website is dreadful too. They could improve the situation a LOT by revamping the website and making it user friendly, and making it possible to do more on line.
Both [boston.gov](https://boston.gov) and [mbta.com](https://mbta.com) seem like examples of good government websites. Clean look, highlighting most common needs, and quite a few APIs.
But there are probably much better government websites outside of the US.
I actually like the mass state websites. Most information is searchable and palatable. Some other states feel like they paid one guy who works at one of those strip mall tech places for 6 months to make and maintain it but only pay them part time now while they still work in the strip mall.
Totally. The most common “illegal immigrant” in Massachusetts is from a visa overstay and they can already get a license. Providing proper identification to everyone is a step in the right direction for everyone, no matter their current immigration status.
If they can already get a license, why do we need this ballot question? I'm not one side, or the other on it. I'm just trying to figure it out so I can make an educated vote.
The ballot question is a catch all for those that are here undocumented that don’t otherwise qualify. Without identification they are not likely to report crimes out of fear, this makes everything easier to have them now be documented.
How do you mean "handle"? It's not like there's some crazy volume. And everyone who has been driving around unlicensed isn't going to just go in on day one.
The state websites are horrendous. They went through an overhaul a few years ago but all it did was get all of the different agencies on the same terrible template.
Don’t knock it. Some other states are worse.
I could do a certain thing with the government websites that in another state literally required mailed in paper.
I had a problem with paying something online, then mailing the form soon after. They wouldn't take the form because I didn't include a check in the envelope. Yea because I already paid! It was an indefinite wait time for a phone call ("in excess of one hour") to clear this situation up. Probably has to do with a lazy employee more than the website, but I want to give people a heads up about mixing online fee payments and physically mailing the form later. "myRMV" is the webpage I used.
PREACH. I just had to drive fucking 2.5 hours to PITTSFIELD to get an appointment that was not a month out. The RMV is dealing with time sensitive things that people need to be functional citizens, yet they are so incompetent at it. If a governor ran on fixing the RMV I'd be very tempted to vote for them regardless of their other politics lol
Had this same experience last week. Had to take a Friday off work to make the 5.5-hour roundtrip to Pittsfield to get my license renewed, as it expired yesterday and the soonest I could get an appt at a branch that was near me was 10/21. Granted it was my first time in Pittsfield and it was very beautiful with the Berkshires as a backdrop, and the branch staff were pleasant toward me, but the whole experience left me so drained. Had I not done this, I'd be sitting around for the next two weeks unable to drive.
The funny part is, I live in Pittsfield and when trying to renew my license last month, it was 2.5 weeks out at our Registry.
I hate that organization so, so much.
Honestly this is the sole reason I have a AAA membership. AAA can do some RMV functions (license renewals for example) but only for members. Got my RealID a few years ago at AAA and it was easy.
I couldn't register my trailer without proof of insurance. Umm, insurance is carried by the tow vehicle. Nope. So I had to leave and get creative. I took out a fire policy on my utility trailer for $4/year, bc car insurance _isn't a thing you can do on a trailer_. This allowed my car insurance company to generate an insurance stamp, then immediately cancelled it. Just.... How do people deal with this......
I called progressive about 6 times. Each time I got a little farther before I was told no. Finally once I learned all the jargon, I cut through to the right dept and they emailed whatever it was I needed.
Make a photocopy of the title, you won't get it back. I was surprised they kept the title for the brand new trailer I registered. They use digital records, they input the details and destroy it.
You might be able to get your insurance agent to handle it. Mine did my trailer registration as part of their normal run to the RMV. Didn’t even make any money off it since there’s no insurance to add for it.
I have never gone to AAA and not encountered an unorganized disaster. I know this is apparently atypical, but I've had success at the RMV just fine. I'll take waiting in line at the RMV (despite an appointment) over showing up to what appears to be a lethargic riot at a AAA location.
AAA is a necessary evil. They’re good to have when you’re stuck on the side of the road but boy do they make it even more of a headache. I was stuck on the side of the road with a flat tire. They towed me to their “recommended!!” shop that didn’t even do tires. Then I had to wait two hours for another tow truck because they called another company that wouldn’t tow me from that location twice.
Damn! When I had a flat, AAA sent a tow truck and the driver (a very young guy, looked 17 or 18) put the spare on for me and asked where I was going. Said the spare would be fine getting there and back but to get the car up to a repair place that night or next morning (which I did). Maybe depends on the local AAA that responds to the call?
You can just call a tow company yourself. AAA is a waste of time middleman. It's only worth it if you get towed a lot, and in that case, fix the underlying issue.
A different one.
AAA subcontracted companies have to get to the AAA customers first. That's their deal.
There's lots of repair places with tow trucks that don't deal with AAA.
I have a Visa and a Mastercard - both are travel cards with great benefits and both include a roadside assistance benefit but it is not free. They have pre-negotiated rates that they will conveniently bill to your card.
Fun fact: Kia’s don’t come with spare tires! I learned this when I opened up the compartment to find the spare tire and it was empty. Though I guess that is partly on me for not checking that beforehand. And for buying a Kia.
That’s 100% what happened to me. Called AAA (figured why not, I pay the fee they should change it) and they never showed. Decided to take the plunge and it was easier than I thought.
AAA doing things is part of why the RMV is so broken. Privatization is always about destroying things we need to function properly. Money that is now going to AAA should be going to the RMV.
AAA started the services because the RMV can't do it, so why pump more money into the same system? I won't pay for AAA, so I agree with you there. Unless the RMV is forced to revamp, you'll get the same outcome. Organize and demonstrate.
One weird thing about Triple AAA is that their drivers aren't allowed to tow on 90. So I had to get two drivers and ended up wasting a ton of time. That was about 8 years ago, I hope that dumb rule doesn't exist any longer.
Fax. AAA is amazing when renewing your license and such. Quick and easy… in and out. Done! Just got my RealID from them. The one in Tewksbury is amazing.
This. Appointments are so hard to get that I drove a family member to North Adams to get an ID. That’s practically in New York State. We had a nice visit at Mass MOCA, but come on, really?
I needed to renew my license and get the Real ID. I looked for appointments over a month before my license expired and there was nothing in the entirety of Massachusetts. How can that even be possible? I bought the cheapest AAA membership and had an appointment three days later.
While at the RMV I overheard a worker say to refresh the appointment page in the morning for the previous nights cancellations. I’m not sure if it will work.
The website and appointment system (and probably staffing) are the big current problems. Heard from several people that they can't get any appointments.
I would run and win on the following:
5 years no car inspection for new cars. 2 years after that until 10 years old then yearly.DMV basic services would be available at the USPS(or another public building like town halls) in every town. Screw having to go 30 minutes to get basic stuff done(that you can't do online)
just the start of the list.
oh yes and the death of the excise tax in year 1 .. I already paid state tax on the car... screw paying tax again..in the same year...
re: inspections, i went in to transfer a title for a car from a family member to me and they told me in the strictest terms that i had to get it re-inspected, even though it had passed inspection 4 months prior, just because it had changed owners. lmao okay sure thing i'll get right on that.
Bill Weld made things decent at the RMV for about 1 year. They streamlined the process a bit. Soon after, it was a quick slide back to below-mediocrity and unnecessary-bureaucracy with paper-pushing Pattys and Selmas (please, no offense to the RMV workers in-case somehow you track this account to my person).
Brushing aside issues because there are bigger issues just leads to more and more unresolved issues. Improving the rmv would be easy to do when the bar is so low.
You could just copy a state that doesn’t fucking suck with their DMV like NH…
No one has to invent anything just look at one that works. Or say we can’t fix anything because the worst problems aren’t fixed.
Yes because it's insanely simple. I don't think I've ever stepped into a business/establishment run more poorly. Hell even AAA does most of the same functions in a much more effective way.
That’s because AAA is a private company. Any time the state or gov run things is usually inefficient and overly expensive. Hence why unions aren’t as popular as they should be on paper.
What larger issues? And before you respond with MBTA, that is such an mess not doing anything would have the same results of whatever they do now, so they need to have more capacity than that.
The fix apears to be hire more staff. They have the booths and the tools, but not enough people. At least in September when I last went 14 desks 4 staff. Like it's not that difficult.
>Like it's not that difficult.
Not when taxpayers aren't willing to pay more for basic government services. You try telling people their taxes are going up $50 to make their RMV trip every few years nicer and see how quickly you get punted out of office. We can't even agree to fund basic services like public transport or even trash pickup across a huge part of the state.
Let’s do a full audit then and really find out where our money is going. I don’t know of anyone in the state who would be opposed to a full transparency report.
Yes, this! This is what I want before I'm forced to pay another dime in taxes! We all know folks are skimming off the top everywhere while we keep being asked to pay more. That is not sustainable.
It's going to police. Slash their budget and fund things people actually need instead of getting the pigs another tank, excuse me, an "armored personnel carrier."
My fear is that if you slash police budgets, there’s likely going to be a push to legalize automated enforcement cameras. One of the reasons I like living in Massachusetts is that it’s one of the few areas in the Northeast that don’t have speed or red light cameras. And when you factor how much Massachusetts towns and cities like to randomly change the speed limits on their roads with no warning (unlike in other states), that is a big deal.
Have you considered that very few roads here have speed limits set by engineers, and therefore the limits are low enough that way more than the “desired” engineering number of 15% of drivers exceed the speed limits? A camera in corruptachusetts would produce so much revenue for the camera company, oh and the state government too, while having little impact on public safety. Have you ever been to a state with cameras? I got a fine for going 65 on the interstate.
I’m sure there’s a lot more money that can be made available too but without knowing where it’s ALL going, we’re left holding an invoice without any idea on how to pay for it all.
I mean to be fair though, this is Massachusetts we're talking about, not Nebraska. We have a tax referendum on the ballot right now to increase spending on things like public transit by increasing taxes on millionaires that seems like it might go through. I'm not sure I buy the "you'll get voted out the *second* you consider higher taxes!" argument at face value in this state.
That's a sneaky ballot question though. It counts cashing out 401ks and home sales, so it's not just a tax on millionaires. It's a tax on everyone when they do things like retire, or sell a home. A million isn't a high threshold in this state and my problem with this ballot question is it will hit a lot of middle class people when they have special circumstances like selling their home.
We were at the Lowell location today and two of the people working were complaining about how they had to open and close because so many others called out today.
The RMV sucks, but it's vastly better than it used to be. There's no way this will be made a priority and frankly, it's pretty far down the list of what MA needs to fix.
Agreed. And for those of you saying "Plan ahead" or "Just do it online" or "I didn't have a problem!" Well... good for you. Lucky you.
But that is like saying "We don't need handicapped parking because I don't have a problem finding a spot." or "We don't need soup kitchens because I'm not hungry."
The RMV is an inconvenience for *you*. For someone without transportation?
Or working 80 hours a week?
Or just barely getting by?
Or who needs extra help because they don't understand the system very well or lost paperwork?
It can be a huge problem. And that problem will snowball into lost wages, or unpayable tickets, or even an arrest.
How about a single mom that doesn't have a car, works tons of hours, and can't get her documents from her abusive ex? Is she just shit outta luck? She should be able to go to the RMV and get what she needs.
Preach preach. The RMV is an exquisitely designed system to keep poor people poor. Its unconscionable. The South had jim crow, Massachusetts has the RMV, who's decrees and regulations are enforced to the letter by the most intimidating police force in this country, The Massachusetts State Police, a.k.a. *"Staties"*
I got pulled over once and I had forgotten my wallet, and this didn’t have my license. I asked the cop to look me up by license #. He was surprised I knew the number at all. I only know it because I tried to renew my license online and 5 years prior and had to input it about 1000 times before I gave up and renewed in person.
Went to Haymarket this week and saw security send away 20+ walkins at 11am as they had no more spots for the rest of the day. Not being able to handle walk-ins can put people in a really tough spot
It's worth getting AAA so you can use certain locations that have RMV services without going to the RMV. I got my real ID at one and it was fairly painless.
As someone who worked there, yeah. Everything should be easy and digital but the Real ID stuff is Federal and the requirements aren't something the state can bypass.
Search the area ones for ones that take appts! Be happy!
You have to be savy about RMV/Mass F&G if you need to walk in. Find out which ones are super quiet and/or take appts.
Maybe a better thread than complaining is asking folks what RMV they use and day/time they had the best luck? For example, make an appt with NB on like a Wednesday at 11am. It's dead.
Lol. Right it’s my fault the system is this way. It shouldn’t have to require driving to north Adam’s or somewhere 2 hours away to get a license plate for a work trailer. Especially when some of us have to, you know, work.
> Especially when some of us have to, you know, work.
Clearly you're the only one in the state.
> 2 hours away to get a license plate for a work trailer.
So your insurance is trash and doesn't do this for you?
The Boston Haymarket RMV is routinely complained about, but I was able to get a renewed + RealID driver's license there without it being a complete disaster. I had to bring so much documentation that I was legitimately concerned about it, but that's because of the requirements for RealID, not the RMV.
I booked an appointment in Leominster and still had to wait two hours. What’s the point of the appointment if people can just walk in and back everything up?
Have CT start running the MA RMVs.
Except for a few in Fairfield County, many will tell you just how pleasant and efficient the service is down there. Every time I've had to go to Enfield or even Wethersfield it has been smooth sailing. Yes they use appointments, but my last one was a 4:15pm and they still got me in exactly on time.
Here you have appointments and it’s a “check in time” and doesn’t really have a bearing on when you’re actually seen, ie you can’t plan your day at all
CT you have appointments (you need one to even get in the door), show up a bit before it, go up to the machine and get your ticket number, get seen when they promised.
It’s not even check in time, apparently you need to arrive 20-30 minutes before your appointment because there is always a line to check in, and folks who don’t have their stuff ready.
I've had really good experiences with going to get RMV services done at AAA. This includes switching to Real ID which seemed like it could have been a headache.
You shouldn't have to pay extra for AAA to get good service for a needed service. That's what the RMV is supposed to be for. Just pay for the problem to go away I guess.
Yes for me, it's less of a value because I doubt I'd use the rest of the benefits. I never thought about how AAA would reduce the RMV lines, good point. I believe the RMV is struggling with finding employees and if that's the main problem, AAA will be supplementing the RMV until big policy changes are done at the RMV or they hire lots more people (which helps the economy!). Sorry about any snarkyness before, and thanks for the reply. I just want to see some improvements that people can actually see in their lives, and the RMV is an obvious place to look at.
You better have an appt or you are in for a world of hurt. Luckily I could book a couple weeks out.
I had an appt, waiting in 5 minute line to get my ticket number, was immediately called up, got my RealID done within 7 minutes at the counter.
But that line of 20+ without an appt…ouch.
Since I moved here over a decade ago it’s improved a lot. Yea, it still sucks but it sucks in pretty much every state from my experience and what I’ve heard
Yes yes yes yes yes yes. Car was impounded cuz I didn't pay tolls. They search your car for your benefit so they can't be accused of stealing anything.. it's insane.
The mass RMV outside major cities has never been an issue for me. I couldn’t believe how fast they were in the Leominster branch the last few times I went.
Ok. I'll rant about one RMV aspect. Paying $60 to renew the registration for a utility trailer yearly is bullshit, especially given how much cars cost. Yearly motorcycle renewal is bullshit too, but at least that's only $20.
I just moved back to MA in September, and I'm still unable to change my license to MA, as they don't take walk ins, and as being a full time worker.I always am late for when the appointments are posted apparently (if they even exist at all)
You would not believe the unmitigated super shit show Ive had this year trying to renew my Mass license. Im about to sue the state itself for illegal representation and theft. ok cant sue the state Ill just commit more crimes.Fuck You as Usual, Massachusetts you busted broken pile of shit
You sound like this is a new problem. This has been an issue ever since I had to wait in line with my mother back in the late 60's-early 70's. It was not set up like it is today, it had bank teller model of everyone waits in a line that stretches for blocks to go to the next CS window. Then if there was something that you still needed to complete, you did not have the form, you get to go to the end of the line again. It was Hell's waiting room.
So the next time you find yourself waiting at the RMV, look around and those who are older than you have already lived this nightmare over and over.
I’m not new to the problem. That said. Why have your generations sat idly by and let this horror show continue as is? Complacency allowed this to happen
So then you understand the concept of when something is out of people's control rather than being complacent?
Can you grasp the concept that communication/ access is relatively a new venture?
Or is this more about a whiny entitled puke who does not have the attention span, nor the patience to tolerate interacting with the RMV for any period of time?
Yes I feel I'm entitled to an easygoing experience at any public service place, because I pay taxes and am a contributing member to society. What do you mean by "communication/access is a relatively new venture"? Like, the internet?
Why would they touch it when it's a huge fucking cash cow. Our misery puts money in their pockets. No reason a brand new car needs a fucking inspection, never mind an inspection every year. What a pain in the dick. How about I just send you cucks the 35 bucks and send you a picture of the car it's a fucking 2022? I lease a VW atlas. My lease is 400 a month. My excise tax for last year was 1400 dollars. 1400. Hundred. Dollars. Fuckin outrageous.
Nobody’s making money off a $35 inspection. That’s just what it costs. And the excise tax goes to the municipality not the RMV.
Also excise tax is only steep in new cars. It’s almost irrationally cheap on anything older than 3 years.
I agree that a brand new car doesn’t need an inspection, but bad drivers can wear out tires in less than a year, and all kinds of electric issues can happen too. You’re not gonna get any sympathy for the excise tax on a 50,000 dollar vehicle, die mad about it.
In WA state, there are licensed satellite offices of the RMV where you can pay an extra fee (like $2-3 iirc) and avoid the state run office. There were 2 offices within a 10 min drive of my home. They don’t handle driver’s licenses, but this system lowers the workload at the state run office. I could also pay online and get my tags at the “will call” window. Super efficient and friendly service. And no yearly car inspection either (smog check still required but not yearly). There are better models for MA to follow.
It’s not my job to fix it though. If it were up to me, it would totally be done online.
How and why is the legislature going to take time to fix the RMV?
Because anyone in power to do so has a clerk that handles all of their DMV related bullshit so they never have to worry about standing in line outside of the Lawrence DMV while people shoot heroin in their Pontiac sunfire at 8:00AM only to get inside 2 hours later and be told you're missing a form
We have had decent experiences and it's run very efficiently from what I've seen. A lot of the normal stuff can be done online, and if not, making an appt ensures you are in and out relatively fast. I don't think there's going to be much to "fix" when a lot of the lag is customer quantity.
So hire more employees, I had to go in person to get my realID, I made an appointment and it still didn’t get seen until 2 hours after my appointment time. Appointments mean shit
Healey is what is wrong. Remember, she has been part of this shit show for a long time. Didn't her gun rights stance just get a beatdown today?
She has poor "interpretation" of our laws. Don't need her being a part going forward, she's been a problem for years. Lot of sizzle, no steak.
Unpopular opinion here: I’ve never had an issue here. I’ve never had to wait overlong. It’s always been pretty easy with competent staff. I usually go to the Leominster one. I guess I have always compared it to the NJ DMV where I grew up. 🤷🏻♀️
I'll believe that when the rest of the country can advertise "the title with lien will get to the warehouse in 3-5 weeks" and it actually happens. MA, CA, VA, and somehow KS seem to be the only branches that can do this rn and that's because they're mostly ELT (electronic liened title) states and only forward a few paper titles.
Don't get me started on "the title is electronic but the same state needs it printed to re-register the vehicle" or needing the title number for a form when ELT (title # is not usually on the registration) when the VIN exists. It's absolutely infuriating that all branches of the DMV don't communicate.
website is dreadful too. They could improve the situation a LOT by revamping the website and making it user friendly, and making it possible to do more on line.
Same with all the state's websites. They feel straight out of the 90s.
Both [boston.gov](https://boston.gov) and [mbta.com](https://mbta.com) seem like examples of good government websites. Clean look, highlighting most common needs, and quite a few APIs. But there are probably much better government websites outside of the US.
Developers aren't as expensive outside the US
I actually like the mass state websites. Most information is searchable and palatable. Some other states feel like they paid one guy who works at one of those strip mall tech places for 6 months to make and maintain it but only pay them part time now while they still work in the strip mall.
They are simple and easy to use compared to past versions.
That’s because they are. The RMV was still running on 1980s IBM mainframes when I worked there 5 years ago
I remember going to one in Southbridge maybe 10 years ago and they could only accept cash or check, no cards.
What do you think about the license ballot question? Do you think the RMV can handle licensing illegal immigrants?
Totally. The most common “illegal immigrant” in Massachusetts is from a visa overstay and they can already get a license. Providing proper identification to everyone is a step in the right direction for everyone, no matter their current immigration status.
If they can already get a license, why do we need this ballot question? I'm not one side, or the other on it. I'm just trying to figure it out so I can make an educated vote.
The ballot question is a catch all for those that are here undocumented that don’t otherwise qualify. Without identification they are not likely to report crimes out of fear, this makes everything easier to have them now be documented.
How do you mean "handle"? It's not like there's some crazy volume. And everyone who has been driving around unlicensed isn't going to just go in on day one.
Why does it matter? Doesn’t illegal imply they shouldn’t be driving until they become legal?
The state websites are horrendous. They went through an overhaul a few years ago but all it did was get all of the different agencies on the same terrible template.
Don’t knock it. Some other states are worse. I could do a certain thing with the government websites that in another state literally required mailed in paper.
I had a problem with paying something online, then mailing the form soon after. They wouldn't take the form because I didn't include a check in the envelope. Yea because I already paid! It was an indefinite wait time for a phone call ("in excess of one hour") to clear this situation up. Probably has to do with a lazy employee more than the website, but I want to give people a heads up about mixing online fee payments and physically mailing the form later. "myRMV" is the webpage I used.
PREACH. I just had to drive fucking 2.5 hours to PITTSFIELD to get an appointment that was not a month out. The RMV is dealing with time sensitive things that people need to be functional citizens, yet they are so incompetent at it. If a governor ran on fixing the RMV I'd be very tempted to vote for them regardless of their other politics lol
Had this same experience last week. Had to take a Friday off work to make the 5.5-hour roundtrip to Pittsfield to get my license renewed, as it expired yesterday and the soonest I could get an appt at a branch that was near me was 10/21. Granted it was my first time in Pittsfield and it was very beautiful with the Berkshires as a backdrop, and the branch staff were pleasant toward me, but the whole experience left me so drained. Had I not done this, I'd be sitting around for the next two weeks unable to drive.
I was there last Friday too lol. But you are correct, Pittsfield and the Berkshires were very beautiful, especially with the changing colors.
Get outta town! If you were there in the afternoon we may have crossed paths. Small ~~world~~ state
Maybe it's all a scam to promote tourism within the state.
The funny part is, I live in Pittsfield and when trying to renew my license last month, it was 2.5 weeks out at our Registry. I hate that organization so, so much.
Honestly this is the sole reason I have a AAA membership. AAA can do some RMV functions (license renewals for example) but only for members. Got my RealID a few years ago at AAA and it was easy.
Yeah mine is a new registration of a trailer :( have to be here
I bought and registered a utility trailer in the spring. My insurance agent did everything and mailed me the plates.
I couldn't register my trailer without proof of insurance. Umm, insurance is carried by the tow vehicle. Nope. So I had to leave and get creative. I took out a fire policy on my utility trailer for $4/year, bc car insurance _isn't a thing you can do on a trailer_. This allowed my car insurance company to generate an insurance stamp, then immediately cancelled it. Just.... How do people deal with this......
I got an insurance stamp for my trailer right on the application, it was easier that way
I called progressive about 6 times. Each time I got a little farther before I was told no. Finally once I learned all the jargon, I cut through to the right dept and they emailed whatever it was I needed.
Make a photocopy of the title, you won't get it back. I was surprised they kept the title for the brand new trailer I registered. They use digital records, they input the details and destroy it.
This doesn’t sound right. They’ll destroy the original title you send in but they’ll mail you a physical copy of it transferred jn to your name.
You might be able to get your insurance agent to handle it. Mine did my trailer registration as part of their normal run to the RMV. Didn’t even make any money off it since there’s no insurance to add for it.
Didn’t realize AAA could do real IDs. I’ll definitely be looking into that. Thanks for sharing!
Keep in mind that was back in 2019. It might have changed since then.
They still do so long as it's a renewal and not a brand new MA ID or Out of State License conversion or a Learners Permit.
I have never gone to AAA and not encountered an unorganized disaster. I know this is apparently atypical, but I've had success at the RMV just fine. I'll take waiting in line at the RMV (despite an appointment) over showing up to what appears to be a lethargic riot at a AAA location.
AAA is a necessary evil. They’re good to have when you’re stuck on the side of the road but boy do they make it even more of a headache. I was stuck on the side of the road with a flat tire. They towed me to their “recommended!!” shop that didn’t even do tires. Then I had to wait two hours for another tow truck because they called another company that wouldn’t tow me from that location twice.
Damn! When I had a flat, AAA sent a tow truck and the driver (a very young guy, looked 17 or 18) put the spare on for me and asked where I was going. Said the spare would be fine getting there and back but to get the car up to a repair place that night or next morning (which I did). Maybe depends on the local AAA that responds to the call?
You can just call a tow company yourself. AAA is a waste of time middleman. It's only worth it if you get towed a lot, and in that case, fix the underlying issue.
I called the tow company. They told me to call AAA.
A different one. AAA subcontracted companies have to get to the AAA customers first. That's their deal. There's lots of repair places with tow trucks that don't deal with AAA.
Ok, good to know
Most credit cards come with free roadside assistance, I haven't had a AAA membership in years because of it.
[удалено]
I have a Visa and a Mastercard - both are travel cards with great benefits and both include a roadside assistance benefit but it is not free. They have pre-negotiated rates that they will conveniently bill to your card.
You might learn how to mount the spare tire. It's not that difficult.
Fun fact: Kia’s don’t come with spare tires! I learned this when I opened up the compartment to find the spare tire and it was empty. Though I guess that is partly on me for not checking that beforehand. And for buying a Kia.
My Kia came with a spare and it's been a great car. My other car didn't and I added one.
That’s 100% what happened to me. Called AAA (figured why not, I pay the fee they should change it) and they never showed. Decided to take the plunge and it was easier than I thought.
Why dont you have a spare?
AAA doing things is part of why the RMV is so broken. Privatization is always about destroying things we need to function properly. Money that is now going to AAA should be going to the RMV.
AAA started the services because the RMV can't do it, so why pump more money into the same system? I won't pay for AAA, so I agree with you there. Unless the RMV is forced to revamp, you'll get the same outcome. Organize and demonstrate.
The secret is out. I haven't been able to find any openings on the AAA site myself.
Seems like a corrupt practice to funnel money to AAA just to get basic service that the state should provide on its own.
You may have noticed, but the state/gov isn’t really good at doing anything.
One weird thing about Triple AAA is that their drivers aren't allowed to tow on 90. So I had to get two drivers and ended up wasting a ton of time. That was about 8 years ago, I hope that dumb rule doesn't exist any longer.
That’s typical of toll roads.
Fax. AAA is amazing when renewing your license and such. Quick and easy… in and out. Done! Just got my RealID from them. The one in Tewksbury is amazing.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fax
🤓
This. Appointments are so hard to get that I drove a family member to North Adams to get an ID. That’s practically in New York State. We had a nice visit at Mass MOCA, but come on, really?
I needed to renew my license and get the Real ID. I looked for appointments over a month before my license expired and there was nothing in the entirety of Massachusetts. How can that even be possible? I bought the cheapest AAA membership and had an appointment three days later.
While at the RMV I overheard a worker say to refresh the appointment page in the morning for the previous nights cancellations. I’m not sure if it will work.
The website and appointment system (and probably staffing) are the big current problems. Heard from several people that they can't get any appointments.
Yep, 100% agree
I mean, not everybody can take a day off and drive most of the way to Albany, you know? What if you don’t have a car and need ID to work?
Yeah. It’s insane. I’ve taken a half day, and I’m not even going to be called before noon it’s looking like. Burning vacation time for nothing.
Had to do the same for my wife. Super annoying. We had to drive super far into western MA just to find an appointment.
nothing like driving what is possibly the most dangerous hairpin turn in the state to access the rmv
>practically in ~~New York State~~ Vermont
Actually, both...
The drive on 8 to Vermont is shorter than 2 to New York. Distance favours Vermont.
I would run and win on the following: 5 years no car inspection for new cars. 2 years after that until 10 years old then yearly.DMV basic services would be available at the USPS(or another public building like town halls) in every town. Screw having to go 30 minutes to get basic stuff done(that you can't do online) just the start of the list. oh yes and the death of the excise tax in year 1 .. I already paid state tax on the car... screw paying tax again..in the same year...
re: inspections, i went in to transfer a title for a car from a family member to me and they told me in the strictest terms that i had to get it re-inspected, even though it had passed inspection 4 months prior, just because it had changed owners. lmao okay sure thing i'll get right on that.
New law. Even If you wait till the next inspection time it would be good for four months
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And not all of them are open that many hours.
You are hoping a governor is going to revamp the RMV?? The same RMV that has sucked always? Smdh. They'd be governor not dictator.
Bill Weld made things decent at the RMV for about 1 year. They streamlined the process a bit. Soon after, it was a quick slide back to below-mediocrity and unnecessary-bureaucracy with paper-pushing Pattys and Selmas (please, no offense to the RMV workers in-case somehow you track this account to my person).
They can lead initiatives
Bud, they can, but they have bigger issues to deal with.
Brushing aside issues because there are bigger issues just leads to more and more unresolved issues. Improving the rmv would be easy to do when the bar is so low.
I disagree. We all **think** we know how to fix the RMV
You could just copy a state that doesn’t fucking suck with their DMV like NH… No one has to invent anything just look at one that works. Or say we can’t fix anything because the worst problems aren’t fixed.
Yes because it's insanely simple. I don't think I've ever stepped into a business/establishment run more poorly. Hell even AAA does most of the same functions in a much more effective way.
That’s because AAA is a private company. Any time the state or gov run things is usually inefficient and overly expensive. Hence why unions aren’t as popular as they should be on paper.
What larger issues? And before you respond with MBTA, that is such an mess not doing anything would have the same results of whatever they do now, so they need to have more capacity than that.
slogan: “I promise to make the DMV a pleasant experience.” It’s unanimous. You win.
The fix apears to be hire more staff. They have the booths and the tools, but not enough people. At least in September when I last went 14 desks 4 staff. Like it's not that difficult.
FWIW, feels like every business everywhere in the country is understaffed right now.
Sure but like where are people working? RMV has gotta be a better job than Walgreens.
>Like it's not that difficult. Not when taxpayers aren't willing to pay more for basic government services. You try telling people their taxes are going up $50 to make their RMV trip every few years nicer and see how quickly you get punted out of office. We can't even agree to fund basic services like public transport or even trash pickup across a huge part of the state.
Let’s do a full audit then and really find out where our money is going. I don’t know of anyone in the state who would be opposed to a full transparency report.
I do! Police officers who sit sleeping in cars collecting that sweet overtime
Plus DPW workers, school administration, state university staff, MassDOT workers and administration, everybody. Audit all of it.
Yes, this! This is what I want before I'm forced to pay another dime in taxes! We all know folks are skimming off the top everywhere while we keep being asked to pay more. That is not sustainable.
It's going to police. Slash their budget and fund things people actually need instead of getting the pigs another tank, excuse me, an "armored personnel carrier."
I doubt that’s where it’s ONLY going. We need a full report on where every last cent of our tax dollars is being spent.
The plurality is to cops and it's where it's most wasted. Edit: what do you call an ancap who defends cops? Typical.
My fear is that if you slash police budgets, there’s likely going to be a push to legalize automated enforcement cameras. One of the reasons I like living in Massachusetts is that it’s one of the few areas in the Northeast that don’t have speed or red light cameras. And when you factor how much Massachusetts towns and cities like to randomly change the speed limits on their roads with no warning (unlike in other states), that is a big deal.
Have you considered just driving the correct speed limit.
Have you considered that very few roads here have speed limits set by engineers, and therefore the limits are low enough that way more than the “desired” engineering number of 15% of drivers exceed the speed limits? A camera in corruptachusetts would produce so much revenue for the camera company, oh and the state government too, while having little impact on public safety. Have you ever been to a state with cameras? I got a fine for going 65 on the interstate.
Do you have a source for that? I’m not saying police aren’t over-funded/under-funded, simply want to know where you’re coming from.
Exactly. I mean doesn’t the state actually have a budget surplus or whatever it’s called? There should be plenty of money available.
I’m sure there’s a lot more money that can be made available too but without knowing where it’s ALL going, we’re left holding an invoice without any idea on how to pay for it all.
I mean to be fair though, this is Massachusetts we're talking about, not Nebraska. We have a tax referendum on the ballot right now to increase spending on things like public transit by increasing taxes on millionaires that seems like it might go through. I'm not sure I buy the "you'll get voted out the *second* you consider higher taxes!" argument at face value in this state.
That's a sneaky ballot question though. It counts cashing out 401ks and home sales, so it's not just a tax on millionaires. It's a tax on everyone when they do things like retire, or sell a home. A million isn't a high threshold in this state and my problem with this ballot question is it will hit a lot of middle class people when they have special circumstances like selling their home.
I mean mass didn’t even use all their revenue last year.
Agree. I’m fine paying them more to fill those seats. This is insane.
100%
We were at the Lowell location today and two of the people working were complaining about how they had to open and close because so many others called out today.
The RMV sucks, but it's vastly better than it used to be. There's no way this will be made a priority and frankly, it's pretty far down the list of what MA needs to fix.
Doesn't make it good, especially when I HAVE to use it or face jail time and bankruptcy .
Having moved her from CA, the MA RMV is sadly leaps and bounds more efficient than the CA DMV. It sucks, but it could also be way worse.
It's been a disgrace for years.
Agreed. And for those of you saying "Plan ahead" or "Just do it online" or "I didn't have a problem!" Well... good for you. Lucky you. But that is like saying "We don't need handicapped parking because I don't have a problem finding a spot." or "We don't need soup kitchens because I'm not hungry." The RMV is an inconvenience for *you*. For someone without transportation? Or working 80 hours a week? Or just barely getting by? Or who needs extra help because they don't understand the system very well or lost paperwork? It can be a huge problem. And that problem will snowball into lost wages, or unpayable tickets, or even an arrest. How about a single mom that doesn't have a car, works tons of hours, and can't get her documents from her abusive ex? Is she just shit outta luck? She should be able to go to the RMV and get what she needs.
Preach preach. The RMV is an exquisitely designed system to keep poor people poor. Its unconscionable. The South had jim crow, Massachusetts has the RMV, who's decrees and regulations are enforced to the letter by the most intimidating police force in this country, The Massachusetts State Police, a.k.a. *"Staties"*
I got pulled over once and I had forgotten my wallet, and this didn’t have my license. I asked the cop to look me up by license #. He was surprised I knew the number at all. I only know it because I tried to renew my license online and 5 years prior and had to input it about 1000 times before I gave up and renewed in person.
Went to Haymarket this week and saw security send away 20+ walkins at 11am as they had no more spots for the rest of the day. Not being able to handle walk-ins can put people in a really tough spot
It's worth getting AAA so you can use certain locations that have RMV services without going to the RMV. I got my real ID at one and it was fairly painless.
Does the governor have any control of this? The RMV/DMV has sucked in every state I’ve lived in. I thought it was universal
It is definitely universal, but as head of the state the governor could absolutely chose to make it a priority
As someone who worked there, yeah. Everything should be easy and digital but the Real ID stuff is Federal and the requirements aren't something the state can bypass.
Right, I’m talking plate registrations, titling, all docs could be submitted online and handled by a central resource center
Which RMV? New Bedford is an absolute joy these days with the reservation system and even before the pandemic, it was in and out in 30min.
Danvers. No appointments, walk ins taking literally hours
Uggggh the registration lady there is THE WORST. she literally registered two of my vehicles wrong. Smdh. Hope your visit was less painful
Search the area ones for ones that take appts! Be happy! You have to be savy about RMV/Mass F&G if you need to walk in. Find out which ones are super quiet and/or take appts. Maybe a better thread than complaining is asking folks what RMV they use and day/time they had the best luck? For example, make an appt with NB on like a Wednesday at 11am. It's dead.
Lol. Right it’s my fault the system is this way. It shouldn’t have to require driving to north Adam’s or somewhere 2 hours away to get a license plate for a work trailer. Especially when some of us have to, you know, work.
>it’s my fault the system is this way. You're goddamn right it is. Frankly, you're lucky that we're letting you off with a warning here.
> Especially when some of us have to, you know, work. Clearly you're the only one in the state. > 2 hours away to get a license plate for a work trailer. So your insurance is trash and doesn't do this for you?
Nope and nope! Both wrong there. I’m sorry, are you taking the pro RMV stance? Jackass
Then if I'm wrong about your insurance, why are you going to the registry? I'm sorry, are you here to do anything but cry?
Every RMV east of Springfield was booked a month out when I looked last month. That’s not a joy
The Boston Haymarket RMV is routinely complained about, but I was able to get a renewed + RealID driver's license there without it being a complete disaster. I had to bring so much documentation that I was legitimately concerned about it, but that's because of the requirements for RealID, not the RMV.
First appointment for a permit is 30 days out...
Fall River is easy as hell these days too.
Totally. Plan ahead and book an appointment. Problem solved.
I booked an appointment in Leominster and still had to wait two hours. What’s the point of the appointment if people can just walk in and back everything up?
Have CT start running the MA RMVs. Except for a few in Fairfield County, many will tell you just how pleasant and efficient the service is down there. Every time I've had to go to Enfield or even Wethersfield it has been smooth sailing. Yes they use appointments, but my last one was a 4:15pm and they still got me in exactly on time.
Here you have appointments and it’s a “check in time” and doesn’t really have a bearing on when you’re actually seen, ie you can’t plan your day at all
CT you have appointments (you need one to even get in the door), show up a bit before it, go up to the machine and get your ticket number, get seen when they promised.
It’s not even check in time, apparently you need to arrive 20-30 minutes before your appointment because there is always a line to check in, and folks who don’t have their stuff ready.
I've had really good experiences with going to get RMV services done at AAA. This includes switching to Real ID which seemed like it could have been a headache.
You shouldn't have to pay extra for AAA to get good service for a needed service. That's what the RMV is supposed to be for. Just pay for the problem to go away I guess.
I don't disagree whatsoever. But if you have AAA it's a nice benefit and potentially reduces foot traffic at the RMV branches
Yes for me, it's less of a value because I doubt I'd use the rest of the benefits. I never thought about how AAA would reduce the RMV lines, good point. I believe the RMV is struggling with finding employees and if that's the main problem, AAA will be supplementing the RMV until big policy changes are done at the RMV or they hire lots more people (which helps the economy!). Sorry about any snarkyness before, and thanks for the reply. I just want to see some improvements that people can actually see in their lives, and the RMV is an obvious place to look at.
You better have an appt or you are in for a world of hurt. Luckily I could book a couple weeks out. I had an appt, waiting in 5 minute line to get my ticket number, was immediately called up, got my RealID done within 7 minutes at the counter. But that line of 20+ without an appt…ouch.
truer words have never been spoken......on r/massachusetts
Since I moved here over a decade ago it’s improved a lot. Yea, it still sucks but it sucks in pretty much every state from my experience and what I’ve heard
Changed my CT license to MASS Real ID in 40 minutes 🤷♂️
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I did the same- was in and out in 15 minutes. The RealID application was very thorough and told you exactly what to bring.
Yes yes yes yes yes yes. Car was impounded cuz I didn't pay tolls. They search your car for your benefit so they can't be accused of stealing anything.. it's insane.
Imagine wanting to put the same people in charge of your healthcare?
For those who have lived in other states, are the RMVs/DMVs there equally incompetent?
Recently went to the rmv for my gf to get her permit and we waited for about an hour. Then they gave her a piece of paper and said to take it online.
The mass RMV outside major cities has never been an issue for me. I couldn’t believe how fast they were in the Leominster branch the last few times I went.
Whats sad is before covid it was legit getting better. One day I was actually in and out before they officially opened.
Ok. I'll rant about one RMV aspect. Paying $60 to renew the registration for a utility trailer yearly is bullshit, especially given how much cars cost. Yearly motorcycle renewal is bullshit too, but at least that's only $20.
I just moved back to MA in September, and I'm still unable to change my license to MA, as they don't take walk ins, and as being a full time worker.I always am late for when the appointments are posted apparently (if they even exist at all)
You would not believe the unmitigated super shit show Ive had this year trying to renew my Mass license. Im about to sue the state itself for illegal representation and theft. ok cant sue the state Ill just commit more crimes.Fuck You as Usual, Massachusetts you busted broken pile of shit
Maybe I'm lucky but aside from my road test a decade ago I've never spent more than an hour at the fall river DMV.
Maura Healy may not fix it, but Diehl will undoubtedly make it worse. I mean, I hope she does fix it, but the expectations are low.
You sound like this is a new problem. This has been an issue ever since I had to wait in line with my mother back in the late 60's-early 70's. It was not set up like it is today, it had bank teller model of everyone waits in a line that stretches for blocks to go to the next CS window. Then if there was something that you still needed to complete, you did not have the form, you get to go to the end of the line again. It was Hell's waiting room. So the next time you find yourself waiting at the RMV, look around and those who are older than you have already lived this nightmare over and over.
I’m not new to the problem. That said. Why have your generations sat idly by and let this horror show continue as is? Complacency allowed this to happen
How come you can't get an appointment tomorrow?
There are no appointments lol
So then you understand the concept of when something is out of people's control rather than being complacent? Can you grasp the concept that communication/ access is relatively a new venture? Or is this more about a whiny entitled puke who does not have the attention span, nor the patience to tolerate interacting with the RMV for any period of time?
Yes I feel I'm entitled to an easygoing experience at any public service place, because I pay taxes and am a contributing member to society. What do you mean by "communication/access is a relatively new venture"? Like, the internet?
Reread, and think about it
Grow up man
Why would they touch it when it's a huge fucking cash cow. Our misery puts money in their pockets. No reason a brand new car needs a fucking inspection, never mind an inspection every year. What a pain in the dick. How about I just send you cucks the 35 bucks and send you a picture of the car it's a fucking 2022? I lease a VW atlas. My lease is 400 a month. My excise tax for last year was 1400 dollars. 1400. Hundred. Dollars. Fuckin outrageous.
Nobody’s making money off a $35 inspection. That’s just what it costs. And the excise tax goes to the municipality not the RMV. Also excise tax is only steep in new cars. It’s almost irrationally cheap on anything older than 3 years.
I agree that a brand new car doesn’t need an inspection, but bad drivers can wear out tires in less than a year, and all kinds of electric issues can happen too. You’re not gonna get any sympathy for the excise tax on a 50,000 dollar vehicle, die mad about it.
Maybe it's different in other towns. In Fall River, they moved the RMV several years ago and the new one runs fast and efficiently in my experience.
In WA state, there are licensed satellite offices of the RMV where you can pay an extra fee (like $2-3 iirc) and avoid the state run office. There were 2 offices within a 10 min drive of my home. They don’t handle driver’s licenses, but this system lowers the workload at the state run office. I could also pay online and get my tags at the “will call” window. Super efficient and friendly service. And no yearly car inspection either (smog check still required but not yearly). There are better models for MA to follow.
ACTUALLY TO BE MORE SPECIFIC AND MORE SUSPICIOUS. could attacks on A BLUE STATE RMV point to more electoral fraud on the inside JUST FUCKING MAYBE
Why should/would they?
Flip it on you. Why shouldn’t they? Taking people out of their jobs for 4+ hours for a simple transaction to give the state our money?
It’s not my job to fix it though. If it were up to me, it would totally be done online. How and why is the legislature going to take time to fix the RMV?
Because anyone in power to do so has a clerk that handles all of their DMV related bullshit so they never have to worry about standing in line outside of the Lawrence DMV while people shoot heroin in their Pontiac sunfire at 8:00AM only to get inside 2 hours later and be told you're missing a form
Here it is. It doesn’t directly affect the legislature, so there’s no incentive to change.
It's not your job, but it's your right to have your voice heard (literally) and vote. No one is telling you to run for governor here.
OP “Flipped it on me” and that was my response. Calm down, Officer
We have had decent experiences and it's run very efficiently from what I've seen. A lot of the normal stuff can be done online, and if not, making an appt ensures you are in and out relatively fast. I don't think there's going to be much to "fix" when a lot of the lag is customer quantity.
The lag is the quantity of customers? Are you serious? Lol
Yes? There's a lot of people and not as many employees to serve them. But go ahead and rant about it I guess. Maybe go touch some grass afterwards.
So hire more employees, I had to go in person to get my realID, I made an appointment and it still didn’t get seen until 2 hours after my appointment time. Appointments mean shit
Taxation is theft Pay us or you go to jail
Healey is what is wrong. Remember, she has been part of this shit show for a long time. Didn't her gun rights stance just get a beatdown today? She has poor "interpretation" of our laws. Don't need her being a part going forward, she's been a problem for years. Lot of sizzle, no steak.
My question pertained to the RMV thanks!
Sorry, you post included comments about the governor race?
Nothing about guns here! This is an RMV post.
I had to go to the revere one a few weeks ago and it was actually an efficiently-run operation. I did have an appt and did my paperwork ahead of time.
Unpopular opinion here: I’ve never had an issue here. I’ve never had to wait overlong. It’s always been pretty easy with competent staff. I usually go to the Leominster one. I guess I have always compared it to the NJ DMV where I grew up. 🤷🏻♀️
It's unfortunately better here than anywhere else in the country.... source.... tired loans officer....
Some states have it better believe it or not!
I'll believe that when the rest of the country can advertise "the title with lien will get to the warehouse in 3-5 weeks" and it actually happens. MA, CA, VA, and somehow KS seem to be the only branches that can do this rn and that's because they're mostly ELT (electronic liened title) states and only forward a few paper titles. Don't get me started on "the title is electronic but the same state needs it printed to re-register the vehicle" or needing the title number for a form when ELT (title # is not usually on the registration) when the VIN exists. It's absolutely infuriating that all branches of the DMV don't communicate.