California Department of Motor Vehicles [CA DMV]
Reviews and Complaints

I dont understand why the DMV test is given in so many languages in the US!
The way I see it English is the first language being used here. If you haven't learned enough english to get around in the US then go back home because you may have a hard time living here otherwise. Does this mean we should have to have everything in all the different languages such as street signs, store signs or names or drivers license, registration, text books, etc?
I'm not trying to sound racist it's just that if the street signs are not in all the different languages then I guess it doesn't matter! Not that I want them to be but the tests are in all different languages!

Went to Santa Paula DMV to renew my license. Had to take the car and motorcycle, I failed the motorcycle test 3 times, not because of law, or fact, but because of the opinion of the [censored]s who have never "drove" a motorcycle in their lives. That they insist they know everything cuz they been "driving" motorcycles for years, and their experienced "drivers" so yes, their opinions are fact.
So rather then argue with idiots who know nothing about riding, and those same idiots who answer, it doesn't matter what is right or wrong, that's Sacramento's answer ( unbelievable, but true ) I just agreed to start over, until they said, I have to pay again!
At that point of being on SS and not even getting $950.00 a month, I told them I couldn't afford to pay it again and would just settle for the car license that I passed everything on. They said, nope, you don't get that either. So knowing you can get a Ca ID card for free after age 62 I went with that. After finishing everything and about 2 hours later, the girl says, her manager wants to see a birth certificate, proof of residence, etc. I explain I'm not there for that new "real ID" cuz I guess all this time our license hasn't been real ID, just some useless ID card you can get in a bubble gum machine. And the manager says I'm not getting anything till I bring back all that stuff. Then as they all sit there and all point and look at me as they all speak Spanish to each other. It's then that I look around and notice I'm the only white boy in the place and the DMV is run by a bunch of racist! That's right racist, why else would they be giving me a hard time? Because I didn't bring my Mexican girlfriend with me? They never treated me like this when she's with me, o you tell me, what's up? And I've been there 3 times now, and the same bs, and going back now, with my hidden recorder, to have my girlfriend tell me what they were saying when I get home.

It is well known that the backlog at the local DMV office is out of control. Two processes that create a meaningless 10 fold increase in contact is removing a car from non operation and getting the ability to tow a 10, 000 - 15, 000 lb 5th wheel added to your class c drivers license.
Non-Operation It is illegal to drive your car to get it smogged because it is not registered. You can get a one day permit (visit to DMV and not Online). You drive the car to the smog station and they can not smog the car because the data in the engine computer has been lost due to DMV rules it can not be smogged. The car must be driven over multiple days (warm up cool down cycles). So now your one day pass is meaningless. Go to DMV and get multiples? Break the law and drive it unregistered.?
Towing 5th wheel with GVWR of 10000-15000. Apparently my life savings and house have been at risk because I did not know a special license was needed to tow it. The DMV had no idea what I was talking about 7 calls before visit and 7 people at DMV to figure it out. All documentation conflicts, DMV uneducated. Sad DMV knows the details of my license and trailer registration yet I was never contacted. Only figured it out when turned 70 and had to renew license. This law appears to have happened after I purchased trailer.
So I go to Von's to day and see DMV kiosk that does what you can do on your smartphone or computer. Money better spent on fixing your existing documentation and processes. Tom Hannah [protected]

To whom it may concern;

I looked over my vehicle registration for my 2017 VW e-Golf and there is a $145 license fee and a $143 registration fee.
This is an outrage! This is 12% of my disability income . How am I supposed to eat? I will be forced to skip paying other bills or medical treatment in order to pay your criminal penalization of used electric car fees in California.

This was a used car.
If I were polluting the planet with a combustion engine vehicle you would happily cut the fee in half and poison the population.
End the clean car penalty now!

This complaint is against DMV Special Processing Unit MSD238 in Sacramento. On or before November 21, 2019 DMV received a $6.00 payment from me along with a Physician Completed Handicap Placard Application for the purpose of issuing a temporary placard. DMV cashed the check of $6.00 dollars and sent me back an incomplete notification on November 26, 2019. Within that same envelope DMV included a "sealed" return back envelope (See attached pictures) along with list of requesting additional information from Physician. Today 1/10/20 I visited my Physician and explained to him the situation and we are sending the form back to you for further processing, Physician included additional information. The envelope was cut open due to your sealing of it making it impossible for me to reasonably comply and mail it back to the DMV.

My name is Mauricio Klamt. Im a green card holder, took my drivers test in 9/20/19. However, I never received my drivers license. I went to DMV on 10/31/19 to complaint and I was told it was returned to the DMV. I filled out more paper work to request another Drivers License. But did NOT happen, so far after one month I still haven't received anything.
Please help. I called and called phone numbers in Sacramento, and they don't answer the phone, or give me vague answer (such as, wait...).

Sincerely
Mauricio Klamt
[protected]

My Registration is due today, I realize I waited till the last day, but planned on using the Kiosk Now, which I've been using the last few years, I went to two different ones that came up as "Not eligible to renew here" I tried online, and received "must be mailed in".
I can only assume this is because the DMV is postponing this process to collect a late fee, I will now need to wait till Monday for a Over-packed, lines to outside, inefficient office to open, utterly ridiculous.

I have submitted multiple forms and documentation to the CA DMV in Sacramento from April 2019 to November 2019 in an effort to obtain a duplicate title of my car that has been own outright since day one.

The documents I have include a copy of my driver's license for identification, print out of the cleared check payment to the DMV, completed forms they requested, along with a copy of my registration and letter pleading for the request to be processed.

The only response I ever get is another request for the same form to be filled out. Again. And again. And again. I have filled this form out and mailed it back at least 5 times. Each time I have to wait weeks for a response.

It is close to Thanksgiving and I haven't heard anything from the DMV since the last form was completed and sent back to them.

They also refuse to cancel the request for duplicate because they cashed my check. This means that I can't sell it (as intended when I bought a new car).

They won't refund the month, cancel the transaction, or honor the request with their pile of forms that I sent back.

There is no phone number to call them, email to contact, and having moved out of state sure means I can't just drive up there to talk to someone. '

What in the hell do I do?

(Mr) Maywand Kakar
[protected] cell
5909 Midas Dr
El Paso, Tx 79924
[protected]@gmail.com

To Whomever Is In Charge of Complaints,

     I am writing this complaint letter against the DMV because due to your own internal mistakes I was forced to spend $740 impound fees, $300 hotel, food and gas and was given a citation by the California Highway Patrol for $402.
     Here is the situation.  Back in April 2019 I went to the DMV to renew my license and because I am diabetic and had diabetic retinopathy I was not able to finalize my license but instead sent to the Driver Safety Hearing department where they gave me a muti-page paper to take to my primary in order to determine the condition of my diabetes and insulin intake. Upon completion of this form by my primary doctor I faxed it to the Driver Safety department. Since my A1C was at 6.4 the agent in charge of my file determined that I did not need a hearing. I recieved in the mail a paper that said "No further action is required by us" and No further contact is necessary ", and to"Go to the nearest field office and complete your renewal". So I took this form to the Fontana DMV where I was told to wait for the license to come in the mail.
     About two months later I was in the process of moving to El Paso Texas but I got pulled over about 35 miles before I got to Blythe Ca where I told the officer my situation and why I didn't have my license yet. He said if your license comes back as clean I'll let you go but when he returned to my vehicle he said my license says INVALID.  I asked what that meant but even the officer said he didnt know but that I would have to have my vehicle towed, that I'd have to stay in Blythe Ca over the weekend so that I could go to the DMV on Monday and fix my license situation. He said once the DMV clears you go next door to the CHP office to get the release form to take to the tow company and retrieve my vehicle. He also wrote me a ticket for INVALID LICENSE ($402)
     I spent the next two days at a motel six while my sister drove all the way from El Paso to bring me cash and to make sure I didn't get heat stroke under the hot Blythe sun since I'm an End Stage Renal Patient and it was 103°.
     Monday morning I went to the DMV where the gentleman working there made a phone call and then called me over to say I never turned in the form that said I was cleared by the Driver Safety Agent. A point I disputed. So he says no problem I'll go ahead and finalize your license now and you should get it in the mail in 7 to ten days.  He gave me a temp license paper which we took to the CHP office next door, recieved the Release form and went to the tow yard where I was promptly charged $740 for two days worth of storage.
     Several days later when I was in El Paso AAA to check on our auto insurance and membership the guy runs my DL number and it comes back as suspended. So I start calling the DMV which referred me to call Driver Safety where the agent on the phone tracked down their mistake. He said we sent you a paper stating you were cleared but apparently no one sent the DMV the same notice so every time the DMV tried to finalize my DL renewal, their own computers would block it. So the Driver Safety agent on the. phone called another dept and made them fill out the correct forms, then he had them fax it to the DMV people,   then two hours later he made a call to make sure they recieved the forms and he checked my DL on the computer to make sure the block was taken off. He then said for me to wait until the new card came in the mail in order to go get my Texas DL since they will ask me to turn in the California DL.
     So all this happened because one DMV department failed to communicate with the other and I fell through the cracks. It has cost me dearly in time, heartache and almost $1500. I am asking that the DMV reimburse me for the money I did not need to spend since none of this was my fault.
     I would never have driven had I known that my license was INVALID or SUSPENDED but I took your employees at their word when twice they told me that it would come in the mail. I realize the DMV made a mistake in"Good faith" but I shouldn't have to pay for their mistake. Please pay me back my losses.

Maywand Kakar

We moved out of state to a much better state where people listen and help if you need it. All I wanted to do is change our address and it won't let you do it online as they say and the person I talk to couldn't even get into their own website. So I called the circus in sacramento the registration dept. Now these people should be laid off to save money for your state. The recording said there was a 108 minute wait time so leave your number and they will return the call. That was at 1:00 in the afternoon and I called again at 2:30 and left my contact number once again. Bottom line they dont return calls.

June 27 2019, I used a day off from work to apply for real id.

i had all of my paperwork completed, online application was complete. I was denied a real id because I could not prove my marriage, forgot to bring my marriage certificate. Was told to return with marriage certificate. I returned home, dug my certificate out from storage and made a new appointment (first available October 4, 2019).
I arrived on that day with social security cards showing both maiden and married name, I had mortgage payment statements (home I have lived in and paid taxes to State of California from, for 26 years). I broughtwith me the marriage certificate that I used in 1983 to change my name on my drivers licence when I was married. I used this same certificate when I obtained a passport in 2009 and when I changed my name on the Clinical Lab Scientist license I have used since 1982 (paying fees to California in order to use it!).

I was rudely informed by the first person I encountered "that my marriage certificate is "Just a souvenir" and I do not deserve a real id because it is not a right but a privilege that I was not qualified for. She also made fun of the fact that I was married in the Episcopal Church. I had the distinct impression that this person, who spoke to me quite rudely was seeing that I am an older, christian white woman and she obviously did not like me. Perhaps she was expressing some form of prejudice.

I now will be required to pay for a copy from vital records and was told it will be 6-8 weeks (the license was issued in PalmSprings, CA in 1983 and should be on file with DMV as you accepted this license when you changed the name on my drivers license: N2626045 in 1983.)
Because I cannot get a appointment until I know I have the new marriage certificate, I will most likely be unable to fly to Alaska in late February for family adventure.

After this occurance, several friends have told me of similar issues at the San Clemente office. Coworkers who were married in other countries (one in India, the other in Korea) were able to obtain their real id's without this extra nonsense. They obtained them in Costa Mesa and Orange).

Please look into retraining your San Clemente employees. This has been a frustrating and time consuming exercise in futility. I lost 2 days of pay to this. Please let me know why my marriage certificate from 1983 has been acceptable by other State of California agencies as well as the Federal Government to prove that I am entitled to have the same last name as the man I married 36 years ago and am still married to but not by the California DMV.

Sincerely,
Carolyn Allen, CLS (A.S.C.P.) SM
e-mail: [protected]@yahoo.com

I went to transfer a car into my name I had completed the pink slip and signed I accidently made an error on the back. The lady denise in window 16 said ill need a bill of sale. So I told her the gentleman told me this is all I need she looked at me with a smurk and said no. I asked my brother to call the guy and ofcourse he didn't get it the lady said ill give it to you. So then I asked why do I need a bill of sale and she said because you made a mistake or do you rather pay the tax on the 500 that you wrote? I said I don't understand and she wouldn't look at me as she was completing the form I said can you help me an answer my questions I waited over 1 hr and she said I dont have to answer more than what you ask. I asked tovsee a manager and she said go to window 4 with your pathetic story with a smerck on her face I told her that was rude and I would never treat someone like that she proceeded to say I don't care go to window 4. She continued to smile and attack me with a low voice and a smerk. Obviously I spoke to the manager which seemed to not care. I told her the employee would need to apologize not here she only cared to explain the documents and not how I was treated. Why do these people continue to get away with treating customers like this? I would like a response to this complaint.

DMV employee demonstrated unprofessional behavior by huffing and rolling his eyes while flippantly answering a question. From my observations, the employee seemed highly irritated that he had to do anything for a DMV customer. Thankfully, not all employees at this office behave in this manner. My hope would be that all DMV employees are offered training on how to provide at least good customer service. This employee failed in this aspect with at least one customer on this day.

On 9/18/19, I went to the local dmv office in quincy, ca. I walked in at approximately 1:50pm. I was rudely spoken to by dmv employee nikki. Last name is unknown. I greeted dmv employee monica cortez and before she could answer, dmv employee nikki put her hand up to her co-worker monica cortez to silence her. Nikki rudely asked me if I had an easy or difficult transaction. I stated an easy transaction. Then in a very condescending tone nikki stated to dmv co-worker monica cortez "ok then, I guess you can handle that". I am in hr supervisor and our business has 165 vehicles in our fleet. I need to go to our local dmv office many times a month and sadly nikki is the rudest and most unprofessional employee that have dealt with in a long time each and every time I need to go into that office. I suggest you watch your cameras in that office to see what nikki is really like. If this unprofessionalism by nikki does not improve, I will have no choice but as a third party, I will be forced to file a legal action against dmv and nikki for harassment. I do not have to be the directly affected individual to file a claim as it does disturb and affect my quality of doing business and the company I work for any time I need to do dmv business. I know for a fact that keys have been thrown at dmv employee monica cortez by her co-worker nikki. All of my co-workers witness the unprofessional attitude, verbiage and lack of confidentiality that nikki dishes out. Seriously, look at your cameras for the real truth because nikki is sneaky and lies! Further complaints against nikki will be filed.

My wife got her drivers license renewed as a real ID in February this year (2019). Her original drivers license didn't expire until 2021 but she wanted to get ahead of the crowds by getting it done early. Her new Real ID drivers license was issued with the same 2021 expiration date as the original yet she paid the full price for the renewal. It seems to me that she should have gotten an expiration date 5 years from the date she renewed the license or she should have had to pay a prorated fee to keep the original date. Why should people pay full price to update their their DL to real ID standards when they still have over 2 years existing before the old one expire?