One hour and $17 later
I went to the DMV today to pay my moving tax err change the address for my drivers license and gun carry permit. $12 to change the address for the drivers license and $5 to change the address on the gun permit. One guy works the counter and you take a number. Another guy actually processes you. And some woman takes your picture. Apparently, the guy can’t just grab a mic and call numbers. They have an automated female voice that says the number after the guy pushes a button.
You go to the counter and are issued a number by guy1. Then guy2 processes your paperwork. The woman hands you your new stuff. Why they can’t have three people doing the entire process is beyond me. It would go so much faster.
Such a waste.
July 8th, 2004 at 7:07 pm
If you look closely, you’ll probably find that guy1 also sorts you in a few different queues, so he can feed you to the right paper-processor. Separating the photo-taking allows them to have just a few cameras and a specialized picture-taker.
I know it sounds inefficient, but it’s not much different from your lunch being rung up by a different person than it is served by.
Really, what they should do is make more of these services easy to complete over the web. The only time you should have to show your face is to take a picture.
July 9th, 2004 at 12:56 am
I suppose McDonald’s would be more efficient if the guy who took your order then went back and made your burger for you, brought it back up to you, and then cleaned your table after you were done.
Because specialization, after all, has long since been proven to be terribly inefficient.
:-/
July 9th, 2004 at 7:16 am
I do not know about the gun permit, but you could have done the drivers license address change over the Internet.
July 9th, 2004 at 10:09 am
Mrs. B,
Can’t do the gun one so i had to go there. Figured while i was there, i’d do it too.
Tom,
McDs makes nont custom items mostly (even if you make a request, it’s always wrong in my experience). DMV makes specialized items for individuals. You have to explain yourself three times to three people.
July 9th, 2004 at 4:24 pm
Just imagine the difficulty a government agency would face having to hire enough qualified people from the elibibile pool who would have the capacity to do, on demand, any one of several dozen tasks.
Specilization is required in order, not simply to get the job done efficiently, but to get the job done at all, given the restrictions placed upon the hiring of public employees.
See all the busy worker bees…
July 9th, 2004 at 4:25 pm
Somehow eligible became “elibibile.”
I blame my overly specialized typing fingers.