On Tuesday, 4 February, I had a booking for the renewal of my driver’s licence at 8am at the Florida Licensing Station. Knowing the office usually opens at 7.30am, I made sure that I arrived at 7.20am but, as I was trying to turn into the safe parking area, I had four men hitting my car shouting, ‘ID photos?’. This made me feel very unsafe, and I would like to request the manager of the licensing station to make an effort to have them removed.
After parking, I got out of my vehicle and stood in line. When the gates were opened, we all went inside, but, we did not know where to go, as there was not one single sign stating where to go for what.
The security guard then shouted at everyone to stand in one line, before he called all the learner licence applicants to stand in one line and to go to a specific place. Then he called out all the people who were there for renewals to form a line, and, as we stand in a new line, not knowing what to do next, a window next to us opens. (This is now after 8am). When I showed them my booking paper, I was told to go straight, but, straight where to? There was no help, except for the one man who looked like he worked there. He told us very nicely to go into this waiting room and wait, as, according to him, a woman from the counter will hand out forms to fill out.
Well, we sat and we sat and we sat. More people arrived and stood around with no idea what to do. Still, no woman at the counter. At about 8.40am, the woman arrived with coffee and her cellphone as a fixture to her ear, chatting. She goes out to talk some more on her phone, and then to a person outside. When she finished and settled behind her counter, she shouted, telling the people to stand in a line and started handing out forms to those who arrived after us.
I went to the counter, trying to explain that we were sitting in a line for so long, and asking why they were ignoring us. All I got for the effort was to be shouted at and told to go back to the line.
The man who told us to sit in the line 30 minutes prior, heard us complaining, he then told the counter people something, which resulted in them becoming very friendly and polite. We completed our forms and the same rude women from before walked us all the way to where we needed to be.
By that time, my 8am appointment only started at 9.20am, when they took my fingerprints and did an eye test. At least the woman helping with this was friendly and she walked with each one of us to the cashiers.
My question is, if this stuff-up occurs every day, has no one ever though of putting up proper signage explaining the process? Maybe paint big feet on the passage floor in different colours, e.g. yellow feet for learners and green feet for renewals.
I walked out of the centre at 9.40am, with the only apt word to describe this visit being ‘chaos’.
I can’t believe with all this technology available that one must still enter this office like a sheep to be sent from one place to the next, not knowing what next and to be treated by rude staff who shows up late to do their job.
I do hope someone catches a wake-up soon with this chaos.
