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> Do you think your experience at the DMV is caused by an army of saboteurs in the building?

My experience with the DMV in California is mostly positive, thank you very much.

Most of the stuff can be done online and I do it there.

That, unfortunately, means that when I must go into an actual DMV office, I can't schedule an appointment and I wind up in the line.

Yes, wait times can be significant (1-3 hours). However, when I get to the front, the woman (and it was always a woman) always tried to solve my immediate problem somehow. Yes, twice she needed to get her superior who also scratched her head to figure out something.

If I needed some extra paperwork that I could get that day, they generally gave me a way to jump the line when I came back.

I will tell you that FAR too many people go hit the DMV without having even the vaguest idea of what they need the DMV to do or even attempting to try to corral the paperwork they are going to need. This causes 90+% of the issues at the DMV in that they need to make multiple passes through the system.

If you hit the DMV and are just missing one thing, you're gonna get a LOT better service. The workers are only human and they're going to go the extra mile for someone who is putting in the effort more often than someone who isn't.

> Or, just maybe, is it simply the result of organizations which are unable or unwilling to terminate poor performers, creating a dead sea effect where competence is punished with more work and no credit?

Spoken like someone who has never worked customer service.

Why does everybody always seem to think rude and dismissive employees are indicative of employee failures instead of an indication that the job is shit, the employer is treating the employees like crap, and so only shitty people will take the job?

Reference: Costco vs Walmart.




I’ve worked a lot of low status customer facing jobs, including at Walmart. I also used to build houses as a carpenter for a GC. I’m fully aware of what it’s like to work for dehumanizing employers in dehumanizing industries with bad pay and no benefits.

The DMV isn’t one of these, sorry.

Making excuses for people who hate their jobs or bosses and take it out on the public is what I’d expect from someone with very little life experience.

I’ll notify the public that the DMV is amazing, and the TSA are friendly and professional. Nobody getting fired ever is because they hire only the best. /s


>> "Why does everybody always seem to think rude and dismissive employees are indicative of employee failures instead of an indication that the job is shit, the employer is treating the employees like crap, and so only shitty people will take the job?"

This is why I always give support people top ratings and try to put a positive spin in the comments even when it's hard. I know lots of people who work retail or front line support. It's pretty much never their fault when things go wrong.




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