Okay, I had to get my NC driver’s license renewed – I know I have two years but I needed to for additional ID so I tried to get an appointment in Guilford County. If I did the renewal on-line, I would lose my Real ID status. For Guilford, it turns out, that is impossible. You can go over at 4 am with a lawn chair and wait but considering it’s been either 100 degrees or storming I decided against that. I was able to make an appointment for yesterday in Surry County – 57 miles away. I figure if I’m going to wait two hours, I might as well do in it my air-conditioned car. Nice drive with Hubs as well.
We arrived at 3:02 pm for at 3:15 appointment. The lobby was full, standing room only. I got in line to check in. The young man in front of me wanted a real ID, but he only had a black and white learner’s permit and he was told that was all he could get for now. He accepted that and left.
My name and license were demanded and I handed it over, was asked if I had an appointment and I confirmed I did and was told to go have a seat. I said, I can’t there are no more chairs (I looked over where there was a stack of chairs in sight but not available for use). Well, that really set her off and she barreled around the little desk and into the lobby and started throwing everyone out. Only seven chairs are legal, two for walk-ins, five for appointments, everyone else has to wait in the car, only those being processed allowed in the lobby. Okay, that cleared it out and I took a seat and waited, and waited.
The young man that had wanted the Real ID returned asking if he could get an ID with a color background as his learner’s permit was only black and white. She said no. He said that the bank would not allow him to open an account unless he had a color background for his picture (he had tried 3 different banks). She said no. He got his father and came back in and he asked for help. Assured the angry woman he wasn’t looking for a fight, they were just caught in the middle and needed to know what to do. She said have the bank call this number and threw them out again.
Some people were processed and left. Finally, I decided to go back up to the little desk to check. No one was there so I just stood there.
Two young men were taking their learners permit tests and when they were through also began waiting for the one person that was now available in the station (the other woman – who had thrown everyone out – was out giving a driving test). She finished with the woman she was helping and as she was leaving, I asked if she had had an appointment (Yes, for 4 pm) it was now 3:40. So I continued to stand at the desk. When she completed the first young man (she’d sent the second to wait in the car with his father) she looked around the partition and asked my name and if I had an appointment, I gave it and said yes, my appointment was at 3:15. She sent me back to sit and wait, so I did but not long that time and I was called back. Apparently the first woman (the angrier one) forgot to sign me in when she was busy throwing people out of the lobby.
I said nothing, didn’t want to make anyone any angrier but she was quite defensive regardless. There is no excuse for two women to be alone in such a facility with a lobby full of tense people. I know NC didn’t get a budget until last week sometime, but staffing should be critical. Took my picture finally and said if the license hadn’t come in three weeks to call some number and I got the hell out of there. Fingers crossed that Dejoy hasn’t made the USPS any worse than he’d already made it.