[AAAAA]

I went in to renew my driver's license. All that was required was my old one. WI issues them on the spot. I waited in line for an hour and a half, get my picture taken etc. There is one person to get the form, another to process the form, another to pay the fee and yet another to take the picture and hand you it. When the woman hands it to me I notice that they have left the e out of the middle of my name; spelling Catherine - Cathrine instead. I say "excuse me, but my name is misspelled." The woman tells me I need to go back to the beginning.

I go back to desk A (I hesitate to call it customer service because they were neither helpful nor pleasant) and say "hi, I had my license renewed a few minutes ago and they spelled my name wrong." NOW I need to provide proof of my identity. I whip out my Social Security card, credit card, and check book. Apparently none of these are "legal documents". You need a SS card to blow your nose, but it's not a legal document?!? Since when?

I am trying to remain calm. I do not have my birth certificate, marriage certificate, passport or baptism certificate. So I say "um, it was spelled correctly when I walked in here, the man that processed my form obviously made a typo. I have to get on a plane in a couple of days, can't you just check the DL I came in with?" The woman was rude as hell. They made the error and yet I'm getting attitude?

No they cannot. I have to go back next week with a "legal" document and pay another $40 to have it done again.

[kindachaotic]

Good grief. Some days you just can't get a break.
So sorry you had to go thru this. Kind of dumb founded they were so rude!
AND pay another $40.00 that's unreal, doesn't seem legal.
Hope you can get this straightened out for your trip.
Hang in there.

[Fresia]

Unbelieveable, talk about not taking responsibility. Mistakes happen but should be fixed when they happen. It would different if you didn't like your picture or something or a change of address but not this. I'm sorry to hear you have to go through this. Hopefully you can get it done in time.

[ECHOES]

What a royal pain!

In the meantime, report this incident to your state representative who oversees the DMV. While being careful is very good, this is ridiculous!

[AAAAA]

Thanks! I'm going to do some checking now. When the woman said I needed another "legal form of identification" my husband took out his wallet (ie filing cabinet) and was looking through the things he had in there. The woman said: "unless he is going to pull out your birth certificate out of that wallet, he can just put it back away." Um for your information we just changed insurance companies and he had to produce my birth certificate and marriage license. What a witch!

I'm pretty sure that the person I have to complain to is the WI Secretary of State.

[unaluna]

That is freakin unbelievable. they should have had a record of the change on their computer right there! Esp if someone had to override something to get the change in! Did you ask for the supervisor at the time?

[AAAAA]

Well now I'm just plain mad! According to the DMV websited, document dated 2011 a Social Security card IS proof of identification!!!!! WTF? I sent an email to Sec of State.

Hankster - She WAS the supervisor! The woman that started helping me was very pleasant and nice. She stepped in because that woman was going to allow me to use my SS card as proof of identification/spelling. AND according to DMV, they now VERIFY your identity with SS!! How hard would it be to look up my DL # in the computer to obtain proper spelling?

[unaluna]

Sounds like a problem office. I would try a different location, if possible. I spent hours with goof-offs at one end of town, once, then went to the other end of town and got out in 5 minutes, seriously. All of a sudden the historical documents for my car were readily available?! Once they see you're mad, you're screwed.

[AAAAA]

I will go to another office on Tuesday. But that does not mean that I will not run into the same people I dealt with yesterday. WI is ... odd. Instead of hiring 100 employees to staff DMV offices in a region, they hire 50 (examples, not specific numbers) that are required to travel from one office to another. The state of course pays them for their travel etc. So on Mondays they were in one town, Tuesdays another, etc. Budget cuts have caused them to close most offices now and I have two choices. I'm trying for the other Tuesday and pray that this woman will not be there. The man that made the typo however will definately be there. He is kind of a jerk, but maybe he'll have the sense to feel bad that I have to run all over the state to fix his mistake.

[Hydrophobic1212]

Wow. The DMV we go to is really nice! They screwed up my middle name on my temps and all we did was ask them if they could change it and they did it without any problem. Though, that's a bit of a different situation than what you're going through. That must really suck. I hope you get it straightened out soon enough! I don't blame you for being ticked off - I would be too!

[lynn P.]

Sorry this happened AAAAA. Do you have your old drivers license with the correct spelling - this isn't a name change but their mistake therefore they should have fixed this.

[(JD)]

Yes, the new SS Cards do not have the disclaimer of not being allowed for proof of ID on them... mine still does

So yes, they are incompetent. Look, what difference does it make that they left the "e" off? You can fix that when you renew in a few years... and if you happen to get arrested, your spouse can bring your birth certificate to prove that the lady without the "e" isn't you.

Yes, I would complain to the Congressman of your district, or the Secretary of State. There has to be a form online for your State for doing so I suspect. But spend another day and another $40? No way!

[googley]

That is just ridiculous. I am sorry this happened to you. I hope you are able to get it fixed quickly on Tuesday.

[AAAAA]

Originally Posted by lynn P.

Sorry this happened AAAAA. Do you have your old drivers license with the correct spelling - this isn't a name change but their mistake therefore they should have fixed this.

Um No, they took that when they issued my new one. Which is why this whole thing is so bloody stupid!

[AAAAA]

Originally Posted by (JD)

Yes, the new SS Cards do not have the disclaimer of not being allowed for proof of ID on them... mine still does

So yes, they are incompetent. Look, what difference does it make that they left the "e" off? You can fix that when you renew in a few years... and if you happen to get arrested, your spouse can bring your birth certificate to prove that the lady without the "e" isn't you.

Yes, I would complain to the Congressman of your district, or the Secretary of State. There has to be a form online for your State for doing so I suspect. But spend another day and another $40? No way!

LOL you may be on to something! I have the same SS card that I got right after I got married when I was 17! Remember how you are supposed to only sign with blue or black ink? Well I signed mine in teal. If she had bothered to look at it then I could actually understand her saying it was invalid. But she did not even look at it.

As I mentioned, I looked up what DMV would accept this afternoon and after changes made effective 7/2011 they still say that SS is a valid proof of identification. Have I missed a year? Isn't this 10/2011? If there has been such a significant change in policy shouldn't their website be updated?

Oh and DL are valid here for 10 years.

[nicoleb2]

Wow! They sound awful!

I am in MN. When I changed my license due to a new address, they left my apt# off of it. I called and told them and they issued a new license with the correct info, no charge, no extra paperwork

[elliemay]

Another option since you are flying in a few days is to get them to issue to go back (ick) with the "proper ID" and get them to issue you a valid photo ID (not a license to drive).

They should be able to do this without problem. Also, your expired license should serve a legal ID to the DMV.

But the state issued ID should get around the wait time for processing.

DMVs, well kinda suck universally. You've got to think on your feet in order to get around their incompetence.

[elliemay]

Also, whether you travel out of country or not, get a passport. It is accepted worldwide as proof of ID.

Shuts people up pretty quickly.

[AAAAA]

Originally Posted by elliemay

Another option since you are flying in a few days is to get them to issue to go back (ick) with the "proper ID" and get them to issue you a valid photo ID (not a license to drive).

They should be able to do this without problem. Also, your expired license should serve a legal ID to the DMV.

But the state issued ID should get around the wait time for processing.

DMVs, well kinda suck universally. You've got to think on your feet in order to get around their incompetence.

Thanks for the tip. As I mentioned, WI is an odd state, you may have a DL OR a State ID, you may not have both. One thing that they are clear on, any form of expired identification is not valid proof of ID. I do have a passport, but it is expired. The good thing about WI is that you actually leave with the DL. If you are a new driver or new to the state you have a three year probationary DL, but in any event you leave the building with DL in hand (but you have to wait for plates to come in the mail, go figure).

Because I have a time line to think of, I will go in Tuesday with my birth certificate and marriage license. Otherwise I would protest on principle alone. I think they have a duty to inform us when there are policy changes. But again, I feel that all of this is moot. I walked through their door with a valid WI DL with my name spelled properly. The took the old DL and attached it to the forms I filled out. The original may be destroyed now, but it certainly wasn't when I reported the error to them.

[AAAAA]

Update: I went to the other facility on Tuesday and they were as nice as can be and actually shocked by all of the documentation I had brought in to prove my identity. They did not charge me any additional money because "it was their mistake.":-)

[(JD)]

WHOO HOO!

[unaluna]

Isn't that something?! Really makes you wonder! When that happened to me, the "bad" DMV was in a poorer part of town, and the good DMV in a more privileged part - goes to show you what kind of service you get (around THESE parts, anyhoo) depending on who they THINK you are or what you have or do? That was the conclusion my pea-brain made, anyway!

[googley]

I'm glad you were able to get what you needed and not have to pay again.

[Perna]

I would still write a letter to the Secretary of WisDOT, http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/about/s.../secretary.htm tell him about your adventures and where/which office, etc. and joke about next time you'll make him go down there and get it changed for you :-)

[AAAAA]

I did write an email to Sec of State because in my home state that is the office that DMV falls under. Not here in WI. My complaint was forwarded by Sec o State to DOT and the govenor's office.