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PennDOT
Category: Public Services & Government Departments of Motor Vehicles Departments of Motor Vehicles [Edit]
1530 S Columbus BlvdPhiladelphia, PA 19147
Neighborhood: Pennsport
(215) 551-5438
6 reviews for PennDOT
6 reviews in English
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Review from Lakara B.
Philadelphia, PA
6/16/2008
Yeah... 5 Stars... As good as it gets... Wanna know why? I bet you wanna know who would EVER give PennDOT 5 stars for anything. lol... ME!
Cuz I got in, got out, and got on with my life in less than 30 minutes despite the plethora of clueless saps that didn't seem to understand basic instructions such as, "sit on the right and wait for your number to appear on the screen" and "we can only accept checks or money orders, no cash and no cards." -
Review from Aruna A.
1/7/2012
So I thoroughly expected my experience at the DMV to be terrible. I mean TERRIBLE. It is stereo typically a terrible place to go, and since I'd be going on a Saturday morning, I figured I was pretty much totally and completely screwed. Alas, it was the only time I could go and I had to switch my license to PA after 6 years of residency. So after a hearty breakfast, packing my kindle up, and gathering all the necessary documents, I arrived here early on a Saturday morning expecting the worst. I was remarkably pleasantly surprised. It was really just not that bad. In fact, it was kind of easy. Granted, I did do my homework, I printed out all the possible forms ahead of time, and had my check / money order and all the forms of ID required. BUT the people there were really very kind to me, and helpful, and I was in and out within 1 hour. Yes, that's right. One hour. EASY AS PIE.
All those times I silently cursed the DMV, I take that back world. -
Review from Dan F.
Updated - 7/12/2010
Third time's a charm!
Maybe the trick is to go on a Saturday. The 8th and Arch branch was as quiet as a church mouse.
As luck would have it, the 8th and Arch manager took a shine to my case (without prompting!), apologizing ***profusely*** for the events you most assuredly read below.
Best of all, he got me my dang license in short order.
Fun fact! Upon retrieving my file we were both amused to learn that one of the earlier clerks had the moxie to invent even more reasons as to why I should not receive a licence.
E.g., the chicken scratch citation of "He only had starter checks."
OK. Now even if that were true (which it is not), who cares? Is this a legal or policy barrier to furnishing state identification? Or is it more of an expression of personal yearning for the fancy, personalized kind of check? You know, air brushed hearts, Franklin Mint coins, landscapes, We The People caligraphic watermarks, and the like.
Plus. My checks clearly state "Customer since 1995." I.e., not exactly starter material.
Upshot:
Licence procured, 300 new PennDOT friends made, and faith in public servants (mostly) restored.
Insider Tip:
After your visit to the 8th and Arch location, get coffee or lunch around the corner at the fabulous Ray's Cafe and Teahouse on 9th St. between Cherry and Race. (See my review.)
P.S. I still hold that the Columbus Blvd. branch is a Code Red dump.Listed in: Good For Nothing
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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7/2/2010
The collective IQ in this place could barely power thread through a needle. OMG.
They could not… Read more »
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Review from Omar E.
Philadelphia, PA
4/20/2009
I've gotten licenses in 4 different states. This DMV isn't the best-- that honor goes to the Mass RMV in downtown Boston. Still, it's miles above the Connecticut DMV, and generally quite efficient as DMVs go. Given the volume of customers at this particular location (and it does get crowded as hell), they run a fast and efficient operation and get you out in a reasonable amount of time.
This review only applies to that particular license center. As far as PennDOT's road crews are concerned I'd give them a 2 at best for jamming up the Schuykill even more during the day when most of that work could done at night. -
Review from Monica S.
5/6/2010
If you like babies, this is the best place to baby watch. It's a true melting pot with tikes of every ethnicity! If kids, adults, waiting, and bureaucracy doesn't suit your interests though, you should probably go around 9:30am Tues-Thurs. I was in and out of there within 15 minutes.
Listed in: Unsung Heroes
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Review from K S.
Philadelphia, PA
9/4/2009
As far as dmv's go, this is really the best I've ever experienced. I was in and out in 30-40 minutes, interacted with friendly knowledgeable staff, and had a reasonably pleasant place to sit and wait until it was my turn in line. They did a great job streamlining an often chaotic, awful process into a predictable and calm experience. I was there on a Saturday AM around 10 to get a Pennsylvania license and give up my license from another state. It was crowded but the line went fast. I recommend reading the penndot website very carefully to make sure you have every piece of documentation you will need.
