Woodstock DMV - how's it doing?

Gus Philpott
Woodstock Advocate
May 14, 2010

This morning about 11:00AM I ducked into the Woodstock DMV for what I thought might be a quick transaction. All I needed to do with buy the renewal tag for my license plate. My form was filled out, complete with insurance company information on the back. My check was written, and I even "gave in" and wrote my driver's license number on it, hoping to avoid the dreaded direction to write that D/L on my check.

The backlog wasn't too great at the first bottleneck, where everyone entering is expected to stop first at the information desk, where you get told "where to go." I knew where to go and slipped past it.

As many know, the Vehicle Services are on the right and the Driver Services are on the left. OK, go right.

There were about 8-10 people in line at the front on the right side, but they were all waiting for the 2-3 clerks to help them with information about title transfers, purchasing plates, etc., so I walked on by them.

At the back, though, there was a group of about 8-10 customers waiting for the one lone cashier to handle their transactions. Sometimes, customers can be waited on quickly; at other times, not so quickly. As I stepped to the back of the line and saw that only one cashier was working, I said to the next person in line, "Must be break time." And it was. No matter that many customers are waiting...

The first person in line was processed quickly and departed. But, when the second person stepped forward, the cashier left and a manager took over for her. And then that manager, the new cashier, commented to the customer on the number of transactions he was presenting.

It was obviously the wrong time to be there, so I started to leave. I stopped and asked the security guard if he would tell a manager that help was needed because of the number of customers waiting at the cashier's window. He confirmed that it was, indeed, break time, but all the employees were working, except the one who had just been replaced by the manager.

As I stepped to the exit, I noticed that there were many clerks at the Driver Services counter and no customers. So I spoke to a manager and asked if any employees were cross-trained for Vehicle Services and lcould she send them over to the other side.

So, why didn't the manager on the Vehicle Services side come over and ask for help? Do they pay any attention at all to the number of customers waiting? Or do they just figure that the customers must have their plates and tags, and so they will wait. And wait. And wait.