Griping, about public service here (Atlanta, Boston: insurance, living in, license)

[WannaBeinBoston]

My experience this morning, along with others in the past, prompted me to share my frustration which I'm sure you all have encoutered as well.

Went to renew my car tabs in DeKalb. Had everything current, GA DL with our current address, insurance for the car with our current address, emissions, etc. Went to write a check and was told they didn't accept out of state checks. I rarely use checks and it still had our old address on it. I told the woman that less than 9 months ago, I had written two checks with our old address to retitle and register our cars. Wow!! I On my way out, I stopped and spoke to a supervisor. I was told that I didn't need to explain banking to him. I wonder if they know that most banks have a national and global presence.

Everytime I am required to touch public sector service here in Atlanta/State, I walk away with such frustration because there doesn't seem to be any level of logic or reasonable. The rules change everytime.

[BobKovacs]

Originally Posted by WannaBeinBoston

Everytime I am required to touch public sector service here in Atlanta/State, I walk away with such frustration because there doesn't seem to be any level of logic or reasonable. The rules change everytime.

Or, the rules were the same last time you were there, and the clerk didn't catch the fact that your address on your check was incorrect......

[WannaBeinBoston]

Two checks (old address) in different months with different clerks. You're right, it's not the rules....you just don't know WHAT the rules are.

[residinghere2007]

Originally Posted by WannaBeinBoston

Everytime I am required to touch public sector service here in Atlanta/State, I walk away with such frustration because there doesn't seem to be any level of logic or reasonable. The rules change everytime.

Honestly, and I may get talked about for this, but I do agree with you that Atlanta and the metro in general are bad about public services and dealings with the public. They are not consistent with rules and regulations and frequently "pass the buck" meaning they tell you to go and do something else, even after you have called to make sure that you bring everything necessary.

I will give you some advice - get a folder and keep all of the documents for your whole life with you in it and take it with you whenever you go the DDS or tag office or anything. I have found that when you have everything you think you will ever need AND you only bring cash to pay for everything (try to bring exact change) only then will you not have many problems and they may still try to make you go somewhere else. Example:

I went to the DDS to have them change my old GA license to a new one as it was deemed incorrect by the PassPort office when I was getting ready for a trip. The lady told me they couldn't put my two surnames on the license (my old license had one of my surnames in the middle name spot which is why the Pass Port office wouldn't accept it). I told her she would need to write a letter stating this for proof. She told me they don't write letters. I told her she should do her job then and put the last names on there. She told me she would need my "marriage application" (not license) to do this. I keep that in my folder and produced it. She then said I needed my license as well. I produced that. She needed my birth certificate. I produced that too. She passed me to another lady who then started to talk about the marriage application again, which I again produced along with the other mentioned documents. Finally after getting passed around for an hour and telling them I wasn't leaving until I got my license with both surnames OR they wrote me a letter, the supervisor came out and told them to print the license with my two surnames. Took 5 minutes. They could have done that in the first place.

But just goes to show that if you have your stuff and you have cash in perfect change, they will have to do what you need done even if they try to get you to leave. Also make sure if you ever get a ticket to keep the receipt of it's payment (I have some from 1999 in my folder) you never know when it will pop up in the system and get a warrant out on you here. That has happened to me and luckily I had my folder with me and showed the cop my receipt so I wasn't arrested, but did have to take off work to go to court and show them the receipt from 5 years ago.

[PKCorey]

Yea, the out of state check rule has always been effect.

[WannaBeinBoston]

Residing, you are spot on. My past experiences here have been similar with regards your. You call/ask and they tell you...if you do X, then Y. Then you go do X...but it's Z. WFT!!

I often say that I feel like I'm living in a 3rd world country when I deal with our public service here. It's as though I speak a different language, rules or applied arbitrarily and any any point you could get arrested.

[WannaBeinBoston]

Originally Posted by PKCorey

Yea, the out of state check rule has always been effect.

And I would know this after having written two out of state checks to the same office, with different people in different months, right?

[residinghere2007]

I have felt the 3rd world country thing before too with my experiences with the tag office especially!

It is CRAZY to me that the tag office in downtown Atlanta doesn't even take debit cards for payment. I am from a city of 200K residents and they take debit cards. It is like they are in the dark ages.

[WannaBeinBoston]

But yet the tag office in DeKalb does. I know each county can do their own thing and set their own policies etc...again that inconsistency....

I laughed about trash pick up day too....are they going to show up today, or not. Maybe next week then.

[PKCorey]

Originally Posted by WannaBeinBoston

And I would know this after having written two out of state checks to the same office, with different people in different months, right?

Like you have seen, different employees, different rules but all of the metro tag office have out of state checks and 3rd party check bans.