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February 6, 2009 at 12:39 am #589698
vortex2.71MemberI have visited this Licensing center on four or five different occasions and have always experienced very poor customer service. Really, the people that work there are just grumpy and mean. On the last two occasions I received incorrect information that resulted in a lot of work on my part for nothing. For one vehicle they told me that I would have to justify the price I payed for a car because it was too low. Upon going home and writing up an explanation and filling out a price exception form, I came back to find out that the price was correct and that the agent had just misread the title. The second time, I was told that I needed an emissions test, but when I went to the emissions test station, the car was old enough that it was exempt. This final time I went to the licensing center in White Center and received much better service. They registered my vehicle without any problems and were very friendly. My advice is to save yourself many headaches and drive the extra distance to White Center. The contact information for this location is
White Center License Agency
10250 16th Ave SW
Seattle, WA 98146-1432
10250 16th Ave SW
Phone: (206) 763-7979
Seattle, WA
98146-1432
Mon-Fri: 9:00-5:30 Sat: 9:00-12:00
February 6, 2009 at 1:02 am #657330
celeste17ParticipantI have heard this complaint many times. I once tried to use a Money Order and they wouldn’t accept it.
February 6, 2009 at 1:05 am #657331
beachdrivegirlParticipantI think it is the dept. of licensing in general. I have never been thrilled by any locations customers service!
February 6, 2009 at 1:29 am #657332
BobLoblawParticipantI have always had a very pleasant experience here. Of course, as I do when I visit the place I take my car, I always arrive with a box of fresh Krispy Kremes.
February 6, 2009 at 2:11 am #657333
GenHillOneParticipantPrice exception form? Can’t you still “buy” a car for a buck?? You can’t have a much lower price than that.
February 6, 2009 at 2:21 am #657334
angelescrestParticipantCompared to the insanity of the DMV in CA (or even the AAA where you could register the car), I found WS Licensing to be a pleasant experience.
February 6, 2009 at 2:32 am #657335
TraciMemberWeird, I was there today! The service was fine-I got in and out without getting too cozy at the DMV. I feel for those employees…I’d be cranky too if I had to be there all day. Yes, I know that it’s their job, but still, I’d be cranky.
There was a beagle running around with a squeaky toy in its mouth though, made my day! And one of the employees had pictures of the dog all over his station. Aww
February 6, 2009 at 2:44 am #657336
datamuseParticipantI’ve found that the one in Ballard is pretty pleasant, relatively speaking. The clerk even smiled.
February 6, 2009 at 2:48 am #657337
inactiveMemberI am just mostly relieved when there isn’t a long line to wait in there.
However, Traci is on to something – I recall a station where a clerk was a dog person. When the dood was waiting in the car where she could see him hanging out the window looking adorable, she shared her dog picture stories and was very pleasant and happy. I bet if asked about her pictures, she would share them with a smile.
February 6, 2009 at 3:39 am #657338
AlkiRagdollParticipantI agree – I found same lousy service at three sites. Last July I had to renew my drivers liscense and waited for my birthday like an idiot to do it. I checked out the web to see the hours to find that only downtown was open, but the web said there was no wait….. I got there 20 minutes later and the line was out the door. I had to wait 3 hrs……. wont make that error again.
February 6, 2009 at 3:52 am #657339
angelescrestParticipantARD–Are you talking about liscensing on California or the Westwood whatever-it’s-called…Motor Vehicles? That place–uh–sucks (please excuse vernacular).
February 6, 2009 at 4:04 am #657340
AlkiRagdollParticipantI dont think you can renew drivers license on California, and Westwood was not open on the day my license expired – my birthday…. so I had to go downtown Seattle. I would not have gone downtown if the web had not said that there was no (0) wait. I would have waited until next day had driven on an expired license, but gone to Westwood had I realized the web site is not accurate.
February 6, 2009 at 6:58 am #657341
JeannieParticipantThe adorable beagle at the California Avenue office makes visiting the DMV almost tolerable. Actually, I thought the humans were fairly pleasant, too. It would not be a fun job.
February 6, 2009 at 5:35 pm #657342
livingonthebeachMemberThe staff on California are very rude and not up-to-date on the policies and procedures of the Dept of Licensing. I have witnessed it numerous time.
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Also, last time I was there I waited 15 minutes while Husky deli delivered some food to them and they all left their windows to meet the guy and thank him. It was very random.
February 6, 2009 at 6:01 pm #657343
flowerpetalMemberStrange. I’ve had good experiences each time I go to West Seattle Licensing on California. Last year we even shared a few chuckles with the clerk who waited on us. And, no, not the candy but laughs!
These offices are private businesses, yes? I think they contract with the state. Because I work downtown I have more often walked over to the King County Administration Bldg for this kind of business; and there’s no extra fee there.
February 6, 2009 at 6:08 pm #657344
JenVMemberI have to go to that location a lot – for my car and for the company vehicles – so I would say on average 3-4 times per year. I haven’t ever had a problem there. At the White Center location the last time I was there – there was a line out the door, and it was really hot out. The lady behind the counter kept YELLING at people to keep the door closed. It was the most uncomfortable time I have ever had at a licensing agency.
oh, and I LOVE the beagle at the WS location!
February 6, 2009 at 6:23 pm #657345
SueParticipantI guess it’s all relative – after 15 years of the hell that is the New York City DMV (and the not much better NJ one), I find dealing with the ones in Seattle to be a pleasure. At least I don’t wait 6 hours like I once did in NY.
February 7, 2009 at 5:05 am #657346
JeannieParticipantThe beagle’s name is Dora (as in a-DORA-ble?). I had to go there today, and I waited zero minutes.
February 8, 2009 at 7:34 am #657347
westseamikeMemberI believe the licensing location on California Ave is not run by the state but rather is one of the operations that works with the state as an independent licensing center. I have had numerous issues with this location and they’ve told me I needed emissions test when I did not, needed to get a breakdown of vehicle value when I didn’t and even told me I needed more documentation than the bill of sale to get a title transfer…which I didn’t need.
I went to the downtown location, took care of all of it within a couple minutes and had a good laugh.
February 8, 2009 at 2:33 pm #657348
AnonymousInactiveI knew the counter people at Georgetown Licensing were rude and haughty. It was nice to read of an arrest:
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/313495_licenses28.html
Dunno what the ultimate resolution was.
I use the website now so none of my payment goes toward one of those licensing agencies.
February 8, 2009 at 4:45 pm #657349
WSMomParticipantI get the impression (from my yearly visits to the California Ave location) that the employees are treated rather miserably. Last time I was there I saw a woman (manager???) grumping nastily at the other workers about a misplaced something. I don’t get the feeling this is a happy place to work. I try to have compassion and treat the person behind the desk with friendliness and I’ve been generally rewarded with kindness and quick service.
February 23, 2009 at 4:18 am #657350
LilBerkieMemberHi, The people at the WS Licensing are treated pretty terribly and paid even worse. They are incredibly nice people if you stop to chat, as I do on an almost-weekly basis. But most of their customers are really offensive and awful to them – it’s even worse than the 10 years of retail I’ve worked to make ends meet. Next time you’re there, take a seat and just watch for 15 minutes and you’ll be appalled by your fellow humans’ behavior.
So why do I visit so much? Well, when I first registered my truck here, I showed up with my dog in tow. Much to my surprise, they let me bring him in – they actually ASKED me to! My dog, an overgrown beagle (a lab-beagle mix, actually), became quite enamored of Dora, the regular beagle. For a while, when I was new and lonely, I’d bring my dog over to play behind the counter at least once a week, for about an hour, with Dora. Oh how they loved each other!
We were thrilled when Dora was chosen as the Dog of the Week in the West Seattle Herald, and she even mentioned her boyfriend, Striker. Community members started bringing treats for Dora’s and Striker’s weekly dates. Now I work over 80 hours a week, and I only rarely get to visit Dora. I also have some serious concerns about any owner who yells at a dog and gives it a “time out” (I kid you not, the owner shut her in a room as if she would understand, for 10 minutes!) until it pees on the floor in fear, and it makes me so upset that I have a hard time visiting now.
But regardless, the people who work at the WS Licensing are quite good at what they do, though I’m sure they (as with us all) make mistakes occasionally. I watch them work through all kinds of complex issues, and they do it quickly and in a friendly manner. Moreover, there is almost NEVER a line – and how many DMV’s or equivalents can you say THAT about?
Most importantly, the people, whose names I know of course but won’t list for privacy reasons, are people I’m happy to call my friends. They were friendly to a stranger with a dog alone in the city and far away from home and friends and family. They offered to take me in for Thanksgiving. And when I go back, I’m happy to see them. I hope the next time you go in, you’ll stop and chat with them and remember that they are people first, employees second.
P.S. They do not renew driver’s licenses at that location, and they ARE a contracted station, not a DOL itself.
P.P.S. my dog still loves Dora, but she’s grown a little tired of him.
February 27, 2009 at 7:05 pm #657351
CJSMemberThe Waiting Game
Not long ago, I went outside
To check the mail and found beside
The bills and birthday cards for me
A notice from the DMV
It said “Your driver’s license date
Will soon be up, so please don’t wait
For we must test your baby blues
And take a picture you can use”
So as I did five years before
I took a number at their door
With hopes they’d have a special line
For short transactions just like mine
But what I saw, forced me to scratch
My chance for an express dispatch
For waiting well ahead of me
Sat rows of bored humanity
On hand to help this bulging queue
There were polite, but rather few
State Workers, who despite the need
Had all been set at just one speed
In grim despair I took my place
And wondered, at the current pace
What were the odds that I’d survive
‘Til they called number forty-five
And so, instead of feeling grand
When my new license was in hand
Of waiting, I was then so tired
That though renewed, I felt expired
February 28, 2009 at 3:19 pm #657352
What TheMemberI had to have a body cavity search just to get new tabs.
March 1, 2009 at 2:55 am #657353
rockhillsMemberBoth of my experiences at the WS office have been fine. Coming from South Florida by way of California, I had absolutely no expectation of a pleasant DMV experience. Although gruff, the clerk actually cut me a lot of slack and when I returned from my emissions test she called me up to the front of the line. On my second visit, I learned the benefits of adoring Dora.
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