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  • DRob

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    20   0   0
    Aug 2, 2008
    5,869
    83
    Southside of Indy
    Kudos to the Beech Grove BMV license branch. Went there this morning to register my grandson's truck. I cosigned his loan and the paperwork was mailed to our house with my name as the primary. He's got the payments set up on auto-pay from his checking account. He and the truck are in Rhode Island where he's on his first station with the Coast Guard. Figured I'd have to do some dancing to get the truck registered to him at his parents' address in New Palestine and that we'd have to mail him the plate. No sweat! In and out in 10 minutes with the truck registered to he and I at the New Pal address and the plate mailed to him in RI with no mailing fee.

    I am old enough to remember when standing in line for an hour was routine at a license branch. Things have changed!

    Good on ya' IN BMV!
     

    femurphy77

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    30   0   0
    Mar 5, 2009
    20,268
    113
    S.E. of disorder
    I've been dealing with Indiana BMV's for 19 years and have never had a problem, of course it's always been small town settings so maybe that's the difference. YMMV.
     

    T.Lex

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    15   0   0
    Mar 30, 2011
    25,859
    113
    Yeah, Mitch Daniels may have his faults, but I attribute the BMV streamlining to him and it is a really great thing.
     

    natdscott

    User Unknown
    Trainer Supporter
    Rating - 100%
    5   0   0
    Jul 20, 2015
    2,797
    113
    .
    Agree for the most part, and very much second the kudos to Beech Grove. That was a complex request, and they got it done the way it should have been, all without alienating the customer. That's a win.

    The only statement I will make is that not all the offices are that easy. You'd think it would be a uniform application of the law, but the streamlining DID miss a few dusty corners where a troll or two was able to hide.



    -Nate
     

    KMaC

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    7   0   0
    Feb 4, 2016
    1,535
    83
    Indianapolis
    The appointment concept works if the staff know the process. I made an appointment at the Brownsburg BMV 3 years ago. There isn't anyone to check in with, only clerks processing transactions. Went to the counter and waited for the first person to walk by, who happened to be a 19 year old (my best guess). She says OK, just wait till someone calls you and rushes off to get her slice of pizza. I wait 10 minutes past my appointment time, 20 minutes, while another 10 people come in and get numbers. I finally wise up and realize this ain't working and get a number. After waiting 1 hour and 20 minutes past my appointment my number is called. The clerk appears to be the senior staffer and notices I have a printed appointment confirmation. She asks why I didn't tell someone and I point to the young girl sitting next to her. The girl denies ever having seen me in her life.
     

    MarkC

    Master
    Site Supporter
    Rating - 100%
    2   0   0
    Mar 6, 2016
    2,082
    63
    Mooresville
    My more recent visits to the BMV have generally been much more positive in recent years. I've had particular success at the branch on SR 135/Meridian Street south of Thompson Road. I carried in a specialty plate that had been issued to a vehicle I sold two years prior, and within minutes the clerk had figured out how to reassign the plate to my newly purchased car.

    I also experienced a relatively painless process to get my son his driver's license at the Ameriplex branch in October. We brought in the paperwork from the driving school without an appointment, and the clerks there efficiently worked through the other customers ahead of us and we were in an out within an hour. However, he did not need a road test, so that was a great time saver.

    Not always did I agree with everything Governor Daniels did; however, he did radically improved the efficiency of the license branches.
     

    KMaC

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    7   0   0
    Feb 4, 2016
    1,535
    83
    Indianapolis
    My problem is not so much with any specific person but that there really isn't a system in place to recognize appointments. There used to be a staff person that checked everyone in and assured that they had proper paperwork to accomplish whatever they came for. That staffer is gone now, probably in a streamlining move. The appointment policy is a great idea but poorly implemented. Actually, I still don't know how the appointment recognition is supposed to work even if the staff is on top of it.
     

    Mr Evilwrench

    Quantum Mechanic
    Emeritus
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Aug 18, 2011
    11,560
    63
    Carmel
    I still don’t understand why we can’t walk in, pay money and leave with a registration sticker? Or drivers license for that matter?

    At the Carmel location, there used to be an ATM-like machine at the entrance where you could do almost everything except a license. I don't know if they still have them elsewhere. I've done all mine online for the most part; I don't even have to go in. I did accompany an XGF to get her plate, and I won't tell you what I did to the three nearest cashiers.

    I think they don't make the plates and stickers and whatnot at the locations because those involve a lot of specialized printers, which involves a lot of specialized field maintenance, plus supply distribution. They can do all that at a central location and keep all the printers happy a lot cheaper. I can say that even though the cops will accept your printout as a license, a gun store won't.
     

    MarkC

    Master
    Site Supporter
    Rating - 100%
    2   0   0
    Mar 6, 2016
    2,082
    63
    Mooresville
    At the Carmel location, there used to be an ATM-like machine at the entrance where you could do almost everything except a license. I don't know if they still have them elsewhere. I've done all mine online for the most part; I don't even have to go in. I did accompany an XGF to get her plate, and I won't tell you what I did to the three nearest cashiers.

    I think they don't make the plates and stickers and whatnot at the locations because those involve a lot of specialized printers, which involves a lot of specialized field maintenance, plus supply distribution. They can do all that at a central location and keep all the printers happy a lot cheaper. I can say that even though the cops will accept your printout as a license, a gun store won't.

    In addition to all the practical reasons for not printing in the branches anymore, I believe the BMV also uses the built-in delay as a backstop for extra verification time before issuing the "real" plate/sticker/ID Card/license. Everything is now custom printed on demand at the central facility at Winchester, Indiana. Costs are reduced, as there is no need to stock the various license plates at each of the branches (we are up to over 115 plate varieties now).

    How did they pick Winchester, Indiana? That, I do not know...
     

    ghuns

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    2   0   0
    Nov 22, 2011
    9,308
    113
    I used to dread a visit to the BMV.

    I have been nothing but pleased in recent years.

    I needed my license renewed and a new to me truck titled/registered a couple weeks ago. I expected trouble with the truck. Bought it in Michigan. Dude couldn't find the title. He got a duplicate title issued and proceeded to fill out his info in the "buyer" area. I didn't notice at the time.:rolleyes:

    I had my friendly neighborhood cop do the VIN check form. He looked at the title and said, dude, you're screwed. They'll never take it.

    After getting my license taken care of, I pointed out the problem with the title. The lady looked at it for a second and screamed, LEGAL! Scared the hell outta me. Another lady, apparently named Legal;), came scurrying over and looked at it. She said, cross out the wrong part, write in the correct info, and ship it.

    Got my plate and title just the other day.:yesway:
     

    eldirector

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    10   0   0
    Apr 29, 2009
    14,677
    113
    Brownsburg, IN
    I rather like the Brownsburg BMV. Always helpful and friendly there. I recently bought a project vehicle with a mixed up title (current owner didn't sign, and previous owner signed her married name below her printed maiden name). Took two trips, but they got me straightened out, at no additional cost. Unlike the days of yore, they are never busy. Walk in, get what you need, and walk out in 10 minutes or less. Yeah, they mailed my plate. I had it in 3 or 4 days.
     

    pearlman1966

    Marksman
    Rating - 100%
    5   0   0
    Sep 27, 2010
    249
    18
    I remember how the BMV used to be. Had to get an Indiana license after moving to Jasper from Kentucky.
    Don't know which I loathed more the BMV or clearing CIF in Grafenwoer.
     
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