Argh! My town is so full of inefficient no-brains it kills me... especially when their uselessness wastes MY time, bastages.
Anyway, I bought a 1990 VW to play around with as a beater, but only recently so I hadn't registered it yet. Last Friday afternoon I come racing home to get to the DMV before they close for the weekend, so I can get this car some plates in case I wanted to legally drive it around the weekend or whenever. Registry closes at 3:30, I'm at the counter at quarter past with all my paperwork and stuff filled out and ready for the lady. She takes my stuff and taps into the computer, says "You can't register this car, you have a tax block on your name from... North Smithfield" My face must've fallen because she was very helpful and found me the Tax Collector's phone number, said to call and have them remove the block from their computer if I really didn't owe back-taxes. So I run out to the curb to call the town offices... it's 3:18, they close at 3:30 too. No answer, voicemail picks up immediately. I try calling again in case they're on the phone, then I remember they have call waiting from when I was in the office once... they went home early.
So the Registry lady was quite nice and told me when the town sorts out their block to just return Monday and jump to the front of the line (I always hate those people when I'm holding my ticket, but it makes sense I guess.) So I'm wicked ticked off at my town already, but then I remember I paid my taxes a little late. Here's how that went: paid first quarter in like August, second was due on Halloween (Sunday) but I missed it, so I hand-delivered a check for the remaining 3 payments on Nov 8th, no harm no foul says the clerk. I go home to look for the returned check, in case the Tax collector claims I didn't pay... it was cashed on Dec 10th. Bad enough, but I think OK, maybe I accrued a late fee or interest on those 8 days I didn't pay the second quarter... so there's still a block?
Armed with check in hand, I pay a visit to the Town Hall bright and early Monday morning, and patiently wait while the 3 ladies there ignore my presence for a bit... this is standard procedure and confronting them makes your treatment worse, so I deal. One comes over and all I say is "Registry thinks I have a tax block". Lady walks over to a computer and looks up my name... "Oh no, that's just because you paid late." And hands me a stamped "note" explaining the computer hasn't been updated and to let me register my car. It's March 7th, 4 months after I paid my taxes in full, there was No balance due to fees or interest (good) and a full 3 months after they finally deposited my check! Yet somehow no one in my Tax Collector's office, which employs roughly a dozen people for a town of no more than 10,000 people, found the time to inform the state's network that I have in fact been a good citizen and paid my taxes, allowing me rights such as registering another car.
It makes no sense, it's such a useless waste of my time and there's nothing to do about it, because State/Town employees are virtually invincible... they need to like shoot someone or embezzle money with the Mob to get fired! Furthermore, this elite Dozen does nothing else other than analyze how much we owe, send out letters/bills informing us of such debt, receiving and cashing our payments then updating our file to reflect that we've paid. That's really not hard, and I doubt it could take a full 4 months to complete those final 2 steps. Maybe if they worked more than 6 hours a day and came back from lunch when their door suggests they're supposed to, it would help. But if yuo get to that office after 11:59, forget it, come back tomorrow. Because lunch is technically 12-1:30, but they stretch it to 3:30 then oops, we close.
I don't even know why this still bothers me almsot a week later but it's absurd. Also not the first time, in fact I've never had a positive or smoothly-flowing interaction with the Town's emlpoyees... they fail to see residents as customers, which we ARE since we're going to them for a service and the taxes they collect from us help pay their salaries. I've only dealt with them for 6 years (since I was 16 and registered my first car) but I've had to visit them at least once a year since then, often more, and it's unlikely that every one of my encoutners has been a "fluke" incident. To back up my opinions, I saw in the local paper recently that a man had his town water cut off for not paying its taxes (thank god we have a well). But in fact the man did pay, on time, and 6 months before his water was shut off... the Town had his check and dozens of others still in the office in a file folder, not having been deposited or even made note of its arrival! I think the man's trying to sue, not sure... maybe he is and hopefully it causes reform in this ridiculous office. We've gone through several town administrators (no mayor) so it's not one specific higher-up's fault, it has nothing to do with our elected officials.
Damn that's SO LONG. I jsut really hate dealing with people that mess up the flow of my life, when I'm busy, especially since I'm the complete opposite personality. I like getting thing's done, streamlined, efficient... everything my Tax collector's office is scared of I guess.
I love these rants.
Maybe some day you'll get involved in the political process and change something. Not trying to rain on you. Just that a goodly number of apparently bright people on this board seem to have the potential to actually change things for the better.
____________________
A man is not old until regrets take the place of dreams...John Barrymore
I'd start by contacting your towns councel members - Mayor and then forward the issues onto your representative.
I have to say, without a doubt, since I moved to New Hampshire, I've had ZERO positive to say about this states DMV or town taxes etc. for registration. Nothing went smoothly and each time (took me 3 tries initially) I gave them a piece of information, they sent me another notice saying they needed more!
I can also say there has never been a polite one in the bunch.
People laugh at me when I talk about being from Maine, but I can tell you this:
Maine's DMV is more high-tech, efficient, polite and you can re-register online without having to battle the lines and hours. Also, loads of sattelite offices located in convenient places. I never EVER waited more than 15 minutes to make a transaction with Maine's DMV. NH - They suck all the way around when it comes to registering a vehicle.
____________________ Get in, Sit down, Shut up and HANG ON!
Wow Maine sounds cool! RI's DMV has actually been making strides I must admit, we have re-registration online and maybe 7-8 branches, which is kind of a lot since you physically can't take more than an hour to get anywhere in the state, even in traffic. The trick is to go at the end of the day, if possible because if you are there with a ticket they HAVE to serve you that day, and they haul ass towards closing time, lemme tell ya! Now get there at opening and you'll stay the whol eday if you go beginning or end of the month!
The Town's a whole nother story... it's so ridiculous. They get complaints constantly but the only workers in the Collectors' office are relatives or friends of higher-ups, nepotism is King in Lil Rhody and it's a longstanding tradition. If I was of the type to deal with bureaucrats at their worst I would run for town office and try to change things (LOL). But I'd probably lose my hair and mind dealing with these people... they can't be reached by rational means and they are content that way. Also, we have an admin, no Mayor, and only 2 "reps", being a small town with little to no political ambitions, so usually 1 or 2 people run for each slot, WHEN we have elections. I don't know the "normal" timespan, like Pres. elections every 4 years, but apparently you're supposed to have them within a given time. My town went so long without even bothering having an election that we got a letter from the Statehouse forcing the current administration to hold an Election or else they'd be violating our Consitutional rights as a democracy... it had been years. So of course they hold one, 80% of the town votes, but it doesn't matter because all positions ran with no opposition. It's frightening, maybe if I stick around after I graduate college I'll try to break in and stir up some shit, that'd be a good time... stranger things have happened I suppose.
I am mostly better about this, but the absurdity of the situation boggles my mind. With any luck I won't need to interact with them until next August when it's Tax time again... I'll pretend they don't exist in the meanwhile I guess.
Last edited on Tue Mar 15th, 2005 04:14 am by lil duratec
come to texas. there is a 90$ new resident fee. (which you have to pay even if you are returning and not "new")
you know you are hosed when you dont make the check out to the tax office. you make it out to Sylvia S Romo. if I was her, Id take that shit and RUN!!!!!!!
So of course they hold one, 80% of the town votes, but it doesn't matter because all positions ran with no opposition. It's frightening, maybe if I stick around after I graduate college I'll try to break in and stir up some shit, that'd be a good time... stranger things have happened I suppose.
if I was her, Id take that shit and RUN!!!!!!!