The Down:
Just like an ostrich with its head in the sand. So is the Toppenish Department of Licensing (DOL), but instead of sand, it's their own ass. Everything was good when I went in with our paperwork for the van to obtain our vehicle inspection request. All fine and no problems. Inspection went well and was uneventful. Now time to go and get this thing transferred and licensed. Carrie came down to Toppenish after work. Her, and I strolled in, paperwork in hand. Next... "yes we'd like to transfer the title into both our names and get plates and tabs please". In my whole life I've never had such an unprofessional, unhelpful, and unknowledgeable person (I can't even say help) pretend to do their job. {typing on the computer} "I can't do anything... You have this paper, and It isn't flagged as destroyed in the computer. I can't do anything until it's changed, you need to fax a form to Olympia". So we ask the clerk what form we need and where to send it (Olympia is a big place, you know). The answer given... "I don't know..." Again, we ask. "So, where can we find this form? Is it online? Do you happen to have this form? Can we print it off ourselves?" The answer again, "I don't know"... At this point I'm starting to boil... I ask, "Why wasn't this brought to my attention when I came in to get the inspection request? The answer I got, "Well, we don't check for all that stuff; we just give people what they want." I take a moment to process what I had just heard before responding (Carries mind: "Well if that's the case, just do our paperwork and give us what we want!"). Thankfully, I opened my mouth before the smart-ass was unleashed on this incompetent clerk. I responded with, "Well don't you think you should start checking peoples paperwork beforehand so there aren't problems like this later? If I was going to need this paper, that would have been a perfect time to let me know". With that Carrie and I both realized that the likely answer to any more of our questions would be the "I don't know" repeated again and again, so we decided to lessen our frustrations, cut our losses, and leave.
Sitting in the car, we both looked at each other, "We need to go to Wray's".
The Up:
Same paperwork in hand, we go to the DOL located in Wray's on Summitview. We are greeted by a smiling clerk behind the counter. We hand him our paperwork, which he thumbs through. He says, "well it looks like it was run through a wrecking yard and the title has been canceled, so you need the notarized Abandoned Vehicle Report (AVR) form from them and we should be good". (I internally facepalm and realize I had run the van (sellers report) but not filed an AVR because we had the title). We say thank you and jet back down to the Auto Bone Yard to retrieve our missing paper. A short turn-around trip and we're standing back in front of the clerk handing him our licenses and signing our names on the registration. He hands us our plates with a smile. Carrie and I are both so giddy with excitement and relief that we're now all good on the van, that neither of us can stop grinning from ear to ear.
Plates installed, registration in the glove box and the van is now truly on the road. Now for the tongue and groove interior!
~Tim
