PennDOT misery

I got a terrific taste of how terribly efficient the government is today. Recently I realized I needed to renew my driver’s license, since it was about to expire in a week and I’m generally a law-abiding citizen. I was going to need my license for identification the week it expires and therefore needed it renewed immediately. I decided to call PennDOT to see if I could get it renewed at my local office, as their website seemed to allude that it would take a week to ten days. They told me at the local office and the main office that I could not fully renew my license at the local office; however, I could renew the license online and then have to wait for a camera card in the mail (piece of red tape if I ever saw one). Just as I was losing hope, the operator told me I could get a “duplicate” camera at the office for another $5. So, now I feel like I have a chance of getting it renewed in time and I renew it online the night before I plan to go to the photo center. I don’t understand why I need to pay more money for a piece of paper they can print out and that I should be able to print out online, if anything, to save them from mailing the “original” one to me. At this point, I don’t care and am willing to just pay this bogus extra fee. The next day, I decide to go to the photo center on my lunch break to get my photo taken. I make sure I have my receipt and temporary license from the renewal process the night before. Next, I am about to enter the building and see a sign posted on the door that says something along the lines of “cash, debit, and credit cards not accepted. Checks or money orders only.” What kind of day and age does PennDOT think it is in? I use about 12 checks a year to pay my rent and buy nearly everything else with credit cards, which is about the same story I hear from most people I know. How can they not accept cash, is this even legal? It is the standard, legal currency this country uses. I didn’t doubt the message much, but decided to go in an confirm the backwards sign. They weren’t joking. So, now I have to go get a money order or go all the way home and find my check book. I decide to stop at a AAA and get a money order for $5, which is a couple miles down the road. I make my way back to the photo center, stand in line, and then get waited on. “Oh, I don’t know who told you it would cost $5,” says the man. I say, “Are you serious? Two different people from PennDOT told me that is how much it would cost.” “No, it is $10 since you have a class C and M license,” says the man. I can’t believe this, because I decided to get a license for my motorcycle, unlike most riders in Pennsylvania who use permits or nothing. Now, I have to pay $5 more for a stupid “camera card” printout, which tells the next piece of red tape he can take my photo. Now, I have to go get another damn money order down the road at a gas station. I come back for the third time and meet the very same man at the end of my wait in line one. After he gets my stupid piece of paper printed out, he goes on to inform me that I could have done it all there.  I wanted to strangle this man, though I know this is the result of government running things. Why would PennDOT/he continue to charge me the $10 fee for a duplicate of a camera card that most likely hasn’t been printed or mailed yet?  Why can’t they just supply the camera card there or let me have the option of saying I want to “pick it up” at my local photo center? For goodness sakes, what is the point of doing any of it online to begin with, if I have to go to the photo center anyways for a photo? Pushing my anger down, I move on to line number two, where I spend the next 10 minutes waiting for my picture to be taken and then another ten minutes for this slow guy to hand me the card that printout five seconds after I was done with confirming everything looked good with my card on the computer. I ended up wasting about two hours of my life dealing with PennDOT because a bunch of politicians tried running a business. This situation, which may have been prevented if I had asked PennDOT better questions of the phone perhaps, highlights why government should not be running a business. Please feel free to vent comments of your experiences with your DOT.