How to: Survive the DMV

Okay, I'm giving you a major gift here. Many of you probably don't know this, but I worked at the "Tag Office" for the last two years. How in the world this happened still boggles me to this day. I was third in my high school graduating class, graduated with honors from UGA... this is definitely NOT where I saw myself after graduation. If you want the story on how/why I was there, keep reading, if you just want the goods, scroll down.

How did this occur you ask? Well, my dear husband threw a curve ball at me right before our wedding. We weren't going to the big city where I'd have opportunities for many design jobs, nope, it was off to Augusta. When we arrived, I knew no one. No contacts at all. There might have been jobs in Augusta, but I honestly just wasn't prepared to market myself correctly in the design world. So I sat around for a month trying to figure out what to do, when I suddenly realized sitting was a luxury I didn't have. We needed money NOW! There wasn't enough student loan money available to pay all our bills and we had accrued a sizable credit card bill from the wedding. I had NEVER not paid my bill in full. We had several thousands of dollars sitting on that card accruing some unthinkable 16% interest. This Financial Peace University grad was not having it. I literally felt like I could see the dollars climbing before me eyes everyday.

So on my mom's recommendation I humbled myself and went to a temp agency. Momma felt sure that they would have jobs for people like me (educated, specialized, motivated); well they didn't. I figured I'd go ahead and fill out their application, but I'd probably never hear from them. That was Friday. I had an interview scheduled for the following Monday and Thursday by the end of the day.

Monday I showed up at the local tag office, having absolutely no idea what a tag office even did. I knew I for sure didn't want the job, but I figured I better go to every interview or the agency would stop helping me. By the end of the interview, they had offered me a job. What? I think I barely passed your typing test! I went home to Sam and we discussed that the only other jobs I'd been offered to date were $8 an hour, part time. This was $11 an hour, full time, plus benefits. The other position I had an interview for did seem to have more promising design work, but it was for HUD housing, in downtown Augusta, in the projects. I decided to take the job, hoping I could move on quickly to bigger and better things.

I was hired to help "facilitate" the design of the website that they were just beginning to redo. They had hired a company in California to handle the design and building of the site, but I think the idea kind of overwhelmed the head guy. And if he could hire somebody to "talk design" with the people in California so he didn't have to, he was happy to hand the project off.

So for about 4 weeks I worked on the website and doing purposeless jobs like redesigning the Tax Commissioner's logo, which never came to fruition. But eventually it became super apparent that this wouldn't last forever. They decided to train me to work on the front line. And somehow, I never left. The insurance really got me. For a girl who only had major medical all through college, who had paid full price for every prescription and doctor's visit, the insurance was a miracle! And once we were trying to get pregnant, I really didn't have the option to quit, I would have to wait for another full time job and their benefits package to kick in. Honestly, conceiving was more important to me than the job.

So that's it, that's how I got there. The important thing for you is that I'm walking away with a plethora of knowledge for you. Remember "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days"? Well just think of me as your very own Andie Anderson, the how-to-girl. She did all kinds of crazy and less than glamorous jobs just to get the information to pass on to her readers. That's me: I survived 2 years at the tag office all for you!

So here's the scoop!

1. Know the Difference: Georgia is a bit unique (read wonky) in that the "DMV" as it is in most states is divided into two different agencies. The Department of Driver's Services (DDS) is for all things related to Identification Cards (ie Driver's License and State ID Cards). They of course also handle road tests, CDL's, driver's permits, etc. This is NOT where I worked. I worked at the "tag office" also known as the Motor Vehicle Division (MVD). DDS is a STATE run agency. This means that fees and services are the same at EVERY location in the state. Lose your ID while visiting family? No problem, you can go to ANY DDS to get a replacement. The tag office is not State run, it is managed by the individual counties as a department of the Tax Commissioner's Office. This means that you must receive services from YOUR county.
2. Do Your Homework: You can save yourself a lot of heartache by planning ahead to make sure that you are as prepared as possible before you make the drive. See if your Tax Commissioner has a website. Check the state website. Call the office. One thing that is super duper annoying about Georgia is that each Tax Commissioner has a certain amount of freedom in how they run their county's tag office, so what is true in Gwinnett County will not necessarily be true in Hall County.
3. Take a Deep Breath: I can't tell you the number of times that someone walked into our office already in a huff, expecting a fight, to discover no line, friendly customer service, and a quick process. I really think that we, as a society, experience or hear about disaster scenarios and therefore dread going in to the office. However, I dealt with HUNDREDS of people who had lived in other states, and almost every time they told me that in comparison to New York, or California, or North Carolina, the process was relatively painless.
4. Plan Your Visit: It was mind boggling to me that 50-60% of the time, someone's window was available in our office... meaning NO WAIT. However, some days, the line would wrap around and the wait exceeded 30 minutes. So, call ahead and ask when are the "down times". In a Monday through Friday office like ours, Fridays are THE WORST. Mondays are a close second. The beginning and end of the month are much busier as well. Therefore, anytime that the first or last of a month falls on a Friday: BEWARE! I feel like there needs to be a public service announcements that says no wait on Tuesdays through Thursdays! If you know it will be busy, and you can't go at a better time, do yourself a favor, take a book, headphones, whatever will help you stay calm.
5. Renew Your Tag: You know that "sticker" on the back of your car. It's your proof that you are current on your taxes. Your sticker/decal has four pieces of info on it. Most notably, color. Each year the color changes. Second, the month and year. This allows for a super quick check by police to see if you are current. If your tag says "JUL 12", guess what? You're expired! The other info is simply the county you are registered in and your tag number, so that the decal cannot be used on another tag. Now, this is something that is confusing to some, though your tag only says a month and year, it actually expires on a specific day: the birthday of the primary (first listed) owner. So my tag says OCT 12, but it actually expires on my birthday, October 21, 2012. If I pay on October 22, I will be charged a late fee. And arriving at the office three months after your tag was due to say that you thought it was due at the end of the month and not on your birthday is NOT going to save you the extra dollars, so don't ask.
6. Be Nice to People, and They Will (Might) be Nice to You: Let me tell you, this is a TOUGH job. You wouldn't believe me if I told you how much training is required. But the really tough part: the people. In my brief stint at the tag office, I had more times than I could count that someone cussed or fussed at me, or simply insulted me. Plus, our office was threatened on more than one occasion in which police arrived to arrest someone. So, that being said, just expect that whoever you are dealing with has had a LONG day. Smile. Be friendly. Explain your problem succinctly. Listen. And if things don't go your way, do NOT pitch a fit. This will not help. If you honestly feel that you need additional assistance, ask to speak with a manager, nicely. Remember, you have to go back to that office to achieve your original goal, they will remember you if you cause a big enough fuss, and that will certainly NOT help you.

So there you have it. Plan ahead. Remain calm. Smile. You too can survive the DMV. Good Luck!