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What's wrong with the DMV? Yes, it sucks that you have to go there physically... but you're out in 10-15 minutes.
In terms of their workers, I've never had issues with either. The mailmen are a bit lazy in the snow.
If you have issues with DMV workers, that's really more representative of your state than anything else.
Nah, I've been to the DMV in two widely different areas of my state. The city with the smaller population is in and out in under 15 minutes but the one in the bigger city is hours of waiting, especially given that on certain days they bus people in from some of the nearby smaller cities.
Simple remedy - PRIVATIZE everything - downsize the government.
If done right this would work wonders. You really want to increase performance, farm the work out to contractors and pay them a quality-adjusted rate (on wait times, error rates, customer reviews, and so forth). Cherry on top is you could likely make significant cost savings simultaneously with improving service.
I had trouble with a branch post office in San Francisco.
I went down there and yelled at them about not getting my mail.
Then, because I had publicly humiliated them and treated them as servants (as they more than deserved), they deliberately withheld all my mail for two weeks.
So I called up the local U.S. attorney and asked him what the penalty was for deliberately tampering with or withholding the mail. It was quite severe, and postal workers are not exempt.
He suggested I call the post office branch manager and tell him that I had talked with the U.S. attorney.
Bingo! All my mail appeared the next day in my mailbox and I didn't have any more problems.
I had trouble with a branch post office in San Francisco.
I went down there and yelled at them about not getting my mail.
Then, because I had publicly humiliated them and treated them as servants (as they more than deserved), they deliberately withheld all my mail for two weeks.
So I called up the local U.S. attorney and asked him what the penalty was for deliberately tampering with or withholding the mail. It was quite severe, and postal workers are not exempt.
He suggested I call the post office branch manager and tell him that I had talked with the U.S. attorney.
Bingo! All my mail appeared the next day in my mailbox and I didn't have any more problems.
That's funny, I can't ever get anyone to answer the phone at my post office. I tried calling the toll free number.... press 2 for.. press 1 for ... press 1 for.. press 3 for.. oh you got to the wrong department.
I see little difference between the quality of service between these very large national and state service agencies and many very large national and regional customer-facing service providers - airlines, ISPs, even some banks - when dealing with all but their elite customers. The American consumer, through their maniacal bargain-hunting purchasing behaviors, has fostered a rush to the bottom in customer service, in many sectors of the economy, choosing the lower priced supplier without regard to the impact less staffing has on service quality. That that's bled over into the public sector is not surprising given the parallel between maniacal bargain-hunting purchasing behaviors and the fervent push for tax relief.
Location: SF Bay Area (recent MN transplant...go gophers)
148 posts, read 149,283 times
Reputation: 368
Quote:
Originally Posted by ALackOfCreativity
If done right this would work wonders. You really want to increase performance, farm the work out to contractors and pay them a quality-adjusted rate (on wait times, error rates, customer reviews, and so forth). Cherry on top is you could likely make significant cost savings simultaneously with improving service.
Also, if we're going to be completely honest, I'm not sure a private company would do better than current federal employees. I've dealt with some private insurance and claims companies through work, and holy hell they make the VA look like Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network. Even if we have a perfect quality-adjusted contract for a company like that, I feel like the savings would be minimal (if they existed at all, like that previous NYT article explained) and we might see some number-fudging or claim-dropping scandal come up. I'm not very confident in the federal government's work ethic either, but I've worked in the private sector, and it doesn't have the amazing aura of competency that a lot of people think it has.
Again, theoretically it's a kickass idea, especially if it lowers costs. But you've gotta close loopholes, remove all preferential treatment (INCLUDING veterans preference, which...good luck), vet all contracts, have a set in stone and widespread quality-adjusted rate, and most importantly regulate the private companies so you're absolutely sure that they aren't fudging numbers to meet their quotas. And THEN you have to make sure it's cost-beneficial to the American public. And make sure nobody takes bribes or anything under the table.
Point is, it probably will never be done right. Like the idea, though.
Also,
Quote:
I went down there and yelled at them about not getting my mail. Then, because I had publicly humiliated them and treated them as servants (as they more than deserved), they deliberately withheld all my mail for two weeks.
Two things: 1. God, that sounds pretentious as hell. "I SCREAMED AT THEM AND HUMILIATED THEM LIKE THE GODDAMNED COMMONERS THEY ARE. NOW FETCH MY MINK, SERVANT." And 2. this also sounds incredibly fake. I know both federal workers and private sector workers. If you yell at either one, they will do what you want them to do just so that the weird screaming person will get out of their face. They're not going to try to sabotage you, because their main goal is to never want to see or hear from you ever again.The worst that they do is talk s**t about you at the bar later.
Last edited by Tom Dempsey's Left Foot; 03-21-2015 at 03:45 AM..
For example, I asked SSI the simplest question through their email address, and got a ridiculous answer by someone who OBVIOUSLY did not READ my question. The welfare office always loses my paperwork and denies I ever sent it. The mailmen CONSTANTLY send me mail that either was meant to go to my neighbors, was meant to go to a house in my town with the same house number but on a different street, or that was meant to go to a house at an address VERY different from mine. And as for the DMV, they put the WRONG month in the date section of my newest driver's license! What the ****?
I've never dealt with the welfare office, but I've never had issues with the other places.
In NC you go to a privitized DMV and it is worse then the lines in NJ,NY,Tenn. All of which I have had to go to.
The USPS has cut hours and employees in the smaller offices as the GOP congress has forced them to create a 75Billion dollar retirement fund in 10 years.
For example, I asked SSI the simplest question through their email address, and got a ridiculous answer by someone who OBVIOUSLY did not READ my question. The welfare office always loses my paperwork and denies I ever sent it. The mailmen CONSTANTLY send me mail that either was meant to go to my neighbors, was meant to go to a house in my town with the same house number but on a different street, or that was meant to go to a house at an address VERY different from mine. And as for the DMV, they put the WRONG month in the date section of my newest driver's license! What the ****?
Personally I have NEVER witnessed any of those things so all I can say is you must have cloud over your head.
Some people are lucky, others are not.
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