<VV> True DMV stories

[Vairtec Corp]

These stories, in my opinion, underscore poor training and laziness on 
the part of the DMV clerks.  I am confident that these states, just like 
NJ, have provisions in their motor vehicle codes that permit the 
executors of estate to sign over vehicle titles and bills of sale.  But 
the clerks either don't know (poor training) or can't be bothered 
(laziness).

Maybe they think that they are helping the applicant by suggesting that 
they "go outside" and have the dead person sign, but all they're doing 
is undermining the integrity of the system.

In fairness to the NJ DMV, it is in recent years VASTLY improved over 
what it was 20-30-40 years ago.  It's still no day at the beach, but it 
is no longer a stress-inducing agony.  Most times nowadays I can walk 
in, complete my business, and walk out, having experienced no knee-jerk 
opposition to the transaction I have come to process.

One of my earliest negative experiences at the NJ DMV was so long ago 
that I was driving a Corvair that was simply an ordinary everyday car at 
the time.  I arrived at the DMV ofice to renew my registration, but 
found the manager at the door barring entry to anyone whose transaction 
might take, in his opinion, more time than the time remaining 'til 
closing.   He was an arrogant SOB, and so thoroughly ticked me off that 
I simply never renewed that registration, and had I ever gotten pulled 
over I was fully prepared to go to court and tell the judge that was I 
denied entry during business hours.

For years it seemed that the procedure at the NJ DMV was to find the 
flaw in your paperwork as quickly as possible so as to get you out of 
the door without what you wanted.  Getting wise to this, one day I went 
to the DMV with every i dotted and t crossed, every aspect of my 
paperwork ready to go -- including a not-often-needed notarized 
document.  But I only handed the clerk the typical documents.  "You need 
X," she said, citing an additional form.  I reached into my folder and 
handed it to her.  "You need Y," she said, citing yet another form.  I 
handed it to her.  "You don't have Z," she said, citing the notarized 
form she was SURE I did not possess.  I handed it to her.  Annoyed, she 
HAD to process my transaction instead of sending me away.

But these days the NJ DMV is, while not quite a pleasure, not bad. In 
fact, a few years ago the State DMV Director -- the head honcho himself 
-- came to an NJACE meeting and listened to our stories, complaints and 
compliments.  Not long beforehand such a visit would have been unthinkable.