Registry of Motor Vehicles

Absolute worst place ever. No organisation. Miserable people to deal with. It upsets me that I have to give them even 1 star

The fact that I had to leave even 1 star pains me. I went there on ¹⁰⁄₁₉ around 130 and the very old practically senile lady who was in booth 7 doing registration was the worst customer service worker I have ever come in contact with. I left there today very upset and confused because of the less than factual information she gave me, just so she did not have to deal with me and probably so she could hurry to her break. This establishment is employed with far too many elderly people who are past their limits. They refuse to treat anybody with respect or put any effort into their jobs that I as a tax payer am paying them to do. The absolute very least they can do for me and everyone else who pays for them to sit there all day every day is put half a smile on their miserable for no reason face.

People, this place implemented a new system two weeks back and it’s SO MUCH BETTER THAN EVERY OTHER RMV. There’s a greeter at door who will check your documents. There are two lines instead of one and they move quickly. Super efficient, courteous and clean. Worth the 20 min drive.

The women that work here are polite. Marc is a total jerk!

This was a lot more pleasant than I was expecting. I arrived on Thursday, 9÷24÷15 a few minutes after they opened the doors– around 10:03 AM. The line was out the door, but that is not unusual for any RMV. I was waiting at the end of the line when a woman with an iPad came outside. She was an RMV employee and she said anyone only looking to renew their license gets to cut the line and use a kiosk to do so! Needless to say I was excited.
Most people are not at the RMV to renew their license because you can now do that online. I however, needed to do a vision test so I had to show up in person. As a result, I was the only one in line waiting to renew! She led me to the kiosk. However, what the lady had neglected to mention was that kiosks don’t do vision tests… she just kind of led me to it and walked away. I wear glasses so I was kind of surprised that she just assumed that I didn’t need to do the vision test when I clearly had bright red glasses on my face. I headed toward the line to wait again (gross) when another employee saw that I had filled out my application online. That brought me to a different line with no wait! So I was checked in in 30 seconds after that mishap. A little disorganized, but I avoided the long line.
My little slip said «Estimated wait: 1 min» but that wasn’t the case. Honestly, 1 minute seems unrealistic, but why not round up instead of down? I would have been happier if my ticket said «20 minute wait» and I was called after 10 minutes, as opposed to my ticket saying «1 minute» and being called after 15 minutes. Of course, I’ve heard horror stories of people waiting hours at RMVs so I am definitely not complaining about my 15 minute wait!
When my number was called, I was greeted by Tracy, the branch manager. She is great! She took my application and was honestly one of the friendliest women I have ever met! I did my vision test and we commiserated about our sight. I mean, I’m only in my 20s but I still love to complain about my eyesight with other nearsighted people! She took my picture twice and then helped me pick the better of the two for my license photo!
All in all, this was a lot better than I was expecting. I went to the Revere one a few years ago and that one is Hell on Earth. Other than the mishap at the beginning, the trip was overall a success, especially because of Tracy.
Just some tips:
–for license renewal, fill out the application online, print it and bring it in. That allows you to cut the line.
–bring all your forms! double and triple check! so many people were forgetting forms either at home or in the car and if you leave the line you have to wait again! Seriously, read the RMV website and make sure you bring in everything you need
–bring a book or something. The times flies faster that way
–park in the back. A lot of the spaces in the front are reserved for other businesses and student drivers park in the front as well. Avoid a potential car accident and walk an additional fifty feet.
–the vision test is easy by the way. You do it with your glasses on or contacts in and you just look into goggles and tell the RMV employees what numbers you see. It also tests you for colorblindness. If you can see with glasses/​contacts, this will be a breeze.

Terrible, wait times are ridiculous and employees obviously don’t want to be there. State of MA needs to seriously rethink the way residents do business with RMV

I would give 0 stars if I could! this place is the most poorly run office in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts! If they were a private entity they’d be out of business long ago! I just went down at 11 o’clock on a Tuesday morning for something simple and the line was out the door down the side of the building around the corner and almost to the parking lot! and they’re there just to collect money! unbelievable!

Awful human beings. And yes, it’s the staff as much as it is the wretched organization. If this was the place I had to depend on for a paycheck, I would literally feel guilty even eating or feeding my children with the dirty money.
I’ve had an ongoing, lingering issue whereby my license is being threatened with suspension for an offense I was NOT responsible for. I have all the paperwork to support this. I’ve called, I’ve waited on hold… so finally I went down there. As a working stiff, it’s not exactly easy to get there between 9 – 5. One day a week I get off early (4pm), and I raced down there to get in by 4:30. I waited in line for a «suspension clerk», who literally couldn’t even tell me why I was pending a suspension and refused to help me further, saying I needed to deal with a «hearing officer». This woman was so useless, I wouldn’t trust her to clean my cat’s litter box.
But the hearing officer was no better. It was too close to closing so she couldn’t be bothered to help me. I didn’t even need a hearing. I needed a competent human being to look at a basic computer screen to see the offense I’m being suspended for, glance at my court document to see that I was found NOT RESPONSIBLE for it, and adjust their incorrect record accordingly. A kiosk will be able to resolve this for me by 2020.
And oh by the way, this branch only has a hearing officer on Mondays and Tuesdays so now I have to drive to Lawrence to resolve it a different day.
You can kid yourself all you want about it being a job, or trying to manage a busy organization, but you burn in Hell eventually when you live your life treating other human beings like this. Our livelihoods depend on having a driver’s license, and it’s one thing to be too incompetent and uneducated to keep your records straight– but the least you could do is have an ounce of human compassion and square it away when somebody comes in to have YOUR mistake resolved.

So people, this is what happens when you allow democrats to close these places time after time. You want to know what really sucks, once they get there way, they will eliminate all the employees from these places and you will be dealing with kiosks and the internet… I’ve been visiting these places for 19 years and I have seen the ups and downs. I would tell you that the best thing you can do is insure your vehicle with a local independent agent, stay away from the Geico’s and progressives of the world, if you can’t shake someone’s hand after you pay them, then you know for sure you are going to the RMV on your own. Most agents offer a runner service for a nominal fee, money well spent. $ 20 to keep your sanity and stay out of the registry for 3 hours, YES PLEASE !!!
I know people love to complain about the staff at this place, personally I think they do a great job, its unfortunate that people don’t have the correct forms etc… and it must be frustrating for everyone. Imagine that every day of the week…

You deserve zero stars. I could not hate this place more. How on earth do they get away with treating people so poorly and having such insanely horrible customer service?! Why are there no evening or weekend hours (staying open 1 hr extra on thurs doesn’t count)? Why do you have to stand in line around the building an hour before it opens just to have some realistic chance of getting in?
I have lived in multiple states and never had such an extrordinarily negative experience. The whole system needs to be over-​hauled. The RMV is not free. Why aren’t they using all the money from fees to make this place function properly?!

I went in today to renew my license… obviously expecting the worst… and left extremely pleased. I had printed out my application after attempting to renew on line, and this saved a lot of time. I started my timer when I walked in the door and was there for precisely 19 minutes. The line for customer service took 15 minutes to get through, and I barely had time to go to the bathroom before my number was called. Everyone was friendly and overall it was a great experience.

They lie and they suck.
First of all, the wait time on the website was 30 minutes. The wait time on my numbered slip was 1:00. The actual wait time: 2:15 because they started taking other sorts of transactions ahead of registration transactions (even thought they are NOT supposed to do this) because the people who showed up late for their appointments.
Secondly, I could have avoided this wait if the intellectually-​challenged yet over worked greeter had actually done her job. I actually wonder if she can even read? Several people, including myself, left angry because we did not have the right forms and, even though it is HER JOB to catch that, she did not do her job. I guess she doesn’t have to — probably knows somebody. Had this oxygen waster actually done the job that she is paid to do (rather than give an Alzheimer’s grimace when asked any question about why it has been a half hour since any registration customers have been called), AND had this registry been HONEST about the REAL wait time, I could have buzzed home, called the insurer, gotten the correct form and printed it, and made it back in plenty of time to do what I needed to do.
Does Celia Blue (whose name is buried in the DOT website org chart) even give a shit about customer experience — said customers who pay her damn salary to do this administrative job right? Probably not, because she isn’t the one waiting for hours beyond the predicted time, or the one told bullshit by people who aren’t properly trained, or the one whose documents aren’t properly screened. Nor is she that poorly trained employee trying to do his or her job who has to deal with people made incredibly hostile and angry by the needless stupidity and chaos her non-​existent management has failed to deal with.
I could go on about the things that are not the fault of the staff, but it isn’t their fault that MA says that it honors the laws of other states (and DOES NOT) or that the local insurance industry owns the politicians to the point that basic electronic transactions are completely impossible. Or that the wait times are carefully engineered to punish those who don’t pay an insurance agent to pay a «runner» to cut the line. It isn’t their fault that they are poorly trained and poorly supervised.
But the employees here lie about the waits, lie about their management of the lines, and they are unable to do their job properly to boot. This adds to the massive waste of time and multiple visits needed for what are simple transactions in many other states.

On 6÷6÷14 at 430pm in booth 9, the employee was rude and did give any effort. They messed up our vin #! Now we have to go back… We went there and there’s not enough employees and just plain rude!!! Showed them a form we received, he didn’t even look at it& literally threw it back at us and said it wasnt the right form from seller and told us to leave. Well it was the right form AND the DMV messed up the vin # so we can’t register vehicle and do even an inspection.

Worst place to be. not enough people working… watching an employee talking to someone for 20 mins while I wait!!! 17 windows and only 6 have people working… mass tax $ hard at work

WOW! I just moved back to MA after living in NH and needed to have my car registered and obtain a new drivers license. I had hopes the DMV had changed over the last 15years. NOPE! The difference in service, professionalism and respect between NH and MA is dramatic!
I went to the Wilmington DMV yesterday ⁴⁄₁₀ because I heard horror stories about the Revere DMV.
First, the electronic numbering system is helpful and the woman who greeted me was professional, pleasant, business like. However, the DMV employee who provided service at counter #11 was incredibly rude and disrespectful. This was first thing in the morning. I cant even imagine what her attitude is like at the end of the day. One of the questions asked was «who did you purchase your car from?, we need the name and address». I said, are you serious? She rudely said «yes, go over there and figure it out» Hold on a second. Time for a reality check. We have illegal immigrants driving with and at times without a valid drivers license and she is giving me a hard time for not remembering who I bought a car from 12 years ago?!
I dont understand why the DMV remains a government organization… PLEASE privatize this organization and make it run like a professional business. This is an absolute embarrassment to the state of MA. Or, MA do yourself a favor and benchmark the organization against other states. What a disgrace of an organization staffed by rude people.

Had my license renewed… did all work online before going in which helped… less than 5 min wait

Never coming here again! I mean the lady at customer service was super nice. Took my road test and officer yelled so loud and rude to me, never again over here! Worst driving experience ever!!! Rude and unprofessional!!! As you can tell I am highly upset with this place!!! How do you still have your job? He also took my steering wheel and turned it to the right because he thought I was driving slow! I think he’s just racist towards others.

The worst experience i had at an RMV. My number was called to the counter 11, i said good morning and the skinny RMV girl just said: what you need? without even look at me. I answered that i needed to renew my registration and that also my insurance agency told me i need to add my name in my car title which has only my Business name (new RMV rule i was told).
We can’t do this here, she pushed the papers over in my direction…
What should i do?
Call the FID department…
I left the counter 11 and called my insurance agency and they told me that all the information was already on the system and the guy from the FID called them to confirm it.
I returned to counter 11… big mistake of my life… the girl looked at me like i was her worst enemy… i politely tried to tell her that i had just called my insurance agency and they said all the info was already done by the FID and before i finish she cut me off…
You are calling me a LIAR? Its not in the system…
There was no point anymore…
I left the place empty hands…
I went back home, called the Insurance agency again. Three hours later they called me back saying that they contacted the FID again and they told that all the info was already in the system, that they could not do anything, the insurance agent told me to go to a different RMV or if i go to the Wilmington one, that i should save a prayer that i would get another person instead of the girl of counter 11.
i did not have the time to go to a different one, because they are very far from my house, so i decided to go back to Wilmington which is 10 minutes driving from where i live now. After 45 minutes waiting i was called at counter number 9, and after 5 minutes i left with my new registration and about adding my name to the title the guy said that i should mail the form i have with the title and a $ 25 check to the address on the top.
what i did not understand is: Why the guy from the FID said to bring the form and the title to the RMV instead of mailing them to him?
also why the RMV guy charged me $ 25 and 2 minutes later he charged me $ 50, i thought the $ 25 was to add my name on the title but then he said that i have to mail the papers… my head was already spinning, i did try to figure out the charges but not wasting another day of my life going there…
This was my day OFF… unbelievable right?
Update on January 2014…
I feel abused every single time i have to go to a RMV in Massachusetts, specially this one. The line is always huge, the customer services always poor… and most of the people working there are impolite, or maybe i am the unlucky one who always get the rude RMV employees and bless me God, i had to go back there today, it seems when they updated my info in their system they «FORGOT» to change the garage to the city i moved to… my insurance agent told me i had to fix it or if i got in a car accident the insurance agency could deny the payment because of it and she said they would not charge me anything because it was their mistake. she was wrong, after a long wait in line that was supposed to be 15 minutes, the same lovely skinny lady called me to window 11 and guess what? i ended up paying another $ 25.00 for 2 minutes of her time.
Welcome to TAXachusetts… where you don’t get what you pay for…
Update on January 2016…
I had to renew my drivers license, i did everything online trying to avoid having to go there in person but in the end i was told to print the forms and bring them to a RMV Branch.
That gave me the creeps…
But for my surprise they gave me a break this time, even though the fire alarm went off and we had to leave the building and stay out in the cold for about 15 minutes and the poor kid close to me in the line was yelled at by the front desk lady, i felt relieved i was not the one being yelled at this time but when i saw the frustration in the face of the guy while he was leaving empty handed, I felt bad because i was in the same situation before.
It was one star, now is three.

I had to go to this place five separate times to get my MA Driver’s License and get both of my vehicles registered. I recently moved to Massachusetts from Kansas. However I grew up in Massachusetts, so I know what to expect from the RMV in Mass.
I needed a new title for one of our vehicles, which caused a lot of problems for these jerks. Every time I went back they needed additional information they didn’t tell me that they needed before. These people waste a lot of time not being thorough with people… no wonder the lines are so long here… and they act like four-​year-​olds when you don’t give them what they want.
The last time I went (today) I spoke to a supervisor at window 9 and he told me he needed me to write down my husband’s SS number on the form instead of his Kansas Driver’s License number. I said, «Sure, can I borrow your pen?» He said, «No… this is MY PEN.» and took his pen away. I seriously could not believe the immaturity of this so-​called «supervisor.» I felt like I was dealing with a toddler. Then he motioned to another bic pen on the desk I apparently could use. Gee, thanks. I was nothing but cordial with this guy and he was still a dirtbag to me. The only reason I didn’t get angry with him was because I felt kind of sorry for this miserable human being.
Also, if you get called to the woman at window #7, just throw your number away and get a new one. Don’t even waste your time with that woman. She’s horrible and she’ll keep having you come back for some stupid reason.
If you can, go to another registry! Don’t waste time with these idiots, and dear God, don’t ask to borrow their pens! LOL

welcome to the people’s republic of MA, annie.
okay, kids, i’m gonna tell you a secret. a couple secrets. so listen up.
first, it’s RMV, not DMV. because MA has to have it its own way.
second, this RMV (look, no one’s reviewed it because no one goes to it, which is Good in the grand scheme of things!) is pretty awesome. it’s not much to look at. it’s in a tiny strip mall adjacent to a dunkin donuts and a GENERAL STORE (please see my review on that) and a thrift shop. the parking lot is TINY (see what i mean, about small town RMV with tiny capacity? i bet the parking lot fits ~50 cars max. if even. maybe 30.)
i got there this morning at 9 am. it wasn’t open. it opens at 10 am on thursdays. so i went to the general store (see review). then i went back to the RMV and got in line (#15) and waited for a half an hour with grumbling people in the cold snow. i didn’t mind. i got in the RMV at 10:00 am. i got called up to a window at 10:02 am. i’d forgotten documents in my car and had additional stuff to fill out and all said and told, it took me about 30 min max for license and registration.
maybe i got lucky, but the folks working here were Nice! and the place didn’t look a hint depressing! spartan, clean, functional. yay!
things you need to know:
* when you get in, you get a ticket for license, and a ticket for registration. if you don’t get both, ask. if you only get one, if a kind employee helps you (like they did for me), you don’t need both.
* if you’re like me and just transferring from out-​of-​state, you bring 3 forms with you, including one with your insurance’s seal on it that you get from your insurance. you bring lots of documents to the RMV. i brought my social security card, birth certificate, utility bill (make sure your addresses match each other 100%), a check book, a credit card. registration takes a check and was ~$ 100 for an out-​of-​town transfer. license takes a credit card and was ~$ 175. see the website for fees.
* you leave with new plates, a temp photo license (the real one comes in the mail), and then go next door to the shell station which (if there’s no wait, like me), will take 20 min and $ 29 to run the stats and then give you an inspection pass sticker and remove your old one, and don your new plates. send your old plates back to the old RMV to avoid double taxes (see your old state’s website for details).
you’re welcome!