That's not a bad idea, except the last time I visited Gilroy I got a speeding ticket. - Davis Freeberg