I have to give this place some props for today's experience which greatly contradicts my previous visits. Exactly one hour after stepping foot in this spot I'm walking out w my new license on the way and my temporary one in hand. And I did not even have an appointment and it's a Monday!!. Each staff member was courteous as can be for a government official and one of them even smiled at me, like w teeth. Either I should buy a lottery ticket today cause I'm a very lucky girl or they really have made some pains to improve their efficiency. Insider tip: The loud speaker can be heard out side the building so you can enjoy the fresh Costa Mesa breeze and crave tacos the entire time you wait. I was happy and prepared to take my driving test!!. I was asking her if I was doing anything wrong and she had the urge to cuss me out and keep on driving, yes she failed me, she made me feel uncomfortable!!!. She's extremely rude to her driver's!!. After I have finished the test, she tells my driving instructor that I can't drive anymore and takes my permit away!!. I told her what have happened throughout my driving test!!. She threatened me telling me that I was never gonna be a driver!!. This isn't a bad government operation. I got a notice that I my license plates had come in but there were no available appointments for almost two months. I came in on a Saturday afternoon and only had to wait in line about 15-20. Despite having to deal with paperwork and being sent to another line to get stickers, the whole process took less than 40 minutes. If you're here around lunch time and need to get some grub, within two blocks of here you can walk to Taco Mesa, El Chinaco Salvadoranor In-N-Out - all good options. I needed to renew a sales license within a few days, and that didn't give me time to make an appointment, so I had to suck it up. I got there at 7:50am - it opens at 8 - so I waited outside with everyone maybe 25-30 folks. At 8am sharp they opened and got the appointment people to windows. They got the rest of us handled and sitting with numbers immediately. By 8:20, there wasn't one person in line and everyone was seated with numbers. By 9am I was at the counter and done. A lot of the credit goes to the incredible guy who ran the operation up front, his name was Tori and he was not only efficient but fun, funny, and has the best personality. New York is more up to date than this. They are seriously working ass-backwards out West. Female supervisor at this location lost her brain and common sense, not to mention lack of empathy towards another human being. I went hear to get a temp disability placard for knee surgery and they didn't like the way my 7 looked on the form. I was in a knee brace and crutches. I could have called my doctor to confirm the diagnosis, but no. Employees their don't care about you and they like to deny people so as to create more work-on everyone's part. Incompetent staff who acts like a robot and I'm disgusted by this place. I had an appointment at 9:30am to change my name. I arrived 15 min early and there was a line- about 3 people in front of me. I was checked in quickly, told to fill out the application from one of their computers where there was an employee on hand for questions - she was very sweet and the smile never left her face. I then waited maybe 10-15 minutes for my number to be called. When it was, Gracie helped me finalize everything and take payment. She also smiled through the whole encounter. They were all kind, happy, professional and efficient. I didn't see any lines or crowds anywhere- the whole place was efficient and everyone seemed satisfied with the service. This location is clearly under staff. Manager is not really helpful at all. About 5 people today complain to her about not costa mesa dmv anybody at the front. For about an hour people were just waiting and the line was just getting bigger and bigger. Like nobody likes to waste there precious time. Specially, when nobody is saying anything to them. Of course people would be annoyed. I actually did make an appointment and my appointment was at 12:40pm. Guess what time I got out. My recommendations is maybe visit the Apple store. They have an awesome checking-in system. Oh, where do I start. Let's keep in mind that I had to circle the parking lot 5 times just to find a place to find a spot - but I found one - this place is like Walmart on Black Friday according to YouTube videos. It was so easy, scan your reg form, boom, out the door you go. Made about 3 weeks in advance. Someone on the non-appointment line said they had been there 6 hours. My visit didn't start off well when I couldn't find a parking space to save my life. I parked blocks away in a residential area. You figure everyone is stuck in line, so no one is leaving. Even once inside, there was more waiting. Lines to check in, lines to complete the application on the computer, lines to pay, lines to take a photo. Only saving grace was that the employees there costa mesa dmv actually helpful and somewhat knowledgeable regarding my questions. They really should label the lines though, rather than making the employees point and try to describe where to go. Tip: much less crowded if you wait further inside. For some reason everyone congregates near the doors. But you can see the status screens from anywhere in the whole office. It was very organized and fast!!. Special Thanks to window 26 lady, photo station lady, and the tall man who had high energy with awesome smile greeting to people outside. He was walking along the line explaining how the process work to get ticket to go to window. He was so kind too. I got there today at 7:20am it opens at 8am without an appointment. I showed up an hour early and there were about 15 or so people ahead of me. They opened at 8 and I was in and out within ten minutes. And I noticed that by the time I left, the line was half way gone. They have obviously been working very hard at their efficiency and I was very impressed. Not only that, all of the workers were pleasant and helpful. So to sum it up, this location is ideal if you want a quick in and out, granted you don't have a complicated situation to deal with. At the front door 4 friendly staff review documentation and make sure you have everything you need. Long story short, yes, I'd rather be somewhere else, but the staff here were friendly, well trained, and most of all seem to sense and respond to the urgency everyone waiting feels to move through the process. I think every employee had a hand in the experience I had and it was outstanding. I really expected a bad experience. But I got my appointment in November and so I went over at my designated time - actually I arrived 40 minutes early I was so paranoid about not costa mesa dmv such a costly appointment. They handled me without a problem at the appointments desk - no complaint about being early - just processed me in a very friendly manner and sent me to my first stop. Everyone was very friendly and helpful - it was really surprising based on my experience many years ago the last time I visited. And the process is setup for maximum efficiency - they have a screen that show your number and they call you when a window is open, and you move through the process very quickly and they are handling a lot of people in a very fair, friendly, and efficient manner - really impressed with how well they costa mesa dmv engineered their processes. They deserve the feedback as do the managers and supervisors who works so hard to implement this costa mesa dmv. I filled my forms out online ahead of time which made for a quick stop at the info desk just a short line, about 5 minutes. I received my number and started to walk over to take a seat to wait. Before my butt even hit the seat my number was called. The woman who helped me was friendly and quick. Costa mesa dmv joke the whole trip took about 15 minutes. It's spring break for several people. Their appointment system was down when I tried making one. In other words, this was my first costa mesa dmv ever in line without an appointment. Damn ~3 hours I'll never get back. There lot isn't that big, but it's a timing thing. I've always been lucky here thankfully. Renewing your license online or through mail allows you to reuse your old photo since. Renewing in person requires you to take a new one, so I hope you and glowed tf up. Honestly I've never experienced a God awful representative. Getting here early and prepared is the way to go. I arrived at 6:45am to skip the line. I also came with all of the correct paper work previously filled out from their website. Someone came out around 7:15am to help make sure everyone had what they needed. By the time the doors opened at 8am I was out of there at 8:15am. And to top it all off, the employees were all very nice. Exactly one hour after stepping foot in this spot I'm walking out w my new license on the way and my temporary one in hand. And I did not even have an appointment and it's a Monday!!. Each staff member was courteous as can be for a government official and one of them even smiled at me, like w teeth. Either I should buy a lottery ticket today cause I'm a very lucky girl or they really have made some pains to improve their efficiency. Insider tip: The loud speaker can be heard out side the building so you can enjoy the fresh Costa Mesa breeze and crave tacos the entire time you wait. I was happy and prepared to take my driving test!!. I was asking her if I was doing anything wron.
