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Sacramento DMV
Rating Details »
10 reviews for Sacramento DMV
Long hiatus away from the yelping... and who knew it would be the DMV to bring me back?
I was dreading coming in to renew/get a new license. I don't drive anymore (I curse your name, Septa, but I suppose you're ok in that you allow me to get places sans-individual vehicle... usually). I postponed getting a new license while I was in Philly because I'm moving back to CA at the end of school. Why wait in two DMV lines in two years when I can wait in one? So. Sacramento DMV.
I learn before arriving in CA that I can schedule an appointment online. As a general rule, I resent basically anything that I can't do online, so we're already off to a good start.
Arrive at the DMV about five minutes before my scheduled appointment. There's no line and a clear starting place. Yay! Go to starting place, explain appointment, they give me the form I need and a ticket number and send me on my way. Literally a minute later (I've filled in my name on the form and that's it) my number is called and I go over to the renewal window.
Sadly, I do not remember the name of the guy at the window who helped me, but he was awesome. My last name is a little complicated and he did EVERYTHING to find my old record in the system (hyphenated shenanigans...). Finds my old record, sets me up with the abbreviated length renewal test, sends me over to have my photo taken, and I'm out the door in under a half an hour. Truly truly amazing.
Now if only California can export this system to other states for a price large enough to bring itself out of debt.
If you come to this location make sure you do the following things:
1) Don't even bother unless you have an appointment. If you have an appointment you'll still be waiting for at least half an hour, but it beats the heck out of the 2 1/2 hours that you'd be waiting if you didn't make an appointment.
2) Bring your ipod. Seriously, every customer at this location seems to be talking loudly on their cell phones, or scolding their misbehaving children. Just make sure you are still paying attention to your number being called.
3) Make sure you don't forget anything in your car or at home. If you do, be prepared to wait in line again.
The DMV in general is my personal hell and this is no exception. I give them two stars because occasionally a nice employee makes the difference. Unfortunately those nice employees are few and far between.
Keep coming back to this one ... except one time where the wait was so long (1h 30m) that we just went to another one.
Anyways, wait time still isn't that long. We had no troubles getting an interim license and I wish I came here to get my registration renewed. At least the ones in Sacramento give you a ticket first instead of making you wait in line for 30 minutes FOR a ticket.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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12/7/2008
I didn't realize that there was a DMV page ... haha, here's my experience.
I've gone to the DMV to:… Read more »
Think about this a minute - this office has about a million drivers come through a year - day in day out - they get endless complainers, people cheating on exams and smog checks, people who can't speak English, old people petrified about becoming too old to drive - they get it all - literally the "great unwashed". And 2/3 of them act like total jerks. Do you have 666,666 pissed off people crap on you each year? Don't cha think that might give you a little challenge in the attitude department? What a bunch of babies!!!!
People hate the government because the government gets the joyless responsibility of enforcing laws that everyone hates but need to be there for us all to be reasonably safe and for things like the roadways to actually WORK!!! The DMV does a great job - because it is good and always is trying to get better at a really rotten occupation. The last 8,495 times I got in my car and drove around the other people and cars on the road were reasonably safe and sane - that is a direct result of the DMV!!!
Don't like lines? Well quit your whining and sniveling and get on your fricken cell phone for a minute and make an appointment. You can just walk right in and be served!!! Go online 90% of the crap the DMV does can go through the mail - NO HASSLE!
If you really can't stand them - well guess what - this is America!!!! Go make a huge pile of money and pay someone else to take care of your dirty work. Just quit CRYING!!!
DMV is doing a great job - I'm glad they are there.
I was dreading going to the DMV to renew my driver's license, as it usually involves taking time off work to make it in during the weekday hours, and the wait can be completely variable. But through the power of the Internet, I checked out the Sacramento DMV for Saturday hours and found that they were open on the third Saturday of each month from 8 a.m. till noon! I started stressing again when I couldn't make it out the door on Saturday until 11:15 a.m. because I was fearing the worst. Maybe they wouldn't even give me a number if I got there so close to closing time... could they do that?
As it turned out, my fears were completely groundless. I found parking quickly, marched in through the door, asked if I needed a number and received it, and was asked at the entry info desk exactly what services I was there for. I said "driver's license renewal" and already had my paperwork with me, but they threw another form my way. It wasn't necessary... all I needed was what the mailing I received had told me (this form completed, $27, and willingness to give your thumbprint). So I knock one star off for the only instance of mindless bureaucracy I encountered.
My number was up in less than five minutes. I didn't even have time to sit and read the magazine I brought in with me. A signed check, one more window to get my picture snapped and give a thumbprint and I had my temporary renewal in hand. I was told the actual license would be mailed to me in approximately two weeks.
This was the most painless DMV experience anyone could ever hope for. It could've been my fortuitous timing, but I have to give props to this particular DMV office for being efficient and nearly effortless.
I've been to the DMV twice since I arrived in California. It's always super busy, super depressing, and you have to wait a long time for your number to be called.
It is a good place to hear women on cell phones screaming at their deadbeat baby-daddies, see people picking their noses and smell the worst body odour ever. It is not a good place to go if you want decent customer service.
After I took my written test the guy at the desk made some negative comments about my country and actually laughed and smiled like he was the wittiest loser on earth.
Then he gave me a phone number and said, "call this # in a week". I said, "what do I say when I call?" and he said in a you-are-an-idiot-voice, "ask them the status of your drivers license". I told him that I wasn't psychic and then he said, "Well, no question is a stupid one and if you have any more please don't hesitate to ask". What an ass.
Today my husband did the road test and after passing he went to get his temporary license and the same jerk I dealt with last time was there. My husband said, "I just finished my drivers test", and he said, "SO WHAT?" with his goofy smile.
If you want to have someone make you feel like an idiot, this is the place to go.
No wonder 1/3 of Californians don't have a valid license if the service at the DMV is this crappy.
When I took my driving test here, the Large African American lady was my tester. She was nice and calm and didn't scare me that much, which helped with my driving. I felt at ease and was confident that I was going to pass. She told me what I did wrong in a manner that wasn't condescending and I understood everything pretty well.
When I was done with the test ( -4 for randomosity) I got in line to check out w/e I had to do, and the guy I talked to was pretty cool. He congratulated me in a happy manner and told me what I had to do without any sort of arrogance or ignorance.
I walked out pretty happy after I was done with the whole process.
But hey, It's a state job kinda thing, you gotta make the most of it, right?
So I guess sometimes they might act... cranky... haha
I'd be on crack if I gave the DMV more than one star. Although, since when I last went, there were several people that were probably really on crack, that might make sense. Actually, there's no way to make sense of DMV.
You get a number when you walk in. But it's actually a letter plus a number. I think they're banking on people not knowing that D comes before H. So you try not to sit in a chair that is sticky.
When you think about it though, DMV is a good cross section of the city, because most everybody drives a car.
What happened to the DMV? It's all friendly and efficient now...like invasion of the pod people. The wait was less than 15 minutes, and everyone was so pleasant it was making me nervous. When I was growing up, there were two places you could always count on for surly attitudes and an excruciating wait. One was the DMV. The other was the post office, and they've gotten entirely too nice these days, too. Thank god for the waitresses at Zelda's - someone's got to maintain tradition.
I renewed recently my drivers license and by that chance noted our new address. I have received the license back wthin no time wth correct new address. A bit later I processed my husbands exactely the same way - but surprise - it came back wth the old address. I called DMV Sta Clara who informed us that the mistake was from DMV Sacramento. Then I called DMV Sacramento who apparently does not have our documentation anymore on file and requested my husband to send a fax stating the new address. After sending the fax I called again and got the information that they will send us an additional card (not a corrected drivers license!) which my husband has to carry wth the incorrect driv.license (as if our wallets would not be holding too much paper already anyways!). The only possibilty to receive a corrected driv.license would be if he'd go to DMV Sta Clara, waits in line (!), pays 25 usd (!) and requests a new card! And this after having filled in the forms correctly!
