I didn't forget... D is for DRIVERS LICENSE!

this is a rant. i realize that but I needed to vent. at least I warned you...


After nearly 6 months of marriage, I decided it was far time I got a new social security card and having lived in Hattiesburg for the past 6 years, a new MS drivers license. I figured that this week off was the perfect time to accomplish some of these things I had obviously been avoiding for some time now. It wasn't that I didn't want to get them done, I just always had an excuse or something else "more important". So, I woke up this morning feeling purposeful.


Dale and I headed out at about 10am to the social security place. No prob, Bob. In and out in about 4 minutes.... minus the pat down and security measures you have to go through when entering the federal building.

Next on my list was the drivers license place. Now I call it a "drivers license place" because I have no idea what to call that god forsaken place. And because in Louisiana, it's the DMV. But MS, the smartest state in the union, doesn't do DMV's. It was the worst 2 hour experience I have ever been through. We arrived to a packed house in an already cramped building. Seriosuly, Hattiesburg is NOT a small town. It's the 3rd or something largest city in Mississippi and you are telling me that your "drivers license place" is no larger than my 1200 square foot house????? And you dont even have a separate room for the poor people taking driving tests to go? They have to stand (STAND!) at computers in the same room! We were number 69 (nice right?) and they were on number 34. 3 freakin 4! We should have just left... I knew in my soul we should have just left but I really wanted to get these things accomplished I told myself over and over.


After about 5 minutes of standing next to a mentally challenged young man who kept inappropriately touching my arm, I realized the real problem. They had 3 people taking numbers behind the desk, 1 working on a computer problem, the other, an 800lb man who only knew how to renew licenses and even then had to ask "Mrs. Margaret" next to him what the fo to do, and 3, "Mrs. Margaret" who was so busy helping big man that she couldnt do her own work. We were moving at a rate of about 2 numbers every 20 minutes. AND THEN... THEN it approached 11 or so and 2 of the 3, TWO OF THE THREE, workers decided they were going to take LUNCH. LUNCH? like the 65 people waiting in front of you didn't want to eat lunch today? Like we thought the "driver license place" was going to take us 2 hours in the middle of LUNCH? WHAT THE HELL? At this point, I thought a big black woman was about to raise hell but then her cell phone rang so, sadly, no fight ensued.


So left with ONE worker person, luckily the one that knew what she was doing, we waited another 45 minutes or so to get up to the desk to FINALLY get my MS drivers license. It was a nightmare. And I am not a demanding person, but clearly there is a problem here.

1. I pay tax dollars for you to fund these departments. There needs to be a bigger building.
2. If you have that much demand, even if it was due to the holiday, of people that need your serivces, YOU HIRE MORE PEOPLE. even if it is temporary, when you have 45 people waiting and 3 people available, PROBLEM. And you train the ones you have WELL so they will be prepared to handle all kinds of situations.
3. WHY CANT THESE PLACES TAKE CHECKS OR DEBIT CARDS? The whole world has done away with cash except for the "drivers license place". What gives?
4. And this is probably the one that makes me the most upset and the number #1 rule of customer service (which they obviously care nothing about). YOU DONT GET TO TAKE A LUNCH BREAK when you are slammed. I work in an office with 3 people and we dont ever close the office for lunch because we always need to be there. How can you just peace out with 45 people waiting to be served? I dont care if you hate your job, or your life for that matter, bring your lunch. YOu dont get a break unless there is no one there. That's like walking into a furniture store and wanting to talk to someone about buying a couch and everyone is "at lunch". or worse, going to mcdonalds and no one is there to take your order becuase they are all "at lunch". Its preposterous. Why is that so hard to understand?

I just dont understand why this is acceptable customer serivce? Who regulates this stuff? He needs to be fired.




Whew. Okay. Done. Sorry. Happy (late) Christmas!