The License Office Called

Birdie tends to take near illegible phone messages on tiny scraps of paper, only to be found days later. So finding the clearly printed message "Call license office" front and center was disappointing. I worried about why the Department of Motor Vehicles would single me out for a personal call. Big Guy advised me to ignore the message, so I did for a few days. But finally, the Miss Manners within kicked in, and I returned the DMV's call. First, the license office employee thanked me. Then she explained there'd been a mix-up over some personalized license plates I'd ordered last fall. The DMV didn't have a record that I received them. I had them, or more accurately Birdie was enjoying them on the third family car. So I offered to bring my records by the DMV office so they could make copies. In looking over the paperwork, the DMV figured out the vehicle registration didn't match the personalized plates. The DMV employee apologized, fixed the mistake and the local office paid the $30 I should have paid last fall when I picked up the plates. As my DMV employee filled out the new registration papers, I watched the other employees at work. While I had received the phone call, everyone who walked in the door got the same nice treatment, which really changed my mind about the DMV. Thanks to its employees, Birdie's ride has its correct registration papers and I'm $30 richer. I can't say I'm a fan of car registrations, titles and the endless paperwork involved, but service at the DMV's Creve Coeur office is certainly worth raving about.