I would give zero if I can a lot of rude unhelpful entitled employees, no respect for customers, if you ask to talk to the manager, they will tell you to take a new TICKET!! and wait in the line AGAIN for 2 hours to just ask a question or even talk to manager. Never coming back to this
90% of the employees here are focused on creating problems, not solving them. None of them know what their job is. How do you hire them? I don't understand. If you put them through an exam, most of them would lose their jobs.
I had a very unpleasant and disappointing experience doing my drive test with Karla who was rude and disrespectful to me and all the other people who were getting tested that day. She made the applicant in front of me cry because she felt very disrespected over Karlas treatment towards her. She was yelling at everyone and failed me over a little mistake when she could’ve just taken points off. I also think she took my temporary license paper because I never got it back that day and had to print it out at the DMV which was such a hassle. Overall Karla seemed very miserable & would take it out on everyone else with lots of negativity and a passive aggressive attitude. I’ve heard that she fails everyone but thankfully, on my next try I passed easily because I actually had a respectable and reasonable examiner.
3rd time visiting and I’d say I have pretty good service here overall, much better than the stupid San Mateo one. Redwood City staffs know that they are helping normal folks with real life situations, so they are high efficiency and empathetic, patient, and aiming for good results; while the San Mateo one is more like “I don’t care about your life, i miss the part that’s my problem”.
Kudos to Redwood City DMV folks, we need more people like you! 5 stars!
BTW I’m not against all DMVs. Santa Clara was decent too.
Overall went well. Friendly teller. Sure, can be longs waits but it moves along. For a DMV - great job. A couple of tips: 1: do as much as you can do online. Check your emails carefully. Screen shot your all the different numbers for confirmation on your phone. 2: getting here early doesn’t mean you get ahead, they make you wait to check in until 10mins before your appointment. BUT the line to check in is long so - get here early and be prepared to wait regardless.
The instructions are never clear, nobody to ask a question, they make you wait and then when you finally get to their window they ask you to have stuff that they didn’t mention printed out and because you don’t have it right there, you need to get a new number. I am in my third number and this became a 3 hour diligence. Also, each person’s requirements are different so it is possible that each person ask you to have something different… too bad there is not 0 starts option
I went to this place so many times, but it is a disaster, complete chaos. Employees do not know what they are doing. Worse, they don't want to do their job and they are mean. Particularly, someone called Saeid. They won't accept your documentation unless it is exactly what is in their mind. They cannot even tell you the name of the documentation other than "it needs to have a picture". Saeid was very quick to say "I won't do anything for you" and he really didn't. He messed up a lot of the things. It's not only him. Most of the time, they are looking to hear a word just to say no and shake their head. I went there 5 times. I passed the computer test at once. Saeid, without knowing what he is doing, without listening to what I was saying tore down my permit and wanted me to take the computer test again. The other lady understood and tried to fix it by collecting the papers from the trash bin. She gave it to me. I go back home and try to register for the behind-the-drive wheel test. I noticed they mixed my paper with someone else's. I also had driver's record from PA. So, I shouldn't need to take a behind-the-wheel test, but Saeid needs to see something with an image. He cannot even tell me what form he wants. I went there 5 times, I passed the computer test. However, I still don't know if I have the permit or what number it is. I am not able to register to the behind-the-wheel test. I will go there again to hear their BS. These people need order, discipline and training. System needs to be improved. It's a complete mess.
I went to the DMV website to make a formal complaint. However, even their complaint system is broken. It means they don't care. They don't want to hear. I will also call and make further escalations.
I had a very unfair and frustrating road test experience at the Redwood City DMV.
My test was scheduled at 1:00 PM and I was the first appointment of the afternoon. However, the examiner asked me to wait and tested other applicants before me, causing me to wait more than 10 minutes without any explanation.
Before the test started, the examiner asked me about vehicle controls using non-standard or unclear terms. As a non-native English speaker, I politely asked her to slow down, but she ignored my request. She also stated that I was not allowed to ask any questions during the test, which made communication extremely difficult and stressful.
The actual driving portion was extremely short — we only exited the DMV, made a right turn, drove a very short distance, and immediately turned back into the parking lot. During this time, the examiner repeatedly raised her voice and behaved aggressively.
At the end, she claimed I failed because I “hit the curb.” I am absolutely certain that I did not hit any curb during such a short and simple route. When my instructor and I tried to speak with the DMV manager afterward, the manager fully sided with the examiner without investigating and dismissed our concern by saying my instructor “was not there.”
Later, my instructor told me this examiner has a known history of similar behavior and complaints.
This experience felt biased, dismissive, and unprofessional — especially toward applicants who are not native English speakers. I hope the DMV takes examiner conduct, communication standards, and fairness more seriously.
I have no doubt that the pre-requisite for working at the Redwood City DMV is being extremely rude, aggressive, and impolite to people. You should be ashamed of the way you treat people so gratuitously. Shame!
A few experiences in the past have been mid (so 3 or 4 stars), but the last two times have been just so unnecessarily rough (1 star). There are ways of saying things and then there are ways of saying things. The time before last, even though I had all the things I needed, the clerk treated me like I was bothering him. When I showed him I had all the documentation for my vehicle, he was then super dismissive and seemed annoyed that I wasn't wrong. Then the last time, I had everything for my passport but one thing wasn't an original copy (just a verified copy from another county). The lady pointed to it and spoke to me so rudely and loudly, pointing repeatedly and saying in an exasperated tone. "Look, right here! NOT an original!!" then sighing loudly and walking away. I know it must be a tough job, but regardless of who we are, we should be treated with decency. Some of these folks are just straight up mean and rude.
I went this dmv for real id. The big black lady over the counter was so rude and impatient. I don’t know her name. She rolled her eyes and yelled at me multiple times for no reason. Meanwhile she was chatting with the women next to her the whole time. No wonder this dmv has such a bad rating.
Agree with most of the reviews here and had the same experience. The lady at the entrance is absolutely rude and gave wrong instructions. I went there first with all my necessary documents and she asked for something else. Yes I went back home and waste all my time to make another visit that turned out the something else is not needed at all. If they can’t do their simple jobs and with such bad attitude, why they are there?
I had my behind the wheel test (driving test) earlier this week and the examiner was sooo friendly and nice I don't know his name but he had a kind attitude and a gentle tone which helped with my anxiety. He didn't nitpick on little things and gave clear instructions and constructive criticism. It's so nice to be met with patience and friendliness after what I experienced at the San Mateo DMV (p.s. do NOT go there for the driving test b/c there is a good chance you get a rude/impatient examiner and that will definitely affect your driving. Also the residential areas are super narrow due to the parked cars and also damaged/bumpy and full of speed bumps so it's generally harder than the Redwood City location.) I saw that all of the drivers around my time (around 8 am?) passed, so I'm guessing they are a lot more lenient as well (relatively).
I have lived in many states. The California DMV is by far the most dysfunctional government organization I have come in contact with. The fact that it exists as it does is an outrage. Today a short, simple visit turned into three plus hours (and counting) as their “computer system went down again” for multiple hours on a random Thursday. Apparently this is a regular occurrence. Do any of the public employees show any initiative in this situation? Of course not. They are being paid to sit around and play games on their phone (I saw them do this). They are rude, they yell, they are “just as frustrated as you are!” Really? You are getting paid to not work. I took the day off for this.
The hit or miss comments are so true. I am 16 now have been to the dmv 5 times why you ask let’s run it down. Came here 1st during school but they decided to close the permit tests when I was next in line after waiting hours ok come back a couple weeks later finally take the test final it come back a couple weeks later finally pass it. Come back 7 months later to get my license. I pass the license test but they refuse to give me my license since “we changed address and we don’t have a proper way to prove it” (we brought all bills of utilities everything you can bring to prove you live where you live. Ok so then we go back a week later this time wait 3 hours in line finally this Asian lady calls us up. We brought everything I mean everything passport and even my birth certificate. And everything you could think of. This lady is already yelling at my mom since they is convinced we are missing something and my mom said sorry she is confused and the lady said HELL NO ITS NOT CONFUSING. very rude then she proceeds to yell at us to leave even though we are nice against all we are doing here is proving we live where we live so i can finally revive my license (again i passed my license test a while ago). End of the day this lady made my mom miss her plans I have missed days of school and I am still here no license about to go back for a 6th time I will an update on how that goes but it’s really unbelievable she even had a bit of spit that got on me from the lady yelling. I think it’s amazing that someone can just be that un happy in life I understand it’s a dmv but no way you go home feeling happy after ruining a bunch of other customers days. (Ps same people who hate unlicensed drivers but they make it this hard)
Do yourself a favor and go elsewhere. I'd do 0 stars if I could. The employees here act like you're inconvenient to their precious time and gladly send you home over something small. A few of them seem to get off on talking down to you after making one mistake. The few that do a too-good of a job here are gotten rid of.
I finally got around to going in to the DMV today after having filled out the information online a week or so ago, and my wait wasn't super long, maybe 25 minutes? I wasn't sure if they'd be able to help me at all today because my appointment was a walk-in, but there were plenty of seats to sit in for people waiting which was nice, and the woman I worked with really knew her stuff! (I believe her name was Angela?) She's been working there for 20 or so years and she was super clear about what I needed to do, which was really helpful because I'm new to the area. I just wanted to give her a shoutout because she's so capable at her job and I really appreciated it!
Before my visit, I was wondering why this DMV is rated so low. After my visit, it all makes sense. Most of the staff is not helpful, especially the rude Asian lady behind the counter. I would recommend using the kiosk instead of wasting time here.
It’s about 3:30. Where is the normal long line around the corner? Don’t know. Don’t care. Checked in and checked out in less than an hour. No appointment. I must be dreaming. Vehicle Registration Renewal. DMV has stepped up their game!
The staff member at the entrance checking appointment numbers was surprisingly rude and unprofessional. I was shocked by the lack of courtesy and basic respect. It's disappointing to see someone in a public-facing role treating people this way. I hope the DMV addresses this, as it reflects poorly on the entire office.
I’m in the line of B group. Only 1 number has been called in the past 1 hour and there are >30 in line.
**update** I went there again for the same registration. This time I had to wait for another 3 hours just to hand the vin verification form from one guy to the other guy. Thanks to whoever in DMV office that came up with such a genius policy.
I waited hours for my number to be called. I was one of the last people in the building before they closed. The older woman with the white curly hair told me I needed the phone number to the dealer that sold me the car. As Im rushing to find the number, she is continuously me “Did you find it? Did you find it? Did you find it?” She ended up turning me away and told me to come back Monday. Here I am sitting in the parking lot baffled there was no phone number on this paperwork I was given from the seller. Took me about 2 minutes to find the number. The rude worker made me leave for nothing and now I have to waste a few more hours on Monday coming back here.
While the DMV itself is pretty typical, there are some people who are quite nice and polite but there are some who are absolutely not. Jennifer from Redwood City DMV is an incompetent employee. She was rude and impolite not just to me, but to everybody else she attended. Pretty shocked to see the DMV still retains such employees.
If you are going to the DMV and end up with Jennifer or someone like her, better be prepared to not lose your cool and handle it calmly, because these people are not going to be nice to you. Good luck!
Went in to get my DL instruction permit on a Tue and it was a smooth experience. I used the 'Get in Line' feature on the CA DMV website, joined the virtual line at 9:01am and was 40th (it's possible that the virtual line opens 8am onwards when the DMV opens and that's why I already had so many people ahead of me - but I only checked at 9 per the feature timings on the website). After about 1.5 hours of waiting at home I was at the 10th position and by the time I reached the DMV around 10:45, waited a couple of mins in the walk-in line outside, and then got to the waiting room seats, I was 6th. There were maybe another ~30min of waiting seated inside and ~30min for the document checks + vision test at the counter, photo-taking and for me to take the knowledge test and finally collect my permit (with short queues and clear instructions for each of those steps).
I left the office a little ahead of noon and both the appt and walk-in lines outside were empty, though the seats inside were full. The staff managing the lines outside and at the windows inside were all courteous, polite and helpful. :)
Avoid going to the Redwood City DMV on Fridays and Mondays especially if you don't have an appointment as it can get very busy. Instead of waiting I went home and was able to process a title change online with the DMV website. They also have Kiosks such as in Safeway where certain procedures and registrations can be done.
Honestly, this place is a hit or miss like any other DMV location. The place itself isn't too big, but they have a DMV kiosk, which makes the most simple things go fast. My past few visits, it looks like they are limiting the services they do here. Which I found kind of confusing. They are pushing for you to do the majority online nowadays. Registration, renewing your driver's license, and even disabled placards. Of course, priority is given to appointments, but I felt walk-ins are the bottom to be taken care of. It seems like they have fewer people working here, too, which make wait times a lot longer. I tried coming here a few times this week and waited over 2 hours. I checked to see how much longer to wait, and they told me the average wait time to be helped is at least 300 minutes?! I left. The employee told me it's from all the people doing Real ID. Might try to go another day when I'm not in a rush. My recommendation is to schedule an appt. Or go to AAA if you have it, and it's an easy transaction.
Still needed to wait in a short line even though I had an appointment. My appointment time was 10:10. I arrived there at 10:00 and waited in line for 15 minutes to check in, get a number, and sit. I waited for another 30 minutes to go to a window and start processing my application. The representative was very nice and friendly and talked a lot with me. Overall, not a bad experience.
Remember that Star Trek episode where everyone on the ship was suddenly fighting and getting mad at each other? That's the DMV. If humans ever colonize space, the surest way to ensure our extinction would be to have a DMV on the colony. The DMV is the epitome of rock bottom broken bureaucracy. If there was ever a case for the privatization of a public organization, this is it. If the DMV was a private company with any competition whatsoever, it would have a market share of 0% and go out of business on day 1. In the 21st century, I can purchase or return almost any product in the world with a single click of a mouse button, I can check into flights on an app, I can even go through Customs in most countries via an automated kiosk in about 10 seconds, but renewing my driver's license is an absolutely fraught and debilitating experience in California. I make an appointment online, but when I arrive, there's already a 10 minutes line out the door for people who have already made appointments and been given a time to arrive. To make matters worse, the appointments line is in DIRECT COMPETITION with the non-appointments line, which is an instant recipe for irritation for all people involved. It's no wonder that a hired out security guard is monitoring the check in lines at additional tax payer expense. Add to that, people cutting in line, only 1 person serving BOTH lines at the same time, and there being no logical system in place to serve people - apparently the line that starts complaining verbally the loudest gets served? When I sighed after finally being called, the lady checking me in complained to me that "I was mad" I didn't say anything , I just looked irritated. When I tried to diffuse it by saying "It's ok, I'm not mad.", she very unprofessionally insisted "No, You ARE mad.". I then tried to diffuse it a second time by holding up my hands and saying "I understand, it's ok.". She then countered me a second time and said "You DON'T understand.". Amazingly done DMV... an amazing experience. By the way, I intentionally posted the most uninspiring picture I could take of the DMV building in order to reflect my experience, a featureless expanse of grey brick in a parking lot. Hey Elon Musk, want to be the world's hero again? Fix the DMV experience. I mean, is it designed to be broken and irritating and confusing at all levels? It needs to be ripped up and redesigned from the bottom up and top down with the needs of its customers in mind. Appointments should mean something and you shouldn't even be able to go in without an appointment. That will solve your first problem immediately.
One of the worst place which you cannot avoid. Staff are so lethargic that will annoy anyone. They are burden on taxpayers money. You have to wait hours even if you have appointment. Sucks
Website
