Fun at the Ohio DMV

I had to go to the DMV to register the two Waverunners that I bought a couple of weeks ago. I bought them in South New Haven, MI so I took the Michigan titles to the DMV in Medina to get Ohio titles and get them registered.

Now I've been here before and have been generally impressed with the friendliness of the people working here. Not the case this time. I knew when this older lady called me to the counter, just by the tone of her voice, that this was NOT going to be a good experience.

I gave her all the paperwork and told her that I needed to get them registered. She spent a long time looking if all over and said, so one of them was a '99...what was the other one. I explained to her that the trade ins were '99 models, as shown buy "Trades" on that line item. I told her that the ones I was registered were new 2015 models. As indicated by THAT line item.

She studied it for a while and said....so one is a '99 and the other a '15. I went through it again and she said "well I don't understand any of this". I started to show her again and she made some remark about not needing my help. So she stumbled around for a while and said again, "I just don't understand this at all". I said "well I would be more than happy to help but you have made it very clean that you prefer to stare at it for as long as possible". That didn't make her very happy.

She then said "ok, I know what to do" and she proceeded to go to her desk and start working on it. She looked up and said "it is going to be $176.00 per jet ski". I told her that I didn't think that was correct and that I had already paid most of the taxes when I bought them. Michigan collected 6% tax and all I had to pay was the 3/4% more that Ohio charges. She looked again and said "yes, that is what I'm doing". I told her that it wasn't correct and sounded about $40.00 high. She told me that she worked here every day and likely knew more about it than I did and she proceeded.

A full 45 minutes later, she summoned me back to the counter and told me it would be something like $186.00 per ski. I asked her to show me the breakdown on that number. Well what she had done was charged me for the entire purchase price and in Ohio, for new vehicles, you deduct the value of the trades from the taxable amount of the new vehicles. I pointed out to her that she had done it wrong and explained the problem. She looked at me like I was completely stupid and called over another employee. That person flat told her that I was correct and that she had done it wrong. She headed back to her desk mumbling about how she would now have to redo everything.

About 30 minutes later, she summoned me to the counter again and finally had it right. She was complaining about having to do it over and I had enough of it. I was probably a bit louder than I needed to be when I told her that if she would just shut up for 30 seconds and listen that she would have gotten it right the first time. That finally soaked in and she apologized, probably because everybody else was staring at her.

So, then I have to take that paperwork next door to actually registered the skis and trailer. I stood in line there for about 30 minutes and finally got to the counter. This young lady was actually very nice and it was a pleasant enough experience. So more than two hours after getting there, I headed home with my new titles and registrations for the skis and plate for the trailer.

Stopped a Walmart and picked up a couple packages of boat numbers and headed home. Got home and was looking at the serial numbers on the Jet Skis to make sure I put the ride numbers on the right ski and guess what, they made a typo on the serial number. They had it correct on the title but made a typo when they did the registration.

Back in the car and back to Medina to get it corrected. They close at 5:00 and I walked in at 3 minutes until 5:00. There were about 8 people ahead of me and I knew I was going to be there for at least another hour. I saw the nice young lady who had made the mistake come out of a back office and wave at her with the papers. She asked what I was doing back and I told her that she had made a mistake on the registration so she motioned for me to come on up. She was very apologetic and took care of it quickly but that was another one hour round trip.

So....I finally got it all done but NOT the way that I wanted to spend an afternoon. I'm sure that NONE of you have ever had any issues at your very efficient and friendly tax supported DMV offices. Probably just one of those days.

I finally figured out the trick to the DMV.

If you are not the first one in line first thing in the morning, plan to make a day of it.

I get there 20 minutes before they open and am in and out as fast as the paperwork can be done. Most of the rest of the people there at that time are kids for driving tests that they have appointments for and go into a different line.

Jeff you would be about # 50 if you did that at my local DMV. When I have to go there I plan on all day and get there at least an hour and a half before it opens.

Fun and DMV never go together

Around here (NC) the license plate offices where they issue plate renewals and register titles are not run by guvment employees. They contract that work out. I'm not saying they are extremely efficient but most of the time it's bearable.

REGISTERED ??? Whaaaat I thought they just stuck numbers they like on them things an then go terrorize the beaches and try to run over folks at the beach with kids.

Hate to ask this but doesnt it just seem like a slap in the face when you walk into the "service department" of an establishment that is being totally supported by our tax dollars (DMV is not alone - their are LOTS of them) and the very people who are deriving the substance of their very existence treat us like the whole thing works the other way around? Case example(s).

- For many years a very small DMV was located in Whitehall Mi. I would ALWAYS drive up there for my DMV needs. Our larger Muskegon branch had a couple employee's and a Manager who treated everyone they waited on just as Don had been treated and to avoid the hassle's, I would go to Whitehall. Then another group of people paid by you and me decided that the folks in Whitehall weren't needed so they closed the place.. Now everyone around here is FORCED into facing exactly what Freebird is bringing up.. I could list HOURS and HOURS of factual stories of times in both business and personal examples but I am trying to control my blood pressure... I will say this though, I have learned who those few people are that dont seem to have a grip on who they actually work for and I AVOID them at all cost at our DMV.. If my number comes up and its one of them at the window I simply pass and use one of the few alternate numbers I took randomly from the "number machine" - gotta do what cha gotta do..

- The local court system - same thing but even more frustrating - at least in our neck of the woods.. One of my several interactions in this arena was the result of a DNR Officer giving me a ticket for riding an unregistered bike on a roadway (it was an MX bike I had converted to street legal - had legally registered plates on it and I offered the officer my registration but he refused to even look at it). After choosing to follow the battle thru instead of paying reduced fines offered by other people who's wage I was paying thru my tax dollars, it finally found its way in front of one of the higher wage employee's whose wage is also tax supported - the Judge.. After about a 45 minutes of listening to the case, the higher wage earner looked at all of the lesser waged people (once again - ALL being paid for by "we the people", said he decided in my favor because the registration that I tried to show to the Officer in the first place was, in fact,, time dated for 3 months before the ticket was issued and my bike was in fact Street Legal.. Then, after hearing the Prosecuting Attorney tell the Officer how sorry he was (they whispered other things as they hugged) that it didnt work out in their favor this time I could hold my tongue no more, I looked at the group of my employees standing there (including the highest paid) and said,, "now let me get something right here,, everyone in this room except for myself is being paid a lot of money for being in this room, I have been down to this courthouse 7 times in order to straighten this whole mess out - each time costing me at least 3 hours of my day and each of those times I met with groups of folks like yourselves who - despite the fact that their very lifelyhood's are dependent on my tax dollars - failed to even recognize what the ultimate cost of this whole shinanigan was costing me because of paying your wages all while not being able to be in my office making money so I COULD pay your wages".. The higher tax wage person (the Judge) stopped me, looked at me with a red face and warned me that I was right on the verge of being charged with contempt.. I guess sometimes the truth hurts..

- Had a friend (elderly person) who I would drive to the Dept of Social Services a few years ago.. I was ALWAYS amazed at how disrepectful some of the people whose wages I was paying treated this person. Being the that I am, I even took one of those folks aside one time and mentioned the fact that even the people, like herself, who worked for me were getting older and that someday - they may be facing the exact existence as the person I was trying to help out AND then simply asked if she had ever heard the phrase - "what goes around comes around".. Of course I was ignored..

Bottom line Bossman,,, Ohio obviously had no monopoly on the market of tax money abuse,, IMHO of course:big-grin-emoticon:

This is one time I'm happy to be in California. We have an online DMV appointment system. Log in, pick the suggested appointment, or another. Show up at the given time. Walk by all the duffusses, and illegals, to the appointment line. Get a number, take a seat, and are called up within 15minutes, and I'm outta there in 20. Once I was in and out of there in 5. I've registered a lot of cars, boats, and trailers over the years, and were really thankful when they went online. I think AZ has it were you can even print permits and things from their online DMV system...

Hey,,, even in the far north we have some dohdohs,, but mostly I can convince one or two of them that I am a citizen and in need of help,,, specifically, their help. I then ask some real easy question or two to get the path smoothed out and mostly we're away to the races....... not so when I have an issue with Ma Bell,,,,, that's where the bell really can get ringing,,,,, do you realize that they have no superiors??? yep the one answering must be the boss, and knows everything and just so I understand there is more that they know,, yes, not just everything, but more, and if I don't behave they will have to disconnect, don't you know,,,, I let them, then call back to the complaints dept and they are impressed that I actually have the employee name and number. After that it can happen that I get a call from the loyalty dept, and then service and price reflect who's the boss.

Our MTO (DMV) in Paris is awesome, know their business, have it down pat and don't take no BS,, just because they know what they are doing. A private enterprise, but folks who understand the needs of the people. Not always the friendliest, but business needs to be done so no fooling around,,,,, until I get there, then all 4ell breaks loose,,,,,,

Now I now why people here don't mess with Freebird he is a meenie.

Now I now why people here don't mess with Freebird he is a meenie.

Proof!!!!