Inept government at its finest
This is going to be one of those columns where I rant about government stupidity… be warned.
I spent about two hours at the Washington, D.C. Department of Motor Vehicles this morning (yes, a DMV story… we all got them) because I received a letter in the mail yesterday (June 29) stating that I needed to have a new Residential Parking Permit by the end of the month (which is today). Unfortunately, the DMV is not able to provide me with a parking sticker because they haven’t received authority from the Department of Public Works to issue stickers yet.
According to DMV, they’ll begin issuing new parking stickers for citizens who live in the RFK (home of the Washington Nationals) vicinity beginning on July 15. Why July 15th? Well, obviously, because that’s the day that all citizens near the ballpark must have a new parking permit or risk being ticketed and towed for violating the city’s new restrictions on parking in the neighborhood around the park.
Here’s a recap, I have to have one parking sticker to park in front of my home by the end of June that DMV can’t provide. I need a second one to park in the ‘hood during events at RFK after July 15 that isn’t going to be available until on or after July 15th.
In speaking with individuals at the Department of Public Works, I was told that DMV would be able to issue BOTH stickers today. DMV said they don’t have enough information from DPW to issue the stickers. I even spoke with the city department that oversees parking enforcement which said they will be “aggressively enforcing” both new requirements beginning Tuesday and July 15th, respectively.
Guess I’ll get to spend some quality time at traffic adjudication next week. Let's hope they don't scratch my car when it gets towed.
posted by Unknown @ 3:29 PM
6 comments
6 Comments:
For some reason I missed mailing the form so they sent me something else only this time if I didn’t have insurance there was a fine. Rather than play phone tag, I decided to run up to the nearest outlet and take care of it with their Auditor. They’re trained and full of expert stuff anyway. More than a 30 minute drive and waiting 40 minutes I finally talked to the Auditor who just faxed my form to a Chicago office. He then told me I needed to call them to make sure they got it! Then it was another 30 minute drive back home.
Hearing that I needed to call them, to make sure they received the fax, made me wonder why I even drove up there in the first place? Day’s later, I called and finally got someone who told me I still wasn’t in their system. I asked how could that be? I talked to their Super Duper Auditor guy and of course there was an excuse. She then told me to fax another copy. I didn’t want to fall into that trap again and quickly asked if I could just giver my information instead. She said yes and had me wait a minute. Coming back, I gave her only two numbers and a date and that was it. Why was I supposed to fax it in the first place? They proved they would loose it anyway! After thinking more about this, I still wondered if it was in their system, so I called back an hour later. I was told my insurance information now was OK. I thought that was it, but who knows? Who’s in charge of this insanity anyway?
Many years ago I lived in Maryland. I was registering a used car I'd bought. The form gave me a choice between registering the car as salvage for parts or for resale. Driving the car? Not contemplated on the registration form.
Do not attempt to apply reason. You have to go Zen. What is the sound of one DMV employee thinking?
Michael
MightyMiddle
I have noticed that locals from any city or state take a certain inverse pride in a couple of matters: (1) the ineptness of their DMV or MVD or whatever that state happens to call it, and (2) how bad the drivers are in their town. What is it about cars that seem to bring out the worst in everyone they are associated with?
Steve,
Very true. I can say without a doubt that the worst drivers in the world follow me everytime I move cities.
The Pain... The PAIN!!!!!!!!!
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