Featured Technical Worst DMV experience ever

Must be dumb luck, but in 45 or so years of registering cars and motorcycles in 4 states including lost title/storage title/estate-probate/salvage etc. I've never had what I would consider a truly bad DMV experience, yeah lines and multiple visits once in a while, in fact I've gotten some great help and advice. They gatekeep because they are supposed to. I'd hope a form and some proof would be required to transfer a title out of a dead person's estate.

To milwscruffy's point, couple years back brought a MN salvage title in to transfer, the nice person at the South Milwaukee DMV gave me a form, a number to call in Madison, told me what to say and ask, and to not spend time driving in and waiting in line. The person who picked up the call told me exactly what forms to provide, how to address the envelope, who to call to set up inspection, etc. and the process only took about a week. Since then I've done a couple more, I messed one up (the AND or OR ownership thing) and I got a call from Madison asking if I was sure I wanted to do AND or OR ownership, the difference saved me a second transfer fee of around $175.00 so no complaints here.

 

I learned a long time ago to bring more paper work than they require. Tennessee requires a form to be filled out, pic of the vin tag, and one pic of the car. I always bring along the bill of sale, and a pencil tracing of the vin as well. But, I had to walk a few of the dmv attendants through the process over the years. Tennessee is also different in that they actually give you a valid registration for the car before it clears the title process.

 

This is why when you sell or buy a car. The first sentence in the ad should read "Clear title in my name. The frame numbers match the title."

 

In the dirty 'No the DMV is a total crap shoot. I hear going to the outlying branches is less dysfunctional. Maybe.
They built a big, extravagant branch on Olive Ave with 22 windows. When I went to get my "REAL ID" (wasn't my old one real?) I made an appointment way, way in advance to get an early time thinking less chance for them to be running behind. To no avail. Still took over an hour to get to the window. During that time I noticed that they call numbers and it takes several minutes for that person to get to the window. Why not use a "batter's box" for next up? So they are ready. Also noticed that of the 22 windows only 10-11 were staffed. On a busy day. At the same time the powers that be were discussing going to Saturday hours at DMV branches to better serve the driving public. Ah, uh, well...I don't think we need Saturday hours. You could maybe just get staffing up to a reasonable, 75 or 80% and it would be transformational.
Get to the window. I have all twelve pieces of proof of my being a true and idiotic resident of this malfunctioning excuse of a state. No issues. She directs me over to some non-staffed windows (21 and 22) to get my photo. I asked her what to do after that. She said come right back to her window. OK, but do I have to get back in line? No, I will be waiting for you? Whaaaaaaat??? How does that make sense? Go to the photo window, no one staffing it. Take some photos of the empty, non staffed windows and a full house of people waiting to send to my state representative who makes all kinds of noise about DMV reform. A staffer appears and advises that no photos are allowed in the DMV. Copy that (arguably false statement). She asks if I want to smile for the camera. No thanks.
Send all the evidence to my St. Rep and never hear back.
At your service my ass.

 

That's two sentences, but you're right.

 

When I was younger, back in the late '70 Wisconsin DMV was notorious for being slow with long lines and very uncooperative counter people. It has gotten a lot better, fairly quick and most of the people working there that I've encountered are very helpful. I brought a title for a '37 Buick Century, the title was signed but didn't have the purchase price written down. The lady at the counter told me to go out to the parking lot and have the seller fill in the amount. I went out, wrote a price in and when back in expecting to wait in the line again. The lady saw me and told me to go to the front of the line, all the paper work was waiting for me. As I walked out of the building I saw the lady sitting in her office, she was the manager. I thanked her for her help and she told me husband was a car guy.

The worst memory I have of going to the DMV, again in the late '70s. Back then Wisconsin didn't have satelite offices, you had to go to their office in downtown Milwaukee. Long lines and PIA counter people. I got up to third in line and a Hispanic woman was trying to register her car or get linsence, I don't remember. Oscar the grouch was behind the counter. He snapped at the woman, "you need this signed, you need this dated, go over there and fill it out!" I thought, great I have to deal with ass. Next in line was a gorgious woman. Oscar looks up from his paperwork and a big smile comes across his face. "Here, just fill this in, and this and this. Perfect, here's your paperwork for your car." She leaves and it's my turn. He still must have had some wood left because he still had some of his smile on and I was out of there in a few minutes.

 

I should do the DMV work for you guys in California.

My average time in there is 21-minutes.

 

Did you hear what you just said...???
Aren't you looking for some extra strings for your bow? People might pay for your knowledge and expertice with this.

 

But I thought you gave up on being a certified Vin inspector? Regardless, IMO there is always a place for a KNOWLEDGEABLE DMV title service. Several years ago when I bought my Ranch Wagon with only a bill of sale your advice regarding needing at least one state issued document ( in my case a 1972 reg slip) made the process much smoother. Again JMO.

 

I did give up, but I still handle my own stuff.

I keep reading horror stories.

I have yet to have one.

 

Would be a nice little side gig for ya, Gimp!

 

My worst experience with getting vehicles titled was not at the State's dmv, it was with a lawyer and the lady at a State approved licensing service I was using!

I was perusing a 58 Dodge truck from an old guy. We had talked several times and were about to make a deal when the old guy got sick. He died about a month after my last contact, I figured the deal was dead. Then I got a call from the guy's son asking if I might be interested in all of the old guy's cars and trucks? The guy had the 58 truck, two 66 Plymouth wagons (one wrecked for parts, and one that needed parts on the wrecked one that were still good) and a 72 Dodge sedan (a very clean and nice 15 year old car at the time). The price for all 4 was $600 (less then the deal on the trucks was) but I had to take all 4. Of course I jumped on the deal.

The paper work was going to be processed through the lawyer that was handling the estate. At the time, I was doing any title work I had done at the local title agency, the lady (Mary) that owned the agency and I knew each other on a first name basis. She was very good at her business.
I exchanged my money for a paid bill of sale and a stack of paper work. I took the stack of paperwork the lawyer handed me directly to Mary. She sorted through it, and told me there was a couple missing forms I needed, and it shouldn't be a huge deal for the lawyer to get them to me, shouldn't take more then a few minutes.

So, back to the lawyer I went. He turned into a azz, he told me I had everything I needed and he didn't need to do anything else. I stepped out of his office and called the title agency and told Mary what he said. She told me to wait, she was going to call him immediately. I could hear his phone ringing. The part of their exchange I could hear from outside of his office was not pretty. Ten minutes later, I got a call from Mary, she told me I should go back in and he was suppose to have the needed papers ready. I gave him another 10 minutes and then walked in. He met me at the counter. Almost yelling at me, he told me that Mary didn't know what she was doing, he had given me everything I needed, and he was not going to do anything else, it wasn't his problem.

At this I was upset. I told him that over the years I had bought a lot of cars and trucks. Every time, I exchanged my money for a title I could transfer into my name. Mary has transferred every one of them. She said what you (the lawyer) gave me was not everything I needed. You have not provided everything I need to get those vehicles I have paid for transferred into my name. This is far from over, and I left.

I went back to Mary, and told her he was yelling at me, and that the lawyer told me "She doesn't know what she is doing." She asked me if I was willing sign a statement saying what the lawyer had said. "In a heart beat." I told her. She told me "Thank You, I will get back with you tomorrow." She was making a phone call as I was walking out the door.

Around noon the next day, I got a call from the lawyers office. They had paperwork I could stop by and pick up. After I picked up the paper work from the lawyer (along with a formal apology from him), and stopped by the license agency, Mary processed the paper work with a big smile on her face. A big win for her, a bigger win for me! There were no more issues with those title transfers.

Anything that is not a normal title transfer goes through the title agency Mary used to own. One of her employees bought it from her when she retired. I've not ever had a problem with any odd ball title transfer I've ever taken to them. What ever their up charge is, its worth the cost.

 

Back in the '60's I worked for a Ford dealership. We did lots of paperwork with the local DMV that had one guy working. We were on first name basis. Oh how sweet the memories.

 

about 10 yrs ago, wife wanted a boat. got one. went to register it. bill was 4 bennys and change. gave them the 4 bennys and change. then the lady says this benny is fake. damn, now what. gave her another benny. said that one was fake. now what, the feds. turns out they were busting my chops. wife said i deserved it because i bust chops.

 

So I buy a restored 1949 Washington plate, you only need one in ’49, while I’m at a swap meet in Texas. Now it’s time to register them to the car, well at the DMV they have to run them through the system to be sure that the number isn’t currently in the system. The lady takes them and is gone for a long time, and comes back and says, I don’t believe it, and neither does my supervisor, so we double checked the system, and Sir, (at this point I’m waiting for the worst) neither one of us can believe this, but this plate number was registered in 1949 to the same town and county that you want to register it in! What are the odds! For once a good day at the DMV!

 

10 plus years after having bought and registered my 1965 Chevy C10(in avatar), my registration showed up as a 1965 Chevrolet S10, after a year or so of this, I sent them a email about it: like, hey, simple fix, there were no 1965 S10s. Fix it.

But no! I didn't make the mistake, but I had to go down in person to get it fixed.

At least the registration lady was very nice and helpful, told me they had some new computer system and it made a lot of things wonky on the forms.

But still... yeesh.

 

Remebering that my dad could look at any Washington plate back in the day and tell you what county the car was from that is pretty cool.
I knew a salesman who's territory was Klickitat county back in the 60's but lived in Yakima who always bought Klickitat county plates so when he pulled up to someone's place they saw him as a local guy.

 

Years ago, and IDK if it is still done; the county issued a booklet with all known license plate numbers and who they were issued to. My folks kept it in their car and would grab it whenever they wanted to know who was driving another vehicle.
On edit, they don't have those in Nebraska any more.

 

I still have the last 26 and 40 county books that my Dad had...

 

which certain states? I just used Saints out of Tennessee and it worked. To be honest, I was sweating bullets about the vin verification because my '35 truck is sitting on a coupe frame, but it turned out to be a non-issue.

 

I'm going to cop some flak for this, but I'm sure a lot of the trouble is people turning up without having everything ready to do the transaction. Of course, it is then easier to blame everyone else. My wife works for the Australian postal service and as part of her job she does passports and weapons licencing. The processes are fully explained in leaflets and online, including checklists for people to make sure they have everything they need. Does it work? No, it doesn't. Customers will get aggressive and confrontational, even though it is their own fault that the paperwork and supporting documentation is less than necessary. I guess humans will always be humans........

 

I started typing a long drawn out response, but erased it all.

Go to AAA it'll be done in less than an hour.

-Tim

 

good for you Gimpy I have not always been so lucky. One time went in for a driver license renewal was there when they opened in the morning. Back then they produced license at the branch, the laminator quit working but they just kept making license after lunch they got it programed and working. Started at the top of the pile got to me at the end of the day .my go to move at the DMV is to go in 10 minutes before they close now. it is amazing how fast they move when its past their time to go home I have had 4 people and the manager helping me.I have titled enough cars I usually have everything I need but they change the laws often in Indiana. Hard to play by the rules when they are constantly changing. also you have to watch closely for mistakes have got titles back with wrong info on them.once was charged sales tax on the sales tax paid to an out of state dealer filled out the form got it back in 6 weeks.CDL physicals faxed to Indianapolis always got lost I think they just printed into a garbage can I got to were I had went to the DMV and had them send them they could verify they had been received it often took several try's even for them.I went in July to send my new physical when my number was called they told me as of the end of June they no longer sent them to the state .they were getting them off of a national data base my reply was how are they gonna lose them now

 

? what exactly does AAA do

 

Try getting a US car registered in Portugal...

It is literally easier sending the car to Poland, registering it there, then importing it in to PT.