Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Laramie County Courthouse FAIL

I’ve never really been impressed with the people who work at the DMV at the Laramie County Courthouse.

Never.

Everytime we’ve gone in to register our vehicles it seems like they sneer at us, as if they’re bitter that we get a military discount.

I remember last year I had to go in myself because Tom was at K9 training school in Texas. I had to register my car and I walked in armed with Tom’s LES, his orders, and the Power of Attorney he had left me. I walked over to the counter, laid out my papers and politely said that I would like to register my car.

“You can’t do it without your husband,” the worker told me sharply and then looked as though she were waving the next person in line over.

“Yes, I can,” I spoke up.

She seemed startled and stared at me like I had a giant booger popping from my nose.

“No,” she began. “You can’t.” She talked to me as though she were talking to a child.

“Yes,” I said, mimicking her tone. “I can.” I pushed the papers closer to her. “I have my husband’s LES, a copy of his orders, and a Power of Attorney.”

She sighed and tapped her fingernail against the counter. Then she reluctantly called someone over.

“This lady,” she said, motioning to me rudely, “is trying to register her car without her husband who is in the military.”

The person who she called over looked at all the paperwork and said it was okay.

I wanted to go, “Ha!” but I swallowed it back.

See, since we’re military we get a discount on re-newing the tags for our vehicles. We only pay $15 for our car and $30 for the truck. If we didn’t get the discount we’d have to fork over around $100 or so for each vehicle. I’m not totally sure the price but I do know it’ll be a significant increase from the military discount.

Anyhow, we had to go back to the DMV yesterday. Tom wanted to make sure that I could still get the military discount even though he’d be in Korea.

Tom politely told the DMV worker that he’d be in Korea for a year and that he was hoping that I could still get the military discount.

“No,” the worker said snidely. Yup, it seems everyone that we’ve ever spoken to has had an attitude. And okay, I can understand that it’s probably boring answering questions and handing over license plates and such but still.

“No?” Tom repeated.

“No,” the worker repeated. Rudely. “Since you will no longer be stationed on the military base here, you are not eligible for the military discount anymore.”

“But I’m staying here on the military base,” I said. “We’re still getting military pay.”

The worker shrugged. She obviously could care less. “I’m sorry.” But she certainly didn’t sound it. You’d think she’d have been all, “Thank you for defending our country,” or something. But no.

“He’ll still be in the military though,” I tried again.

“Yes but, he won’t be stationed here anymore,” the lady told me. And yes, she had that tone as though she were speaking to a child.

“But I will and we’ll still be getting military pay,” I said.

“Yes but, he won’t be stationed here anymore.”

Was I speaking to a robot?

“I understand,” I said firmly so she comprehended that I understood THAT MY HUSBAND WOULDN'T BE STATIONED HERE ANYMORE. “But why wouldn’t I still get a military discount even though my husband is still military?”

“Yes but, he won’t be stationed here anymore.”

UGHHH!

It was like speaking to a brick wall.

Eventually she called someone over. They always call someone over.

“This lady,” the worker said, frowning at me, “doesn’t seem to get that because her husband will no longer be stationed here, that she won’t get the military discount. She doesn’t seem to get that her husband is active duty and that he’ll be gone, therefore no discount.”

Her worker friend didn’t even look sympathetic. Hello, my husband will be gone for a year. I’ll be staying here ALONE with my two kids. You’d think that one of them would have said something like, “I understand that it must be frustrating knowing that he’ll be gone for a year...BUT....”

But no. No one offered any type of advice.

Her worker friend just repeated the same thing:

“Your husband won’t be stationed here anymore so you’ll be expected to pay full price.”

I tried not to groan. “But our legal office on base said that we should still get the discount.” It’s true. We were there not too long ago so I could get Power of Attorneys and the person said that I should still be eligible for the discount.

“That’s not true,” the worker said unkindly.

I noticed Tom’s eyes were bugging out of his head throughout all of this. He hissed, “Let’s go,” so I dropped it and walked out with him.

“You could have been arrested,” he whispered at me.

“What, how? I wasn’t yelling,” I said.

“You wouldn’t drop it. They said no and that’s that. They could have called a cop over.”

What bugs me about Tom is he doesn’t fight for things. If someone tells him no he accepts it and moves on. If someone tells me no and I know it’s wrong, I argue. I learned that from my Grandma and my Mom, who won’t hesitate to argue when they know they are in the right.

So yes, I’ve disappointed with the Laramie County Courthouse. I’ve never met a friendly worker there so it seems like the staff needs to be trained in having some manners. And it’s not just me who thinks this, many people from the military base have been insulted or spoken rudely to.

We’re going back to the Legal Office to see if there is anything that can be done.

It’s safe to say that the Laramie County Courthouse has left a bad taste in my mouth and I do NOT look forward on going back when I have to register the vehicles.

62 comments:

  1. I'm so annoyed right now. You did a fabulous job of conveying your frustration! I can't believe those workers were such douches to you! I'd leave a dooce on the hood of their car if I were you.

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  2. I hate the DMV. And I MISS the military discount! You're right - it's a definite increase - a painful one!

    Not as painful as your experience at the courthouse though. :(

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  3. I have no patience for rude people like that. I usually opt for being sugary sweet in hopes of getting what I want but there is no hope for pleasantries at the DMV.

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  4. What the heck happened to customer service in the past few years? I'm sorry :-(

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  5. Anyone that works at the DMV is a damn angry ass hoe bitch scum bag of a human being. It's actually written into their job description. That's bullshit. He won't be stationed here . . . He'll be effing overseas!!! What's not to get about that. What asses. You should have called over a supervisor or something.

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  6. wow! uugghh.. rude people PISS me off... let us know how this ends.. well- i hope!

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  7. I think all DMV's could use some help in the customer service department. I hate going to ours. You should have seen what we had to go through to get veteran's plates on the truck. Bullshit, I tell ya.

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  8. AHHHHH that makes NO sense at all! You'd think if your husband was actively serving you should be getting MORE of a discount! WHAT a joke!

    As I read this, I just wanted to smack that woman!

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  9. So you can't just mail it in??? suck.

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  10. Oh man, nothing pisses me off more than being spoken too like a child. I swear it makes me want to cut someone.. people need to have some damn manners. They can still tell you no if that's the answer, but there are much more polite ways to say it.

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  11. I actually got misty eyed that a family who is serving our country would be treated that way.

    If you ask me, you should get anything we as a country are able to give you.

    Don't they understand at the DMV (or DuMB) the pay reduction? The sacrifice of your husband being gone?

    What part don't they get about us giving something back to YOU!!!

    I'm livid.

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  12. My husband's like that, too. If someone tells him no, then that's pretty much it. It drives me crazy.

    I hope you get things figured out.

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  13. I think you need to call the local news papers and news stations. I'm sure it would be of GREAT interest that a military family is getting screwed out of a discount BECAUSE the active duty military personnel is going to be DEPLOYED. Oh, and a call to the local state rep, your congressman and your senators wouldn't hurt either. Plus, if they are douches to you, it makes for even more interest for the news organizations. :)

    Oh, and I did this when DH was deployed to Iraq (we weren't even married yet) and the local post office was hassling me about the packages I was sending.
    Let me know if you want any tips. :)

    On another note, we often had more success driving to a different DMV that was 30 minutes further away (may not be an option for you).

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  14. So, why in the heck did you get a discount when he was in Texas...but not while he will be in Korea??? I am gritting my teeth here and I wasn't even there!

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  15. Ugh. Why didn't you ask to speak to the boss? Btw, I laughed out loud when your husband said you could have been arrested:)

    Thank you to your husband for defending our country!

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  16. Ok. Ok. I just clicked on the courthouse link. Making more sense now, once I saw the pictures. Whoo hoo it's a calamity of bad hair and teeth. Thanks for that link, I needed to laugh right now!!!

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  18. I'm sorry, but when you live in that lifestyle and you or your spouse serves their country, you SHOULD get those benefits.

    Being a military family is hard, so I think each one of them should have perks coming out of their asses.

    And good for you for speaking up to that constipated wench.

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  19. Yeah, that does sound like a yucky place.

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  20. Ack....it seems as though you were talking to a robot. I'm sure if she would have looked it up she would have seen that spouses living on the base of any active duty personel would get the same discount as they would if that person were still living in the same household...at least that is what I've always thought...but then I'm not military and only know what I have heard from others...

    Hope it all gets worked out.

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  21. That part that bugs you about Tom, is what makes him a good soldier. It's respect for authority (even though they had no real authority over him, they did over whether you got the discount).

    As a veteran, someone who works for the FED, and with local and State governments, let me tell you this.....You would be amazed what a nicely worded letter from YOU to your State Representative and US Senator would do.

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  22. are you kidding me!? No way you don't still get the discount, really? Fight on!

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  23. This is CRAP! What's wrong with people...as soon as I read your husband would be gone for a year, I went "ohhhhhh....wish I could help....." Why can't they give you the discount? That's ridiculous! *hugs*

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  24. What an effin bunch of hooey. Nothing like a little graditude. Jeez. Hope the Legal Office can help.

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  25. DMV's suck in every state in this country.

    The people that work there seem to forget within seconds of being hired that they are there to SERVE the public.

    A little power to the head goes a long way... There is a need to sweep them all out of office and gubbermint positions every now and then...

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  26. Just reading that, I can feel my blood pressure rising. Why are these people so notoriously unpleasant?? UGH!

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  27. I don't understand their point either. You get 'em girl.

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  28. I'm so sorry they treat you that way! And I thank you for your service and sacrifice for our country!

    I tend to be more defensive and confrontational than my husband does too! He'll be hissing "let it go" and I'm stammering "but I'm right!" I have discovered that a lot of the time it isn't worth the headache and raised blood pressure I get from standing my ground since not everyone cares about what's right!

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  29. I do not understand how the government that our men and women AND FAMILIES are sacrificing their lives for, can treat them so badly!

    I do not get it.

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  30. Their customer service sucks! I hate that. I agree you should get the discount but who I am to say...I would of given you the discount! :)

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  31. Ok, so imagine this 'behind the counter' attitude- but everywhere: the post office, the bank, the pharmacy, the bakers, the butchers everywhere!! THATS what it's like living in France.

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  32. That seems ridiculous to me. IN THE MILITARY should = MILITARY DISCOUNT. I hope your legal office can give you a hand!!!

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  33. This infuriates me. It's a damned small perk for a guy asked to go to Korea for a year and leave his family. I'm sure the legal dept will help you sort this out. I'd like to smack those bitches across their hoe bag faces!

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  34. Definitely talk to legal again - if you should get the reduced fee, ask them to point out to you in writing where it says that and then take that to the tax collector or whoever it is that does your tags in WY and show them. If it's in writing somewhere in their laws about vehicle registration, they cannot deny it to you and make you pay full price.

    When we were getting our new tags earlier this month, we found out that if we wouldn't have been able to claim military non-resident exemption, our $64 fee for each car would have turned into a nearly $1200 fee total for both cars. HOLY!

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  35. It makes no sense why people have attitudes without any real provacation. I LOATHE any military office that employs civilians b/c they know their job is safe, therefore they have no drive to do it well. Ft. Benning is the worst!! And believe it or not, here at Eglin AFB, us Army folks are treated as second class citizens. Their bundles for babies program only served AF families, even though the Army Ranger & EOD school is at this base (until us Army wives plotted together and made a HUGE stink 3 years ago).

    Good luck!!

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  36. Good for you in not just accepting it at face value. Things need to be pushed sometimes!

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  37. I'm sorry but, you and your family make huge sacrifices for the rest of us, and here you go expecting a DISCOUNT? I mean, really, how greedy can you get.
    (I hope you read the sarcasm in that statement!!)
    I can't believe how rude some people can be. I also don't believe that you won't get the discount, I'm sure there are things set up for those actively serving away from their family.
    Even if you REALLY couldn't get the discount, you'd think the lady could be a little more respectful. Of anyone, but especially to someone whose husband is going overseas. -sigh-

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  38. Military personnel should get a discount for EVERYTHING as far as I'm concerned. I HATE the DMV. I'm pretty sure it's a requirement to be a complete douche bag in order to get hired by the DMV. Good luck with getting your discount!!

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  39. That's sad that you won't see your husband for a year! I couldn't do it. As for the DMV...sigh...I have nothin'. These ladies before me said it all!

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  40. I'm a state worker and I've seen state workers in action (not me :-) hehe) and all I can say is SORRY. And yes, Military SHOULD get a discount for EVERYTHING. They give a lot for us!

    What a bunch of ho bags. Not cool DMV, not cool.

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  41. I work in insurance and there are just things that are out of my control, the main one being the premium. I have NO control over it whatsoever. All I can do is stay current on all changes and make sure my customers have all the discounts they are eligible for. With that being said, just because I can't control the premium or the RULES, doesn't mean I can't control how I treat people.

    That person had no business being rude to you. She couldn't help the rules, but she surely could have been kind in explaining the rule to you.

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  42. I call foul! That can't be right. Talk to a supervisor, and then the next one and the next one.

    Question - can't you register online? That's the way we do it, haven't been down to the DMV in years now (well except for renewing licenses, etc.)

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  43. OMG I'm sorry you had such a horrible experience. I call bullshit. That makes no sense why you wouldn't get the discount.

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  44. That's awful! I ditto on doing it online--we always do that. Unless maybe you can't get the discount if you do it online? I'd definitely talk to someone higher up about that--its ridiculous!

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  45. I'd take the truck off of the road for a year if they were going to charge me the non military rate!!

    My hubby is the same way, never argues anything. It drives me mad!

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  46. Is there a local reporter who does Shame on You type investigative reports? Who'll go all 60 Minutes on them? Because you need hidden cameras in there. Man, that makes me mad. I couldn't stand being talked to like a child when I WAS a child, let alone now. And given your family situation, the last thing you need is condescension. In those situations I need to hear "yeah, I know this is crazy, but there's nothing I can do..." At least some acknowledgement that I'm sane.

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  47. Husband is like that too! very regularly I have to be the little mongoose. Getting the discounts, getting unnecessary fees overturned, everything. He usually just takes no for an answer, because he's too damned nice.

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  48. My hubs is so the opposite of yours! Mine would have been demanding a supervisor or something, I would have been pulling him out of there...or bailing him out of jail.

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  49. My husband is a police officer and he will argue and argue and argue- and raise his voice- when he knows he is in the right. I am pretty sure he would have been escorted out of there if he was in your situation. He gets an attitude with anyone who copes an attitude with him. I am glad he's like that, because while I'm super fiesty and will stand up for myself and what I know is right, I am the first one to end an argument just to avoid an ugly blow up.

    Can you have the military base print a letter or something saying you still get the discount? The DMV where we are have some of the nicest employees. They are funny, very warm and open, and will get you in and out very quickly. The Social Security office is a nightmare though.. I had my phone snatched from me when I was turning it off bc he thought I was texting.. I almost slapped the man across the face!

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  50. Wow... I'm infuriated and I'm not even you! ALL state workers (around here, anyway)act like that, so I'm not sure if it's worse for you being a military wife. It might be - and if it IS, that's REALLY bad. I don't understand why you wouldn't get a discount, though. That makes no sense at ALL. I agree with Life After Grad School - call the news people, I have to wonder if making a big stink might help out in this case. . .there are a LOT of families getting ripped off, I think.

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  51. That's totally absurd, and infuriating! If it's a military discount, and he's active duty military, YOU GET THE DISCOUNT!!!! That doesn't take a genius to figure out, for crying out loud.

    Heck, I was in Borders a couple of weeks ago and the customer at the next register mentioned that she was entitled to the military discount. I asked if she was in the military (in a very friendly way, I might add) and she said that her husband was. I said, well, I certainly appreciate his service and the sacrifice you are no doubt making as well. Then the cashier who was helping me chimed in and said, yes, we ALL thank him and your family. It was nice, and you could see how pleased the woman was...

    So, btw, those a**-clowns should have thanked you ALL too. (imho)

    THANK YOU!

    L.

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  52. We have a name for people like this here in England - jobsworth - as they are the type of people who when questioned say things like "Well I could (be a little more helpful) but it's more than my jobs worth."

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  53. I just stumbled across your blog. Is Tom going on a "deployment" or is this an "unaccompanied tour" in which he received new pcs transfer orders? The reason I ask is because I'm a Navy wife who has been through both. With just a deployment he should still be officially attached to his command/duty station/base there even though his section/squadron/unit is serving overseas. But now that I'm thinking about it, no matter which one it is, his permanent residence is still gonna be your address there and he's still military, so I'm confused as to why they won't give you the discount.

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  54. This has my blood boiling. It's wrong is more ways than there's space here to list.

    Both of our cars are registered in both of our names. The original reason for this was had to do with estate planning and ease for the surviving spouse. It's paid off in dividends since either of us can now register either vehicle.

    Is that a possibility for you in WY?

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  55. I think that lady must moonlight at some of the places I've had to call.

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  56. It seems very unpatriotic of them. And douchey.

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  57. It must be a prerequisite for the job: Can you be rude to the general public? Check: yes___ or no___

    DMV = Dumb mother uh, varmints!

    They seem that they are in the wrong and that you are totally right. I hope you win this battle. It seems that you should get a discount no matter WHERE Tom is, just BECAUSE!

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  58. What an absolute nightmare. No matter where he's stationed, he's in the military and your family should get the discount. DUH! What's wrong with these people? I feel a letter to the editor of your local newspaper coming on ...

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  59. It's almost like that is one of the traits you have to have if you work for the government – rudeness. Yugh. I am sorry.

    LisaDay

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  60. hmmm... evil thoughts running through my brain - I'm wondering if we can get enough people to "digg' this and tweet this and do a mommy bloggers campaing to embarrass the hell out of the people in Laramie County. He is active duty, which brought you to that wretched county, so they ought to care. GRRR!!!

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  61. OMG I just clicked on the courthouse link and HELLO GIANT MUSTACHE on the sheriff! LOL.

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